Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Struggling to Keep Up

DECEMBER 28-Hike Up, Hike Down, Repeat Repeatedly---Also, News Flash---Not Everyone in Tanzania is Nice


A beautiful view of Mt Kilimanjaro with a pond in the foreground.


It may be hard to tell, but the trails are steep. 


We stopped at a small village for lunch and had soup and boiled beef. The soup was delicious.  When we added a very little bit of a red pepper it rivaled any habanero. This is the cook working on the food. 


More banana trees. There are a lot of banana trees in this area. 

I was exhausted today, and slowed down Staci and Emmanuel considerably.  The uphills were consistent, steep, and it was hot. I was soaked from sweat by 9:00 a.m., and never dried out. I was an absolute anchor. 

It was time for bed early, about 6:30 p.m..  Because of my being exhausted we stopped in the village of Uru-West. Not as far as hoped for the day. We had permission from the proprietor of a little shop to camp. An exorbitant "security" fee of 30,000 Tsh ($18USD) was asked for after the fact. We found out later we needed permission from the village chief too. That's when the $/£& hit the fan. Certainly the most intriguing 12-14 hours of this adventure.  An alcohol stoked mob is not fun. 

I don't have the energy to write about it now. Staci put up a short version of the incident on her blog at hiketoclimb.com

The bottom line is we are safe. 


DECEMBER 29-Gloria

Without going into details of what happened through the night, we got off to a very early start. We were guided out of town safely by our angel, Mary. My lasting impression about the village of Uru will not be the idiots, it will be the love and kindness shown by two total strangers, Mary and her mother. Our guide and interpreter Emmanuel  deserves accolades too. 

Adrenaline does great things. I was able to keep up with Staci and Emmanuel. We all wanted to get as far from Uru as possible. It was quite a while before we took a break.  A long early lunch meant we could relax and ponder the night's events.


Hiking took us through some coffee bean territory. 

We found a spot which opened early for us and ordered a kilo of pork, and ugale. It was delicious. I've had a craving for Coca-Cola. Normally I might drink three coca-Colas in a month. I had three bottles at this one setting.


One of the wonderful treats is hand washing before meals. Before eating they bring soap and heated water to your table for hand washing. This was an occasional practice in Kenya, and seems more commonplace in Tanzania. Even at an absolute shanty on the side of the road, we were surprised by this treatment. It is logical. Food is eaten with hands, few utensils. Often people share a single platter of food. It is comforting to know the others at your table have clean hands. 

 
Staci met a wonderful 16 year old girl, Gloria (yellow shirt), walking our direction on the road. She was on the way home from visiting her grandmother's house with her sister. They walked together for nearly two or so hours. Gloria had just finished her "Form 4" exams, essentially finishing high school. She won't know until April if she will be able to go to University. 

Her older sister graduated from college, and Gloria is hopeful. I think she will do great. Her English is excellent, which meant she and Staci could have deep, meaningful (and sometimes silly) discussions. 

We finally got to Gloria's house and met her parents. They are hard working banana growers. She pointed out the different kinds of bananas, and their uses. I certainly prefer the smaller, sweet bananas. The bigger bananas here are used almost like a potato as a food staple. The mother, Gloria, Staci, and some of the other children peeled bananas to show Staci what they had to do to get them to market. 


They pack the bucket down, got Staci's hair wet, and she tried the next step. 


She was not able to go without hands. It was very heavy. The thought of carrying that load, regularly, to the market is amazing. The market was way back in the town where Staci had met Gloria for the first time.    

This day helped revive our great feelings about Tanzania. Gloria's parents were so kind, and we left with too much weight in bananas and papayas. 

After about 30 km we found a really nice hotel in Machema. We splurged. After the last three nights, especially the previous night, we deserved it. Showers were delightful. WiFi was horrible, but what's new. Had the chance to watch TV for the first time since the trip began, it was so bad it soon went off. 

Mary and Gloria made this a wonderful day. 

Someday I may write about the evening of the 28th and the morning of the 29th. I'll probably need a real keyboard for that chapter. 

Hiking With Emmanuel

DECEMBER 26-Three Dollar Motel

We took public transportation from Arusha back to the point at the border crossing where we had stopped 12/22. When the van stopped for gas there was a fun employee sight. 



The first part of the ride was on a large, nice bus. Then we transferred to a minivan. The minivan had eight seats. There were 12 passengers plus luggage. Three were young children. Staci got stuck without a seat so sat on the console between the driver and the passenger in front. To imagine what this looked like picture an ant trying to carry around a loaf of bread. 

We made it to the border and started our hike after a four day Christmas hiatus. I had carried my pack some on this hike, but never at full weight. Now I had all gear, and six days food. It was a tough day. Our guide, Emmanuel, can hike. Staci can hike. That means I had to try and not slow them down too much. 

It made me feel good that Staci was also tired at the end of the day. 


Even though it was a Friday, there was a lot of activity at the churches. Christmas carols were blasting from homes and piki pikis. A highlight of the day was when a Muslim woman walked up to Staci and wished her a Merry Christmas. 


The Forest Gump crowd formed behind Staci again. We hiked about 25 km today, not bad since we had quite the drive to get going, and didn't start hiking until 10:45. 


We stayed at a dive hotel like no other for the evening. The proprietor was very nice, and gave us an avocado from her tree. It was massive, and delicious. 

The hotel was three dollars per room. We got a room for Emmanuel, and Staci and I shared one. We probably could have spent the extra three dollars so Staci and I could have our own rooms, but the place was a bit sketchy. Staci sat up her tent in the room as a shield against mosquitoes. Theresa and I have stayed in some dump hotels over the years, but none were even near to being this bad. 


DECEMBER 27-No Room at the Inn

Immanuel was ready to hike at 7:00 a.m. as planned. What a nice way to start the day. 


Spreading sorghum out to dry.


Lots of banana trees in this area. Bananas are hauled around on carts, bicycles, and motorcycles. 


Nyama choma (barbecued 
meat, in this case beef) was the treat for lunch. On the side was fried bananas. I am not a fan of fried bananas. The meat was great, but spicy hot!


Staci is cooking on the stove my son-in-law Colin made for me. 

We were planning to stay at an inn in the town of Kirua. It was full, there was a funeral and lots of folks in town. A man overheard the dilemma, and offered an extra room at his son's house across the street. It wasn't at all elaborate. Staci slept on the floor, Immanuel and I got cushions on the floor. They let us cook out back. His son and daughter were gracious hosts. When I asked what I could pay he was insulted. 

There was no room at the inn, but we found a nice place to stay next to the chicken coop, and just in front of the buildings with the cow and the goats. 

We were curious about the continuing church services, and the steady partying we have been seeing. People still wish us Merry Christmas.  Christmas itself isn't all that's celebrated, but the whole week from Christmas through New Year's Day. Now, seeing many, many folks in their Sunday best clothes Friday and Saturday makes sense. 

The last two days we walked along the base of the east side of Kilimanjaro. There are many rivers and streams that flow from the mountain.  The roads and paths were constantly going up and down. Our elevation has varied from about 4500' elevation to nearly 5300'. It appears the roads/paths ahead will be similar. It is great for getting into shape, but a bit tortuous.  We're turning to the west, so now will be hiking on the south of Kilimanjaro for three or four days. 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Tanzania-First Impressions

DECEMBER 23-Tanzania Organizing Day

Tony, our support driver through Kenya, dropped us off in Arusha, Tanzania and headed back to his home in Diani Beach. It became clear it was too expensive to have him constantly on standby. Our planning for Tanzania was going to be different. 

We had been led to believe Tanzania was less prosperous than Kenya. Slights about Tanzania were common. We really had low expectations for what resources would be available. This led to us being incredibly pleasantly surprised. 

The four hour drive from the border to Arusha the 22nd was our first clue things were different here than in Kenya. Tony had talked of the bad drivers. In fact, the drivers seemed considerably safer here. They drove at reasonable speeds, passed when safe, and were considerate. 

Once in Tanzania there were virtually no more mud huts. Houses were more sturdy appearing. There wasn't quite as much traffic, and almost all vehicles appeared road worthy. There were fewer piki-pikis (motorcycles).  Motorcyclists even wore helmets. Tanzania had a nice feel to it. 

Our lodging was nice, and reasonably priced. It will be our home base for much of our time in Tanzania. We were looking forward to how this crucial planning day would proceed.  We found, after a few hiccups, a company who comprehended our needs. They connected us with Immanuel, our guide for the next six day hiking stretch.  Staci and I feel positive about him working out. 

There were key items we hoped to purchase which were problematic before. We found them. Our camping stoves now function. We found some hiking food we could easily cook. We were very excited to find Knorr Pasta Sides, many varieties, at the grocery store. This was a staple on the PCT, and we could survive on those alone. They only cost the equivalent of 75 cents a meal.

Most importantly, Staci found cross trainers (shoes) for the next stretch of the hike. 

Other miscellaneous purchases filled out the day. The day was productive. There is a solid plan/itinerary, and the likelihood of success feels high. 

We're having to adjust to the Tanzanian currency. A Tanzanian shilling (Tsh) isn't worth a lot. At the ATM the maximum withdrawal is 400,000 Tsh. The largest bills are 10,000 Tsh. So a trip to the ATM means forty 10,000 Tsh bills. In U.S. dollars that's about $200. It still seems odd when the dinner bill comes and it's over 48,000 shillings. But when I realized it was an incredible meal for two for less than $30, I felt much better. 

The two of us were able to walk on the streets here and feel safe. We walked about a mile, in town, without being escorted. That may not sound like much, but it felt so liberating. 

To top off a wonderful day of preparations, the hotel was equipped with WiFi. We were able to FaceTime with family and friends back home for the first time this trip. 

Our original concerns about Tanzania were unfounded.  Now to see if it continues as we hike through some very small, out of the way, places. 

Taking care of so many details on the 23rd meant we could have relaxing days for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before hitting the trail again December 26 with Immanuel. 


DECEMBER 24-Christmas Eve

This was supposed to be a relaxing day. It was. I finished the book I'd been reading. We both took naps. Some packing and organizing gear was in order. 

The only physical thing we did today was walk about a mile to a bookstore and pick up some new books. It was so nice to have a simple task like that actually be a simple task. 



We had a special dinner at the hotel. We were joined by Wim, a Belgian who just summitted Mount Kilimanjaro the previous day. He used the same route we'll be taking so we peppered him with questions for quite a while. We were also joined by a couple, Travis and Mandy, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They were about Staci's age, and a lot of fun. They gave Staci and I a package of beef jerky as a Christmas present, because they overheard us telling Wim that we hadn't  found any in Africa. What a kind gesture. 

It was an odd Christmas Eve for all, but we made it a fun celebration. 


DECEMBER 25-Unique and Wonderful Christmas

The day started with a FaceTime chat with my son-in-law Colin and my daughter Kari. Their Christmas present was the gender reveal for their baby due in May. They will be having a baby girl!  What exciting news. 

A short FaceTime with Theresa also made for a nice Christmas. 

We had breakfast with Mandy and Travis, and later Wim joined us. The previous night Wim related his inability to eat while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and he had some summer sausage left over. We went to his room, as he had offered it to us. When we got there, he had much more. He had lots of quality backpacking meals, cheese, nuts, and other food.  He didn't want any money for it, but we knew how valuable it was, and paid him some. This was so very helpful, not just for Kilimanjaro, but for the upcoming hike and for climbing Mount Meru. The relief we feel at having quality food for the rest of the trip almost brought tears of joy. 

He had taken a lot of food up that mountain, and back down. 


The amazing Christmas collection. 

At the top were cards Ashley gave us to open today. Also shown is the jerky Mandy and Travis gave us. The bulk of this is the food from Wim.  It was a unique Christmas, and absolutely okay. 

Baboo is going to have another granddaughter!

Merry Christmas. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Tanzania!

DECEMBER 22-Elephants Disrupting Sleep

A couple of nights ago elephants woke me up while camping on the outskirts of Tsavo West NP.  We stayed the night of the 21st at our favorite campground near Amboseli National Park for the fourth time in the last week and a half. This campground was inexpensive, had friendly workers, and had an electric fence surrounding it to provide added security from animals. 

A herd of elephants somehow breeched the fence. It's really not hard to imagine, they're huge, and smart. They've been known to pick up downed logs with their trunks, lay them on electric fences, then step on the logs to complete the fence destruction. The noise of the crunching, the folks talking at 3:00 a.m., and the vehicle herding the elephants woke up Staci and me. 


The elephants were getting drinks of water out of the pool, and grazing. 

I paced the distance from my tent to the nearest elephant track, 25 feet. Two nights this week with elephants walking really close to my tent may explain some of the trouble I've had sleeping. 


This picture was from earlier this week. We didn't see any lions, but the KWS Rangers pointed out lion tracks along the trail. 


The "dung beetle" makes balls of the elephant dung. It's fun to watch them industriously rolling these balls speedily down the trail. 


Random wildlife. 

It's hard to imagine how common it is to see world class wildlife. For anyone old enough to remember, this was like Mutual of Omaha's-Wild Kingdom.  I doubt if anyone under fifty years of age will have any idea what I'm talking about. 

Staci and I no longer even point out giraffes, elephants, warthogs, impalas, zebras, or gazelles because we've seen so many of them the last couple of weeks. We've certainly stopped taking yet another picture of them!  The first time, or the first ten times, we would see a species and would become overjoyed. Now we yawn.

 
There are some spectacular lodges set up in, and around, the Kenyan national parks. Unfortunately, because of the domestic turmoil, foreign visitors have been shying away from coming on safaris. This is part of a large lodge complex that is completely shut down. Most lodges are getting very little use. 

I'm glad to have experienced the wildlife, some incredible landscapes, and many of the people of Kenya. Also, I'm glad to be in Tanzania. 

We drove to the border, where yesterday's hike had ended, and started the process. We arrived at 9:15 am, we were done at 12:45 pm. There were no lines. It was like watching grass grow in Scott Valley in the winter, only slower. The lady writing out the required Tanzania insurance coverage was the most shocking. There was no typewriter or computer. Every letter was block printing. Each letter was very nice. She had to make many letters to produce words. There were many words on pages. There were multiple pages. I almost cried from boredom, amazement, and awe. She did have very nice printing. 

We finally escaped the border crossing. For visas into Tanzania it was $12 US dollars for members of the Eastern African Union. It was $50 US dollars for everyone else in the world, except US citizens. For some reason the only lucky country in the world singled out for special treatment was the US. Staci and I got to pay $100 US dollars, each, to get our visas to go from Kenya into Tanzania. 

Tsavo West National Park

DECEMBER 18-Frustrations

Staci had been making contact every two days with her contact at the headquarters for Tsavo West NP to be sure the Rangers would be at Tsavo West gate at 8:30 a.m., so we could start hiking at 9:00. They didn't show up. We later learned they were at the wrong gate. They finally showed up at 12:30pm.


An older Ranger, Abel, who happened to be at the correct gate on other duties, agreed to hike with us until the real hiking Rangers showed up. Neither he, nor Staci, nor I, could have guessed it would have taken so long. 
 
Abel wasn't able. He got us off the planned route. We ended up trudging through the brush, unnecessarily, for way too long. The day was not off to a good start. This was by far the most expensive park, and they were inept. The hiking should be the hard part, but here it's the bureaucracy, the runaround, and the language barrier between Swahili and English that produced the challenges. 

When the new Rangers (Steven and Mustafah) showed up they were at least a little more fit and able than Abel.  

Serious hiking ensued. They estimated Staci walked about 40 km,  if so, I did about 30 km. Her distance came from frustration and anger. Steven and Mustafah struggled to keep up. 

The route had to be changed from the Tsavo River corridor to the main road through the park up on a flat. It was a more direct route, but less potentially scenic. 

The new route took us right to the edge of the Rhino Sanctuary. We arrived at the gate to the sanctuary at 5:30, it's only open from 4:00-6:00pm daily due to poaching issues. In the half hour we checked out the sanctuary we saw nothing. 

Steven may have felt bad due to the mixup, he was able to get permission from the man responsible for the sanctuary for us to go in at night when chances for seeing rhinos are greatly improved. 

After dinner, about 8:00 with no moon so it was very dark, Tony, our driver, a Ranger from the Reserve, Staci, and I went looking for rhinos.  We each had night vision goggles. For the first hour we saw nothing. We tied in with the Rangers doing night security duties protecting the rhinos. The first stop was unsuccessful. The second, and last, stop was appearing unsuccessful too.  After nearly two hours Staci and I were both ready to give up, go back to camp, and get some sleep. 

At that point Staci spotted an elephant in her night vision goggles. It was very close, and drinking water loudly. We didn't realize how close until a Ranger shined his flashlight on him. Oh my!  I would guess 15 or 20 yards at most. He was big. We were hovering in an open topped, oversized concrete coffin looking safe area. 

After just a bit admiring the elephant, Staci turned to our backside and found a baby rhino and its mama. We were super excited. This experience is simply one nobody else could fall into. Even before sighting the animals the thought of sitting in Kenya, in a blind at night, with two Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers responsible for protecting Rhinos from poachers, with night vision goggles, seemed utterly surreal. 

When we got home from the rhino adventure Staci's hiking shoes were missing. She had left them outside her tent, with three full water bottles. The bottles had teeth marks, and had been drug away. The culprit was a hyena. Her shoes were missing. Not good. She still had sandals, and heavy hiking boots for Kilimanjaro, but nothing for long distance hiking, and no prospects for how to find replacement shoes. This was a truly frustrating day, even with some big distances covered, and the incredible rhino siting. 


DECEMBER 19-Fast Hiking Through Tsavo West

Other attempts to find the missing hiking shoes for Staci in the morning were unsuccessful. She hiked in the boots planned for summiting Mount Kilmanjaro. Her feet were bothering her, but frustrations at the bureaucracy, ineptitude, and maybe even some factual inaccuracies told her, fed her speed. 


A baby monitor lizard. 


Notice the elephant in the background. Soon after this picture the elephant took notice of us. We didn't stick around long. 


Beauty at Mzima Springs in West Tsavo NP. Lots of hippos, and we got to see our first crocodile, a baby. This is an incredible paradise in the center of the park. 


Beware of Crocodiles sign right as springs flow out of ground. 


We came across many more giraffes. 

Staci had cell service just enough to find out Amboseli NP won't be supporting us the last two days in Kenya, she was very frustrated. The same guy, two days before, had assured her of Rangers. This was the follow up call, as he had requested, to finalize details. 

She called back to Tsavo West headquarters and got the two Rangers extended for a day. If she pushes she could cget out of Kenya with two long days. The shoes and feet are the remaining obstacles. There was a problem with this plan. Steven and Mustafah weren't in great shape, and by now had both developed blisters. Even without blisters they were slow and in bad shape, and not necessarily industrious. 

At the end of the day Staci and I were hiking, and our two Rangers for security were riding in the chase vehicle. We got electrolytes in them, and gave out ibuprofen. They were hurting. Staci's feet could be better too, but it didn't slow her down much. The boots and sandal combination was less than optimal. She actually has more blisters than the Rangers, but doesn't complain about them, just hikes. 

We were both ready to be done with Kenya. Staci did about 39km today, I did maybe 25km. 

In baseball they talk about the "dog days of August."  These are the "dog days" of Kenya. We so appreciate now the two first sets of Rangers, and supportive folks we worked with early on. Now, if Staci's feet hold up, we'll be in Tanzania in just a few days. 


DECEMBER 20th-Power Hiking Through Masai Community Land

There was a big visitor to camp during the night. Staci, and our supposed protectors (the two Rangers) slept through it. An elephant walked, and grazed, right between the Land Rover and our tents. When he walked through and ate he was not quiet, and it was disconcerting. He in fact didn't do any damage except for snapping some branches off some small trees. 


In the background you can make out Mount Kilimanjaro. The entire day we hiked right toward the mountain. It was a clear view early, and became obscure by late morning. 

Steven started hiking with us.  He lasted about 8km. Then Mustafah hiked about 7km. That was it for the day with those Rangers. They rode in the vehicle the rest of the day. Staci hiked about 47km and I hiked about 42km, the longest day hiking yet for us in Kenya. Staci always hikes with a full pack, I hiked with nothing on my back, just like the Rangers  (except they carried their rifles).  The difference is I could keep up with her when she had sore feet, improper footwear, and a full pack.  The much younger Rangers couldn't. 

Luckily it's not as scary in the Masai area as we were led to believe, mostly because it's very sparsely populated. Staci and I hiked alone most of the day. It reminded us of the Modoc Plateau area of Northern California. 


A typical Masai village. This one had 12-15 huts. Each hut is built by a wife. It was stated the wives have to build the house, brew the beer, and bear the babies. It is the understatement of all time to say that sexism is rampant in Kenya. Some of the 42 tribes are worse than others. The Masai is one of the most shocking. In addition to other things, this is one of the tribes with plural wives. We're not sure if this is just one husband's place, or a few husbands'.

We cut the hike a little early because it started pouring. Pouring to the point of flash flooding. It stopped raining before we sat up camp. 


DECEMBER 21- Finishing Kenya

Staci convinced the driver and the guards we needed an early start. It was necessary to be able to get to the border by the end of the day. One close call happened as we were heading to our launching spot for the day. Tony was driving fast, and a herd of elephants was in the road. Slammed brakes and skidding ensued. Elephants are BIG!  It was a great thing he stopped in time.

Circumstances could not have worked out better for timing. First Staci noticed a potential shorter route in a map that avoided the large town of Loitoktok.  As we were hiking another road was pointed out by locals that made for an even shorter route.


Finally, this man carrying crops (tomatoes?) from Kenya to the Tanzania border knew an even shorter route. It worked out perfectly, except he was an exceptionally fast hiker.  Our goal for the day was to get to the border by the end of the day. We got to the border at 12:30pm, remarkable! 

It was a great hike. We weren't on a road, but on a trail through farm country, corn country!


It was beautiful. 

At one point the hike was reminiscent of a scene from Forest Gump. We were quite the oddity on this trail. Youngsters started following, then more, then more. Chattering and laughing, and hearing "mzungu, and "wazungu" over and over.  The security guard interpreted some for us. Apparently many had never seen a mzungu before. Also, they were joking that they were now tour guides. After quite a while, especially for the young kids, somebody let the group know it was time to go back home. Instantaneously the entourage vanished. 

It felt so good to be at the Tanzania border. The next task was to get the Rangers back to West Tsavo NP, and to prepare for the actual border crossing the next day. 


Pictures of the actual border crossing are not allowed. I took this picture before realizing the sensitivity. 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Hiking Again-Thankfully

DECEMBER 16-Railroad Tracks

Six days with no exercise was too much. There has been no opportunity to even walk more than a few steps in the last six days. Staci and I were going stir crazy. 

Plans were all set. We ate early, and were at the Voi Gate of Tsavo East NP to pick up the Rangers at 7:00 a.m., as planned, so we could get an early start. There were no Rangers there to hike with us. Ndra was a Ranger working the front gate. She had become friends with Staci from our first visit. When she saw the dilemma she went into action. 

She went up to the barracks, got a hungover Ranger, who was supposed to be on a day off, and pressed him into duty. Then she left her post at the entrance gate with two other non-Rangers handling visitors entering the park. Ndra, and our hungover Ranger Ali, were our protection for the day. 

They weren't as fit or prepared as our previous Rangers. 

This stretch hiking along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway is one we had not been looking forward to. The railroad tracks ran parallel to the highway, we decided to walk on those. This isn't the new, high speed track being built, but the hundred or so year old line still in use. 


Luckily, adjacent to the track for most of the way was a flat, open, area perfect for a footpath. It wasn't the most scenic or exciting day of the hike, but it was one of the more safe and efficient hiking days. 

Due to the mix up with Rangers, we had a late start, and pushed a bit. The Rangers traded back and forth, and still struggled to keep up. Ali ended up hiking quite a bit. He did better in the afternoon. I don't believe he appreciated this hangover cure. He had no idea what he was getting into. We don't understand much Swahili, but heard and saw his quizzical/shocked  "TIMBEA?" (Walking) when he was already in the rig, and he was commited. His boots gave out from the hike. He had to take them in for repairs at the end of the day. 


There was some wildlife along the way. 


These cranes are big. 


Ali has had better days. 

It was nice to hike and not be along a road, and not around too many people. With the exception of three workgroups along the tracks, we saw nobody else. Only one passenger train came by. 

Our six day break made this 30 km difficult, aided by the late start and hiking quickly.  However, we succeeded. 

Apparently there is an old movie called Ghost in the Darkness, about the Maneaters of Tsavo. The movie is supposed to be based on a true story, and a famous classic. A hundred or more years ago, when they were building the bridge over the Tsavo River for this railroad, a couple of lions apparently killed over a hundred, they say up to 150, men working on the bridge. The bridge is right across the highway from the Tsavo West gate where we ended the hike. 

When we got to the Tsavo West Gate they told us a lion had killed a man around here just last week. I think they were pulling our legs, but I'm not sure. Either way, it probably wasn't a bad idea that we had an armed escort.  This really felt like the safest day of the hike yet. 

I fell today as a rock gave way. My hand was cut a bit, and my hip got scraped/bruised. It wasn't bad, but apparently as I fell it looked a little worse to Ali and Staci. When I was able to clean up it all looked good. 

All is well. 

DECEMBER 17th-Zero Day

The next five or six days will be key to Staci's completing this adventure. If all goes as planned we will be through Tsavo West NP, and through the last of Kenya, and entering Tanzania on December 23. Nothing seems to go exactly as planned, but that is the plan. This is a preparation day for this upcoming important stretch. 

As we started this trek we were informed there pretty much aren't washing machines in any of the areas we were headed. It is inexpensive to hire someone to do laundry by hand. Logistically, it is usually easier to just do it ourselves. 

One quirk is they will not wash underwear. It's taboo. 


It's a typical chore of a zero day, done early, so it can dry during the heat of the day. 

Staci brought two sleeping bags for the trip. Her heavy bag is for the Mount Kilimanjaro, her lightweight sleeping bag for the heat of Kenya. It seemed crazy to me, I just brought the heavy bag I borrowed from my daughter Ashley, and am using it the entire way. The heat, and sweating, have created a less than pleasant odor. Airing out is necessary, common, and not entirely effective. If a serious cleaning is not effective upon returning home I may owe Ashley a new sleeping bag. 

While hiking the PCT I gained an enhanced appreciation of the importance of water, especially clean drinking water. Amazingly, the appreciation is even greater now. There is no such thing as free drinking water. 

We try to just drink bottled water. When we must drink from any other source, be it a stream, or from a faucet, we must treat it. Even at a restaurant, if you ask for water, you get bottled water and must pay. Planning ahead to ensure there is plenty of water for multiple days ahead is a steady chore. I catch myself being careful even when brushing my teeth, not to waste a drop. 

Gathering water is a primary chore for virtually all who live out of a city. Generally the task falls upon the women and children. One Ranger told that his chore, every day, was to get 20 liters of water to his home. This was common. Children became innovative as to how to complete this chore, so they could then play. We saw a set of young kids carrying some water, and kicking, like soccer balls, water containers down a road. 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Amboseli National Park

DECEMBER 13-Amboseli Game Drive

A quick start from the campsite got us to Amboseli for another day of amazing wildlife. 


Immediately there was a herd of impalas.  


The views of Mount Kilimanjaro were breathtaking. 


While we had seen African buffalo in Shimba Hills, we definitely weren't this close before. 


Hyenas are bigger and meaner looking than I'd imagined. 

There were incredible numbers of elephants.  At one time I tried to count, and got up to 56 in my sight. There were many more at other parts of the park. 


This picture is a little dark, but in the lower left you can see a family of three elephants. In the right, above the trees, is Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Again, Staci has the better camera and will come home with better pictures. A highlight of the day was an entire group of hippos out of the water sunning, and even walking a bit. Also, the variety of birds was incredible. 

Some bird species seen here were:

Saddle billed stork
Crowned Crane
Yellow billed stork
Ibis
Blacksmith plovers
Jackson's plover
Squaker heron
Sacred ibis

It is said there are over 150 species of birds in the park. The variety was amazing. 

For a contrast we stopped for lunch, and wifi, inside the park at the posh Amboseli Lodge. We didn't fit in, with our hiker clothes and rumpled look. They let us order a little something and a soda and use their internet for quite a while. It just proves that if there's enough money there can be good wifi anywhere! Instead of staying there for over $350/night, we stayed again at our campground for $10/night. 


DECEMBER 14-Drive from Amboseli back to Voi

It was a long drive back to Voi. 

DECEMBER 15-Zero Day

Hand washed clothes, tried to repair air mattress, again, and finalized Rangers for hiking the 16th. 

Saturday, December 13, 2014

WILDLIFE!!!! Tsavo East

DECEMBER 11-Tsavo East NP Game Drive

In my career with the Forest Service, my time in the woods recreating, and practicing private forestry I have seen wildlife aplenty. Nothing, however, ever matched this day. 

We took a traditional African Safari in the Range Rover through Tsavo East National Park. The term used here is a "game drive."  

There is no way I could tell the number of species seen this day. From the beginning I tried to keep track, but finally gave up. Our driver, Tony, was very good at identifying and having tidbits of information. This is what he's been doing for twenty years. 


Giraffes apparently have an incredible ability to kick. 


This was an especially good day for seeing elephants. I would guess we saw nearly one hundred. Tony said there are days he has seen only one or two on the same game drive. 


These nugus are cute, but can also be a pests. A guard told us nugu is a term used to call your spouse if they are annoying you. 


Impala, gazelles, and all sorts of similar species were everywhere. 


I wasn't expecting the variety of birds. I believe he called this a Maribu stork. 


You have to look close to see the hippopotamus (hippopotami?).  

Here is the list of what we saw that I wrote down. There were many, many more than listed. (Please excuse spelling)

Nugu
Impalas
Mangoose
Maribu stork
Kudu
Zebra
Hartebeest
Giraffes
Crested eagle
Battaluer eagle
Somali ostrich
Gerenuk
Hippopotamus
Marshall eagle
Waterbak
Grant's gazelle
Thompson's gazelle
Warthog
Sand grouse
Goliath heron

What an amazing day. Tony was disappointed we didn't see any cats (lions, leopards, or cheetahs), or crocodiles. I was just in awe. Staci got a picture of a zebra, giraffe, and elephant all standing together. Superlatives can't do this place justice. 

This is the off time of year, and tourism is way down. During migrations, July and August, tourists used to flock here. It was nice to have very few others in the park for our safari. 


DECEMBER 12-Travel to Amboseli National Park

After taking care of chores we drove five hours to the outskirts of Amboseli NP where we camped. It's amazing to be driving through open land, not close to any park, and to see zebras and giraffes.