We covered a lot of ground in our game drives throughout Kenya and Tanzania and were lucky enough to track down "The Big 5" (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, and the elusive Black Rhino) over the course of the first three days.
The set up of the game drive is simple - go out into the expanse of nature, observe amazing animals in pristine settings, repeat as needed. Between drives there is literally nothing to do, so you just get to be. Eat, drink, swim, read, rest - it's been one of the most relaxing and enjoyable experiences of my life.
Hezron, a friendly, knowledgeable, seasoned safari pro, picked up where Salaton and Josef left off and guided us through Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, Tarangire - the landscapes of each location are as spectacular and diverse as the animals that inhabit them. We don't have time to thank each and every animal that took time out of their busy schedules to share their world with us, but a few deserve some special recognition:
The "surprise standout" awards go to. . . the eland (a massive, magnificent beast) and a sweet ostrich street fight. Trust me, you do not want to be wing slapped.
The "we could stare at your weirdness all day" award goes to. . . the giraffe. What an awesomely majestic oddity.
The "we get it. You're super big and strong" award goes to. . . the full-grown male elephant that charged us in the Serengeti. You quickly appreciate an elephant's size, strength, and speed when you have a six-ton bull gunning for you. Even Hezron laughed a bit nervously as we sped away.
And finally (as you may have guessed from Court's earlier post), the award for "best lead animal in a feature length game drive" goes to. . .the mamma cheetah of Maasai Mara! (Insert raucous applause here.)
This cat really showed us something. We came across her on our first morning out feeding on a fresh kill with her six cubs - if you've ever wondered if it's possible to look adorable while graphically gnawing at a gazelle, the answer is yes. The very next day on our cab ride to the airport (read bonus game drive en route to the dirt airstrip), we actually got to see this same cheetah stalk and take down a gazelle. Precise, graceful, silent movements as she inched to within 80 meters of her prey, and then she just took off, absolutely exploding with speed and easily taking down her target.
Maya (age 3), Santi (age 4), Dave (age 30), and Kevin (age 31) asked for photos of elephants, crocodiles, and rhinos, so they get priority. The rhino and croc were tough to find, so you'll have to look carefully. . .Enjoy kids!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Picture, Picture (now featuring actual pictures!)
We are traveling without a laptop and still having a lot of connectivity issues, but we finally have a few shots of our time in Kenya to share!
Sorry for those of you that don't have Snapfish accounts, but it's a quick and free registration to view the pictures, eloquently labeled as follows, when you click on the above link.
1: Jumping for joy to meet the Maasai
2 -3: Our Maji Moto abode
4: Cleansing ceremony
5-8: Marriage ceremony
9-12: Enkiteng Lepa students learn yoga
13-19: Shots from our walking trek
Also, for your viewing pleasure, a couple videos from our trek that we had time to upload.
Sienna Plains Jam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sly739gftc
Poison Arrows 101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ICr7Ip5tzM
Why did we have time to upload them you ask? We won't go in to a lot of detail, but the short story is that Precision Air is not all that precise. They had no record of our confirmed and paid for flight out of Arusha, so we're stuck here another night when we're supposed to be in Dar es Salaam and in the process of re-routing a big chunk of our itinerary to get us to Cape Town.
We will have missed checking out Dar and a day in Johannesburg, but these were bonus pit stops that we hadn't planned on, so no big loss.
Sorry for those of you that don't have Snapfish accounts, but it's a quick and free registration to view the pictures, eloquently labeled as follows, when you click on the above link.
1: Jumping for joy to meet the Maasai
2 -3: Our Maji Moto abode
4: Cleansing ceremony
5-8: Marriage ceremony
9-12: Enkiteng Lepa students learn yoga
13-19: Shots from our walking trek
Also, for your viewing pleasure, a couple videos from our trek that we had time to upload.
Sienna Plains Jam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sly739gftc
Poison Arrows 101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ICr7Ip5tzM
Why did we have time to upload them you ask? We won't go in to a lot of detail, but the short story is that Precision Air is not all that precise. They had no record of our confirmed and paid for flight out of Arusha, so we're stuck here another night when we're supposed to be in Dar es Salaam and in the process of re-routing a big chunk of our itinerary to get us to Cape Town.
We will have missed checking out Dar and a day in Johannesburg, but these were bonus pit stops that we hadn't planned on, so no big loss.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A few trekstra thoughts. . .
If we had to do it all over again, I think we would spend at least another day or two walking through the bush and across the plain. The game drive may be more visually rewarding, but the trek rejuvinates the spirit. . . how can you not expect to have a somewhat religious experience following Moses into the great wide open?
We walked about 18-20 km the first day and 12-14 km the second. Along the way, Salaton pointed out the heart of his nature conservancy. The goal of the conservancy is simple: protect the land, protect the Maasai way of life as well as the innocent animals that roam these plains.
After meeting Salaton in February, we believed in his mission and donated an acre of land to the conservancy. We now obviously feel much more strongly about the need to conserve this beautiful piece of earth and will be adding another acre now (thanks to the friends and family that helped with this trip) and will continue to help this cause in the future.
Even though the time out in the middle of nature felt a bit too short, it was a welcome site to see Josef spot us and come tearing across the plain to pick us up. Josef is a Maasai madman. Crazy in the best sense of the word, his good humor and contstant laughing are contagious. He and Salaton do a decent Maasai take on "The Odd Couple," but it is easy to see that they truly enjoy each other. We get to share in this joy when we begin our game drives.
We'll be providing a full Kenya / Tanzania game drive recap once we've finished (we have our last morning out tomorrow before heading to Dar es Salaam) and will hopefully have a connection quick enough to share some pictures.
We walked about 18-20 km the first day and 12-14 km the second. Along the way, Salaton pointed out the heart of his nature conservancy. The goal of the conservancy is simple: protect the land, protect the Maasai way of life as well as the innocent animals that roam these plains.
After meeting Salaton in February, we believed in his mission and donated an acre of land to the conservancy. We now obviously feel much more strongly about the need to conserve this beautiful piece of earth and will be adding another acre now (thanks to the friends and family that helped with this trip) and will continue to help this cause in the future.
Even though the time out in the middle of nature felt a bit too short, it was a welcome site to see Josef spot us and come tearing across the plain to pick us up. Josef is a Maasai madman. Crazy in the best sense of the word, his good humor and contstant laughing are contagious. He and Salaton do a decent Maasai take on "The Odd Couple," but it is easy to see that they truly enjoy each other. We get to share in this joy when we begin our game drives.
We'll be providing a full Kenya / Tanzania game drive recap once we've finished (we have our last morning out tomorrow before heading to Dar es Salaam) and will hopefully have a connection quick enough to share some pictures.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Asante sana, Kenya!
I won’t even try to capture what my talented new husband was able to express in the previous post but I wanted to write a couple of thoughts from my perspective…
My sense of Africa that I developed from my previous experience two years ago when I was volunteering in South Africa has been reinforced over and over again. Being in Africa feels like a homecoming where we are truly welcome. “Karibu,” the term used almost constantly by the Kenyan people and especially our Maasai friends, means “welcome” in Swahili.
We have felt embraced since the moment we stepped off the plane and said "asante sana" (thank you very much) dozens of time each day. The natural environment is also so warm and inviting with its warm colors of orange and brown and the characteristic smell of Africa is rich and earthy. I love it here. The Maasai people are so generous and spiritual, resourceful and communal. The have limited possessions and survival is not easy, yet they emanate joy and calm. They smile so easily and chatter endhey cross paths with one another. The fact that they honored us with participation in a cleansing ceremony and a wedding ceremony just demonstrates their instinct to share themselves, their energy and their culture.
All of these qualities seem to be magnified in Salaton, the chief of this tribe, and our primary guide. He said to us once, “When I am well, I use my energy to contribute to the community and during times when I am ill, I focus the same energy and that of my ancestors back to myself.” He displayed this throughout his life and within his village. He works to conserve the land around him. He supports a least a dozen widows who, according to their culture, are not able to marry again after her husband dies no matter how young she might be. So the widows support one another and Salaton provides support as well. Additionally, many orphans live in the village, many of whom are young girls who have been rescued from early marriage and female circumcision. Additionally, Salaton, has helped create a school for less privileged Maasai children. We visited the school and the children were so eager and well behaved and engaging. I felt so fortunate to be given the opportunity to teach these children yoga. They were very receptive and seemed to have a lot of fun and many fell asleep during the final resting pose! Why is it that children seem to “get” yoga so much more quickly than us adults?
After a few days in the village, Salaton and his friend Moses led us into the bush for two days of trekking. This was by far my favorite experience thus far! There wasn’t a car building, road in sight for two days. The countryside was dotted with red cloth (the Maasai’s traditional clothing) and the cattle and goats that they herded, Acacia trees and other plant life and more species of bird and other wildlife than you can imagine. Fortunately, our fearless guides carried spears, knives and bows and arrows for protection.
We arrived to the camp in the afternoon where we were joined by two more Maasai men and a cook, James (who by the way cooked the most incredible food on the campfire). We spent the evening exploring and talking and, my favorite, listening to the men spontaneously, throughout the night, break into a chanting song and dance – to create a beautiful sound and image and clearly a joyful and intimate experience for them.
One of the other men was there solely to keep the fire going throughout the night to deter large animals and prevent us from being trampled by elephants (not nearly as dramatic as it sounds, maybe, but a reality nonetheless – we learn in the morning that elephants wandered very close to our tent)!! Scary!
Luckily, he did his job well.
The next day we completed our trek through the bush and we when we reached our destination in Masai Mara – a 15,000 square Kilometer natural reserve park, we were greeted by Joseph who turned out the be the most charismatic, adventurous safari, game driver guide you could ever meet. His driving was dangerous, his joking was constant and his ability to seek out and site animals was uncanny. Throughout our two days and nights, doing game drives by day and staying in tent cabins by nights, a few highlights should be mentioned: watching several lion cubs nursing, ostriches fighting, hippos floating, giraffes, elephants, zebras, impalas, gazelles and cape buffaloes grazing, a leopard sleeping, thousands of wildebeests migrating, and, the grand finale…a cheetah chase and kill a gazelle while her 6 week old cubs crouched in the bushes behind her!! All so exciting, so beautiful.
It was soon time to leave our dear friend and mentor, Salaton. I admit that I cried when we waved goodbye from the window of the 12 passenger plane and sped down the dirt air strip off to Tanzania, our next African adventure. I think what I took from the experience was a deeper sense that all of us, all things: Americans, Maasais, gazelles, lions, Acacia trees, running water are all so vitally important, yet no one thing more than the other. We are all so interdependent and interconnected and we are all impermanent. All we are meant to do is live based on our instinct, connect with our community, and contribute whatever natural gifts or roles we are meant to contribute.
I am so grateful for this experience, and so grateful to get to share it with Nate, my perfect travel partner.
My sense of Africa that I developed from my previous experience two years ago when I was volunteering in South Africa has been reinforced over and over again. Being in Africa feels like a homecoming where we are truly welcome. “Karibu,” the term used almost constantly by the Kenyan people and especially our Maasai friends, means “welcome” in Swahili.
We have felt embraced since the moment we stepped off the plane and said "asante sana" (thank you very much) dozens of time each day. The natural environment is also so warm and inviting with its warm colors of orange and brown and the characteristic smell of Africa is rich and earthy. I love it here. The Maasai people are so generous and spiritual, resourceful and communal. The have limited possessions and survival is not easy, yet they emanate joy and calm. They smile so easily and chatter endhey cross paths with one another. The fact that they honored us with participation in a cleansing ceremony and a wedding ceremony just demonstrates their instinct to share themselves, their energy and their culture.
All of these qualities seem to be magnified in Salaton, the chief of this tribe, and our primary guide. He said to us once, “When I am well, I use my energy to contribute to the community and during times when I am ill, I focus the same energy and that of my ancestors back to myself.” He displayed this throughout his life and within his village. He works to conserve the land around him. He supports a least a dozen widows who, according to their culture, are not able to marry again after her husband dies no matter how young she might be. So the widows support one another and Salaton provides support as well. Additionally, many orphans live in the village, many of whom are young girls who have been rescued from early marriage and female circumcision. Additionally, Salaton, has helped create a school for less privileged Maasai children. We visited the school and the children were so eager and well behaved and engaging. I felt so fortunate to be given the opportunity to teach these children yoga. They were very receptive and seemed to have a lot of fun and many fell asleep during the final resting pose! Why is it that children seem to “get” yoga so much more quickly than us adults?
After a few days in the village, Salaton and his friend Moses led us into the bush for two days of trekking. This was by far my favorite experience thus far! There wasn’t a car building, road in sight for two days. The countryside was dotted with red cloth (the Maasai’s traditional clothing) and the cattle and goats that they herded, Acacia trees and other plant life and more species of bird and other wildlife than you can imagine. Fortunately, our fearless guides carried spears, knives and bows and arrows for protection.
We arrived to the camp in the afternoon where we were joined by two more Maasai men and a cook, James (who by the way cooked the most incredible food on the campfire). We spent the evening exploring and talking and, my favorite, listening to the men spontaneously, throughout the night, break into a chanting song and dance – to create a beautiful sound and image and clearly a joyful and intimate experience for them.
One of the other men was there solely to keep the fire going throughout the night to deter large animals and prevent us from being trampled by elephants (not nearly as dramatic as it sounds, maybe, but a reality nonetheless – we learn in the morning that elephants wandered very close to our tent)!! Scary!
Luckily, he did his job well.
The next day we completed our trek through the bush and we when we reached our destination in Masai Mara – a 15,000 square Kilometer natural reserve park, we were greeted by Joseph who turned out the be the most charismatic, adventurous safari, game driver guide you could ever meet. His driving was dangerous, his joking was constant and his ability to seek out and site animals was uncanny. Throughout our two days and nights, doing game drives by day and staying in tent cabins by nights, a few highlights should be mentioned: watching several lion cubs nursing, ostriches fighting, hippos floating, giraffes, elephants, zebras, impalas, gazelles and cape buffaloes grazing, a leopard sleeping, thousands of wildebeests migrating, and, the grand finale…a cheetah chase and kill a gazelle while her 6 week old cubs crouched in the bushes behind her!! All so exciting, so beautiful.
It was soon time to leave our dear friend and mentor, Salaton. I admit that I cried when we waved goodbye from the window of the 12 passenger plane and sped down the dirt air strip off to Tanzania, our next African adventure. I think what I took from the experience was a deeper sense that all of us, all things: Americans, Maasais, gazelles, lions, Acacia trees, running water are all so vitally important, yet no one thing more than the other. We are all so interdependent and interconnected and we are all impermanent. All we are meant to do is live based on our instinct, connect with our community, and contribute whatever natural gifts or roles we are meant to contribute.
I am so grateful for this experience, and so grateful to get to share it with Nate, my perfect travel partner.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Picture, Picture
We have pictures, just can't load them on the extremely slow connection we currently have. We promise they're coming!“I am happy for you to meet my country”
With these simple words, Salaton welcomes us to his Kenya.
We navigate the chaotic streets of Nairobi with Salaton and our driver, Timbutu. Even in the capital city of Nairobi, the sight of two traditionally dressed Maasai and two pale Americans is a novelty.
The simultaneous, one-word response to Court’s “Are there many accidents here?” is a quick and curt “yeah.”
When we arrive at Maji Moto we are greeted by four Maasai with a welcome song and traditional shukas (bright red Maasia wraps). A quick look around and you realize it’s a world removed from . . . just about everything. The traditional huts are constructed of the key materials needed for any solid building project – soil, water, ash, and dung. Our basic quarters where we spend the next two nights are quiet, relaxing, and perfect.
We get a chance to sit down and talk with Salaton when we arrive, and it’s instantly apparent that he’s a true leader. He’s quick to smile but careful with his words. He resembles a devout Buddhist in many ways (Eastern religion being a more recognizable reference point for us Westerners). He understands the energy and impermanence of life, owns nothing, gives everything back to his community, and has the ability to be stoic and amused at once. An old, wise soul with childlike joy.
When we discuss our new home state of Hawaii, Salaton has never heard of it – and can’t believe it’s part of the same United States that he has visited since it is so far removed in the middle of the ocean. Even without knowing the aloha spirit, the oft repeated phrases po-le po-le (slowly slowly) and hakuna matata (no worries) make me think the Maasai would appreciate the Hawaiian way of life.
Salaton advises us that we will take part in a cleansing ceremony on our first evening. Foot-and-mouth disease has been detected in the area, and we will be cleansing the livestock as well as ourselves with smoke. We enter the circular livestock pen and perform the ceremony with the animals still in it. We dance around the fire purifying the cattle and ourselves. The ceremony ensures good health and long life to both the human and bovine participants.
The next day, we are honored with a wedding ceremony to begin the day. We again head to the small village where the cleansing ceremony was performed, and enter a small, crowded hut with three (and possibly four) generations of Maasai. We are adorned with sacred skins, our shukas, ceremonial beads, sandals, traditional red clay face markings, and I am given a special walking stick (which few Maasai own).
Court receives a traditional leather belt. The Maasai notch their belts a bit differently than Americans, tying a knot for each child they give birth to. An elder female performs a blessing and advises us that our child will be a boy. When the time comes – easy, moms, easy. Po-le po-le.
We receive further blessings and song as we emerge from the hut and are married as Maasai.
What to do after you are newly married? Teach yoga of course.
We are given a tour of the Enkiteng Lepa school where disadvantaged girls (typically those that run from circumcision and early marriage) are given an education along with other students. Neither the teacher nor the students had ever heard of yoga, but this doesn’t seem to matter as Court leads a laughter-filled practice outdoors. I’m taking pictures and am struck that she is the yogic equivalent of Johnny Appleseed. . . Saffron Fennel Seed seems fitting.
We return to Maji Moto for a relaxing evening and dinner, which is good, because we spend the next two full days trekking the expansive vastness of the Loita and Sienna plains.
(NOTE: We will be giving back to Maji Moto by supporting at least one disadvantaged girl through a full year of schooling as well as giving support to the school to continue improving its infrastructure.)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Placeholder Post
After a quick 29 hour jaunt and 10 hour time difference from CA, we have arrived! The trip was uneventful in the best of ways (I don't care what anyone says, the Newark airport is a lovely place to spend a layover this time of year).
It is an absolutely beautiful morning in Nairobi, and Salaton will be meeting us soon to take us to the Majio Moto camp.
It is an absolutely beautiful morning in Nairobi, and Salaton will be meeting us soon to take us to the Majio Moto camp.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Away we go!
We embark on 10/12 to start our month of travel throughout southern and eastern Africa. Thank you to everyone that contributed to our trip!
Here's the quick rundown of our itinerary. . .
Kenya: Arriving in Nairobi on 10/14 and then off to the Maji Moto cultural camp to volunteer in the community before heading out on a 2-day walking safari with Salaton Ole Ntutu, Maasai tribal chief and new friend.
Special thanks to Susan Olofson for helping arrange our trip and for connecting us with Salaton and the important work he is doing.
Tanzania: Safari, safari, safari! We will be traversing to a few of the world's premier big game viewing spots including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti.
We have a specific request from our niece Maya to get photos of elephants and crocodiles, so these will be on the top of our list.
South Africa: We will be spending time in Cape Town and the surrounding townships and will also be attending a wedding in the wine country outside of Cape Town.
Courtney spent four months volunteering with Wola Nani and will once again be providing her counseling expertise while in South Africa. Nate will be assisting in any way that Wola Nani and its partner organizations need him to.
Special thanks to our dear friend Gwen Vogel. Not only did she create this connection through her own non-profit organization, SalusWorld, she also created the Courtney / Nate connection by introducing and subsequently marrying us. We love you, G! Courtney is looking forward to making contacts and connections with some NGOs in hopes of creating new partnerships with SalusWorld.
Uganda: When we get to Uganda at the beginning of November, we will be entering the most volunteer-focused portion of our trip.
Courtney will be spending time with the Uganda Health Cooperative member group Kyamuhunga Child Development Centres, an HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children project. Nate will be leading a 2-day communications capacity-building workshop with the Uganda Health Cooperative (UHC) board of directions and then assisting the team construct the 2010-2012 work plan for the UHC/Malaria Communities Project.
Special thanks to Jennifer Stockert and Scott Aebischer with HealthPartners for facilitating this amazing opportunity, and to Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO George Halvorson, who helped found these health care co-ops in Uganda while he was with HealthPartners and who connected us with Jennifer and Scott.
We will be traveling light and sans computer, but will be posting updates, photos, and videos when we can. . . stay tuned!
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