Car Trouble

We had to go to Nairobi for a full day of meetings which means driving about 6 hours one way on the "very pleasant roads" from the Masai Mara to Narok and then finally to Nairobi. Every time we do this trip I swear I lose six months off my life. We've been driving one of the camp cars which is a modified Land Cruiser - completely open in the back and canvas tops. For the past three weeks we've been telling our country director that the car needed new tires and his only comment is always "No, you don't need new tires, you're just "green"." Hmmmmm.

Along the way, we decided that we needed to change one of the tires since the actual tread was coming off, but then realized the camp staff had taken the high jack out of the truck. All we had was a puny jack that would have worked on my old Honda Accord, but not a massive Land Cruiser. We decided we could make it to Narok and get the tire changed at one of the petrol stations. One kilometer outside of Narok our tire blew out! Luckily it was a back tire. We were on sloped ground and the tire tread completely came off and almost wrapped itself around the axel. Luckily in Africa you aren’t by yourself for more than one minute if you break down and we soon had a big audience of adults and kids all discussing the best way to fix the situation. Within twenty minutes the car was lifted up using rocks and the jack, spare tire installed, and we were on our way to Narok with a happy group of new passengers that needed a lift to town.

The arduous car journey always involves flying ants, bees, dirt, gravel, dust, and various other flying objects coming through the opening above the windshield and the canvas roof, all of which ends up embedded in your hair and scalp. The other joyful thing about having a canvas roof is the constant flapping noise. At one point the canvas started ripping and we had to make a pit stop and use a “McGuiver” move of tying the canvas down with a belt. My favorite is when it starts raining and everything you have with you gets sopping wet. We actually always keep our rain jackets with us because it quite literally “rains” inside the car.

On our return journey, it had been raining for a few days which is not good for traveling in the Mara. There’s a shortcut home that shaves off about 40 minutes of the trip, but it is pretty treacherous. This time was no different. There was so much water on the “roads” they were more like rivers. The black cotton soil is like quicksand with deep ravines on either side, and soon we were covered in mud as we slowly made our way. Along the way we ran into a tiny white station wagon that was so stuck in the mud and filled with Maasai. Did you know you can fit twelve Maasai in a station wagon? We stopped to give them a hand. We were able to tow them out and then we proceeded as a caravan. The next river crossing, they of course got stuck again – so we pulled them out a second time. They were so thankful, as several of the warriors were getting married the next day. We exchanged numbers, were invited to the wedding and took several of the passengers with us to the next boma. We could not believe our fortune that we didn’t get completely stuck – there were some pretty hectic moments! As we pulled up to the cottage the afternoon Mara rains started again.

Zanzibar

We arrived in Zanzibar and found the list of entrance fees at the Visa Counter entertaining. Every country is listed at $50 except for the US which is $100 and Pakistan which is $200. Hmmmm… guess they don’t want too many Americans or Pakistanis running around. The next thing we noticed when Mr. Moody picked us up was that the government actually invested in paving the roads (what a novel idea!) and that Mr. Moody’s name was fitting for his demeanor. After an hour ride across the island we ended up at Breezes, a lovely resort on the Indian Ocean. We were thrilled to have a few days off and be near the water, which was a welcome retreat after the dust choked roads around Nairobi. The only thing we didn’t realize was that it was off-season in Zanzibar, meaning that it was deathly hot, which probably explained Mr. Moody’s mood.

We spent three days camped out under a shady thatched umbrella covered up in t-shirts, kikoys and hats while we watched Europeans cook themselves into shriveled pieces of overdone bacon. We spent the mornings walking on the beach looking at amazing shells, which are illegal to collect in Zanzibar. Somehow these walks resulted in me be attacked by sand fleas – lovely – and I looked like I had chicken pox from my ankles to knees. Not sure why they only attacked me.

The reef in front of Breezes was amazing and the tides were incredible. The outer reef was about a mile offshore and the tide would go out about mid-day and suck all the water out so that it was incredibly shallow all the way to the out reef. When the tide came in you would never know that it even existed. We got reef shoes and walking sticks and walked almost the entire way to the outer reef, picking our way through the corals to make sure we were walking on sand the whole way. We were greeted by many local fishermen who were searching for shellfish and other delicacies. We saw beautiful corals, starfish, sea anemones, tropical fish, and a coral snake. We’d like to go back and do some diving and kite-surfing next time.

We decided to take a spice tour since the island is known for its exotic spices. More than 75% of the world’s cloves are grown on Zanzibar. Two brothers took us through the spice plantation, which was really some local farmer’s backyard. I thought we were going to literally melt into the ground, and it smelled like old cow poop. The information about the spices was really interesting and I had never seen some of them growing in the wild before. Enormous vanilla beans grew together over massive lattice works under a canopy of trees. Cinnamon trees and bark, cardamom, ginger, jack fruits, lemon grass, and on and on. Eventually I looked at Tyler and started laughing. Somewhere along the way we had turned into manifestations of palm trees - - the brothers had made palm tree hats, rings, neckties, bags, bracelets, crowns, etc. and had bedecked us in these accoutrements along the way! We looked ridiculous! We bought a bar of lemongrass soap, said our goodbyes and headed for Stone Town.

When we arrived at our hotel we bumped into a couple who had been staying at Breezes and had lunch with them. His great-grandfather had been the first British Consul to Zanzibar and had accompanied Dr. Livingston on some of his expeditions. David Livingstone used Stone Town as his base when he was preparing for his last expedition.

Tyler and I took a walking tour of the ancient city, weaving in and out of the small alleyways and hidden doors. We visited the House of Wonders which was built by the Sultan for ceremonial purposes, the old Arab Fort, and the Anglican Cathedral, which was built on the site of the former slave market. Slaves were obtained from mainland Africa and traded with the Middle East. The architecture incorporates African, Persian, Indian, Arab, and European styles and the Arab doors are a particularly intricate. We also found out that Freddie Mercury was born in Stone Town – who knew! Stone Town is filled with surprises around every corner and behind every door there’s an interesting story.

We’ll definitely be going back.

Elephants, Lions & Figure 8's

When we get closer to Kimana we start to see a swath of green hugging along the banks of a winding river. Agriculture springs up in vivid patchwork patterns nearby because of access to irrigation. We land on a tiny dirt airstrip and are met by some of the landowners and mzees (elders) from Kimana to discuss the Kimana Sanctuary; a small community sanctuary whose lease is up this summer. We’re discussing the possibility of linking conservation areas by using wildlife corridors and also discussing community projects and benefits to the landowners.

During the meeting Richard gets an urgent call from the Game Scouts that an elephant has been speared and we’ll need to go check on it to see if we need to send in a vet. The meeting continues and yet another urgent call comes in for Richard saying that the Game Scouts have found a dead lion. This is extremely rare since in the past two years they’ve started a new program called Predator Compensation Fund which has been paying the Maasai for livestock killed by predators in exchange for not killing lions. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/big-cat-conservation.html

Our meeting wraps up, we bid the mzees goodbye and we fly to another airstrip. We land and wait for the lion researchers and game scouts to pick us up. Its afternoon and we’ve had only a Coke all day and it’s hot. Richard finds three tangerines in the back seat pocket of the plane and hands us each one. “Not sure how old these are but...lunch.” They are completely petrified but at least you can suck on the segments and then spit them out. A small group of curious Maasai women and children form under the wing of the plane and we share the small shady space, accepting each others’ presence.

The researchers show up and we’re off by vehicle to find the injured elephant. We have her GPS coordinates. Once we arrive we walk through the bush to reach the elephant. It’s a big female and her left front leg is completely useless and massively swollen. She can’t walk. She’s very anxious that we are somewhat near her, so much that she tries to stagger/hop on three legs to get behind a tree. Richard says that she won’t make it and radios the vet to let them know. The vet won’t be able to make it from Nairobi to put the elephant down until the next morning. So sad to see such a beautiful creature maimed so badly. She was speared because there is a lot of human/wildlife conflict in the area; obviously over using the same resources. Elephants raid crops along the river and people spear them to protect their livelihoods.

After we left the elephant we set out to meet up with another game scout unit. This was a much harder task since they were located on the side of a hill. We were trying to make our way through the whistling thorn which is not easy going. Besides the fact that the thorn trees can puncture your tires, thorns can come thrashing through the windows and roof and are not only sharp but are covered in huge colonies of ants. We were all covered in tiny ants swarming the car and poor Bill in the front seat got gouged by a thorn; you’d have thought he cut an artery the way it bled. The front seat was splattered with blood.

When we finally found the game scouts they were tiny dots on the side of a hill. We left the car in the lava field and made our way up the side on foot. The stench reached us before we actually saw the loin. They think it was a young male that had been dead about five days. It was well rotted. Luckily, it was not poisoned. Apparently you can tell because if it had been poisoned there wouldn’t be any maggots; and this carcass was covered with them. The team took samples and I took pictures since the researchers camera was not functioning. This was both good and bad – it gave me something to occupy myself with, but on the other hand it meant getting up close and personal. I think the closest I’ve been to a rotting animal was a mouse; an almost grown lion carcass downwind was a smell I will not forget.

The team removed the claws since they can be sold on the black market and they don’t want anyone to take them. They thought the lion probably died from natural causes and thought it may have been one of the cubs of a female that had been located in the area. The lion researchers have a few lions that they have been able to collar and they can track them using GPS and antennas. The team picked up a signal but could not track the lion because it was in the lava flow, which is almost impossible to maneuver through.

After a full day we packed up and headed back in the plane. Richard wanted to see if he could spot any lions in the area from the air, so he did some crazy figure eights, banking so hard we were completely sideways catching a perpendicular view of Kilimanjaro. The afternoon heat, lack of water and food, and the waft of rotting lion didn’t help. I thought I might lose it and was relieved when the eight turned into the straight line of a nine towards home.

When we landed four dogs (the Bonham’s pets) greeted us on the runway and on the corner of the forest a hyena watched us cautiously and then came out to greet us as well. HYENA, as he is lovingly known, was rescued by the Bonham’s when we was only a few weeks old, when he was orphaned. He’s now about seven months old. It really is quite an unusual think to commute home by plane and be greeted by your dogs and pet hyena at the end of a long day! I could not wait to wash my face and lay down, but during the day the ladies had decided we should do yoga, and that I needed to lead the class. I’ve never lead a yoga class in my life, much less had a hyena in the room…but we’ll save that for another story. Definitely not your typical day….

It’s 2009, Right?

This was my first question this morning when I woke up. In Africa, time disappears. Lovely to think that you can revive your dormant internal clock and go to sleep when it gets dark and wake with the sunrise. Also helps that there are no real distractions, television, stereos, shopping centers, movies, to vie for your attention.

For the past two weeks Tyler and I have been on the go. We arrived in Nairobi and spent the first week with our friends, the Lever clan – Bart, Mary, and their three boys (under three!) Ian, Lox, and Raef. They had moved into their new home over Christmas and Raef had been born only a few weeks before we arrived. Bart is the General Manager for Great Plains Kenya (who we work with) and on top of that he likes to say “I’m Dutch!” which makes up for all the funny things he says or does. Wish I had a phrase like that! It was great to see some of our old friends from this fall and reconnect, as well as meet some of the new players.

After a week in Nairobi, Tyler and I set off for the Masai Mara. I actually love the fact that when we arrived at Wilson Airport, they didn’t have our reservation, but no worries; we’ll just put you on. No IDs necessary, no crazy security. The only major restriction is the weight of your bag! Flying into the Mara is always great – seeing the landscape from above is inspiring with green and gold undulating hills dipping into ravines and then shooting up into sharp escarpments. The land is speckled with brown circles of varying sizes that form arty patterns – the Maasai settlements and bomas dotting the plains.

The flight is only about 45 minutes long, which is good considering if it’s bumpy in a small plane, that’s about all you can handle. Depending on the pilot’s mood and the drops he needs to make determines the landing schedules. There are various airstrips in the Mara and you could be dropped off first or last. It’s always good to know at what airstrip you’re getting off! Tyler and I were actually the only ones on the flight that knew our airstrip name. Luckily the pilot had a list. We had four landings, all within minutes of each other, before we landed at Mara Shika.
When we arrived at Royal Mara Camp, we realized there was no cell reception or internet, and power only a few hours a day, which was going to make our work extremely difficult. Tyler had to walk about .5km out of camp with an armed guard to get a cell signal! Royal Mara is situated on the Mara River and there are massive hippo populations always cavorting and snorting to each other. It’s hard to have a serious conversation, when a hippo often chimes in with a hilarious round of snort-chuckling, right after your comment. Quite the peanut gallery!

We had worked out an arrangement with the owner of Royal Mara that there would be a car available to us for our use. The first morning we asked for them to bring the car around we waited almost an hour. The car arrived in a cloud of smoke and the manager said, “Here you go. The brakes don’t work. Good luck.” We asked if there was anything else that we should know and he said the clutch is very finicky. Anything else? Oh, yeah…..you have to push start it. Oh, well THAT’s good to know! No wonder it took them an hour to bring it around. The final warning sign was that a mechanic, Tom, hopped in the back seat with us carrying a bag of tools. “Just In case,” said the manager. As we pulled out Tom told us that the car was affectionately known as “the limousine”.

After an hour of extremely slow-going progress, we decided that we would not be able to make the river crossings, since it had been raining. Getting stuck in the middle of a river crossing with a car you have to push start and no brakes was not going to work at all. We headed back to camp to discuss our options.

Working in Africa is an adventure. Every day is a unique set of circumstances. Lions on your front porch – no problem. No water – no problem. No power – no problem. Which brings me back to my original question – it’s 2009, right? Somewhere….
But it’s absolutely perfect here.

The Last 3 Months...

Tyler and I have been working in Kenya for the past three months in the Masai Mara helping to set up a wildlife conservancy. If it all works out, the area that we've researched and mapped will effectively increase the reserve area by 10%.

Most of you know that we had just relocated to San Francisco so I could continue my MBA in Sustainability at Presidio. Tyler just finished his Masters of Finance at GW so it was the perfect time to leave Washington DC. We found a great place and on our drive cross country a project we were supposed to work on in Jan 09 got fast-tracked and they wanted to know if we could be in Kenya in 10 days! So, after lots of preparation, unloading the moving van, getting visas, taking a leave of absence from school, etc. we were on a flight to Nairobi. It was the best decision!

We ended up staying in the Masai Mara for three months and working with the local Maasai to lease their land that will form a wildlife conservancy. It's been an incredible experience and we're headed back for a YEAR. We'll be working on three projects - two in Kenya and one in Rwanda (mountain gorillas and reforestation). Come join us as we learn about conservation, wildlife, land management issues, and community, just to name a few. Here are a few pictures in the meantime... twende tu!