I nearly died at Lake Burunge

So many wild animals on the game drive. African buffalo are the most dangerous. ..territorial and aggressive.  More feared than lions and elephants.  But the drive was fabulous and did not include any close calls with cats, elephants,  buffalo, rhinos, baboons or any animals. 

 

Who would think dinner can be dangerous?  I got tomatoes and cucumbers as a first course. First bite- a small cucumber end shot to the back of my throat and slid down.   I tried to swallow and couldn't.  Tried to drink and water came out. Tried to make a sound and nothing.

 

Tom was seated to my right and I just remember hitting his arm, standing up, and doing some gesture by my throat,  then turning my back to him and hoping he would get the message. 

Tom gave me a good Heimlich squeeze and the cuke shot out and I was so happy!   He truly saved my life. There were a couple other people across from us yelling directions at him, I remember.  Luckily he is good at charades and got the hint immediately. 

 

It's good to be here for the rest of the trip. As Nina said right after, it would have been a real drag if someone died on the trip. 
Scary 20 seconds but now, hakuna matata.  Life is good.

 

With school kids we saw at a stop. They and others are on a field trip for a few days.
With my roommate,  Deb.
The scene of the save- dinner tent.

Baboons, moving to water, sunset

We saw baboons in the dirt road often, sometimes 40 of them. Sometimes we saw 30 to 50 in one tree. They are cute but mean.

At Tarangire National Park, thousands of animals started moving in lines, one by one, to get to the river. We parked at a lookout above the river and got out to watch thousands of animals coming. After a while they filed out, wildebeests and zebras travel together.  A monkey got in one of the jeeps while we were not in it.  One of the ladies yelled at it and it took off.

Beautiful sunset!

Dead elephant attracts scavengers

Sad but so interesting.  Elephant probably died from natural causes...tusks intact. Attracted hyenas running to the site in daylight,  maribu storks, vultures, and more.

See all the giraffes in back and lions sleeping under the tree in front. We think the giraffes didn't know and the lions weren't hungry,

Kilimanjaro from the Kenya side and our sitting platform at our tent camp. There was a watering hole nearby with zebras, donkeys, monkeys, gazelles, Maasi herder with goats and sheep, birds.

Thursday August 29th- animals

Some pictures from game drives in Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National park and more.

family of elephants grazing within 5 feet of our jeep.
Giraffe drinking
Hyena heading toward a dead animal. 

More pics from visit to Maasi village

Since the last photos posted successfully, I'm going to try to post more.

Me (in hat) and Carolyn learning to spread cow dung on the Maasi house, kids looking at their photo on an iPad ( notice the little girl on left with baby sibling on her back) , women sang and danced for us and with us .

Amazing animals, landscapes, views

In the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania and we have been in the Land Rovers a lot, but we have seen beautiful scenery in Tanzania so far. We came across the border from Kenya and visited Lake Naivasha,  Lake Nakuru (no flamingos there anymore and that was disappointing) , Lake Manyara, Lake Barunge. These are all national parks and beautiful,  but varied in landscapes and animals. 

 

We visited Tarangire National Park and saw thousands of wildebeests zebras, some monkeys and elephants migrating to the river for water then back out again. Just like national geographic! 

 

The food is always very delicious,  too much, and there are lots of desserts.  The lodges have been fabulous.  The night sky is also very clear because it is so dark in these places.

I do have a couple photos from one lodge to post here.  Masai gardener with me, visit to Masai village,  sweet Masai village kids. 

 

So happy to report that I have been warm and wearing shorts!

Wish I could get a good internet connection to post animal photos.  But at least we have internet here!  I have so many photos.  It is hard to stop taking them.

Hakuna matata (no worries) , as we hear often.

More pics.....

I have 10 minutes left on my internet connection so I'm going to post a few random photos.

Cafe on Amos's street - cooking on the grill.  Sausage, goat heart and goat something else.  Smelled good. 

Fruit stand in market just down the street from Amos's flat.

Masai men walking down the road in Tanzania. Common site. 

Adriel decided he liked me!  

Giant storks are in the trees in downtown Nairobi....so cool!

At the border coming to Kenya from Tanzania

I took some photos on Monday

Mom and daughter Masaii selling beaded necklaces. As soon as I started negotiating more and more people came to sell.  

More women selling jewelry.

while on the shuttle from Tanzania and Kilimanjaro back to Kenya.  Tanzania seems to be poorer than Kenya - jobless rate is over 50% and Kenya's is down to 43%.  At the border I bought some beaded jewelry from the Masaii women.  Once you show any interest you are absolutely mobbed by many people and you have to ignore them completely if you want to be done.  Interesting....I love what I bought.

They also don't like to have their picture taken unless you pay them.  The two ladies standing in front of the van let me take their photo because I bought something from the momma.  They momma was chewing on a reed and looked very worn but she sure was a persuasive sales woman - even tho she spoke only the few English words needed to make the sale.  I bought the necklace from her because when I was going to buy from her daughter she got upset and I'm a softie.

Cool experience....they are great salespeople who make beautiful beads.  They actually make the beads by hand and then create the necklaces and earrings.  

Sales were brisk!  These women were beautiful but very persistent.

Visit with Amos - our former driver & guide

Today I got to visit with Amos and go to his home to meet his wife, Mary Ann, and their 10 month old son, Adriel.  It was fabulous for me.  Mary Ann cooked the best meal I have had in Kenya - a beef stew with carrots, rice, cabbage, and potatoes.  For dessert we had bananas, avocado, and oranges mixed - really good.  

Then Mary Ann wanted me to walk around the neighborhood with her so she could introduce me to her friends.  She is high spirited and very fun!  It was so wonderful for me to be in their flat and see their neighborhood and meet friends.  Their place is very small by our standards but they do everything they need to do in the space and they are happy.

The baby is a doll and Amos's niece who is 2 was there also.  It took her almost an hour of staring at me to decide she could get a little closer.  Finally she was sitting on my lap and holding my hand.  Kids are just so sweet.  What a wonderful day!

Now I'm at a swanky hotel in Nairobi - leaving with the safari group in the morning.  No one is here yet but me.  Will meet everyone in the morning when we leave.  Hakuna matata.  

Our delicious lunch. The kitchen is very small so eating is in the living room. Mary Ann is a fantastic cook!

Amos, Mary Ann, and Adriel

Amost on the roof of his building with Adriel and niece Zima (?) not sure on the name but she sure was sweet.

Amos's building. He is on the 4th floor - no elevator. All laundry is done by hand and air dried.  Small shops are all around on the streets. 

Some reflections on the Kilimanjaro experience.

First, thanks to my friends who got me in good shape so this was possible. We saw so many people being rescued (which means getting them down to lower altitude asap) - this is one tough endurance test.

We had total confidence in our guides and team within the first day.  Your life is literally in their hands, so feeling good about them is essential. We struggled just to keep walking up with our day packs on.  They carried our gear plus their gear plus food, water, and more - we were constantly amazed.  Day 1 we hiked through rainforest and then it got more open with views and less vegetation and stayed at Mandara huts.  Day 2 was drier, colder, and windier and we stayed at Horombo Huts.  Day 3 had lots of wide-open expanse with a view of Kili most of the way - in the clouds and not much air up there. We stayed at Kibo Hut - about 16,000 ft. altitude.
Day 4 we got up at midnight and started hiking to the top in the dark, then daybreak, then after summit started back down to Kibo.  You then continue down to the next lower hut to recover - so 10 hours up & down to Kibo plus another 3 hours down to Horombo. My body was so confused, hungry, hurting, tired.  Then I woke up the next morning & was ready to go! Day 5 we hiked all the way down to the entry gate - about 20K or 12 miles.

Matt got sick on day 1 evening but recovered well.  Bonnie got sick on day 3 and I don't know how she made the summit but she did. Paul decided not to try - he was spent at the final hut.  Their daughter Cheri made it to the first peak.  Our guides spent a great deal of time & care getting Bonnie & Cheri off the mountain because they were so exhausted.  The guides held them while they slept a bit on the steep descent, put sunscreen on them, wiped their noses, fed them, took photos for them and took as long as they needed to get down to Kibo hut.  

The guys, Matt & John, were strong  throughout.  Altho every hike was long, slow and difficult, I never felt like I couldn't keep moving except for a couple of moments on that final ascent when I was questioning my sanity (and that of those above and below me).  And on the descent to Kibo that seemed to never end.  I just wanted food, water, warmth, and some sleep so badly.  We were all so glad to see the hotel, a hot shower and a warm bed.  The guides and some porters came for dinner & our certificate party and we were one happy bunch of campers!

I learned a lot about Tanzania and the lack of jobs and why the porters are willing to do strenuous hiking carrying many pounds for years and years, sometimes 3 or 4 times per month. It's the only job in northern Tanzania so they are grateful to have the jobs and never seem grumpy.  I practiced a lot of Swahili with them and it seems to be fun for them (laughing at me) as well as for me. 

Next adventure for me:  Safari with Overseas Adventure Travel group.  I meet them on Wednesday here in Nairobi. Hakuna matata  (no worries).

 

More Kili pics

My hiking mates, Bonnie & Paul with daughter Cheri, Matt, John, me, and our guide Juma.  Can't say enough about our guides, cook, porters, and the entire team.

At the highest peak, Uhuru, with John.  Matt was struggling but did get in a photo with us before we started doing the 3.5 or so hours down that steep mountain back to the huts.

So happy to get my official certificate to show I summited from our guide, Juma, back at the hotel and after a hot shower!!! Woot woot!

More pics from Kilimanjaro

Hiking up to the last hut - suprisingly wide open with clouds going past. Kili in distance. At about 15,000 ft.

The last hut before getting up at midnight to climb to top in the dark, freezing.

My hiking companions & hut-mates, John & Matt from the UK.

Pics from Kili climb

at start - ready to go. Never wore shorts again, too cold!

One of the 3 hut camps we stayed in

At Zebra Rocks with Juma and Abdullah - a 7 hour hiking day

Success on Kilimanjaro! !,

Just a quick post to let you know I did it!  Beautiful,  amazing experience,  very exhausting.  Tonight we are back at the hotel for dinner and to tip our awesome guide and  porters.  Hungry, tired, but tonight I am clean amd warm.  Yeah!

More tomorrow. My little group of 6 is so happy right now.  We all leave Moshi tomorrow for various places.

Thorns have roses...or...it started out as a very bad day

May this please be the worse thing that happens on this trip......I thought I was going to Moshi today to spend anight before meeting up with my G-Adventures group on Tuesday to start our Kilimanjaro adventure.  I looked at my voucher and arranged with the front desk to have a cab drive me to the shuttle by 8:30 because it left at 9:00.

While in the cab, I looked at the voucher again - it left at 8:00 and it was now 8:25. I had a very sinking feeling.  I called the shuttle company and my driver spoke to them for me.  They said we may be able to catch the bus and should drive to the stadium.  My driver took shortcuts he knew and we avoided much of the standing still traffic and got to the stadium within 20 minutes!

He called the shuttle company to tell them we were there and ask where we could find the shuttle.  The operator said the shuttle was ahead of us and too bad, we missed it.  We thought the shuttle would wait 10 minutes but evidently he never contacted the shuttle driver.  So, it was intense frustration on my part with the end result that I was back in Nairobi for another day.

After a stop at the shuttle office, I ended up on the shuttle on Tuesday - the day I MUST be in Moshi or I miss the entire Kilimanjaro trip.  It cost me in money and all that questioning myself about how I could see 9:00 one day and 8:00 departure the next.   But I will still meet up with my tour group unless the shuttle breaks down tomorrow.  Yeah!

The good thing that came of it:  I am at the Kenya Comfort Inn in downtown Nairobi with an easy walk to the university, which is interesting and pretty.  AND, they have hardwired computers with fast internet!!  I can post to my blog and easily check my email.  That's bliss!!

I have a few more days in Nairobi here and there and I will spend them at this Kenya Comfort Inn.  So glad I found it and the break from internet frustration that is everywhere else.

I wanted to end on a happy note - the picture is from a game drive. Monkeys in the road, giraffe in the back, river on the right.

More wildlife from our weekend

The game lodge was beautiful, luxurious, all rooms faced the muddy river full of crocs (big fence kept them away from our side) monkeys, and many big birds.  Great food, open air patios and dining, amazing swimming pool - a huge change from our spartan rooms in Meru.  We loved it!  And seeing the wildlife on the game drives was amazing.

This Marshall eagle was sitting on its fresh dinner- a dik dik, the tiniest antelope.  When some monkeys came near, it got big to scare them away.

We watched a long line of elephants lumber across a grassy area to the river where this one is drinking.

We had warm weather for the game drives, which was very welcome.

Wildlife in Samburu National Park

Camels on the road to Samburu

Two female lions sharing a warhog

Elephants guarding two babies - one is on the ground sleeping.

2 days of awesome safari lodge and animals

I wrote a post with pictures yesterday that may or may not show up on the blog. More tech frustration.  In a nutshell,  those two days were totally and completely incredible.  

I am very much looking forward to my two week safari tour to more game parks. Hope I can post pics soon.

Sunday morning in Nairobi

It's cold here so we are back to our chilly clothes. Missing the safari weather and beauty.
All teacher group left except me and Tiffany.  Today we are going to see the baby elephants,  the giraffe center, and a women's bead co-op.

Tonight  I pack for Kilimanjaro.  I leave Monday morning for Tanzania. Meet tour group on Tuesday.  The trek up starts on Wednesday.  Yeah!

No posts until after I'm off the mountain. I plan to post a photo of me at the summit!

Animals - cheetah, warthogs, giraffes

Monday and Tuesday at schools

These three days we are visiting schools to give them technology.  Monday we delivered a laptop, a tablet,  a lcd projector, a webcam, a solar bulb...to 3 schools. Teachers were so grateful and thrilled.  Kids were just excited to see and touch a "mizungu" - white person. 

It was very wonderful for us.  On Tuesday we'll deliver more tablets and laptops and smaller stuff.  It's hard to describe the poverty here and I wish I could give more.  There is great enthusiasm for education and many teachers are trying to use technology with  kids but many schools have no electricity so it isn't always an option.

 

 

You can't believe what people carry on their backs, heads, and on motorcycles. They just make things happen in spite of obstacles.