TANZANIA AND KENYA

(with a stop over in Amsterdam)

JUNE 25 - JULY 22, 2001

At last I am on my way to East Africa. This trip has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. I taught summer school in 1999 (a terrible class) to earn the money to go in the summer of 2000. I was all signed up and paid to go with Nancy Hay in 2000 but I broke my ankle. So I had to cancel. I did get most of my money back so I decided to go in 2001. In the meantime since Nancy went in 2000 I needed a good room mate so I asked David to go with me and he agreed! Finally the time arrived. We actually left on Saturday June 23 to visit Amsterdam for a couple of days in order to break up the air trip a bit. Nancy Hay took us to the airport which was nice and we had an uneventful flight. I will write my recollections of the journey from notes I wrote each evening. It was too much trouble to write a journal each day (no time) so I just scribbled a few notes. Many days sound the same because we did a game drive almost every day. But first Amsterdam:

SATURDAY 6/23/01 & SUNDAY 6/24/01 We left San Francisco about 4 PM and arrived in Amsterdam about 11 AM Sunday (a ten hour flight). The trip was fine and we slept a bit (David more than me). We took a taxi to our hotel - Hotel Maas in downtown Amsterdam. As soon as we checked in we walked a few blocks to the Rijksmuseum and enjoyed seeing the masters there - particularly the rest of the Vermeer paintings (we had seen most of them recently in New York City). The other wonderful painting was Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. We spent a few hours there enjoying the many wonderful paintings and then we walked to an Indonesian Restaurant near our hotel. It was interesting but not my favorite food but we thought we’d try it because there are so many Indonesian Restaurants in Amsterdam. After dinner we decided to walk along the canal to see a bit more of the city so we headed towards Anne Frank’s home. We didn’t intend to visit it because we had heard the lines were very long but we thought we’d look at the outside. When we got there it was open and there was not a line so we went in. It was a very poignant experience and very difficult to imagine how a family could live in such a confined space for two years - what a sad time in human history.

MONDAY 6/25 Up bright and early and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. We met some of the other people who also came a couple of days early. Also met an interesting young man from Australia. He had flown into Chicago planning to meet his girlfriend who lives in Alabama. But he had no permanent address as he had been in Indonesia before coming and he had no visible means of support so he was put on the next plane out of the country but he didn’t like where it was going so he got off in Amsterdam! He was in the process of getting some money sent to him so he could go on to Australia and then start over. What a life! Anyway after breakfast we walked to the Van Gogh museum. What a wonderful arrangement that museum is. It is open and light and not overly crowded. The paintings were arranged chronologically which was very interesting. I really like his paintings. There were other exhibits there too and we visited a lot of them and then ate lunch in the cafe there. After this we bought a canal ticket and took the canal bus to Central Station. It was fun to ride the canals and see some of the city from the water. The canals run all through the city in a rather circular pattern. The homes along the canal are packed side by side and narrow and tall. They were originally taxed by how wide they were so the houses are very narrow, about 18 feet. In fact they all have a hoisting beam to use in order to lift up furniture to the rooms above - with such narrow houses the stairs are also very narrow and not much can be carried up them. Most of the homes have elegant gables and decorations at the top. There are also lots of houseboats along the canals where people live. Some are very neat and clean but many are pretty junky. Permits for new moorings are currently frozen. We transferred at Central Station to the Maritime Museum which was very interesting. In addition to the exhibits of early maps and equipment they had a replica of the 18th century East Indiaman tall ship, The Amsterdam. It was interesting to go inside and imagine what it would have been like to live and work on that ship. It was a very interesting visit. After having to wait a long time, we then took a canal bus. The posted schedules seem to mean nothing and they quit early so we had to walk some distance back to our hotel. Several people were very upset about the lack of information they could get about schedules. We didn’t eat much for dinner because we were not hungry but we were very tired and had to get up early in the morning. Overall my impression of Amsterdam was not very positive and I was somewhat disappointed. It could be because we mostly were in the downtown area but the city was very dirty with lots of trash around. We were hit up by beggars and solicitors several times. Although people were not rude they certainly were not friendly - not even when we made an effort to be friendly - there just was no response. (And to continue in that manner I noticed the same thing in the airport on the way back home - they were not friendly but at least the airport was clean!) Also Amsterdam is a hard city to walk around because of the bicyclists - there are so many of them and they do not follow the stop signs and other rules as do the cars and they will knock you down if you aren’t careful. But the museums makes it a city well worth visiting but not for too long.

TUESDAY 6/26 Up bright and early we took a cab to the airport. The driver drove us through some of the suburbs of Amsterdam which were quiet attractive with neat well kept homes and gardens. Our 10 hour flight to Kilimanjaro International airport at Arusha went without problems and we arrived that evening to be met by our drivers for Tanzania. They were a wonderful group; Maulidi, Yuda, Steven, and Amrod, good drivers, friendly, and very knowledgeable. We have three Toyota land cruisers and one Nisson 7 passengers van - all four wheel drive for the Tanzania roads - which were terrible, worse than pot holes - sometimes no asphalt at all and not very well graded. We did have an interesting incident at the airport. The entrance was pretty informal and after having our passports stamped a custom official pulled David over and looked at his passport. It was never very clear what he wanted (money maybe?) but after a while we continued on until someone told David that another man had asked him who David Bowen was. This man - who was a native Tanzanian - came and told David that his friend had asked him to help David through customs! Well that was never really cleared up and we finally just decided that someone else was coming through with the same name! Who knows what was going on but that was the end of that for us. Our bags were loaded and we were driven to Mountain Village Lodge which is by Lake Duluti. There we were greeted with a welcome glass of juice, a delightful custom that was continued though out our trip. Some places even greeted us first with a wet washcloth which was most welcome for washing off the dust from the road. Our rooms are lovely - like something out of a Hemmingway novel - log walls with bed incased in mosquito netting. We enjoyed a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast in the morning. Then we birded around the lodge - lots of new birds to see.

WEDNESDAY 6/27 Then we drove into Arusha along a very bumpy dirt road getting our first real look at the area as we drove. We drove through a town that was in the midst of Market day with lots of produce and everything else spread out on the ground so people could walk through to purchase what they needed. It was all so colorful because of the brightly colored clothing everyone wore. We drove into the office of the Safari company - Wildersun Safaris - and there we exchanged money and got our first bottle of water - no drinking from the taps for the next month. Arusha is the midpoint of Africa on a north south route. It has internet cafes and all the other type of stores you would expect in a major city but it still has dirt roads and walkways. Lots of venders walking around and trying to sell us stuff. We then loaded up to head out on Safari. We are a total of 20: Gail and Doug Cheeseman - our leaders, Anne & Louis Ederington (from Oklahoma), Jack Daniels (from Pennsylvania), Jenny Minier & Josh Ederington (from Florida) and the rest from California, Fran & Kirby Slate, Isobel & Peter Taylor, Mary Ann & Doug Carothers, Noriko & Charles Tyson, Steve, John and Will Ruddock, and David and me. We divided up in our four vehicles - at most 5 in a Toyota (usually four) and 6 or 7 in the van and drove to Lake Manyara National Park - about 76 miles from Arusha. Lake Manyara is located in the Rift Valley - a rift (fault line) that runs from Ethiopia to South Africa and separates East Africa from the rest of the continent. This lake was dry in 1998 but is full now but is not yet alkaline enough to support the mosquitos and algae that the flamingoes need. This forest was called a ground water forest because that is where the water is. We saw our first Baobab trees - a tree I have often read about so it was interesting to see them. They are very old - some live for 2000 years. The elephants dig big grooves from the trunk to get water but it doesn’t kill the trees. They are also called upside down trees because their bare branches look like roots. It was fun to see our first of many mammals and David soon distinguished himself as an excellent spotter. I was also delighted to meet a fellow birder, Anne whose interest in birds and birding was the same as mine. There were two other couples who were also interested in birds so it was good to have some sympathetic company - not everyone understands a birder’s passion. We saw over 100 olive baboons and they are so much fun to watch. Throughout the whole month I never tired of watching them as they played and ate and interacted with each other. It is hard not to anthropomorphize while watching them. I truly fell in love with the giraffes. They are such stately animals and so very graceful as they walk and run and eat. They are huge - one crossed right in front of the car and we really felt very small next to it. They are beautiful and photos do not do them justice. We also saw our first impalas, waterbuck, vervet monkeys and lots of new birds. We had a picnic lunch in the park and spent the day driving and looking. Most of the time we did our observations from the van - there are not many places where it is safe to get out and walk. Our vehicles have pop up tops so we can stand up to see more and when we get tired of standing we can sit. Getting up and down was the most exercise we got so I really got out of shape in a month - despite trying to walk or swim every chance that I got. That night we stayed at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge - where we each had an individual cabin with a beautiful view of the lake and area. We had a buffet dinner - the first of many. All of the food was very good and very nicely served. All but one place served meals buffet style, we really enjoyed that kind of service. At breakfast they often brought you eggs and/or bacon but the rest of the food was buffet. The service was very attentive - to a fault. If you laid down your fork too soon your dirty plate would be cleared! There were a lot of helpers at every lodge. You could never carry your luggage at all because someone was always waiting to carry it for you. I think for some (both men and women) the tips were their sole source of income. Fortunately I had been told about this so we had brought 100 one dollar bills for these tips. We enjoyed a good night’s sleep and woke early to the sound of birds.

THURSDAY 6/28 About half the group met for an early morning bird walk around the lodge. There was a small ungroomed area outside the lodge and we enjoyed some very attractive birds including our first sunbirds. They are so colorful. After breakfast we headed for the Serengeti, first stopping at the rim for our first view of Ngorongoro Crater. We couldn’t see much because of heavy fog and it was very cold and windy. I was glad I had warm clothes. This is called a Montane Cloud Forest. While driving there we were startled when a buffalo popped out of the bush right next to the car. They are big animals! We continued on to the other side of the Crater where we had a clearer view and then continued on to Olduvai Gorge which is on the eastern boundary of the Serengeti Ecological Unit. This is the place where the Leakeys have done much of their work; we visited the area where Mary Leakey found the Australopithecine “Zinjanthropus”(A.boisei). They have a museum which we visited and we also enjoyed some marvelous birds while eating our lunch there. We then continued on our way over very bumpy dirt roads - the roads in Tanzania are terrible. Along the way we saw lots of Masai people herding their cattle. The men all wear a bright red blanket wrapped about them and they are so colorful. One theory is that they use that color so they can be seen out on the plains. There were many young boys also in charge of the cattle. Many waved - in the manner that we used to wave at train engineers. Some were clearly waving to get some money and some wanted their picture taken for money. The Masai measure their wealth by how many cows they own and they move from grassland to grassland. They are not supposed to be in the national parks but occasionally they do go into protected areas - in both Kenya and Tanzania. They really are hard on the land and there are problems with their life style. The children do not go to school because of the constant movement and they do not seem to want to change this. At any event it was very interesting to see them and to see the manyattas where they lived - wood huts with thatch roofs. They were a presence everywhere with their bright red blankets and walking sticks. At the end of another very rough dirt road we arrived at Ndutu Camp which is located at the shores of Lake Legaja where we spent two nights. We each have a nice cabin with a porch view of the lake (but we never have time to sit and relax!). Our dinning area is open - with just a roof but no sides so it is like eating outside and since they have a water hole we can observe many birds close up. The water here is from wells near the lake and is very alkaline - we don’t even brush our teeth with it. We had an excellent dinner with lots of vegetables that are grown on the lodge grounds and again the service was excellent. We were joined for dinner by the genets of the area who come in and out and climb around the rafters. We were in bed by 9 PM and up the next AM by 5:30. The electricity is generated on the lodge so it was on from 6 AM to 11:30 PM

FRIDAY 6/29 We were up at 5:30 - they had turned on the electricity early so we did not have to dress in the dark. We had tea and biscuits (cookies - this country was heavily influenced by the English!). We then spent the day as we spent many days on Safari - we drove around. We saw so many animals and birds it almost seemed unreal - what a joy it was to see them in their natural setting and so many of them. We saw a lion with her cubs - mostly just sitting around. We saw a wonderful elephant in a mud hole spraying water over himself. I enjoyed being with Anne and Louis because Anne is the other birder and we really had fun identifying some of the birds - not everyone is interested in the small birds but I find them fun. We came back for breakfast and then went out again and back for lunch at 2:00 then out again - no rest for us! We watched some lions hoping for some excitement - there was one female and three males but no action - they just mostly slept. I particularly enjoyed watching an elephant bathe/play in the water. They sure enjoy themselves with the water. We also got a good look at a cheetah eating - probably a rabbit. The drivers all have radios and keep in contact with each other so if one driver finds something he can convey the information to the others. They all know the area very well and how they find a place is something I don’t know. They do all study in order to be a driver/guide and learning the area is part of the lessons. They are also very knowledgeable about the whole environment and most of them know the names of the birds we see - as well as the mammals. Today we experienced the tsetse fly for the first time - they sure are a bother. We got back to the lodge after 6:00 - took a quick shower and met in the lounge at 7:00 and went over the day’s sightings, dinner at 7:30 and then off to bed. The grounds are patrolled all night long - by armed guards. We thought it was to make sure the animals don’t attack us but someone told us it was to keep the poachers away - I guess that is still a problem in these areas.

SATURDAY 6/30 Once again up at 5:30 - David can’t believe he is doing this and with no naps! Another safari drive with lots of animals and birds and then back for a late breakfast. Then we packed and birded around the lodge before leaving to drive to the Serengeti National Park. We stopped at Naabi Hill at the entrance and did some birding there - got great looks at Bee Eaters - such gorgeous colors on those birds. We ate our picnic lunches there and after paying our entrance fees we continued on into the park. The area looked just like I had imagined - grasslands with those wonderful thorn trees. We saw lions, hippos in a pool, a cheetah, and a wonderful pair of ostriches that were courting and then mated. What a show they gave us!. By evening we arrived at Lobo Lodge which is on the eastern edge of the Serengeti - near the Kenya border. It is built on top of a kopje - which is a granite formation, some of which are as big as a mountain. Good dinner and then off to bed. Oh when I took a shower the smell of the water took me back to my grandmother’s home in Colorado - it had the same artesian well smell.

SUNDAY 7/1 - After an early breakfast we spent all day in the Serengeti enjoying an incredible number of mammals and birds. The drive was bumpy and dusty and twice we had a vehicle get stuck in the holes. Once we had to carry rocks to fill up the hole and jack up the vehicle - but we always got out. Today we were treated to the incredible sight of the Wildebeest migration, a steady stream of animals constantly moving - what a vision - so much more than any TV show can demonstrate.

MONDAY 7/2 - Same as usual - we spent the day game driving - mostly the Western portion of the Serengeti - by the end of today we have pretty well completely covered the Serengeti National Park. Unfortunately David felt sick today so he didn’t enjoy the drive that much. Today was a heavy mammal day - we saw a total of 25 different species of mammals, plus of course all the wonderful birds and one rock python moving across the road - he was big! We arrived at 5:00 at the Serengeti Serena Lodge - another high class place with huts with thatch roofs and again had beds with mosquito netting. We had the netting at several places and did use them but we never had trouble with mosquitos even outside the nets. We had a nice swim - went over our list for the day, had a lovely buffet dinner which included some good freshly grilled choices of meat, and then collapsed to bed. Our list of mammals included, Klipspringers, Wildebeests, Topi, Eland, Lions, Buffalos, Vervet Monkeys, Impala, Grant’s Gazelles, Thompson’s Gazelles, three species of mongooses, Giraffe, Warthog, Hyaena, Elephant, Dikdik, Bush and Rock Hyraxes, Leopard, Waterbuck, a grass rat, Yellow wing bat, and Leaf nose bat.

TUESDAY 7/3 Same as usual - game drive but what a day. We had the incredible experience of watching the Wildebeest migration - what a sight. Someone described Wildebeest as being made up of spare parts - be that as it may they are so wonderful to watch as they move on their circular migration route - moving from grassy plain, eating until it is clear and then moving on. What a phenomenon! I also once again enjoyed the antics of the olive baboons - they stop and look at us but then ignore us as they go about their business - eating, grooming, playing. We had lunch at the River watching the crocodiles and hippopotamuses.

WEDNESDAY 7/4 We left the Serengeti eco system and drove to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and then down into it. The elevation of the crater rim is about 8000 feet above sea level, and about 2000 feet above the base of the caldera. The Crater is a caldera about 10 miles across with both alkaline and fresh lakes, grass and marshy plains and acacia woodlands so the wildlife is abundant. It is about 5600 feet above sea level at the bottom and about 6800 feet at the top. We ate lunch in the crater while watching wildlife - many of the same mammals as before. There was a hippo pool and it was really fun to just watch them move around in the watering - breathing on top for a while and then trading places with a hippo under the water. One hippo was on the road just walking along but the Lions really are king - we also met one on the road and he did not move - just made us wait for him. Today was lion day as we saw three different prides. I also enjoyed watching lots of Greater and Lesser Flamingos feeding and walking in the lake - the pink mature ones mixed with the white immature ones presented our very own Fantasia. We enjoyed watching some hyenas at their den - they are quite beautiful. We arrived at our lodge on the rim in time for a shower and dinner. Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is very elegant and has a beautiful view of the crater and is very cold - fog and wind. Again they had a lovely swimming pool but even I did not use it. Here too a guard patrolled all night - mostly to chase off the elephants from the grounds.

THURSDAY 7/5 David took today off and stayed at the lodge - it was a nice place to do it but there really is not a lot of area to walk. You have to stay on the grounds because it isn’t safe to walk outside. Many of the lodges have electric fences around them to keep the wildlife away but still leopards and lions can come pretty close. Several of the group has been getting sick and I suspect that someplace did not have adequately cleaned food because so many of us got diarrhea at the same time, also the 8000 feet elevation makes it hard too. The pace so far has been pretty hectic - 12-14 hours a day on the move and that is catching up with us too. But down to the bottom of the crater we went arriving before 8:00 and the large number of other vehicles. That is the advantage with staying right on the rim. We birded along the way and enjoyed some of the sun birds. Every other day Anne and I try to ride together so that we can do some heavy birding. Not everyone is interested in all the birds, especially the little ones so we like to give our fellow travelers a break once in a while. But actually a few are getting more interested in the birds - maybe out of self defense when they are around us! Today we saw two rhinoceros- in the distance in tall grass but clearly visible. We also saw lots of hyenas which are quite pretty and we found a den with several cubs. We had a nice lunch at the “picnic” spot along with 60-80 other Land Cruisers and then drove more - heading up to the lodge by 5:00 so we could bird a bit around the lodge. Again had a good dinner and went to bed - it is cold - glad to have a double bed this time so I can keep warm at night.

FRIDAY 7/6 Repeat of yesterday. At the hippo pool we watched two hippos mating! That was something and just about what you would expect. Of course he practically drowned her. Meanwhile the other vehicle was having a close encounter with a rhino and although we went there we did not see the rhino today. We did go back up to the lodge a little earlier and enjoyed some birding around the lodge including a new Starling that Gail had never seen there before - she even got the staff interested in that. That night was Josh and Jenny’s wedding anniversary so the staff brought them a cake. The staff has a very interesting presentation in all these places - they bring the cake in with the whole cooking and serving staff singing and dancing in a line. The person in front is carrying the cake. In all the lodges they sing the same song which I later heard on a CD. The song starts out with Jambo which is “hello” and then goes on in Swahili to sing welcome and so forth. They carried torches and had turned the lights out. It was very dramatic and fun.

SATURDAY 7/7 Today we drove to Tarangire National Park - seeing towns and plains and farms along the way. They have some very nice farms - many family farms with a variety of crops, corn, pineapple, tea, and coffee. Approaching the towns the area along the road is available for individuals to grown crops. This is for people who do not own their own land for farming. It is a very good use of land. The farms are not irrigated - they rely on rainfall. We drove through some towns and my impression of all the towns we saw is the same - small buildings - really just shacks - many built with bricks, others with what looked like scrap lumber. They were all close together and advertised a variety of goods inside. (English is the universal national language. all road signs are in English. There are so many tribes that there are many different languages so although children learn Swahili in school, starting about the third grade they learn English as well. ) The towns mostly are fronted by dirt roads and dirt walk ways - even in the “larger” cities. There is a lot of activity on market days when everything is spread out and there are many shoppers. It is especially colorful in some areas where the women dress in brightly colored wraps. The color red predominates where the Masai are but in other areas every bright color is used and it is very cheerful. In Tarangire National Park we stayed at the Tarangire Safari Lodge, a tented camp. This is the kind of place people think of when going on safari. the tents are very large with a cement slab for a floor. There is a front porch to sit on and watch the world go by. Inside the front room has two twin beds with a couple of tables for supplies. Behind a curtain there is a dressing room with the sink, toilet and shower. Our water is solar heated and we had plenty. We have electricity until about midnight - again they turn off the generators until 6 AM and believe me it is really dark at night with no city lights anywhere. The view from our tents is lovely - overlooking a canyon with a river at the bottom. We could see elephants and zebras down below. Of course they did not stay there - we had an elephant leave a pile in front of our tent that we had to carefully step around. In fact the next morning a couple was late for breakfast while they waited for the guard to chase the elephant from the path. We had a good barbecue dinner along with lots of other choices. We ate in a comfortable open air dinning room with a thatched roof.

SUNDAY 7/8 Another game drive day. We spent a lot of time looking for leopard but no luck. But we saw lots of lovely birds. Some of the group have started to really enjoy the birds - it fills up the time between mammal sightings. We still see lots of mammals but they are old friends now. Again we came back a little early and birded around the camp - still getting new birds. Had a good buffet dinner again. We usually meet at 7:00 and have a drink - beer for me, coke for David. Some of us go over the days animal and bird list so Gail will be able to send us a complete trip list at the end. Then we eat dinner at 7:30 and go to bed usually by 9 or 10. We are usually up at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning and on the go all day. Being on safari is hard work.

MONDAY 7/9 Today we got to sleep until 6:30! Some of us birded a bit around the camp and then we met to say farewell to our Tanzania drivers. We took a group photo and loaded up by 9:00 to leave. We drove to Arusha enjoying the sights but not the horrible roads - they have more than pot holes and a constant speed cannot be maintained as the drivers have to move all over the roads to find a drivable spot. We passed lots of healthy looking farms with various types of small homes. The children all look healthy and love to wave and run alongside the vehicles. The Masai were everywhere with their cattle and goats and sheep - some men and some children. We arrived in Arusha where we were treated to lunch at the home of the owner of Wildersun. It was very lovely and very good and so nicely served. We enjoyed visiting with the family and seeing their comfortable home. They were born in Zanzibar and are of Indian background. From there we went to the African Cultural Center to buy souvenirs. I didn’t buy anything there because I found nothing I really wanted and the prices where too high. I did find a book I wanted but they wanted twice the marked American price for it so I skipped that. We continued on to the border where our passport was stamped for leaving Tanzania and then further down the road our passport was stamped for entering Kenya. Here we met hordes of people selling various trinkets, bracelets, necklaces, food, carvings and so forth. They were very persistent and we had to lock ourselves in the cars to avoid them. My first impression of Kenya was that the people looked poorer and the roads were better - except where they were working on the road. They just close the whole road to work on it and we had to drive on the shoulder. My opinion of the roads was soon to change. The roads in Kenya were just as bad as in Tanzania. So we continued driving into Nairobi (we were in two buses) and arrived in downtown Nairobi at the Mayfair Hotel. A very British style hotel in looks and manners. We said farewell to three of our fellow travelers who where returning home, Josh and Jenny, and Jack. We enjoyed dinner in the hotel - a very good hamburger and then a good nights sleep.

TUESDAY 7/10 We met our Kenya drivers who had arrived with 3 mini vans - 6 or 7 passengers per van. We also met two new members of our group, Jan and Bill Whitmer. Our drivers are Jeff, Zack, and Peter. We also met Titus who will be an additional guide. The Cheesemans have known him since he was three. he has studied a lot - especially the birds and has worked in the National museum in Nairobi. He just returned from Hawk Mountain in New Jersey where he had won a scholarship to study there for four months during the spring migration. Next month he will be going to school for a couple of years to study environmental studies. Anne and I soon got to know him and were always delighted to be in the van with him as he was an excellent birder and very helpful in figuring out those birds - even the cisticolas (those little brown jobs!). So we loaded up and headed north to the Aberdare County Club in the Aberdare Mountains This area is the home of the Kikuyu people described by Elspeth Huxley in “Flame Trees of Thika”. When we arrived in the town of Thika we asked the driver to show us a flame tree - after a while he pointed one out so we did see a beautiful Flame Tree in Thika - so very full with red flowers. There were not many to be seen though. It was interesting to drive through the country side and see the many farms - mostly family owned with a variety of crops, pineapple, bananas, and other smaller vegetables. The roads continued to be atrocious except for the area referred to as Moi land. President Moi is from the area we were traveling in and owns a lot of farmland. The minute we came to his homeland the roads were wonderful - smooth, no potholes, well maintained and more than wide enough for a full car lane going in each direction. The Aberdare Country Club is very British and in a beautiful setting with a golf course. They served us an excellent lunch with wonderful desserts. Then we loaded up for a ride up the mountains to The ARK. This hotel is built in the mountains and looks exactly like your idea of Noah’s Ark! It has lots of windows and decks for close observation of the animals. We are asked to be quiet and talk in whispers so as to not scare away the animals. It was wonderful to be in such quiet for 24 hours. Only in the dinning room did you hear much talking and noise. They do feed the birds and put out a salt lick for the animals so we had very close looks at elephants, buffalo, leopards and other animals and birds, We also saw a suni - a very small antelope - I had no idea they would be so small. We enjoyed our time here although it was very cold. They brought us a hot water bottle for our bed which helped some but we slept fine. They had a buzzer in each room to ring at night in case anything exciting came in for viewing but we chose to turn it off. Those who left it on were treated to close looks at a Rhino. But in the morning we enjoyed a early view of the sun rise - with pink skies - over Mt. Kenya. Shortly after breakfast we loaded up in the big bus and were driven back to the country club where we loaded up in our safari vans.

WEDNESDAY 7/11 Today we drove north to Samburu Game Reserve leaving behind the green Highlands and going to the arid Northern Frontier. Entering the game reserve near Isiolo we encountered the men selling items again - mostly the metal bracelets that they make out of copper, brass, and tin. I just could not deal with the chaos of them and the bargaining that needed to be done so Gail did it for me and I ended up with about 15 metal bracelets that I can give as souvenirs - they were about a dollar a piece (they sell for at least $10 each in the US) - plus a necklace that I think I’ll keep for myself. My souvenir shopping is over; I did some shopping at the ARK where they had a very nice gift shop and I got Sophia and Shraya tee shirts there. We arrived at Samburu Serena Lodge in time for a good lunch. Most of the lunches and dinners start with a soup and they have all been very good. Again the meals here were served buffet syle and all very good. After lunch we again went on a game drive and among other things saw a lion eating a young elephant that it had just recently killed - I didn’t enjoy that so I worked on my bird book while we sat there. We got back a little early and were in time for a swim but David couldn’t find his swim suit - I was ready for a swim but we spent time looking for his suit instead until we finally decided he forgot it at the last place - this is the second time he lost some clothes - he left his pajamas some place else. Well eventually I went swimming while he sat and watched me - no one else was in the pool. After dinner we went to the gift shop to see if they had a suit - and they did - one in his size - bright red! But he didn’t dare refuse to buy it so David now owns his first non black swimming suit in his life. At least he was able to swim the rest of the trip when we had time. This place also stakes out meat to lure in leopards and other animals in view. We saw a stripped hyena that evening come to eat the left overs. He was a beautiful animal.

THURSDAY 7/12 We left at 6:00 AM for a before breakfast game drive. I was in the van with Titus, Anne and Louis, the driver Peter who knows birds well, and Fran and Kirby - who had just bought the bird book so we had a lot of fun seeing and identifying all the birds we saw. I really do enjoying birding. Had a late breakfast at 9:00 and then went out again at 10:30 and had the fun of seeing a leopard with a 3 month old cub - she kept the cub in a tree. We also spent some time watching the baboons - they were mostly eating and playing and it is so easy to anthropomorphize while watching them. We came back for lunch at 2:00 and then went out about at 3:30 until 6:30. David stayed back this afternoon and tried out his new swimming suit in the pool (no it did not turn the water red!). Even though the days are still long I am finding it easier to handle here in Kenya since our days are broken up a bit. The pace was so frenetic in Tanzania that at times I couldn’t enjoy everything enough. Also I’m in the rhythm now.

FRIDAY 7/13 Out at 6:00 AM - We were watching some birds and some wild life - when all of a sudden Peter started up driving very fast. He didn’t say anything but we knew something was up. We arrived next to two other vehicles just in time to see a leopard drag a small impala across the road and into the bush! Then we saw that she had two cubs that she soon chased up the tree. Peter said the cubs were about 3 months old and she would leave her dinner in the bush and eat it later. It wasn’t long before we were joined by many other vans hoping to see her - which they did. The bush telegraph works very well. Peter had heard about it because he was flipping through the channels and heard another company announce the leopard to his partners. Of course Peter called in the leopard to the rest of our group on his channel. The radios really help share the news. After this we continued on our game drive and saw lots more - especially some wonderful birds - it was a lot of fun. Then we saw a cheetah with 3 cubs - she kept them pretty well hidden. We were back for a late lunch around 2:00 and rested and shopped in the gift shop. Then we went out - just Anne, Louis, David and me with Titus and did some great birding. The scenery is really something - Doum-Palm Trees add to the surreal landscape and we are never far from the Ewasanero River. It means brown water and all the rivers are brown - both from the erosion and the minerals in it.

SATURDAY 7/14 David and I slept until 6:30 and walked around the lodge and watched the monkeys - they are such fun. Then we drove the six hour drive (over those wonderful roads filled with pot holes to Lake Baringo in the Rift Valley. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Thompson’s Falls - a standard tourist stop with lots of venders. Here they had a guard to keep them from harassing tourists so much. We drove down the east side into the Rift Valley past rich farmlands. We crossed the equator about 3 times near the town of Subukia and found the weather to be much hotter. We arrived at Lake Baringo Club Lodge in time for dinner.

SUNDAY 7/15 We went on a before breakfast bird walk from 6 - 9:30 AM along the dry scrub at the base of the escarpment. We were joined by a lot of local little boys who seemed to be very poor. I found that to be rather disturbing because we weren’t suppose to talk with them nor give them anything because that would only encourage more to come. It is a real dilemma. After returning for breakfast we went out on a boat on Lake Baringo and saw many more birds including a small Kingfisher that wasn’t much bigger than our hummingbirds. The boatmen also were able to call in the African Fish Eagles by throwing out a fish. Even though it was artificial it was fun to see these beautiful birds come in for a dive and a fish. They look very much like our bald eagles. There were also Hippos in the lake and a few crocodiles - who are rather placid in regards to tourists. In the afternoon we drove to Lake Bogoria, an alkaline lake with thermal geysers. Here we were treated to a beautiful view of thousands of flamingos - what a gorgeous sight that was. We also were lucky enough to see three Greater Kudus - large beautiful antelopes. Back for a late dinner and bed.

MONDAY 7/16 We left after breakfast and drove through some towns - one of which, Nakuru actually had cement sidewalks - to Nakuru National Park. Along the way our van had the great fortune of seeing 5 male widowbirds displaying on their lek. They have very long tails and they would jump straight up and down - it was certainly impressive. We drove through the Park where we were treated to another impressive site of thousands of flamingos on Lake Nakuru. We arrived at Lion Hill Lodge and had a good hike up a hill for our cabins - but we had a beautiful view of the lake and in the morning the sun shone on the flamingos so that they looked like the sun rise themselves. In the afternoon we took another game drive through the green and lush area. We saw a total of 15 White Rhinos - one walked right in front of us across the road. They are much less shy than the Black Rhinos.

TUESDAY 7/17 Anne and I birded with Gail and Titus in the early morning while the rest went on a game drive. We saw some new birds and some rather unsatisfactory looks at cuckoos. We had a late breakfast and left about 9:30 for The Masai Mara. We are now back in the Serengeti Ecosystem and in the wet area - it has some 20 inches of rain in an “average” year. But because of fires in the 50’s and elephants browsing on trees (they just push them over) this area is mostly savanna as it is in Tanzania. We are again very close to the border and in fact on some game drives we drove up to the border - there is just a small sign on the crossings. Driving through the towns I was stuck by how colorful the towns are with the bright colors of clothes the people wore. The Masai men wear bright red and the women have bright yellows, greens, blues, red, and orange as well. Many towns are just two or three small ramshackle stores always with dirt walks and roads in front. Sometimes there is nothing else around for long distances. I often saw lots of people walking or riding bikes along the road and wondered where they were going and where they were coming from - there was no visible structure for long times. Of course there were lots of Masai men herding their cattle, goats, and sheep. The line when we crossed in the the Masai Mara National Park was very obvious because the grass was tall and there were more bushes because there were no cattle grazing. Mara means spotted in Swahili and the Masai Mara looks spotted looking out over the scene - the golden grass is spotted with bushes (Crotonpichoma) as far as the eye can see. We arrived at the Mara Simba Lodge - again a lovely place to stay. It too had an open air dinning room - open on the side with a roof and all very elegant. The food was excellent - again with an Indian flavor. On our last night there our group was treated to a cake with the Jambo Bwana song and dance. It really is a very colorful friendly greeting. We had a large room with a lovely view - we could watch the vervet monkeys playing in the trees just outside.

WEDNESDAY 7/18 We left at 7:15 this morning for an all day game drive in the Masai Mara. We certainly saw lots of mammals and birds. Today we saw 18 species of mammals and lots of birds. We arrived at a pride of lions (3 adult females and 4 cubs) in time to see one female drag a small wildebeest into the bush - she had caught the wildebeest earlier. After she had done that - the other female dragged a zebra that she had killed earlier into another bush. They do this to keep the vultures and hyenas away until they have their fill. Meanwhile several lion cubs where playing around. Eventually two of them climbed on the zebra to play and try to eat some of it so the mother lion had to drag the zebra and the cubs to the bush. Female lions stay together in a pride and share babysitting duties while some are off hunting. After this show we were treated to another when we saw a cheetah with three cubs. The cubs were playing and came right on to the road among some 20 or more vehicles. I was very glad when she finally got them away from us and sat on a mound next to a small tree. She just sat and watched while the three cubs played around and around and up and down on the small bushy tree. They were playing just like house cats - it was fun to watch. We continued on and enjoyed some lovely giraffes - they are so graceful and so very large - you could ride a bike under their stomachs - that is how tall they are. We also saw some very young giraffes. We saw wildebeest on their migration - more than you can count. They migrate in a circle between Tanzania and Kenya in the Serengeti Plains - grazing the grass until it is gone and then moving on. Last year a count was attempted and they estimated that there were two and a half million wildebeest and 800,000 zebras. The zebras migrate with the wildebeest although some do not migrate. We went down to the Mara river to watch the hippos and there we were treated to the sight of the wildebeest crossing the Mara river. What an experience that was. A steady line just kept coming and coming - they had to swim in some places and the babies had to swim along. All of a sudden some hippos came close and the wildebeest just stopped. Some babies swam back to be with their mothers but some older ones just stood on the edge bleating for their moms. I hope they got united eventually. They are such ungainly looking animals - made up of spare parts as one driver said - but they are so graceful when running and I love the “gnu” sound they make. (That is why they are also called Gnu.) We also saw a giraffe with a baby - probably 2-3 days old - so cute. I love watching giraffes eat - how they can eat those whistling acacia thorn trees and avoid the thorns is indeed a puzzle. Great day. We were treated to a thunder and lightening rain storm on the way back - we finally had to put the tops down because we were getting so wet.

THURSDAY 7/19 Eight of us chose to go to a different area today instead of repeating yesterday’s game drive. The promise was some Turacos - a very large colorful bird - endemic to Africa. So off we went to the Northern part of the Serengeti Plain to a place called Governor's Camp and we saw two species of Turacos and wow are they full of color. We also were treated to a new hornbill. In addition we saw plenty of mammals - 20 species in all -Peter and Titus wanted to beat our record 25 species from Tanzania and would have kept us out until dark if it hadn’t started raining so much and we were concerned about getting back to our lodge. On the way to Governor's Camp this morning we got very stuck in the mud on one of the roads. They call the mud “Black Cotton” and it is very black and very slick. They filled up the hole with brush and still couldn’t get out until finally David and Peter Taylor got out and helped push. Gail was also pushing and she ended up covered in mud. They don’t use four wheel drive vehicles in Kenya because “the roads are better and they don’t need them”!!! Then a little while later we had a flat tire so we all got out and birded while they changed it. And for the record Anne has been in every vehicle on this trip that has had a flat - three times in all. It was a great day for us and we certainly saw a lot of wonderful sights. We had our picnic lunch under a tree with a wonderful view of the plains. Our picnic lunches have all been fine - pretty much the same, a piece of chicken, a hard boiled egg, a juice box, bread and butter, cheese, crackers, sometimes some fruit. In Tanzania they often had chocolate for dessert and sometimes had bottled water instead of juice boxes. We certainly did not go hungry and we never ate all the lunch. We made it back before the rain got too heavy and tried not to brag too much about our wonderful birds to the rest of the group. Our mammal list included: Banded, Dwarf, and Slender tailed mongoose, Cape Hare, Waterbuck, Warthog, Topi, Impala, Thomson's and Grant’s Gazelles, Eland, Kongoni, Wildebeest, Zebras, Giraffe, Elephant, Jackal, Olive Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Hyaena.

FRIDAY 7/20 Early morning game drive - while watching a tree filled with violet-backed starlings we saw a duiker - a very small antelope. We had lunch and packed up to drive to Siana Springs which is just outside of the park. We are going there so that we can do a night drive - you are not allowed off the lodge grounds at night - probably to control poaching and to protect the tourist industry. (It doesn’t help the tourist industry if any tourists are lost or killed while on safari!) We again drove through several Masai towns and were treated to the sights of market day and all the colors of the people. We arrived at Siana Springs Tented Camp mid afternoon. We had planned to walk around the camp and bird a bit but we were instead treated to a thunder and lightning storm with rain coming down in buckets so we stayed in our tents. It was so cold we had to put down the flaps and cuddle to stay warm. There was no electricity because they don’t turn on the generators until 6:00; we couldn’t read so we just rested until we went to the bar - first for some tea and then for the evening beer. The rain stopped by dinner time and we were treated to a dance by some Masai men and then we bundled up for our night drive. We didn’t see much on the drive that we don’t see in the day time but we did see a Springhare - which is a rodent, plus lots of Cape Hares - which are hares. But it was fun and we enjoyed a good night’s sleep under lots of blankets - and with a hot water bottle.

SATURDAY 7/21 We left after breakfast for Nairobi. There we checked in to the Mayfair Hotel for the day and then soon left again for downtown Nairobi and shopping. I was interested in seeing what was downtown but I found I just couldn’t handle the swarms of people trying to sell me something. You couldn’t even look at something to think about buying it without being harassed. I went to the market but it was just impossible so I just wandered around the African Heritage store and watched other people buy stuff. The African Heritage store is set up for tourists and they keep the beggars and solicitors out so at least there is peace there. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History which I did enjoy. They have a wonderful collection of the birds of Africa - plus lots of cultural artifacts and the other usual things in a museum. I finally found out why there is such an Indian presence in Kenya - the Indians were brought in to help build the railroads and they have stayed. So we said our good byes and headed out to the Kenyatta International Airport - arriving in plenty of time - waited two hours - flew to Amsterdam - waited 4 hours and flew to San Francisco - waited for the super shuttle and arrived home in Menlo Park about 22 hours after we left Nairobi. Glad to be home and all is well.

Over all it was a great trip. It was all I had expected it to be - I certainly have been planning for this trip for a long time. It was fun to have David go with me but he did not enjoy it as much as I did. I found it amazing to be among so many animals and I loved the birds. I was surprised at how cold the weather was most of the time. Kenya and Tanzania both have some wonderful places and all the people we met on this trip were so pleasant and helpful and welcoming. I enjoyed this trip very much. I saw 65 species of mammals, 11 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 369 species of birds.

Penelope Bowen

8/01/01