Safari! Friday, February 25, 2011

Sweetwater on the equator!

Friday morning we packed up, had our last meal in Mikinduri, and split ways. One combi went to tour a mission hospital called Chaaria. Two combis went to do a bit of shopping in Meru, and one was an express to the safari. In Swahili, ‘Safari’ just means journey, but we were on a safari to what we call a safari! We had a beautiful two hour drive and along the way, saw wild baboons, giraffes, and a huge change in landscape from a tropical green to an arid dryness you expect of Kenya. You could see Mount Kenya growing closer and clearer. We arrived at the safari site Sweetwater and they welcomed us with a cool wet towel to wash our hands and a nice fruit drink. Our rooms are tents, but only because they’re surrounded by canvas. They have nice bed, sheets, plush pillows, granite showers, and electricity.



giraffes!



The rooms open up to the wide open plains, separated with a small ditch and unnoticeable electric fence. As a result, there were animals including giraffes, zebras, impalas, wart hogs, and many different birds wandering only 30 feet in front of us! We sat on our front porch watching our own private nature show! We were so pampered there with a beautiful pool that overlooks a water hole where animals gather. The food was a huge buffet with different cheeses, pompadoms, Indian food, Canadian food, African food, desserts, and salad! Oh how I have missed leafy green salads! The food has been great up until now and we’ve been well fed, but there has been a large concentration on carbs and fruit, not many green vegetables. We were all craving a nice leafy salad for the last week, and oh boy did we enjoy it at the lodge!  

Fantastic tree with Adair and Courtney

A few people went out for an evening safari to find animals. The combi’s that we’ve been riding around in have a top that pops up so you can stand inside the van and look out at the animals. Our drivers went to school for two years to become qualified and knowledgeable in everything Kenya, so any question we had they answered. That group saw giraffes just outside the fence and even a cheetah that evening. We had a wonderful dinner, and all ate quite gluttonously trying a bite of every dish, savoring the flavors we had missed. We all went to ask Grania for advice on dessert as she sampled every one and informed us which were the best! After dinner we quickly dispersed and enjoyed our nice soft beds that were mosquito net free! Some people recalled stories of waking up in the middle of the night all rolled around their net and some even finding they had torn it down! It was a treat to sleep without one again.

Baby Zebra

We all woke up early Saturday morning to go on a safari to look for animals. When you unzipped your tent and came out, everything was so serene, and you could see the sun just starting to come up over Mount Kenya and the animals coming out for their morning coffee. We jumped in the combis full of anticipation and armed with sweaters as it was really cold. You could see your breath and with all the windows open and the top up, it was a chilly drive! Right outside the gate, we saw a cheetah enjoying breakfast, the white rear end of the gazelle. While we were enjoying the view and snapping pictures, a few jackals arrived to finish what the cheetah didn’t want. You could practically hear the British commentator describing the scene on the National Geographic channel.



Sunrise!



 In the next hour, we saw giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, wart hogs, gazelle, impalas, a few rhinos, a baboon, and we thought we had hit the pinnacle of our trip when we saw a zebra nursing, but were soon proved wrong. On the way back to camp, we saw a lioness! She was sitting with her back to us and laying 100 feet away, completely unconcerned with our presence. It was incredible! The people who have been on multiple safaris even commented that this was the best safari in terms of the variety of animals in the 5+ years they’ve been coming! We felt so fortunate and the day wasn’t even over!

beautiful bird

We came back to the lodge, had a wonderful breakfast, and went about our ways to get maximum relaxation. Some of us had luxurious massages, some lounged by the pool, and the more energetic of the group went to a local Masai village where they show you all about the Masai culture, the huts people live in, dances, clothing, and how they make their livelihood. We met back up for a great big lunch, unsure how we could possibly fit more food in our stomachs, but insistent to try the different delights.

That afternoon we went to the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Conservatory just a few minutes away. They have 41 chimps on the huge facility, each of them rescued from a bad situation. One of the chimps Pogo was subjected to a cage where he could only sit or stand for years at a time until he was rescued. When he came to the camp, he had to be taught by the other monkeys to run on his hands and play. While we were there he stood so erect that you were sure he was a very hairy human. Each one had a similar story that was just heartbreaking, but at the same time it was so comforting to know there was somewhere these monkey could go. The chimps all came to the fence of the enclosure to say hello. They had so much understanding and wisdom in their faces, you could see the distinct personality in each one. One of the monkeys had a stick and was trying to dig his way out of their huge 100+ acre enclosure, that was surrounded by an electric fence. He was so intelligent that he was using one stick to dig and the other to push the electric wire up so he wouldn’t be shocked. It’s not surprising that there’s only 1 small chromosomal different between humans and chimps.

They then walked us around the corner and we saw a hippopautumus in the water! There were actually a few of them! These are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa because they are mean, and if you’re in between them and the water, they have no problem running you over to get there. We headed back to the hotel and relaxed with each other, trying to savor the last moments of each other’s company and the Kenyan landscape. It’s such a huge dichotomy compared to Mikinduri that it took a bit of time to adjust, but don’t worry, we eventually got used to the pampering.

Just before dinner there was traditional Masai dancers in their tribal wardrobe, and many of the Canadians joined in the dance. The women wore a great multitude of beaded necklaces, to the point that their neck becomes weak if they’re removed. I was told that the women with colored beads are married and those with plain necklaces are single. Since a man is allowed to have multiple wives, the women who decide to leave the arrangement let him know by leaving all of her colored necklaces in the hut and returning to her parents. The man is then forced to go to the parents house with a cow to try to win back her affection! We then enjoyed a traditional African dinner and although it was delicious, we had been eating that for a few weeks so it was not quite as exciting and scrumptious as for those tourists just there on holiday. I did enjoy the chapatti, arrow root, and pawpaw (papaya) mousse, and of course the cheese selection! We went our separate ways that night a bit sad that our vacation was over and we would be parting ways, but a bit excited to get home to our families.

On Sunday we have the 4 hour drive to Nairobi with a little time for last minute shopping and a nice meal before getting on our midnight flights. We savored the last few minutes of pool time watching a herd of zebra getting a sip of water, before climbing into the combis to leave. We’ll see you all soon and thank you for your support of Mikinduri and Chalice. We saw many wonderful things, met amazing new friends, and were all touched at many points. Please ask us about our experiences as everyone has so many stories about patients, local Kenyan friends, and new Canadian friends!




A cheetah and its kill

 



The reflection of a tree in the water

 




A lioness!