I'm So Clever...

... that sometimes I outsmart myself.

This is a video of two giraffe "connecting." Get it - "co - neck - ting?"

Unfortunately, I captured the video while holding the camera vertically, and now don't know how to rotate the video so it can be viewed upright. The manual is in the bag I left in Nairobi. I'll read up when I get to Johannesburg & see what I can do. If anyone out there has advice....

The two new animals of the day (not counting birds)

The Dik-Dik is Africa's smallest antelope, and are about the size of a terrier. Despite the fact that I dislike the word "cute," in this case it fits. After this first siting, they sprang from the brush every 15 minutes or so. It seemed that suddenly they were everywhere. Reminds me of a song from my childhood - "With a dik-dik here, and a dik-dik there...." Oh, never mind.

The second new animal for the day was a black-backed jackal. They were actually quite attractive little creatures, larger than the dik-dik and looking very much like a dog.

What a croc.

Another 90 degree day. On this evening's game drive, we stopped first by the river so we could stroll the bank and view the hippo, who had moved downstream from the Safari Camp. On the bank was a small and lonely crocodile.

Fourth of the Big Five

The balloon was launched just after moonset and
rose gently into the sky. It was not at all scary, probably because the changes were so slight and slow - unlike in an airplane. We never got above about 1000 feet and did not see vase herds of anything because the vast herds haven't yet made it north. They are about 50 miles away. This is due to the fact that the rains have not only moved north, as is typical, but have also remained in the south. Thus, the herds of wildebeest, zebra, etc. have no need to hurry north.

How the Maasai Mara Got Its Name

Many, many years ago, as the Maasai people migrated toward this plain, the reached an escarpment which allowed them a large overview. The plains were dotted with fig trees, which give off a chemical that prevents any other species of tree from growing. To the Maasai, the plains looked spotted. "Mara" means "spotted plain."

Today's game drives were amazing. Last night we saw part of a pride of lion, but the females quickly moved into the bush when our vehicle and 2 others pulled up. Today, however, we saw what may have been the entire pride, led by a young male (not yet fully "grown out"). One of the females eyed us intensely, and I'm surprised she did not approach or do something.

That was very late in the day - almost 7 pm. The drive started at 3:30, and at about 5 pm, we stopped for a "walking sarafi." Had I known, I would not have worn sandles. This becomes significant when you see the pictures of the white rhino. Notice how they appear to be more at eye level tan other shots from the vehicle? That's because we were at eye level. And about 30 feet away. The last of the 3 pictures of the rhino show a park ranger with a stick. As the rhino slowly walked toward him, the ranger waved the stick in front of the rhino and called out "Hut...hut...hut." The rhino promptly turned around and walked the other way. We all looked at each other with our mouths open, in pure awe of what we just saw.

I was lucky enough to get the last seat on the balloon for tomorrow. Up at 4:45, meet at 5:15 for tea, a half hour drive to the take-off site, prep and inflate the balloon, makes it 6:30 am or so for lift-off (if the weather cooperates). By 9 am, we'll be down for a champagne breakfast. All for the low, low price of $425 per person. The basket holds 12. That makes it roughly $5,000 in income per flight. The pilot is responsible for a crew of 15 plus 6 support vehicles, and he can't fly for a week or more at a time, sometimes. And not year-round, for certain. So, a reasonable rate.

The Maasai Mara

It is now Sunday in Kenya, almost 10 pm as I write. We are 9 hours ahead of you, here, so it is 1 pm Colorado time.

We were flown from Nairobi in a twin-engine prop that held about 20 passengers. It was rocking and rolling through the clouds as we flew, but it was still much better than a single engine Cessna. At least my head never hit the ceiling.

After landing on a dirt runway, we were greeted by Maasai in traditional dress, who carried our bags to waiting safari vehicles. Talk about a contrast of cultures. My camera batteries died on the plan, and the replacements were in my checked bag, so I had to wait to refill the camera. We put our bags in our tents and immediately left for a game drive. Gazelle, zebra, hartebeest, a Secretary Bird (see below), hyena, obi, and the crowning touch - cheetah lounging in the grass.

The Mara Safari Club is quite posh. The crowd of about 100 is a mix of young and old, with several family clusters or clusters of friends with their respective families. The evening meal was excellent, with a choice only between two main dishes and two desserts - meaning a set appetizer and soup. The menu brags about their wine selection, but I'll save that for lunch tomorrow.

The day starts with a 6:30 game drive, followed by breakfast at 8:30. Then another drive at 3:30, with dinner at 8. Late for me, but what the heck. Tuesday there's a good chance I'll take a balloon ride, if there's room in the basket. That starts at 5 am or so and includes a champagne breakfast on the African plains.

One real surprise at dinner - the Club has a cat that roams through the dining hall. If allowed by the patrons, it will readily jump into a lap and investigate the plates on the table. The guests seemed to think this was charming, but I found it in poor taste for lodging that advertises itself as "premier."

I am feeling great about how well things have worked out, and how well I am being treated by tour agents, lodging staffs, and my fellow travelers. I hope I've been a good representative of the U.S. of A.

Tonight it's going to sleep to the sounds of tree hyrax, to be awakened in the morning by the hippos in the river just beyond my tent. The "tent" is heavy canvas, with tile floors and a full bath. With accommodations like this, no one would resist "tent camping."

We Made It!

I'm not able to find computer access often enough to update this blog after each little adventure, so I've decided to update it when I can and then fill in any missing intervening parts later.

I was grouped with 7 other people for the climb up Kilimanjaro. In short, we all made it, although one of our members got altitude sickness just as we started down. He had trouble walking and short-term memory just "went." He was able to descend on his own, with the aide of one of the guides, and once he got down to a lower altitude, felt better and, with a good night's sleep at a still lower altitude, recovered quite well.

The team consisted of Paul (age 68, British), John (age 50, Australian and the one who got sick), Dimitris (45, Greek but living in Geneva), Nathalie (39, Belgian, also living in Geneva. Is a friend of Dimitris.), Carolyn (age 27, New York City), Alan (20, British Army), and Steve (20, British policeman). Alan and Steve arrived the same day I did - the day before the climb - and spent their time by the pool drinking one beer after another. I guess everyone has their own training routine. They were quite miserable for the first 3 - 4 days, but made it all the way.

The climb was grueling; there's no other way to describe it. Beyond the altitude factor, the steepness of the slopes and the rockiness of the trails took their toll. If you have time, look up "Baranco Wall." It's famous for killing one's determination. Suffice it to say that the wall would have been a death-defying proposition if it was raining (like the first 3 days of the climb) or snowing (like the fourth day). It was hand-over-hand with considerable "exposure," to use a mountaineering term. One slip and it's a long way down.

Oh - and the cold. We started the summit attempt at 12:30 am - at least 30 minutes behind schedule, which was our norm. We set ourselves a good pace, however, and arrived at Stella Point just after dawn. That meant only one more hour to Uhuru Peak, over a snowfield/icefield and even more rocks.

The temp was minus 15, and the wind gusted to at least 30 mph. We had some difficulty standing up at times, so maybe the wind was even stronger. Despite the bright sunshine, it was backbone-chilling cold. We really didn't notice it so much until we started to descend, because we were running on pure adrenaline and feeling POWERFUL! Then we slid down a sandy slope back to Barafu Camp and literally collapsed. A quick lunch at 12:30 - a full 12 hours since eating only sugar cookies and tea - and descended even further down to Millenium Camp for the night. It was only (only?) 4 hours down to Mweki Gate from there, down some of the rockiest and steepest trail we traversed in the whole climb. We were wasted by the time we finished at about 1:30 pm.

The lower portion of the descent was through the rain forest, and Paul, John and I stopped frequently to snap photos of the flora. Very few birds live here, which was weird. The last hour or so was a walk through cloud as the day warmed to the point where moisture from the valley below made its way up the slope. Magical, and not cold at all.

Mweki Gate was more chaotic than I was told it would be. Park Rangers speaking loudly and quickly to us to "sign out" in their registration book. You sign in to start your climb and sign out to finish. Military guards with rifles stood nearby, for who knows why. A group of local villagers sang for tips, and an open-air bar offered several varieties of beer and water, staffed by a beautiful young lade in full tribal dress. Kids picked at my clothes and pockets, especially the backpack I was carrying. They were "nice" about it, not trying to steal but rather to divert my attention their way. Still, it was quite annoying and disconcerting to have a kid that looked about 10 step in front of me and ask for my watch.

I was so wiped and so confused by the caucaphony that I actually forgot to take pictures.

We had then another quarter mile walk to get to our transportation, a box lunch prepared by the excellent cook from the trip, and get awarded our certificates of accomplishment. After a one-hour bus ride to the Ilboru Lodge, we collapsed - or maybe it was just me - on their veranda for a bit, checked in, and either immediately went to sleep (Alan and Steve) or hit the shower. Man, what a feeling it is to be clean. However, I still have lava dust under my fingernails.

British Cuisine

I haven't eaten in a college cafeteria in almost 40 years, so breakfast was a blast from the past. There was a large group of theater students staying at the residence (we're 1 - 2 blocks from the central theater district, as opposed to the west end district) as well as a convention for student organization fund raising (multinational). So, I learned that this residence is operated as a B & B for most of the year, as an investment by the London School of Economics. There must have been 450 people staying here, all having breakfast at about the same time.

Advertised as a "Full English Breakfast," it consisted of several choices of fruit, including a tropical mix (from a can - probably Del Monte's), eggs (rather pale - not as pale as egg whites but not much yellow in them. Different kind of hens, here across the pond?), small waffles (one per person, if you please), several other kinds of breads, sausage and ham (sausages crisp on the outside and unusually soft and chewy on the inside. Beef versus pork?), cereal (with "semi-skimmed milk"), and that English breakfast staple - baked beans (!). I had my first cup of PG Tips in years = one of my favorite teas.

I got in near 11 pm last night, just as 3 young ladies from the theater group (Utica, NY, judging from their sweatshirts) were about to leave for a bar. They were told that their was an 11 pm curfew for their group and that "quiet hours" also began at 11. The ladies were clearly stunned and argued with what I guessed were local hosts. They were very "cheeky."

The next day, Sunday, I strode across the new London Bridge. To the east is the Tower Bridge, which leads to (duh) The Tower of London. I walked quite a bit to keep my calloused feet in shape for the upcoming Kili climb (or so I rationalized) and took lots of pictures, only some of which are posted herein.

I heard many different tongues as I walked, very few British, to my surprise. Maybe the Brits didn't have as much reason to speak to each other as we foreigners did. I helped couples and families take pictures and asked a few times to have them snap one of me. I met several Americans, who for the most part did not fit the stereotype tourist abroad.

Boy, there sure are a lot of foreign cars here.

As for the pics of the London Eye, no I didn't go up. Not just "no" = "hell, no."

London

After a smooth trip to the airport (Thank you,Peter. I hope you got home safely, and my car, too!), and a smooth flight, I arrived just after noon GMT. "Real time," as they say in the UK. The bad news is that my seat row was in front of a bulkhead, which meant that it didn't recline quite as far as the others. The good news is that I was alone in my 3-seat row and actually got some sleep.

The meal was good and the wine was free.

My accommodations are sparse - I knew that when I booked it - but quite adequate. I have rarely appreciated a shower more.

I'm staying 2 blocks from the Thames, behind the Tate Modern, The Globe Theater, and The Millennium Bridge. I ate dinner at a nearby pub and embarrassed myself counting out what other Americans refer to as "funny money." It's a matter or learning to recognize the coins - the paper money has the amount in larger type, of course.

"Perfect Pimm's" was advertised in the in-flight magazine and on billboards at the airport,so I decided to try it. I learned that it is a gin-based drink with liqueurs and fruits added via a "secret recipe." Think of this drink as a gin mojito with added lemon and lime. Very fruity, and you don't really feel the effects until 2/3 of the way down the glass,and then "pow."

The London version of shrimp scampi is batter-fried in garlic oil, with fries ("chips") and peas. Evidently, peas are popular in English pub cuisine. My grandson, Thomas, would not like pub food for that reason, but Thomas would be delighted with the huge burgers.

Sadly, I learned today that McDonald's has expanded its presence in Africa, as witnessed by this revealing photo.