Around the World

My fever has died down but now I have a cough. We did a full day game drive. We drove by some elephants then went across a barren valley of no animals. We then went up to the Tanzania border and stood on the border marker. I picked up a couple of rocks there. Nearlby we saw the Mara River and watched the hippos swim, snort, and splash their little ears around. A couple guards came by and Charles (our driver) was playing with their gun, pointing it at us. We drove down further and watched the hippos a little longer. We went across the bridge to a high spot to eat lunch. We crossed a ravine in the van. I couldn't believe that we made it across. Our driver is good at taking our little van through precarious paths. As we were eating, a baboon came along and watched us. The driver got out his knife just in case he became agressive. We went back to see the hippos. Its safe to walk here with all the armed guards around. we saw some vans watching a lion pair. Then we watched the linoess. She had blood on her front paw. The male lion was low in the bushes behind her. Suddenly she sensed something in the air and looked like she was about to attack. She stealthly walked by stalking her prey. Then a bunch of baboons ran to some shrubs and up a tree. It was quite humerous. The male lion followed slowly, disappearing into the distance. We left and drove back on a bumpy dusty road. Again we came upon some vans but this time they were circled around a tree. We stopped to find a leaopard sleeping on a branch with his legs dangling. Over 30 vans drove up to get a look. The leopard was peacefully napping amongst the chaos of vans. We took plenty of photos. As we drove back to camp we could see antelope and gazzels. The couple staying at the lodge visited our camp. The lady didn't seem very interested at all. We went up to the lodge at 9 pm and saw the hyenas being fed. They are humerous looking things that scamper around barking at anything. I got a couple photos but it was very dark. The people were rude there, pushing and shoveing. It was a very cold evening and the tents flapped in the wind. But the stars were beautiful that night.

We slept in as the Belgium couple did an early safari drive. I walked past the toilets to a small stream. It looked like a crossing for cows. We went for a short safari drive today. We got fuel at the lodge and I drove the van away as we waited. We did a drive around some rough trails and found some elephants. We watched as they young one played and the adults got a drink. They kept coming form over the hill to the watering hole. Maybe 20 or more gathered there. When we came around the bend a lone bull was blocking our path and posed a threat. We had to back up to avoid him. We found another leopard surrounded by vans in a tree.We stopped for a look. I got a wide photo of the tree with the lopard in it somewhere. I got a picture of a sausage tree earlier. We went back for more petrol, I don't kny wy and then to our campsite to loung in the sun. Our Masai guard and his friend took us for a walk to the Masai village. It cos 500 Shillings. I t turned out to be a joke when all the lakes came out and pushing their goods on us. I got away long enough to look at some of the houses made of cow manure. I got some photos of the people too. I got some braclets and a wood stick (40shillings) We went into one of the houses. It was dark and smokey. There was a black and white cat sitting in front of me. The beds were made of cowhide. The house also keeps yourn animals safe at night. The walls are made of wood twigs packed with cow manure. It seems like a good insulation from the cold. The village is in a cirlce shape surrounded by thorn bush with a small entrance for coming in and out. The girls had cut earlobes and beaded jewelry. The men all had 2 sticks. We came back to camp and ate dinner with some new campers that just arrived. Masai dancers came over and danced for us. (200Sh) We danced with them. They jumped high and sang a grunt. Huh.. huh.. huh. wile they jumped. it was fun to see Ivan jump.

We left at 6:30am for a game drive. It was a beautiful morning. The sun glistened on the grass. We drove around the foothills and saw giraffe in the distance. We came upon a male lion just walking down the road. I took too many photos of him but it was amazin to be so close to a wild lion. We kept driving up to him as he was walking with no bother in the world. We had brakfast at the camp before we set off on our way. We gave the driver $20 for the park fees since we couldn't get the student discount. Wewent out through the village and not the gate. It was a long bumpy road until we got to the main road to Nairobi which was in good shape.

We stopped at the Big Safari office to ask about the extra costs. We got dropped off at the hostel and I took a much needed cold shower. My stuff was still safe. We tipped our driver $20. Said bye to Ivan and Kathleen. It was a successful safari. We saw the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard) I was glad I saw all the animals. It would have been nice if I didn't keep getting sick. But it could have been worse.

All members of the "Big Five" are found in the Masai Mara. Hippopotami are found in large groups in the Masai Mara and Talek rivers. Cheetah are also found. The plains between the Mara river and the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment were the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah. The wildebeest were the dominant inhabitants of the Masai Mara. During this time of year these ungainly animals begin to migrate in a vast ensemble north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving an immensity of herbivores some 1,300,000 wildebeests, 360,000 Thomson's gazelles, and 191,000 zebras. These numerous migrants are followed along their annual, circular route by a block of hungry predators, most notably lions and hyena. The migration was just beginning while we were there. Our safari was unforgetable.

The hostel was full and quite busy. I slept pretty well considering the crowded room.

We walked into town, got a cash advance, went to the post office, and called Mom. She sounds good and didn't have any crises to tell us. We had tilapia fried fish for lunch. We went to the Hilton but their internet computer didn't connect online. We walked through the national archives building. They had a good selection of wood carvings and historical photos. The building in which it is housed was constructed in 1931 by the National & Grindlays Bank. It houses the Joseph Murumbi Gallery on its ground floor which contains a large collection of Africana from every corner of the African continent, from Mauritius to Ethiopia, Gambia to the Congo. There is a second gallery on the upper floor which provides a deep historical reflection of Kenya from the pre-colonial times (Circa 1890) to date.

We went down a busy street and some guy yelled at me and seemed like he was mand. I just kept going. I got some postcards at the bookstore. We walked back to our hostel and relaxed the rest of the day.

We rode a matutu to YAYA shopping centre. We shopeed around tand I got 3 shirsts of Africa. We had a chicken pie for lunch and I exhanged some money. YAYA centre is a modern multifunctional shopping mall, it was founded in the late eighties in Nairobi and is today one of the leading shopping malls housing over 100 shops and offices.

We rode a matatu (shared taxi), to the city and we walked across town. A guy stopped me and polished my boot. He smeared some cream on and wouldn't answer my price for a shine. He finally wanted 600 Shillings each but I only gave them 200 for both of us. they were crooks. We ran off across the road and got some Ntik paintings and patches. We rode a Matutu back that had huge woofers playing Reggae. My lock was damaged from being picked. I moved my things downstairs.

We went to church. It was a full house. We were the only white people. Everyone danced as they sang, clapped and bowed over like the electric dance. We were shoulder tight on the benches. It went on for 2 hours. They sang a couple songs in Swahili. We went to burger chef for lunch afterwards. The hostel moved me from the dorm to a small room with a weird guy in a nike hat. Then I got the 15th floor dorm to myself. I didn't get charged for the first night. I laid in bed a lot today and got ready for the trip to Egypt. We ate dinner in the cafeteria. I stayed up late talking with a guy from Nairobi. We also met girl named Victoria who was cut in the back in the city center that day when a purse snatcher cut her bag strap. No one came to help her except a taxi that took her to the hospital. After she was treated the taxi driver demanded $50 USD. She gave them a couple hundred Shillings, but still the police came and harrassed her, calling her a criminal for not paying the amount the taxi asked for.

The city of Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, it has been called the ‘Green city in the Sun’ and ‘Nai-robbery’ due to its high crime rates. The original name however, is a Maasai term meaning a ‘stream of cool water’. The city originated as a transport hub and since then has expanded upwards and outwards to accommodate a population of over three million people! Its diminutive colonial buildings jostle for space with high-rises and concrete apartment blocks.