Travelogueress: Africa

Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Kenya - The End

Thursday 25 December 2008

Today is our first Bangladeshi wedding anniversary with F. who was the first one to congratulate. He beat me to it :-) [...]

At 7 AM, we went for our walking safari. It lasted for about 2 hours.

In addition to our guide David, another guide with a weapon also accompanied us. Whilst walking, we saw gazelles, topes, buffalos and jackals. We also saw an impala skeleton hanging down from the branch of a tree. Clearly, it has been hunted by a leopard, brought up to the tree and eaten by the cat on the tree. It was a very interesting sight.

Besides this, David told us about plants and animals dones. Among the plants were one with purple flowers, the fruit of which is used against snake poison, wild acacia, wild gardenia, and a tree, which is used by the Masai to clean their teeth with its branches. In Masai villages, there are plant doctors, "witches" who know all the uses and effects of the plants. The sick and the villagers see them to get treated.

We observed the elephant dones. The elephants have a very weak digestive system. For this reason, their done consists of grass, which has not been fully digested. The Masai collect this, burn it for heating, and boil it to make 2 year olds drink the done water in order to strengthen their immune system. They also make people with stomach ache drink this.

Giraffe done is small and round. It is very interesting that a very small done comes out of such a big animal. In watery areas, because the lions and other predators hunt animals while they are drinking, some animals such as dikdiks developed new methods and are never seen drinking water. They quench their need for water by sucking the water drops on plant leafs.

Dikdik

We also found a giraffe skull. Besides the organs, it was a complete one, including all the teeth. I held and lifted the skull by holding the horns. It was pretty heavy. At least around 7 kg. It could be even heavier. The crane is quite small but the eye cavities are pretty large.

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Another eventful evening safari [...]. Soon after we went out for the safari, thick and grey clouds followed us. Our guide, Masai David quickly covered our car's top and right side. Immediately, the heavy rainfall started. Rain of this sort is not normal this time of the year in Kenya. It must be one of the effects of global warming. With the start of the rainfall, all the animals started running around. Some of the gazelles sat down on the spot. This is to protect themselves from lightening.

It became more difficult to find the animals. Even though we didn't see a hyena, we saw a large and deep hole, which they dug and use as their nest. Then a big, massive male lion! He was older than the one we saw in Shampole, so his head and mane were much more magnificent. He looked very noble. He was really very impressive. But there were 12 cars surrounding the lion. Unfortunately, Masai Mara is very touristy and the animals are almost domesticated. The poor lion was disturbed and bored by the exhaust blowing on his face and glaring eyes, so he hid behind the bushes.

Because it was raining cats and dogs non-stop, the roads (or rather the stony pathways) became muddy and slippery. Our jeep constantly swerved from one side to another and slipped. From time to time I was frightened. Due to the cold and rain, we returned to the camp early. Safari under the rain was of course a nice experience. Now as I am writing this, the rain is strongly and incessantly dropping on top of our tent. It is actually creating a very romantic atmosphere. I never knew that always being in nature, hearing its sounds (including the rain) and sleeping with these sounds could be so relaxing. It is perfect that there is no radio, TV, artificial tools, electronic or plastic gadgets, a single building or car noise. This way, F. and I get to spend more time with each other and talk.

It is our last night in Kenya. I am sad that we are leaving tomorrow. But at the same time, I am worried that this rain will continue. Because flying in a small plane to Nairobi in this weather is no different than writing my death sentence. I am frightened each time I remember what I have been through on the plane for the sake of reaching Masai Mara. If it was possible, I would certainly prefer travelling by car or staying here and missing our London plane (God forbid of course). God willing, I hope the weather will be calm tomorrow and our flight will be safe and comfortable.

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Last night in Kenya...Because it is Christmas night and because all the guests of Kitcheche Camp eat all the meals together around the same table; tonight, the dinner was special. What I want to write about is about the dance show that the Masai employees of the camp put on for us in their traditional red costumes and with knifes and spears in their hands. They lined up one by one and passed around the tables hopping a few times whilst making deep throaty noises, which probably also included some words.

These sounds are to scare the lions off. Then they got into a semi-circle and one by one got in the middle and jumped high. Each one tried to jump higher than the other.

Then, they got into pairs and jumped in a synchronised manner. The one who jumps the highest grabs the girls' attention and also would not have to pay with 5 cows to marry a girl.

Thursday, 13 January 2011

Kenya Part VII

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

Tomorrow will be our first Bangladeshi wedding anniversary with F.!

Nights and early morning hours are very cold in Masai Mara! One needs to dress in layers. Camp managers put hot water bags in our beds to keep us warm. Last night, the leopard came by our tent again. She got on the chair in our veranda, then pulled her hunt to the bush next to our tent and ate it including the bones. From time to time, she roared.

In the morning, we saw two impalas hanging out in front out tent. The camp manager's wife told us that these could actually be the bushbucks that see the camp as their territory. After lunch, we will go to see the rhinoceroses. This way, I will get to see all the animals I wanted to see; however, we still haven't seen any hyenas. I would in fact like to see a hyena as well.

We only have two days left here. First, I am terrified of getting on a caravan plane to get to Nairobi, even though it is not a Cessna plane. Besides this, I am sad. I will miss here; the air, nature, slow and relaxed life style and the wild animals. I don't want to return to cold, hurried and stressful London. I don't want the holiday to end. To top it all, last night, I dreamt that our London MD fired me. God forbid!

I can't believe this, right now, while I am sitting at the veranda of our tent and writing this diary, a bushbuck walked and then ran right in front of me. This is a fairyland. It is very different than modern and western life, so nice!

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We went for an early evening safari. Before I write about it, I should note the following. In Swahili, elephant is "tenbo," hippopotamus is "kibaki", zebra is "puma milia" and bye bye is "alla."

Now let's go back to the safari. Today was very cloudy, partly rainy and windy. It is pretty chilly. There were exotic birds, which we saw for the very first time. But the most interesting today were the rhinos. 6 orphan rhinos have been rescued from South Africa (their parents have been murdered by hunters for their horns) and brought to Kenya. When Kofi Annan came to Kenya last year to act as an intermediary during the political problems were taking place, they named a newborn rhino Kofi Annan. Kofi Annan the rhino is now 11 months old.

We got so close to the rhinos that I was very amazed. They are very dangerous and strong animals. They look pre-historic, and they are anyway.

But because they have grown up among the rangers, they are used to humans. We could even touch the baby!

It was an incredible experience. I was so happy. Its skin is so thick that it is rougher and harder than any other surface I know. It also has some hair.

As the sun started setting, the acacia, desert date trees and the sky's changing colours behind the clouds were as beautiful, romantic and rich in colour as if they came out of the hands of the most talented painters.

Here, in nature, I feel very happy. If I were to be born again, I guess I would want to be a zoologist. Seeing the animals all the time, spending time with them and caring for them make me very happy.

Tomorrow in the early morning, we are going for a walking safari. Tonight is Christmas night and they are going to serve ostrich meet for dinner. Of course, I would never eat it. As for Christmas tree, instead of a pine tree, a short tree with big thorns, which is very common in Kenya (giraffes love its leaves) has been decorated in the camp.

Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Kenya Part VI

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Another eventful day! We started our safari (in Swahili it means "journey") at 6:30 in the morning. A leopard pulled a deer it had hunted right next to our tent and ate it. It was right next to us. We could hear the sounds it was making while eating.

We were told that our camp was visited by elephants at dawn. During safari, we do not need play hide and seek with the animals here like in Shampole. Wherever you turn your head in Masai Mara, you can easily see a wild animal. So the first ones we saw in the morning were elephants. Old ones and babies included.

They are really very interesting animals. They look "ancient". I mean to say that they look like they are left over from millions of years ago. They live in family but the elders spend the last 10 years of their lives alone. When they die, the other elephants mourn and lift the dead elephant. They graze 16 hours a day. Even though I love elephants very much and find their babies incredibly cute, I felt a bit scared as they approached us. They can look scary with their red eyes.

We saw tens of Masai giraffes.

In any case, we can see the wild animals on the Masai plain as if it is our front garden from our tent in the camp.

Then we saw a leopard resting on the highest branch of a tree.

It is very rare to see them because they are very shy animals. I was very happy to see it.

So far, my favourite animal among all the ones we have seen in Kenya is leopard. It is so gorgeous, graceful and its spots so beautiful! Just like a jewel.

Then, we had our breakfast as a picnic on an empty field in the Masai plain. While we were taking pictures here, F. dropped the camera and the lens broke completely. We could no longer take pictures. Both F. and I were very upset. Of course, our biggest worry is the possibility of losing all the pictures we have taken so far.

We went back to the camp immediately. F. tried to repair the camera but no success.

So sad! It was a brand new camera and all the pictures and videos we have taken...I hope that the pictures and the videos are safe. But we of course contemplated on how we can record what we will see from now on. Thank God, one of the managers of the camp, Jarred, offered to lend us his spare camera. It is not digital but it is better than nothing!

We were joined by a middle-aged American couple in our safari after lunch. We do not have the luxury we had in Shampole anymore. One of the first animals we saw in our safari after lunch was one of the rarest animals, the cerval cat. While F. was trying to get used to the new camera, we still don't know if we managed to take the cerval cat's picture. We will know once we print the pictures. But we were very lucky to have seen this cat.

Then we got even luckier as we saw a mother leopard walking in the bushes and then calling for her son.

When the mother and the son got together, the love that they showed to each other was incredible. Leopards are really very beautiful.

But Masai Mara is too crowded with people and cars. There were 5 jeeps around these two leopards. It is a very unpleasant, commercial and touristy situation. Interestingly, there are mostly New Yorkers and Londoners in our camp. [...]They are the sort of people we can talk to.

By the way, we take our showers in our tents with water from buckets. They established such a system that the water in the bucket comes through the tabs just like a normal shower. They do not want us to walk alone in the camp at night time due to wild animals; especially to and from our tent because we are the farthest. The Masai warriors always escort us to our tent and to the centre of the camp.

I am eating too much in Kenya. I gained too much weight because I sit immobile in the safari cars. I feel very uncomfortable with regards to weight/size. I have turned into an untidy witch again. My body, hair, eyebrows are in a terrifying state.

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Kenya Part V

Monday 22 December 2008What a day! I died and was resurrected many times. I experienced the first panic attack of my life. I hope never to experience it again. We had our last morning at Shampole and it was difficult to leave the place. I will always miss Shampole. Our days there were like a dream.

Last night, we were told that a leopard came to the main lodge, jumped on the sofa, laid down, drank some water from the pool and left. I wish I could see it. Muhammed and Alex were really the perfect guides. It is clear that they are doing their job with passion and really care about the animals. For example, if Muhammed sees a plastic bottle in the distance, he drives the car for 15 minutes just to pick it up.

It was an incredibly hot day. The pilot of the Yellow Wings plane, who came to pick us up was again F. Our flight was so bad that during 30 minutes due to heat and wind, the plane constantly and uncontrollably changed altitude and swerved side to side. I prayed non-stop. I had never been so terrified in my life before. It felt like we could not have come closer to death; I started asking myself whether or not I saw the angel of death.

Thank God even after landing in Nairobi, I could not stop crying. My heart was beating so fast that I had difficulty breathing. My dear F. was also scared but he could not think about himself when he saw the state I was in. He tried to console me.

State of Panic Attack Well Concealed

I kept my eyes closed during the flight but opened them slightly as we were landing in Nairobi. Nairobi is really very green and on some hilly areas, there are big villas.

I tried to calm down as we were waiting at the Wilson Airport but when the time to get on the 14 people caravan plane (Safari Wings Airlines), which would take us to Masai Mara came, my panic attack started again and I had a complete nervous breakdown!

If there were sedatives I could buy from the airport, I would have or stayed in Nairobi all together. Right before the plane took off, as my attack became worse (I actually hate being the centre of attention, it is not my sort of behaviour at all but I simply could not control my panic) a lady came by me, stroked my hair and tried to calm me down. She told me that she gets on this plane every week and that it is the safest plane in Africa. I calmed down a bit. Since this plane was bigger than the previous one, it did not shake as much as the previous one and this time F. was sitting next to me. F. was also scared and nauseous but my dear was constantly comforting me. [...] Thank God, the plane's first stop was our camp.

Masai Mara Airport

Masai Mara's landscape is very different than Shampole. It is flat and very green. Shampole was very dry. Our guide here is David. [...] Here, you do not need to play hide and seek with the animals. They suddenly appear right in front of you anyway and are very used to cars and humans. They don't run away. They are almost domesticated like pets or zoo animals.

As we were driving toward our camp, we saw an animal, which I was dying to see in the Masai Mara River: the hippopotamus! There were many of them and these giants were swimming in the river. They are so big that their head is almost as big as my entire body. We also saw a crocodile in the same river.

We are staying at the Kitcheche Camp. It is very different than Shampole Lodges. It is flat. It consists of 14 tents. There are beds, toilet and shower in each tent. It is not as elegant as Shampole but it may be more comfortable. Even then, I prefer Shampole.

In the evenings, everyone staying at the camp gathers around the fire and eats at the same table. I have been eating very heavy food for days now and I have been so immobile that I must have gained 10 kg. I feel very heavy.

Our tent is the one farthest to the camp centre. It is called "Ngiri", which means wild boar in the Masai language. In the dark, the Masai "askaris" escort us and yes "askari" means "soldier" same as "asker" in Turkish. By the way, in Swahili, "Hakuna Matata" means "You're welcome/No problem" as a response to thank you. Just like the song in Lion King.

Now a group of young people are chatting and singing near our tent. Unfortunately, we do not have peace and quiet here like we had in Shampole.
All photos, Copyright Travelogueress

Friday, 3 December 2010

Kenya Part IV

Sunday 21 December 2008

This morning, after watching the sunrise at 6 AM and sipping tea at 6:30, we started our safari. In the morning chill, mountains by the clear valley, trees, bushes and sky were even more beautiful.

The first animal we saw today was a herd of buffalos. Their horns are really big and scary. They are the second most dangerous animals in Africa after lions.

Then we saw fox with bat ears, colourful and gorgeous Kingfisher bird and other various types of birds. Tens of giraffes were grazing together, galloping around, thinking that they were hiding from us but were not able to camouflage their tall necks.

After a Masai boy who was leading a bull heard, our guide heard the voice of a cheetah, which was like something between a cat's meow and a bird singing. We saw a brother and a sister cheetah running fast. Then they stopped. We had the opportunity to observe them and take their pictures. It was fantastic. Their head is much smaller than lions. Their posterior legs are longer than their front legs. It was very clear to see that they were full of strong muscles because they were so skinny.

We also saw another animal called the waterbuck.

It somewhat looks like a lama but its hair is brown and skin oily. They are called waterbuck because they live in watery areas.

Due to their smell and oily skin, predators do not hunt them unless they are very desperate.

Zebras, antelopes, eagles, vultures and many other animals have plenty of varieties in Africa. So they are not only one kind. God really has created an incredible amount of richness in this planet.

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Today we had a very lazy day just like all our other days here. We swam in the pool and rested. The sort of heat, which is experienced in Bodrum in August is now being experienced in Kenya in December. Today, there was really scorching heat.

After taking a nap in the afternoon, we went to a Masai village, not too far from where we are staying. Our lodge is in the wild life protection zone but this village is on the other side of the river and not in the protection zone. The villagers were happy to see us because they know that tourists bring money.

Actually, a village consists of a family. In a family, there is a man, his wives, kids and cattle. Sometimes the elderly live with them. They keep their village in a circle and construct huts made of mud and sugarcane inside these circles (constructed by women). Women live in one place, children in one place or with the women, or the first wife and her children live in one place. Everything is very basic and simple.

The cooking area, place to sleep, sit and eat are all the same place. The fire burns constantly in the hut. The fire is used to keep indoors warm during the night, to avoid mosquitoes, to protect the eyes from bacteria and diseases and to cook.

They make the bed from tree branches and cow skin. They sleep on the cow skin. Women are responsible with carrying the water from far away, hut construction, care of children and the animals and they do not have any say in any matter.

The father in the village we went to is 50 years old. His two wives are 18 years old. They circumcise boys at age 18 and consider them as "warriors" once they are circumcised. Female circumcision is an ongoing tragedy.

The youngest in the family, the 2-3 year-old girl was incredibly cute and by my side all the time. She was hugging me and holding my hand. The cutie signalled me with her hand to sit on the bed once we went in their hut.

The lucky boys who show a glimmer of intelligence are sponsored to go to boarding school by the owners of the Shampole Lodge. The girls are not as lucky. The educated Masai boys are not willing to go back to the Masai style of life. Some of them are computer scientists.

They greet each other by saying "Soba" and touch the children's head. It is clear that nothing has changed in their style of life for thousands of years. Only the educated ones change. The ones who don't know may be content but the situation that the women are in is painful.

After leaving the village, we went to the marketplace. Some missionaries built Christian schools here. In the marketplace, there was one TV antenna on one building and one motorcycle. There was even a football game being played and watched by children and cows in the crowd.

Then, we entered the fig forest. The landscapes in the Shampole region are really varied. Some parts are dense forests, some parts are deserts, some parts are rocky etc. This fig tree forest was also very dense. The smell of the trees was strong and fresh. It was full of baboons.

In this forest, there are only 3 of the very rare, beautiful, long and white tailed monkey called the Colobus monkey and we saw one of them!

On our way back to the lodges, we saw the two lions we saw previously and a buffalo who was watching the lions secretly behind the bushes.

Our day was really intense, exciting and interesting. I am sad that we will be leaving here tomorrow. And of course, I am scared of getting on the Cessna plane again.

This evening, Patrick told us that his Ethiopian father passed away when he was 4 years old and his Danish mother married a Frenchman. This way, he learnt to speak many languages. When he went to boarding school in Zimbabwe, he learnt English. After getting married with Joan officially in Switzerland, they had a Masai wedding ceremony in the fig tree forest I wrote about earlier with the blessing of a witch.

All photos, Copyright Travelogueress

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