Kenyan Highlights

Tour # 4 begins in Nairobi. There were supposed to be 3 of us but the others cancelled at the last minute. It's just me !!!! Me and the driver. We're in a pop-top van this time..no big overland truck.

We take the road through the Rift Valley en route to the Maasai Mara. In the valley below is the Longonot Earth Satelite Station. On the way we stop at a local maasai village where I am taken inside one of the houses. They have no power of course so a fire is lit. Its very hot and I dont want to offend my maasai guide by going outside. We sit on the edge of a bed. Everything is surrounded by dirt. Theres an old lady holding a newborn baby in her arms. Shes the grandmother I'm told. I wonder what sort of life this baby has been born into. Cooking in a pot over the fire is maize..their staple diet. On one side of the house is a room for the parents and the other side for the children. Theres only one bed so they obviously all bunk in together. The next room is for the baby animals...calves and kids and lambs. The cows etc sleep in the centre of all the houses to protect them from lions. Once outside I see an old lady sitting up next to the side of the house making a necklace. I ask to sit beside her and she offers to show me how its done. My guide is pleasantly surprised to see me interacting in this way. There are young children too with flies all over their faces. This is really primitive living but its all they know. The houses are built by the women. They collect the sticks and plaster the sides with cow dung. They are responsible for all the work with cooking and children. They milk the cows and and gather firewood....sometimes from many kilometres away. They fetch water. The men are responsible for the protection of the family and tending the herds !! All manual work is for the women. A man can have 5 wives , or more if he has the cows. It costs 25 cows for one wife. The first wife is decided by his father. He must give equal time to each wife..and can 'visit' more than one wife in a night if he chooses. He can do as he pleases with her and she must not complain for fear of a beating by her father. She can produce a baby every 9 months if the man decides he wants another baby. Hence...large and extended families. The elders are not happy about the younger ones getting an education as they dont want the culture to die. All this information I got from a maasai I met a few days later. Some of these men have very refined features and with all their regalia on they look quite stunning. One man let me wear his hat which was made from a lion he had killed. He showed me how he blew a 'message' on a buffalo horn. All in all, it was an interesting visit.

We arrive at Keekorok Lodge in the heart of the Mara. It is beautiful and certainly not what I have been accustomed to previously. There are porters running around everywhere. At reception I am given a warm cloth to wipe the hands and face followed by a glass of passionfruit juice. Yay....could get used to this. My room is big and has a definite african flavour. Gorgeous. There's lots of tourists here and I later hear that I am conspicuous because I am on my own. Some are envious that I have a vehicle to myself. This lodge even has it's own hippo pool and the hippos wander on the lawn at night. The grounds are like a park. Its lunch time and it's 3 course !!! Up until now its been lunch on tin plates from the truck. What a difference.

Each day at 3.30pm it's coffee / tea time and game drives leave at 4pm until sunset. Such organisation. It's like clockwork. We see 6 large lions right on the side of the road. Up until now I havent really been happy with my photos of male lions but that changes as the beasts saunter right past the van door and sit on the road. My driver is excellent at getting the best vantage point for photos and he stops when and where I ask him.....you can do this when you're on your own ( perks ). I am the only one looking straight at this male lion with his teeth bared. Got it !!! Next theres 3 cheetahs sleeping on a mound in the afternoon sun. Lazy things wont move though. As the sun sets over the large herd of buffalo, we make our way back to the lodge. A 3 course meal awaits . The bar staff and waiters are very friendly. Its most welcoming, I must say.

A morning game drive begins with coffee / tea at 6am and leaving at 6.30. Again I am the only one in the best place to get a good photo of the elusive black rhino. Got it !!! Next on the list....lions eating their evening kill. All these vans and 4x4's have radio contact between them and if a good sighting is seen , they all converge on the given spot. Why is eveyone looking at me ? Is it the hair ? No...I am on my own. A yummy breakfast awaits then the day belongs to me so an afternoon siesta is the plan. Now this is how to do a real safari !! The afternoon drive yeilds another lion eating the kill and another black rhino sighting. Back at the lodge I have booked a massage and facial to top off my last tour. Its in a tent at the bottom of the garden. Theres a light rain and its dripping softly on the roof., theres subdued lighting...get the picture ??? When I get to the restaurant for dinner, because I have been here for 2 nights, they have reserved my table just for me. They remember which one and they remember my room number. I am on a fuss. NICE ! This place is packed with people and I am but one single and yet they make me feel special. After dinner we are treated to a display of maasai chanting and their famous jumping dance. I recognise some of them from the village tour . Two taiwanese tourists ask if they can have a photo with me as they have been observing my hair. " Beautiful woman " they say. The other tourists look on with smiles and me with disbelief !!

On our way to Lake Nakuru the following day the roads were atrocious. They have a base of rocks and the top layer has worn off so the rocks protrude. The driver goes the same speed as normal and the whole van rattles and shakes. The dust pours in and I can see daylight through the closed door frame. All of a sudden he stops and gets out saying he suspects a flat tyre. Flat tyre indeed !! It is ripped to shreds , smells of burning rubber and smoke is coming out the numerous holes. Needless to say...its knackered. Hakuna Matata....off with the old and on with the new. He has more than one spare..for obvious reasons. Whilst waiting for repairs a maasai warrior emerges from somewhere in the trees and stands to observe, not saying a word. He leans on his stick .

All along the side of the road little children are waving as the van approaches. They live in bad conditions but they still seem happy. Its getting a little greener as we go north. Theres lots of maize and wheat being grown. Donkeys are prevelent and are often seen carrying huge loads of charcoal on their backs. Sometimes they have minders who hit them with a stick to keep them on their path. At the lake it seems the millions of flamingoes have flown to better eating places because of the drought. There are still hundreds here though. White rhinos are common here and they come very close to the vehicles. The first time I have seen this. The little baby is so cute . Its also my first sighting of the beautiful Rothschild giraffe. It has different markings to the other breeds ...very clean and neat. My favourite. The animals here are not in good condition and covered in dust from the lake edge. The rains need to come soon.

Only one night is spent at Lake Nakuru then its a long drive with picnic lunch south to Amboseli via Nairobi. Amboseli lies at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and its usually only in the early morning that it can be seen clearly. I saw it from my bedrrom window !! Wonderful. Getting to Ol Tukai Lodge required a drive across the Kalahari Desert. In the distance you would swear you could see water and yet there is none. An obvious mirage. One very lone giraffe walks slowly in need of water. It will be a long trek for the poor animal.

My first game drive is depressing to say the least. Rain has not fallen in Amboseli for more than 2 years. Everywhere there are dead and dying animals. The rest look sick or thin. The stench is revolting. One buffalo on the side of the road near death ( or so I thought ) was still there the following morning. Apart from a slight twitch of the ear, it showed no signs of life. Its a long and uncomfortable death for these creatures. And yet man cannot tamper with the ways of nature. They are left to be. Even the only two lions we saw looked ill. One half hearted attempt to kill a wildebeest produced nothing. And even if they eat the dead animals, its not healthy for them.

The following morning game drive was much the same. The elephants that are famous in these parts have either gone elsewhere or died. There are no trees for the animals to shelter as they have , in years gone by, been destroyed by the elephants. I declined the afternoon game drive as I didnt want to see any more. Its heartbreaking. And this time I spent talking to the maasai who frequents this beautiful lodge. His information on his culture was very interesting. He told me he had been a World Vision sponsored child but was never allowed to find or know who his sponsor was. He has no idea which country they come from. He has been educated up until his last two unite. He needs 30,000 ksh to finish. He talked about kidnapping his brother from his village and taking him away to school without his fathers knowledge. He wanted to thank his sponsor for giving him the opportunity to learn but is unable to do so. He wrote me a list of swahili words to learn as this is the native language of Kenya. Whenever I use it the people smile and love it. In fact, they love me so much they asked me not to leave....oohhh isnt that nice ? Ol Tukai Lodge is a wonderful place ( apart from the distressed animals outside the fence ) with all the porters and waiters again running after me. When they saw me sitting alone they would always come up and chat. Needless to say...I will be busy e mailing these local guys when I get home as they all want to keep contact. Such friendly people.

My visit to Kenya was short but most memorable. I would have to say its my favourite of the 9 countries I have visited in Africa so far.

I have seen and done so much in my time here and have marvelous memories and thousands of photos. I have made long time friends along the way. One , in fact will be visiting me in NZ in February. My good friend Loes from Holland who shared a large part of my trip with me. Before I came here I was told, more than once, that I would return as there is something special about Africa. I cant put my finger on it, but its true. On leaving here I will be leaving a little part of me.

When I was in Lusaka I bought a beautiful book on African cultural practices and in that book is a quote......" When you come ,you own the journey.....when you leave, the journey owns you "

How very true.

Kwaheri for now....I shall return.

Into Tanzania

Its an early start this morning for our long drive to the Tanzanian border. It takes two days to get to Kerepehu Beach on the other side of Dar Es Salaam. Its the final days of Ramadan here and when we arrive in Dar its early evening and the streets are full of muslims eating after a day of fasting. The women and children are dressed beautifully and as the truck weaves slowly up the narrow streets, we become a spectacle amid the crowds of people . Theres lots of noise and activity. We're not allowed to take photos which is a real shame as there is such charactor here.

It's extremely hot and humid when we arrive at the ferry terminal the next morning. Having a long walk with bags adds to the discomfort. Theres hassles at the office and it soon becomes evident that we have no tickets for the ferry to Zanzibar. Apparently the man who took the money for the pre paid tickets has skipped the country and gone to Russia !! After much stress by our guide and phone calls, we are later given new tickets but now have to wait in this dreaded heat for a later ferry......we are directed upstairs to the top level of the ferry. We sit there for another hour before departure. There is no circulation, no open windows and no air conditioning. The chairs are old and dirty and the carpet is disgusting. After some time , I am finding this humidity unbearable . The sweat is constant and draining so I decide I must get outside before I expire. There is no air inside which is dreadful and it smells bad. On the way outside , I step over mothers and children who are asleep on the floor. Babies are crying. Outside is packed and no one moves to let me past. Finally I find a little place near the edge and sit there until we arrive in Zanzibar after 3 hours on board this vessel. Getting off is bedlam. Everyone is pushing and shoving and there is only a small doorway. Some people have big bags or boxes and try to push past. One person has a hen in a cage !!!! There is no politeness here. I feel like an animal in a stock truck being unloaded. Horrible.

After checking into our hotel in Stonetown, its down to the waters edge to find some lunch and try and destress. There are Ramadan celebrations going on in the park tonight. It's interesting to sit and people watch. There is lots of activity and again the women and children are beautifully dressed. Loes and I decide to walk amongst the people and get a feel of their experience.

A morning walk around the shops and quaint alleyways of Stonetown...I'm learning the art of bargaining and I have my own way of doing it. I'm not sure they like it but it works. My suitcase is getting heavier as this holiday progresses. The alleys are narrow and the cars drive through them. If you hear a toot from behind that means ...get out of the way ! Everywhere the taxi drivers are asking for business and shop owners are lurching out the doors looking for a sale. Best prices anywhere maaam...yeah right !!

My room on the northern beach of Zanzibar is upgraded to seaview. Its gorgeous. The water is beneath the floor almost. There are lots of bungalows and hotels along the stretch of sand. Some seem to be predominantly Italian clients. At dinner in our restaurant there is a maasai warrior selling his jewellery. Strange place for a maasai I think to myself. It looks a little out of place here on a beach. After talking to him ( and buying some wares of course ) Loes and I are invited by him and his friend to a bar outside the compound. I'm very hesitant when I look through the cracks of the entrance and realise that she and I are the only white people there. Its a bit late to back out now and I soon find that my preconceptions are misguided. Its a maasai bar and everyone is friendly. We certainly stand out, thats for sure !!

The following day, walking along the beach, there are maasai everywhere ! They tell us they are from Arusha and come to Zanzibar to sell their wares for 3 months then go home. I am not sure how much money they would have left if they are drinking alcohol each night. They are a very thin breed and look striking in their predominantly red attire. Most of them are male and in their 20's. They come and chat as you walk and want to know which country you are from. I note that they can speak Italian...hhhmmm...wheres their culture gone to ? This doesnt seem right ( I later find out from another maasai from another tribe that he's not impressed with this lot ) . Hitting on white women is certainly not their culture but they're giving it a good go. There are lots of little shops along the beach too to attract the tourist wallet.

As I walk a lady comes at me asking if I want my hair braided. At first I say no...my hair is short after all so how does a braid stay in anyway ? I later relent and decide to give it a go a s she says it's no problem. While I wait for her to go to the supermarket ( yes...the supermarket !!! ) to get my colour, I have a henna tattoo done on my arm. Its the thing to do here and it only lasts a few weeks before fading off. At times there are 4 women braiding my hair...2 locals and 2 maasai. It takes 5 hours sitting on the beach in the sun. When it gets dark we have to move elsewhere where there is light. The power goes off so it's done by candlelight for a time. This is getting tedious to say the least but I cant leave until its finished. These poor women are getting as tired as me but its taking so long because I have thick hair which they didnt realise.The mozzies are biting...finish, please finish. The group will be wondering where on earth I have vanished to. DONE....it feels like a lead weight on my head. I'm not sure how long this will last before I rip them out but I'll give it a go. Sleeping is a mission too. oh well....the things we do !

The ferry back to Dar Es Salaam is much nicer thank goodness. After one night at Kerepehu Beach its off to Arusha.

The next adventure takes us into the Serengeti Plains and Ngorogoro Crater. Its a camping part of the tour....eek a tent !! We have one overland jeep for passengers ( theres only 7 of us at this point plus the driver ) and one jeep for the camping gear. There are 2 cooks. In the afternoon we have our first game drive in the Serengeti NP and lucky us.....we are priviledged to see a lion kill. I saw it coming. On the right side of the road was a herd of buffalo with two mothers and a baby at the back. On the left side of the road were 3 incoming lions who , at this point, had'nt seen the buaffalo. Once the first lion sighted the baby at the back her ears changed position and her eyes were fixed in only one direction. The kill was on !!!! Slowly at first then....she's off. The baby buffalo let out a bellow and the mothers turned and chased the lion. The other 2 lions had joined in and it was a case of cat and mouse ( or cat and buffalo in this case ) until the buffalo mothers were outwitted and outnumbered. The baby, at this stage' was still alive but grounded and we wished for the lions to finish it off and put it out of its misery.....which they did swiftly. Two more lions joined... Our guide had seen his first kill in 5 years on the job and told us we were so lucky to witness such a thing . Its not nice to see something killed but , at the same time, the lions need to survive too. Its the law of nature.

Our game drive continues.....would you know it ? Another rare occurance...a leopard sitting in a tree. Our driver has spotting eyes like you would not believe. Even when he tells us where to look we still can't see it at once. And he saw it while driving !! Leopards are night creatures and very shy so it's not often they are spotted.

On our way back to camp we are treated to something special again. Two cheetahs are stalking something in the grass. Apart from seeing elephants, zebra, giraffes and all manner of small grazers, it's been a lucky day this one. Arriving at camp, our tents are already up and the cooks are preparing our evening meal. All cooking is done in a concrete building with wire netting to keep out animals. This is a wild area and we are in the domain of the animals who can wander into the camp at leisure. We are told to stay in our tents at night. I hear lions not too far away and during the night the strange , high pitched noise of the hyena is right outside. What an amazing feeling knowing they are close....very close.

I am picked up at 5am the next morning as I have opted to do a sunrise hot air balloon flight over the Serengeti Plains. I am the only one from the group doing it but I understand that I will be flying with people from other groups and there will be 16 of us in the basket. On the way to the lift-off zone the driver stops at the office to pick up the pilot. We chat on the way....his name is Frank and he is a 62 year old American who has been flying for 30 years. I tell him I am a photographer and he is kind enough to place me on a corner section for good photo opportunities . He is also kind enough to have the balloon off the ground before the sun peeps up over the horizon. The basket consists of 8 sections with 2 people in each plus Frank. I am in a corner section with a man from Germany. The next corner section has a couple from England on their honeymoon. The rest are predominantly older Germans.

We lift off and proceed into the early morning air. Its peaceful and quiet except for Frank talking and boosting the balloon when firing up. There are few animals below but thats ok....I'm not really here to see animals at this point.

About half way through the flight Frank says we are going to descend a little and follow a river below. Thats ok I think to myself. In the distance I can see a stand of acacia trees. As we go lower I note that we are in a direct line with the trees and getting closer. Frank is behind me and I hear him firing up the balloon so I assume he has seen the trees too and is getting a little more altitude to clear the tops of them. As we get closer and closer it becomes dramatically clear that we will not miss and I look around at Frank in panic but its too late to say anything. What is this man doing ?? At the last moment I get down in the basket, hold on for dear life ,close my eyes and wait to die........ We hit the trees !!! There is a terrible noise as we hit the branches and the basket is tossed in all directions. It tips and tips back. People are screaming. I'm holding my breath and waiting to hit the ground or be tipped out....I'm not sure which is worst !!! After what seemed an eternity the basket rights and stops tossing. I stand up and look around and notice we are still flying. The German man is ok but the English man is doubled up in pain and resting his head on the edge of the basket. Everyone is in shock and disbelief. Frank is concentrating on keeping the balloon up and asks if everyone is ok. I tell him "No...this man is hurt " . He says nothing so I access the injured man. He has been hit across the head by the branches and has cuts and abrasions . Both his hands are cut, he can't move his neck and his shoulder hurts. His camera is broken too which doesnt seem important at this point.

Frank again asks if everyone is ok. I repeat " No,....this man needs medical attention ". I expected him to land and call up his men below and seek help....but , no, he keeps flying. I start to get annoyed and wonder how responsible this man is and what his priorities are. It is clear now that he intends to fly to the designated landing point and acts if nothing is wrong. He instructs us to put away our camera gear ( as if we are using it now !! ) and get down in the basket and hold our grip ropes. He says we may hit termite hills and bounce !! OMG...this is scary enough without a good landing. I can see through the cane sides that the ground is getting closer and I'm not liking this. It's like waiting for something bad to happen again . We , in fact, hit 3 termite hills and bang and crash along the ground. Eventually we stop and beside me I can hear an elderly gentleman groaning in fright. The pilot says to him " You're ok, you just dont know it yet "....such tact !!! The basket landing position is not up right but lying on its side so you're still hanging on but looking up at the sky. Its a horrible feeling and you dont know where you are. I was waiting to tip right over and be under the basket....it didnt happen.

The English man was asked to get out first. I didnt wait for instruction and got out anyway. Frank handed me the first aid box and asked me to take the injured man to the side and attend to him. His new bride was upset and could do nothing but worry. And rightly so. The other passengers were taken to the side and given the organised champagne and orange juice. How could they just act like nothing happened I wondered ?? Oh well....I had other things to think about. I opened the first aid box and assessed it's contents. Its full of dust and not well maintained. No surprises there !! I find some wipes to clean the blood and notice the branch marks across his head. He won't sit down when I ask so I dont push it. I clean him up and when he goes into shock and starts shaking , I ask for assistance from the crew standing nearby. He drops to the ground.My kiwi beanie is in my coat pocket so I put that on his head to keep him warm. I had noticed a silver emergency blanket in the box so wrapped him in it and yelled at the crew that he needed to be taken to a doctor... " NOW ". There is finally some action !! Soon he is taken away and I give his wife my contact details. After they are gone....I walk to the group. A nice German lady walks towards me and places her hand on my arm and asks if I am Ok ? When my focus is now gone , my own shock sets in. The rest of the day is ruined. Frank takes me aside later and admits it was his fault.....he didnt see the trees !!!! I cannot comprehend how that is wildly possible. With all his so called experience....how could that be possible ???? I am angry and shocked that he could endanger lives in such a manner. We are lucky to be alive.

And.....I dont even know that man's name. I hope he contacts me to let me know if he is ok now.

Its freezing tonight....camping on the rim of the Ngorogoro Crater. There are zebras walking around here and an elephant in the trees. Yep....theres the roar of lions again. The next morning we descend into the crater. There is a high concentartion of animals here. All co existing . And in amongst these animals walks two maasai men tending their cows. We're on the lookout for a rhino and we are lucky to see a black one in the distance. Life seems good for the animals here. the wildebeest have come from the north. As we ascend out of the crater I make the mistake of looking down and panic sets in as I get a flashback from the day before. The height factor kicks in. Deep breathing and keeping quiet sets me right eventually. No one notices.

Its time to leave this place behind. The Serengeti holds both good and bad memories. The game viewing here is special , thats for sure. The roads from Arusha to Nairobi , in Kenya, are horrible and rough , to say the least. The truck gets stuck in a roadworks diversion and we have to sit in the baking afternoon sun while the driver finds a way to get free from this problem. The truck is going nowhere in a hurry as the back end is stuck fast. No going forward and no going back. Patience and perseverance prevail and all's well in the end.

On arrival in the busy city of Nairobi, its time to say goodbye to our group. Its the end of tour number 3 for me. We have one last night together before some go further and some go home to their respective countries.

Tour 4 and my last week in Africa is impending.....