Hi all!
Well I did it! I survived finals!!!!!! Tomorrow we leave for Nairobi early in the morning. While I'm there I will be visiting an elephant orphanage, giraffe sanctuary, ostrich farm, and glass blowing place. We also go on a week-long expedition to Lake Nakuru. I am really excited! Unfortunately, I will not have any internet the whole time that I am there. Don't worry! I'll keep a very detailed journal (at least I'll try my hardest) so you guys don't miss out on any fun things that happen. Take care!
Thanks for all of the birthday greetings!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
EXAM TIME:(
Hey everybody! Exam time is in a few days, so I won't be doing anything worth blogging about. I'm going to try and upload a few more pictures from my last trip to Amboseli...so here it goes
Saturday, March 14, 2009
High on a hill was a lonely shoater....
March 14
Today was another community service day. We went to a elementary school in Kuku Group Ranch where we built desks an played with the children all day. We danced, played games, and built soccer goals and desks. I have never been so tired!
March 12
So anyone who knows me knows that I love turtles! Well today was my lucky day! My professor found a baby leopard tortoise and brought it to class for us to see. It was so cute! Other than that...school, school, and more school:/
March 9
Today was a rest day to help everybody rejuvenate after a week out on expedition...and before exams start :/. We took advantage of it by having a BAKE DAY! We made brownies, cookies, and more cookies! They were delicious:)
TSAVO- Land of the Maneaters!
TSAVO!
Hi everybody! Sorry for the long break, but I just got back from the “Land of the Man-Eaters,” Tsavo National Park. If anyone has seen the movie, The Ghost and the Darkness, then you know where I’ve been for the past week. That movie is based on the true story of Colonel Patterson who is famous for killing the two lions that when on a 9-month killing spree of Indian workers who had been brought to Kenya to build the railroad going from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. While I never actually saw a lion while I was in Tsavo, I did fall asleep to them roaring in the not-so-far distance. Also, I know I look like a dweeb in most of these pics, but since we didn’t have access to showers the whole week I hope you can understand.
My story begins on March 3 at 5:00 in the morning…
This morning was my turn for cook crew. Battling the beetles and bats flying at my headlamp, I got ready to cook breakfast with my team, Kikuyu, before the whole camp left for expedition. Since we packed all the food our cook, James, just brought back from Nairobi, we didn’t have much to work with. We managed to whip out a healthy meal of scrambled eggs, toast, oatmeal and freshly sliced watermelon before the sun was up. After shoveling our food into our mouths, we packed our things into the Rhino, the big white truck we carry all of our supplies in, and hit the road. We stopped for a 2 hour wildlife management class on top of a hill just outside of Kimana. Afterwards, we scrambled into the cars once more to continue on our journey to Tsavo. About 45 minutes before getting to Tsavo, we had to stop and pick up a couple of KWS guards to accompany us to the gate. Apparently the road we take to Tsavo has become popular to tourist targeting, but we were absolutely fine:) When we got to the gate, we found out that something had gone wrong with our smart cards (a system used in Kenya to get into all of the national parks and protected areas). After about 30 minutes we were allowed to continue on our way to our campsite. Literally 3 minutes into our drive we saw 7 giraffes browsing by the roadside and startled a huge warthog from where he had been hiding in a bush. We continued on our way to Komboyo campsite where we set up the tents and unpacked the Rhino. Then we ended the day with a nice game drive through the park. We saw elephants drinking water from a watering hole by KWS headquarters, lesser kudus, guinea foul, impala, gazelles, zebra (punda mulia), and more giraffes. After a filling meal, we sat around the campfire telling scary stories and listening to the elephants trumpet and lions roar.
March 4
March 5
Today was an early day! We woke up at 6 to do our animal counts in our different transects. My group saw lots of cool animals: hippos, klipspringers, lesser kudu, impala, warthogs, dik-diks, zebra, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, and lots of pretty birds. At lunchtime we met the rest of the group at an inactive volcano and hiked to the top for a little R&R…and lunch:) The lava rocks are sort of loose so it was funny watching all of us slowly make our way to the top. We ate lunch, took lots of neat pics, and then headed down so we could go to Mzima springs, where the fish give hippos pedicures. On our way down, a bus full of boys from one of the secondary schools in the area came and totally put us to shame as they sprinted up the side of the mountain.
At Mzima Springs we enjoyed seeing all of the hippos, crocs, monkeys, and birds. I was even lucky enough to snap a shot of an African squirrel…whoa! There was a neat underwater observation deck where you could see these really big fish. They looked really tasty. I also saw a crocodile sitting by a waterfall with his mouth open waiting for the fish to come his way.
Word of Caution: When visiting Mzima Springs, beware of monkeys. They like to come up and say hi!
March 7
Today we packed up camp and headed back to KBC. I really miss Tsavo but it feels good to be home.
Hi everybody! Sorry for the long break, but I just got back from the “Land of the Man-Eaters,” Tsavo National Park. If anyone has seen the movie, The Ghost and the Darkness, then you know where I’ve been for the past week. That movie is based on the true story of Colonel Patterson who is famous for killing the two lions that when on a 9-month killing spree of Indian workers who had been brought to Kenya to build the railroad going from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. While I never actually saw a lion while I was in Tsavo, I did fall asleep to them roaring in the not-so-far distance. Also, I know I look like a dweeb in most of these pics, but since we didn’t have access to showers the whole week I hope you can understand.
My story begins on March 3 at 5:00 in the morning…
This morning was my turn for cook crew. Battling the beetles and bats flying at my headlamp, I got ready to cook breakfast with my team, Kikuyu, before the whole camp left for expedition. Since we packed all the food our cook, James, just brought back from Nairobi, we didn’t have much to work with. We managed to whip out a healthy meal of scrambled eggs, toast, oatmeal and freshly sliced watermelon before the sun was up. After shoveling our food into our mouths, we packed our things into the Rhino, the big white truck we carry all of our supplies in, and hit the road. We stopped for a 2 hour wildlife management class on top of a hill just outside of Kimana. Afterwards, we scrambled into the cars once more to continue on our journey to Tsavo. About 45 minutes before getting to Tsavo, we had to stop and pick up a couple of KWS guards to accompany us to the gate. Apparently the road we take to Tsavo has become popular to tourist targeting, but we were absolutely fine:) When we got to the gate, we found out that something had gone wrong with our smart cards (a system used in Kenya to get into all of the national parks and protected areas). After about 30 minutes we were allowed to continue on our way to our campsite. Literally 3 minutes into our drive we saw 7 giraffes browsing by the roadside and startled a huge warthog from where he had been hiding in a bush. We continued on our way to Komboyo campsite where we set up the tents and unpacked the Rhino. Then we ended the day with a nice game drive through the park. We saw elephants drinking water from a watering hole by KWS headquarters, lesser kudus, guinea foul, impala, gazelles, zebra (punda mulia), and more giraffes. After a filling meal, we sat around the campfire telling scary stories and listening to the elephants trumpet and lions roar.
March 4
Today we went to the Chyulu Hills for a lecture and a nice hike. Chyulu is often advertised as the secret of Kenya…and I can see why. It’s gorgeous! The scenery reminded me of the picnic scene in Out of Africa. It makes me sad that my camera can’t capture the beauty…but then again it might be the photographer:/ Anyway…we had a 2 hour long environmental policy class where I managed to get really attractive sock tan lines that are about halfway up my calf. Fall has started to set in where I am, so it’s really funny to see all of our professors basically wearing winter coats and sweaters while all of the students are in shorts and t-shirts, and are still sweating. After class we ate lunch (I imagined I was on a lunch date with Robert Redford) and then, for those who wanted to, went on a hike with some really good-looking KWS escorts. While hiking we saw a herd of Coke’s Hartebeest galloping over the hills. On my way down with Isobel and Anna, some of the boys decided to hide behind a bush a scare us…it worked. Our staff surprised with a visit to the town right outside of Tsavo NP for ice cream! It honestly felt like I was back in the States, because the roads were paved and there was a Shell station on the corner. There was even a flush toilet…weird! On the way back to camp we stopped in at the Visitor’s Center and did a game drive the rest of the way back to camp.
Funny, sort of, instance that happened to me at night. Well I woke up really having to go to the bathroom at night. When we need to go to the choo, we are supposed to flash our flashlights at the eskaris so that they can accompany us to the bathroom and protect us from whatever happens to be lurking in the tall grass nearby. So deciding that I couldn’t wait until morning, I flashed the eskaris and was accompanied to the choo. While I was on my way back, the biggest roar ever came from the darkness. AHHHHHHHH! Actually I wasn’t that scared because the eskari that accompanied me is famous for killing a lion back in the day. The eskari rushed me back to my tent and joined the other 3 guards to assess the situation. In the morning we found out that a male lion had decided to take a stroll by camp and have a quick cat nap in the middle of the road that runs by our campsite.
Funny, sort of, instance that happened to me at night. Well I woke up really having to go to the bathroom at night. When we need to go to the choo, we are supposed to flash our flashlights at the eskaris so that they can accompany us to the bathroom and protect us from whatever happens to be lurking in the tall grass nearby. So deciding that I couldn’t wait until morning, I flashed the eskaris and was accompanied to the choo. While I was on my way back, the biggest roar ever came from the darkness. AHHHHHHHH! Actually I wasn’t that scared because the eskari that accompanied me is famous for killing a lion back in the day. The eskari rushed me back to my tent and joined the other 3 guards to assess the situation. In the morning we found out that a male lion had decided to take a stroll by camp and have a quick cat nap in the middle of the road that runs by our campsite.
March 5
Today we had a low key day in camp. We got to sleep in this morning (6:30 am)…yay! After breakfast we had a preparatory lesson for the animal count we will be doing tomorrow for wildlife ecology. Then we went for a short game drive where our professor showed us the difference between shrubland and bushland. I’m not gonna lie…they look pretty much the same. On the way back from camp we found some honey badger poop! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but my professors (ALL of them) LOVE picking up poop. Fortunately the poop was still fresh, and kinda runny, so they refrained from picking it up and passing it around even though I could totally tell it was killing them to not pick it up. When we got back to camp, a scientist working for Tsavo West came to speak with us about the health of the park and the problems being faced. It’s sad to hear the poaching is still a problem…although it’s not as bad as it once was because KWS has really been able to crack down on the bad guys. We ended the day with a, you guessed it, a game drive!
March 6
Today was an early day! We woke up at 6 to do our animal counts in our different transects. My group saw lots of cool animals: hippos, klipspringers, lesser kudu, impala, warthogs, dik-diks, zebra, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, and lots of pretty birds. At lunchtime we met the rest of the group at an inactive volcano and hiked to the top for a little R&R…and lunch:) The lava rocks are sort of loose so it was funny watching all of us slowly make our way to the top. We ate lunch, took lots of neat pics, and then headed down so we could go to Mzima springs, where the fish give hippos pedicures. On our way down, a bus full of boys from one of the secondary schools in the area came and totally put us to shame as they sprinted up the side of the mountain.
At Mzima Springs we enjoyed seeing all of the hippos, crocs, monkeys, and birds. I was even lucky enough to snap a shot of an African squirrel…whoa! There was a neat underwater observation deck where you could see these really big fish. They looked really tasty. I also saw a crocodile sitting by a waterfall with his mouth open waiting for the fish to come his way.
Word of Caution: When visiting Mzima Springs, beware of monkeys. They like to come up and say hi!
March 7
Today we went and visited the Ngulia Rhino sanctuary where Kenya is in the process of rehabilitating a population of black rhinos. Supposedly there are 69 black rhinos living in this sanctuary…well we were there for 4 hours and never saw one! We did however see the cutest scene of guinea fowl running to this watering hole, getting quick drink of water, and running back into the long grass for protection. We also saw the prettiest giraffes, the ugliest warthogs, and zebra.
After the sanctuary we went to a lodge for another killer buffet and some swim time. This lodge is known for baiting leopards with goats to show the guests. We didn’t stay long enough so we didn’t get to see it (Side note: It is not good to feed wild animals because they lose their natural ability to stalk and kill their prey…so don’t do it).
March 8
After the sanctuary we went to a lodge for another killer buffet and some swim time. This lodge is known for baiting leopards with goats to show the guests. We didn’t stay long enough so we didn’t get to see it (Side note: It is not good to feed wild animals because they lose their natural ability to stalk and kill their prey…so don’t do it).
March 8
Today we packed up camp and headed back to KBC. I really miss Tsavo but it feels good to be home.
Catch up (Part 2)
Sunday, March 1, 2009 (The BEST month EVER)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Today we went on a travelling lecture to Amboseli National Park. This was our last time going, so it was a sad day:( We’ve been learning about 10 major problems faced by wildlife management areas and today we got to see the effects of those problems. We looked at the dying woodlands due to elephants and overuse by humans, the baboons with human diseases (heart disease and diabetes) due to tourists feeding them, the overgrazing that has been done in the grasslands by wildlife and livestock, and the competition at the swamps. At the end of the lecture we game drove out of the park and saw lots of neat animals. On Tuesday we leave for Tsavo National Park. If you’ve ever seen The Ghost and the Darkness (about the man-eating lions), that’s where I’m going. I’ll be sure to keep a detailed journal so when I get back I’ll have lots of neat stories:)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
So today was another non-program day…yay! We went to our favorite town Oliotokitok. Instead of a day of fun-filled shopping, we had a fun-filled day at the orphanage one of our staff members worked out when she first came to Kenya. As usual, we were welcomed with singing and dancing. They even sang an English song that we got to sing and dance to: When I say one, you raise your hands. When I say two you sit on the ground. When I say three, you jump in the air. When I say four, you turn round and round. My buddy was Lukas. He loves animals and wants to be a policeman one day. I had so much fun with him. He showed me where all of the animals were kept…even their five new puppies! Then we played soccer, tag, and duck-duck-goose for the rest of the afternoon.
When we got back, I practiced throwing my Maasai spear. I'm getting better. It actually stuck in the ground a couple of times!
Catch up (Part 1)
Sorry guys! The internet has been acting funny, so I haven't been able to post anything lately:(
Today we got to go on another field excursion for Wildlife ecology. We spent 3 quality hours bird-watching. I pretty much see a bird and think, "Oh what a nice bird" and then go on my way. That’s not the case in Kenya. Everybody LOVES birds here. We even stop classes sometimes to look at a bird. And I’m not talking about a pretty parrot or an eagle in attack mode…I’m talking a sparrow-like bird. However, today I had a pretty neat bird experience. We saw a Superb Starling attacking a field mouse. Since, starlings do not eat meat this was a bit weird...but a bit cool. So we just stood there watching this bird go to town on the tiny field mouse. My professor was so funny. He kept saying, “What the hell is this bird doing? Doesn’t he know that he doesn’t eat meet? That mouse is too big for him to eat anyway.” In the end it realized it couldn't even carry the mouse much less eat it. My professor just shook his head and kept saying, “So wasteful!”
We also happened across lots of animals on our walk. We saw a dik-dik, gazelles (Grants and Thomsons), impala, and a warthog. At the end of our walk, we happened across a family of elephants. They are huge! On our way back to camp we saw a poor wildebeest that looked like it was dying from starvation and dehydration. I don’t really know why, but apparently it’s quite normal for little kids from around the area to come and slash the wildebeest, and the earlybird gets the tail. It seemed kind of cruel to me to tease a poor defenseless creature, but again I don’t really understand a lot of things about African culture yet so I think I will research this incident further.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
So I feel like I should tell you about my first experience with a scorpion. I was up at the bathrooms would by bandamate brushing and flossing before I turned in for the night. I was looking around and spotted a scorpion. I was like "Oh cool! A scorpion!" and my bandmate was like, "Gross it looks like someone stepped on it." So she moved it with her bott and nothing happened. Then one of our fellow students came to the bathroom to brush and floss his teeth and we were both like, "Oooo Mike come look at this scorpion. It's dead, but it's still kinda cool." So Mike came over and we all 3 bent our faces down to it and IT STARTED RUNNING AROUND! Well Mike started screaming, which got me screaming, and Anna was just standing there laughing with toothpaste dripping out of the side of her mouth. She finally came to the rescue and squashed it...CRUNCH.
Today we learned how to throw our Maasai spears with the help of our Maasai professor Daniel. He, of course, is awesome at it. I, of course, am not. We each got two supervised throws with Daniel. The first one was terrible and the second one was only bad. Afterwards we had some "free-throw" time (under supervision of course). It was kinda scary standing there with 20 other people throwing spears around you, so I went to a secluded area and continued to be bad at throwing my spear in private. Well you can't be good at everything.
Tonight was our first night walk. It was really neat because the night really does have eyes. Everywhere I turned there was a pair of glowing orange eyes staring out at me from the trees. We must have seen 5 bushbabies...they are so cute. We also saw a really pretty owl:)
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