| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 05 2007 : 10:09:46 AM
JAMBO (HELLO)
THIS IS AFRICA ... from my personal viewpoint of the experiences as seen from my perspective. The stories I tell were told to us .. most I hope were told in truth .. some I suspect were told "with a motive" (give the tourists what they want to hear .. elicit pity for financial donations ... and other human reasons behind the stories people tell.)
The sites I witnessed and write of are purely from the heart and mind of ME. I have tried not to be too judgmental, but upon re-reading my stories, I sometimes see my own cultural beliefs behind the words. I also sometimes see in 'hind-site' with a different perspective. I will mostly quote my journal as I kept it .. perhaps from time to time 'reflecting back' on the re-writing of it here.
As an American and with my own upbringing and lifestyle ... "shock and awe" are what first hit me like a perfectly aimed missile .. after hours of seeing the same poverty (almost) everywhere we traveled, I believe I disconnected at times .. not becoming jaded because of the overwhelming immensity and seeming helplessness .. but more as a 'protective shield' to my own vulnerability that "but for the Grace of God .. there go I".
Ahhhhh yesssssss .. there is one of those 'judgments I tried not to do .. but .. I cannot write as individual Africans might tell their own story and their viewpoints because I have not walked a mile in their sandals (and quite often bare feet).
Oh AMERICA .. fall on your knees, kiss your native soil, thank God and do all you can to protect this Holy Land of ours!
I have had many names for my Journal as I traveled .. OUT OF AFRICA (hmmmmmmm .. I think that one is taken!) THIS IS AFRICA .. a term I heard both before and during our trip. I really liked: "
From KENtucky to KENya"
.. but my travels started out in Washington, D.C. where I was born and therefore .. those "citified" perspectives also enter into my observations and thoughts .. AND .. we also traveled to TANZANIA.
so the title for this, my journal, is still like the 'elusive leopard' .. lurking out there somewhere yet to be discovered!
And oh yessss .. I will from time to time 'ramble' and jump forward and backward in my stories .. as is 'my way' when I get excited about something. One thing reminds me of another and another and another .. and I am off and traveling down many paths .. hopefully, to return to the 'circle' from which I started. And I have noticed in re-reading that sometimes I repeat a lesson learned or something seen that registers deep within me.
I took over a THOUSAND photographs .. each a 'moment in time' .. many moments are just memories as the camera is not faster than a quickly passing moment or sites seen from a moving van or the speed of a wild animal passing into and out of view.
I will attempt to choose a few photos that are most representative of what I am trying to tell you about. IF the photos become tooooo much for the slower down-loading computers, just let me know, and I'll add you to the STORIES ONLY listing of my True Friends.
I would ask that you please not duplicate my words or pictures without checking with me first. But please do feel free to share them .. and I would surely love to hear your views .. remembering that this is only 'the Gospel According to Frannie'. I am very interested to learn of different perspectives of those of you who have traveled to Africa and seen these things first-sight.
********************
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 12 2007 : 07:28:47 AM
Monday, January 23
Last full day in Kenya .. we all choose to skip the morning safari (unless Paul promises a sighting of the very elusive LEOPARD -- very hard to find!) or some exotic animal we have not already seen! We each take our lazy turn to breakfast .. me arriving first .. shortly after, Barbara .. followed by Priscilla (women first you notice!) Paul joins us .. "G" and Hank barely making it before breakfast is over.
Free time until 3 p.m. when we will visit a Masai Village.
I sit with my journal and think of our two very eventful weeks in Africa .. I have come to some profound 'opinions' during our travels .. but need time to think upon them .. lest I sound 'judgmental. I know that this short time has just been a very small glimpse of this country .. and I am feeling very nostalgic for 'home'. So, I will let my feelings and opinions rest while I 'find the familiar' .. so, while sitting in the sun and watching for a zebra, giraffe or elephant to appear .. I pick up needle, thread and a sewie project and think of our children .. our grandchildren and how wonderful it will feel to hold them again in our arms!
*
We visit a Masai Village
I did not journal of this visit while in Africa
because when this visit was over .. (and I had to
do all I could in my strength, power, and good taste
to not RUN from this village ..
(I did indeed have to 'make-up' a story of not feeling well and leave everyone
mid-visit and return to the van ..
and cover my head feeling on the brink of hysteria!)
I used my 'power of humor' to overcome just sitting there
in the back seat and screaming uncontrollably!
In a few short minutes, I had lost all my 'romantic notions'
of these people known as the Masai.
TraveLearn has included this visit in our fee ..
And I must say .. that we should have been
warned that our 'American sensibilities' might be somewhat disturbed.
Looking back .. I don't know whether I am glad or not that we did
visit the Masai Village .. but I do wish I had been 'ready' for what I would witness.
And uppermost in my thoughts as I write today and look over these photographs
is "what must be going through the minds of these people who allow 'gawkers' to
come into their midst and photograph them". I realize that because of what I see .. I feel they are
nothing more to me than a 'curiosity' .. and I am reminded of a Circus 'freak show' .. where you pay to see
human beings so different from yourself that it titillates some inhumane 'sense' we seem to have.
I hope in time .. I will look back and see the beauty of their culture as a people who have chosen to live a harder life than I can imagine.
Outside the village, we are greeted by this
colorful warrior who is blowing the antler of
one of the larger gazelles. Very impressive!
As is his hat .. until he took it off and offered it to us to try on!
I was fascinated by this masai's earlobes .. the huge holes are
seen on all the men.
He did not seem to mind at all 'posing' for my 'kodak moment'.
This is a typical 'building' .. but larger than some of the homes 'inside'
the village.
I think my first 'shame' this entire trip came when
I saw this photograph! I believe OUR shadows tells more than the photo taken!
Tourists .. snapping photos of these women and children as if they were interesting
animals in a zoo. This little boy was wore no underwear and was 'peeing' .. and when
his mother discovered it .. like most mother's .. she turned
around and admonished him.
Warriors lined up to 'entertain'.
This is their real life though. They live and look like this daily ..
whether or not visitors are there to pay to take photos and look
at their lifestyles.
As always, the Masai seem very proud of their 'jumping' dance.
*
ALWAYS .. the children grab my heart and shake it in my chest!
And .. it was the 'children' who were my 'undoing' on this visit.
*
Mother and Children
This baby's face was covered by hundreds of flies. The mother
on her right .. has covered her child's head.
THIS was when my 'angst' began!
We step INSIDE the Village .. their homes are in the background ..
and the 'brown' you see is where they bring in a couple hundred
cattle each night .. to protect them from wild animals.
The 'brown' is more cow poop than it is 'earth'. I cannot begin to
tell you how many million FLIES were swarming everywhere!
I made it through the 'fire-starting' demonstration ..
but when a Masai Warrior started talking to us about 'circumcision' ..
... and it is honestly, mostly a blur as he tells us it is done right here ..
and plunges a stick into the cow dung.
O.K. .. I think that is about where I mentally 'passed out'.
And knowing that our next 'treat' was a visit to one of the homes ..
I lied and complained of sudden stomach cramps and said I
HAD to return to the van RIGHT NOW ,. or die on the spot!
And ... in a pile of cow crap is NOT where I wanted to end my life on this earth!
I believe it was a combination of the the FLIES .. Circumcision Vision ..
Cow POOP .. but mostly the CHILDREN!!!
Their faces were filled with flies! The lips and eyes of the little boy on the left
were covered with flies .. I could only imagine how many must go into his mouth to be swallowed.
And I know these flies have been feasting on cow-doodie!
I stumble back to the van and get into the back seat .. I am immediately swarmed by natives looking
at me ... NOW I know how they must feel!
All I can do is to cover my face with my jacket and within seconds I am laughing uncontrollably!
I am picturing myself back in Kentucky trying to explain to the 'gentle people' of our town about this 'adventure' .. and all I can think of is:
Well .. we were in the middle of a small Masai Village where they live
.. and I am covered with flies while I stand ankle-deep in ..
ummmmm ... now how can I put this delicately:
ummmmm ..
COW sh**!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 11 2007 : 06:57:38 AM
thanks sweet kim .. the PHOTOS do make the trip come alive, don't they!!
which places have your girls enjoyed the most? which are most shocking to you? any surprizes that you didn't know about?
(oh .. just wait t'il you see the Mballagetti Lodge in Tanzania .. we thought we'd died and gone to heaven .. we spent three night there .. it was incredible ... and these were TENTS .. by far our very most favorite place we stayed .. claw-foot bathtub on an outside deck .. each dusk and dawn .. a Masai Warrior had to walk every back and forth from their tents because this compound was NOT fenced in. I so much want to send our children here someday to experience Africa and to stay at the Mballagetti Lodge!!!) (we were told that these tents cost $800. per night .. UNBELIEVABLE!!!) never have and probably never will stay at any 'lodging' as wonderful! NONE of us wanted to go on SAFARI .. we all wanted to just stay here! AND .. of course, the dreaded tse-tse fly (about a ba-jillion of them) were on the prowl on the safari roads .. oh my GOSH and the 'adventure' we had just getting there! but that chapter will come soon!) xoxo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| Kim |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 7:10:21 PM
Frannie,
I am on your e-mail list and I have SO enjoyed your e-mails, journaling and photos. Thank you so much for sharing!
Blessed Be!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow
http://chevy49girl.livejournal.com/
http://chevy49girl.deviantart.com/ |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 5:37:37 PM
A PRIDE OF FEMALE LIONS
AND CHILDREN
our first "pride of lions" .. several mama's with several cubs .. 2 generations
the children will from time to time jump up and 'play' with each other.
This is really very endearing to watch.
Everyone is up and a little more attentive.
It is not US that has gotten their attention .. probably another
animal that they smell (perhaps dinner??)
Unless they are hungry, lions are pretty lazy .. all laying around in a pile .. little ones taking turns nursing the mother lions. Paul says they each nurse from several mothers .. it helps build up their antibodies. The male lion is always nearby .. but will not usually join them unless for mating. Each morning and evening, he will 'spray' his territory near the pride he is protecting with his scent as a warning to other male lions. If another male decides to 'challenge' .. he will rush in to KILL the CUBS of the current dominant father lion! If the happens .. the females will NOT protect her cubs .. and will then follow the new dominant male .. if the father has not fought the new male for dominence. IF the new male is larger/stronger ..
the father lion will NOT challenge him to save his baby lions' lives!
WHEW! my 'momma insticts are kicking in again .. (deadbeat moms and dads!)
I think this fact about lions surprises me more than any other I have learned!
*
We also see 2 female lions lying together apparently sleeping.
I stick my arm waaaay out the window van to get a very close-up photo.
Paul yells for me to pull my arm back inside the van IMMEDIATELY! He tells me that the lions do not sleep ard are not used to 'human body parts" that close to them and in a FLASH .. they could have jumped up and made a tasty morsel out of both my camera and my arm.
I think I have just won the 'most stupid trick' on this trip!
Paul tells me that no .. the WINNER of that Category was by far the walking close to Cape Buffalos. He said that he would NEVER let one of his tourists do that and says he is amazed that we were allowed to. They are extremely strong and powerful and can run very fast and can knock over an elephant and truly is the fiercest animal in Africa.
WELL .. I guess is win both first and second place!
*
It rains again on our way back to the lodge and we see another magnificent rainbow --this time over the Masai Mara.
Mara means "plains" but with different landscapes .. grass, brush, tees. Much like a crazy quilt.
another beautiful TREE .. I am in love with the Trees of Africa!
we see more herds of elephants
and more giraffe
*
When we return to the lodge .. a Masai Warrior in full regalia gives a talk to us about the ecology of the
Masai Mara.
The questions we ask of him do not deal so much with the ecology or animals .. but we are curious about their beliefs and ways of living.
He tells us (and i have had this verified by Paul and by reading the same thing from several sources).. their diet is EXCLUSIVELY cow's milk and cow's blood mixedtogether! They pierce the cow's juglar vein in his neck .. drain the blood into a container filled with clotted cows milk .. straight from the source!
NO grains .. NO fruits .. NO Vegetables.
Just a Bloody Milk Milkshake .. I must say .. they do have the MOST BEAUTIFUL TEETH I have ever seen on humans! (The men may eat cow meat .. but NEVER is a woman allowed to see them doing so! (I do not know the reason for this). The Masai believe that ALL cows were given as a gift from heaven from God sent down on a rope .. to ONLY the Masai and that ALL cows in the world belong only to them .. including those in our country. He even looked very seriously at us and told us that when we go back to America .. we need to send ALL our cows to them in Africa! HA! I had an internal chuckle at what the farmers in Kentucky .. and dear GAWD .. Texas Ranchers would have to say about that! They do steal cows from other tribes .. because they do not believe it is stealing as all cows belong to them!
They believe in God .. but not in an afterlife. I am still haunted from what the Samburu do with their dead. I asked if there is a ceremony when someone dies and if they bury their dead. He very matter of factly told me .. "no ceremoneies .. we cover their bodies with cow fat and put them in the brush for the animals. And then we forget them. It is the way of the animals."
They still fight only with spears .. and that is their only weapon against wild animals. They will protect themselves and their villages with spears and fighting .. but if they are killed .. it is simply the way of life.
Dinner and to bed .. Tomorrow is our last day in Kenya .. Priscilla and "G" will be leaving us mid-way .. they will be staying on with some of "G's" family in Kenya .. then going on a TraveLearn trip to Egypt for several weeks! Lady Barbara will continine to Tanzania with us for another week.
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 5:36:08 PM
SATURDAY, 1/20
MASAI MARA
We do not stop for lunch and all snack on the big bag of munchies I have brought along. We enter the Masai Mara .. land belonging to the Masai Tribes. These Maize .. who will NOT garden .. (they are herders) .. sometimes sell their land to the Kikuyu Tribes. The Kikuyu make successful vegetable gardens .. then the Masai tried to claim the land back. (not for the gardens .. but they just want their land back!) There have been killings over this. The government has to intervene we are told. The government decrees that the Masai have to BUY the land back. But they want it for the same price they sold it for. The government tells them NO. They must buy it at the asking price. There is animosity between these two tribes.
We pass the MOTHER of all FLEA MARKETS .. and it is Market Day. I, of course, get teased by everyone in the van! AND I pretend to want to stop. But I am telling you .. there is NO "treasure on earth" that could have forced me from our vehicle!!
We rush by it too fast for me to snap a photo!
Even though the Government owns most of this land .. the Masai are free to roam and build their homes (huts) on the Government-owned property.
Again .. photos do not give the experience of actually seeing the sites. Lone Maisi Men dressed in RED (which they believe protects them from the wild animals .. red symbolizing the blood shed when an animal attacks) walk the land with their spears .. herding goats and cattle.
*
I see a small boy of no more than 8 or 9 years of age herding his goats .. and across the dirt road .. herds of zebra and wildebeest and giraffe!
I
The non-meat-eating animals truly live in pretty much of a 'Peaceable Kingdom". We pass many villages similar to the Samburu Village we visited a day and a lifetime ago! Surrounded by thorny bushes erected to keep the meat-eaters at bay.
The road we travel on makes the one in the Somali/Kenya area seem like a super highway in America. Dangerous, deep ruts, mud holes, rocks, portions of the road washed away. This is the VERY area that three short weeks ago flooded from unexpected, rare rains at this time of the year .. and YES! it is starting to rain! Paul said that indeed this rain is rare! He shows us (and skirts around) the many places where dozens of safari vans got stuck in the muddy roads just a couple weeks ago. He told us that the people had to all be helicoptered to safety. He wastes no time rushing as fast as he can to get us to our lodge .. but there is about 50 miles (for real!) of this road.
AND SO MUCH WORSE THAN THIS .. but it was so bumpy
I couldn't get too many photos!
*
Finally, we do arrive safely in a beautiful pounding rain and have the most delightful lunch in a tropical storm. We all like this place and hope the tents are nice.
OH MY GAWD! We walk to the edge of the campground .. right to the very edge where the electric wire only separates our tent from the Mara where wild animals roam. Hank and I have the last tent in the compound. Across a bridge over a river and through trees and brush on both sides of the path .. we wind around the last of the stone paths and step over the portals of earth to the very gates of heaven!
These tents are unimaginably beautiful! Wonderful African furniture .. a bathroom so large .. with a separate room for the shower so large that I cannot reach my arms out from side my sides and touch the walls.
The view from our tent overlooks the 'mara' and is breathtaking!
Our Beautiful King Size Bed!
these tents are HUGE! I would LOVE to have a TENT on our farm
back in Kentucky! Have to put that on the 'to-do' list!
We open every window flap in the tent (it is screened) and walk around .. ooohing and aaahing in amazement. Then snuggle in the bed more at peace than we have yet been on this journey.
Alone together with a million birds singing us their love song.
Later I read my journal to Hank as he watches out the window (from our huge king size bed) at passing critters. A tiny little dik-dik ... (looks like a new born fawn) tip toes to the door and peers in! What a delight! We let sleep overtake us .. only to occasionally hug and murmur "I love you".
*
At dinner time, we discuss in sleepy tones:
"I think I'll skip dinner .. how about you?
"I think I'll go" ... (pause) .. well .. maybe not!
o.k. I think I'll try and get up and join the others .. can I bring you something?"
"No, I'm fine" .. pause.
o.k. I think I'll stay here too."
That conversation goes on for a few minutes and we are again in a deep sleep.
At about 8 p.m., a native/guard is at our door .. he says our friends are concerned we did not show up for dinner. Is all o.k.? We assure him we are fine and have decided to skip dinner. He quietly disappears but we are already asleep again.
At about midnight, our native/guard has appeared again (they do patrol all night watching that no 'cat' has appeared in the compound and offer to put our window shades down all around the tent. Hank tells him 'no thank you' .. we love the breeze and night view. He disappears as softly as a midnight breeze.
At 6 a.me., he returns to wake us. We have a 6:30 a.m. SAFARI that we do not know of because it was announced at dinner last night. Paul has sent this man to wake us. I am up and dressed .. hank is naked as the day he was born .. and Paul and G appear to get us! It takes exactly 30 seconds for Hank to get dressed and out the door!
(more on the Safari in my next 'chapter'.
MEANWHILE .. back to this lovely 'tented camp'.
When we return from our 'dawn' safari .. and after another
huge breakfast (my appetite is BACK and I eat like a starving lion!), I visit the gift shop and see a wonderful African painted cloth of a mother and baby elephant and think of my time among the forest elephants and purchase it as a remembrance.
I now sit on the verandah listening to and watching hundreds of beautiful yellow-bellied weaver birds chirping and industriously building their nests at the tips of the thorny acacia tree.
They build them at the slender tips with the openings facing downward to prevent snakes from entering and eating their young.
These 'weaver bird nests can be seen all over Kenya.
They are beautiful little birds ..
Weaver Bird Nests .. I coulda' brought home a million of these ..
but would not have been able to get them through Immigration!
This is a BEER TREE .. a very strong FRUIT BEER is made from the gourds ..
Paul says this beer will make you VERY DRUNK!
Nature .. at it's finest!
I loved this 'buzzard' perched on top of this big bush .. and he is HUGE!
Giraffe eat from the thorny ACACIA TREE.
In Africa, the Acacia tree is known as The Yellow Fever Tree because travelers would often stop under them for rest while on their journey. Many people got yellow fever and died from it. They believed it came from the trees. It was later discovered, of course, that it was from the malaria-carrying mosquitoes in the dirty little streams that lined the roads where these trees grow and under which people rested on their travels.
Meanwhile ... Back at the Lodge ..
this was the 'gathering room' at the lodge ..
I spent a little time in here doing some
hand-sewing.
It was such fun to sit and watch people and listen to all the accents from all over the world!
This is the 'candelabra' over one of the 'buffet' tables.
Lovely bridge that led to our tent.
THIS IS HEAVEN!
(to be continued)
MORNING SAFARI ...
in which my camera and arm attached thereto
almost become 'lion kibble and bits'!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 5:33:39 PM
Pappa Lion .. Fat Cheetah and Momma Elephant with her Baby
SAFARI
Saw a big lazy male lion today .. Paul says there was most likely a 'pride' of female lions not far away.
Lions sleep 20 hours out of 24! They don't get real active unless they get very hungry .. and after they have eaten a big fat zebra, gazelle or other unfortunate critter .. they may go two or three days without eating again.
SIMBA notices us ...
... but is obviously FULL .. and isn't the least bit interested in us!
Looks like he is day-dreaming!
Decides to exhibit his 'manly parts' (or maybe he was just 'tooting' in his sleep!
ROLLS OVER and goes back to SLEEP!
This is a a typical road that we travelled on with lots of these
'muddy dips'
We see three FAT CHEETAH!
We are all sure that they are 'pregnant'!!!
But Paul assures us they are males .. who have just had a tasty snack!
What a beautiful coat and magnificent tail!
Looks like he stopped at one of our lodge buffets!
We are ALL starting to resemble this guy!!
During the Safari .. we see lots more animals ..
my most favorite being this momma elephant and her baby!!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 08:41:53 AM
LION/CHEETAH SAFARI
Saw a big lazy male lion today .. Paul says there was most likely a 'pride' of female lions not far away.
Lions sleep 20 hours out of 24! They don't get real active unless they get very hungry .. and after they have eaten a big fat zebra, gazelle or other unfortunate critter .. they may go two or three days without eating again.
SIMBA notices us ...
... but is obviously FULL .. and isn't the least bit interested in us!
Looks like he is day-dreaming!
Decides to exhibit his 'manly parts' (or maybe he was just 'tooting' in his sleep!
ROLLS OVER and goes back to SLEEP!
This is a a typical road that we travelled on with lots of these
'muddy dips'
We see three FAT CHEETAH!
We are all sure that they are 'pregnant'!!!
But Paul assures us they are males .. who have just had a tasty snack!
What a beautiful coat and magnificent tail!
Looks like he stopped at one of our lodge buffets!
We are ALL starting to resemble this guy!!
During the Safari .. we see lots more animals ..
my most favorite being this momma elephant and her baby!!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:59:36 AM
jo .. i think the kenya tour is about $8,000 for two of you (rounded up) .. and the Tanzania extention is about $4,000 for two. PLUS airfare!! (plus .. they 'recommend' an $8.00 per day per person TIP for your driver!)
KENYA IS TWO WEEKS
TANZANIA IS ONE WEEK
I do highly recommend that if you are going to spend this kind of money .. that you spend a few extra dollars to get a really good company behind you. There are some pretty dreadful places to stay in Africa .. and unless you are young and healthy .. I don't recommend them. Your travel agent will HIRE a travel company in Africa to take you on tour. I HIGHLY recommend Kenya Wildlife Tours .. and absolutely ask for PAUL (Ngigi) . .i can get his exact name if you need it .. he was FABULOUS!!!
We did not fare as well with our guide in Tanzania though! I would have preferred someone else .. we were supposed to get a guide named JUMO .. but i think because there were only three of us .. so we got 'arnold' who had a smaller vehicle (too small!!!) .. a nice enough man .. but his heart didn't seem to be in his job .. he didn't seem to hear our questions and certainly wasn't as knowledgeable as Paul was. JUMO drove us an hour from our final luncheon in Tanzania to the airport .. and i swear .. that young man told us more about Tanzania on that hour's drive than Arnold did the entire week we were with him.
I think with the Africa trip, airfare and three days and nights in Amsterdam on our way home (this part was on US) .. plus some 'souvenirs' .. we spent a little over $20,000 .. a HUGE amount of pennies I know .. but if you only do Kenya or Tanzania (and oh my gosh .. they are equally wonderful .. and it would be a shame to miss either one of them as long as you are already half way across the world!) .. but skipped the Amsterdam trip .. and went 'light' on the souvenirs (what ran ours up higher is some wonderful jewelery that Hank bought for me both in Africa and Amsterdam) you could probably stick to about $12,000 plus air fare.
When I was told that most Africans think that all Americans 'walk on gold' .. I told them that we work all our lives .. save some pennies for when we retire .. and hopefully .. life has been kind enough that health and family has not depleted our savings .. so that we can take these 'once-in-a-lifetime' trips. I know it is lovely to leave some pennies for our children when we are gone .. but .. if we don't get to 'come back and go around again' .. we need to treat ourselves to what we can afford and what makes us happy.
Our motto in the last few years has been: IF NOT NOW .. WHEN?
Hank's personal motto is: HAVE FUN!
I respond to him that MY personal motto is: SPEND MONEY! (his, of course!)
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:54:02 AM
A KENYA ADVENTURE
January 9 - 24, 2007
July 31 - August 15, 2007
October 2 - 17, 2007
Please Note: If one of our scheduled group departures does not fit into your plans, why not utilize our great guides and resource people on an individualized program. Great for Families, Couples, Friends and Small groups who have specific dates and ideas. Call or e-mail our offices. Our staff is ready to help.
An escorted safari will provide you with the opportunity to view, study, and photograph the richest concentration of wildlife and birdlife on the continent of Africa in a spectacular array of habitats, ranging from snow-capped peaks and tropical forests, to grassland plains. You will also explore the rich cultural traditions of the diverse peoples of Kenya.
Monthly Weather in degrees Fahrenheit
Average rainfall in inches
Nairobi, Kenya
Month J F M A M J J A S O N D
Average High 77 80 80 76 74 73 71 72 76 78 75 75
Average Low 58 58 60 61 59 56 54 54 55 58 60 59
Average rain 1.8 1.7 2.9 6.3 4.7 1.2 .5 .5 1 1.7 4.7 3
Sample Lectures: “An Introduction to Kenya,” “The Ecology of Amboseli,” “The Ecology of the Aberdares,” “The Ecology of the Mara.”
People to People Experience: Meet the people of Kenya during a special visit to Boystown where you will learn about current social issues affecting children in Kenya. Visit a Masai village and learn about their traditions as well as their daily lives.
PROGRAM FEATURES
Deluxe and first-class accommodations in hotels and lodges and all meals on tour as indicated.
All specially arranged lecture/seminars and field experiences as indicated in the itinerary.
All transfers and safari transportation by specially equipped safari vehicles with guaranteed window seat.
All professional English-speaking driver-guides are personally selected for you from first-hand experience by our Kenya coordinator.
All sightseeing and park entrance fees, and tips and taxes normally added to your hotel bills. Flying Doctor Service.
Day 1 - Tuesday
USA / Nairobi, Kenya
Depart the U.S. for your flight to Nairobi, Kenya
Day 2 - Wednesday
Nairobi
Transfer with assistance to the Safari Park Hotel.
Safari Park Hotel
Day 3 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Nairobi
Enjoy the hotels wonderful pools and surroundings. Morning orientation lecture, "An Introduction to Kenya." Visit to the Department of Paleontology at the National Museum of Kenya. A special viewing of Part II of Richard Leakey's - BBC Time/Life television series, "The Making of Mankind," will be provided, followed by a guided tour of the museum. Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant, followed by a visit to Boystown to learn about some of the current social issues affecting children in Kenya. Dinner at Nyama Choma Restaurant at Safari Park Hotel.
Safari Park Hotel.
Day 4 - Friday (B, L, D)
Nairobi / Amboseli
After breakfast, drive across the Athi Plains, home of the proud Masai tribe, to Amboseli, one of Kenya's best-known game parks. Lunch and game viewing in the park with the snow-covered peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, in the background. Dinner and overnight at the Amboseli Serena Lodge.
Day 5 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Amboseli (Mt. Kilimanjaro)
Early morning game-viewing safari. Breakfast at the Amboseli Serena Lodge. Visit the working campsite of wildlife researchers for a lecture/seminar, "The Ecology of Amboseli." Free time; enjoy a swim in the lodge's pool with Mt. Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Lunch at the Amboseli Serena Lodge. Late afternoon game viewing safari. Dinner and overnight at the Amboseli Serena Lodge.
Day 6 - Sunday (B, D)
Amboseli / Nairobi
Breakfast at the Amboseli Serena Lodge. Game-viewing safari through the park and across the Athi Plains to Nairobi. Visit the "Bomas of Kenya" to view tribal villages and traditional African dancing. Early evening lecture will be followed by dinner. Overnight at the Safari Park Hotel.
Day 7 - Monday (B, L, D)
Nairobi / Aberdares
After breakfast, safari through Kikuyu country via Thika (the setting of Elspeth Huxley's The Flame Trees of Thika), to the Aberdare Forest. Lunch at the Aberdare Country Club looking out upon Mt. Kenya. Safari through the Aberdare Forest to The Ark. The verandah overlooks a waterhole and saltlick, which is bathed in light at night. Lecture/seminar "The Ecology of the Aberdares." Dinner and overnight at The Ark. Game viewing from the hotel verandah.
The Ark
Day 8 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Aberdares / Samburu
Safari past Mt. Kenya and across the equator to Samburu Game Reserve, noted not only for elephant, leopard, and lion, but also for species of wildlife seldom seen elsewhere - the Grevy zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa Oryx, and Gerenuk (giraffe-necked antelope). Late afternoon game viewing safari. Dinner and overnight at Shaba Sarova Lodge and evening game-viewing from the lounge overlooking the Uaso Nyiro River.
Shaba Sarova Lodge
Day 9 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Samburu
Morning game-viewing safari in the Shaba Game Reserve. Lecture/seminar, "The Samburu." Free time to enjoy a swim at the lodge's pool. Lunch at Shaba Sarova Lodge. Afternoon game-viewing safari at Buffalo Springs and Samburu Game Reserves. Dinner and overnight at the Shaba Sarova Lodge and evening game viewing from the lodge.
Shaba Sarova Lodge
Day 10 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Samburu / Mt. Kenya Safari Club / Sweetwaters
Drive to the stately and historic Mt. Kenya Safari Club where you will have ample time to explore the club's beautiful grounds. Enjoy a magnificent luncheon at Mt. Kenya Safari Club. Drive to Sweetwaters Tented Camp, located in the heart of the 24,000 acre Sweetwaters Game Reserve. The camp has a special game-viewing platform overlooking a waterhole. The gentle lower slopes of Mt. Kenya offer an excellent opportunity for nature hikes and bird watching.
Sweetwaters Deluxe Tented Camp.
Day 11 - Friday (B, L, D)
Sweetwaters / Lakes Nakuru
After breakfast at the Sweetwaters Tented Camp, drive to Nyahururu Falls and descend into the Great Rift Valley. Safari around Lake Nakuru, home of a million flamingos and truly a paradise for ornithologists.
Lion Hill Lodge.
Day 12 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Lake Nakuru / Masai Mara
(Northern Serengeti Plains)
Safari to Masai country to one of Kenya's best-known reserves, famous for its black-maned lions and great herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. Late afternoon game-viewing safari.
Mara Sarova Deluxe Tented Camp
Day 13 - Sunday (B, L, D)
Masai Mara
Early morning game-viewing safari. Free time to enjoy a swim in the pool with the breathtaking vistas of the vast open plains, rolling hills, and acacia woodlands of the Mara as a backdrop. Visit a Masai Village and take an afternoon game-viewing safari.
Mara Sarova Deluxe Tented Camp
OPTIONAL BALLOON SAFARI
approx. $425 per person
Day 14 - Monday (B, L, D)
Masai Mara
Safari across the savanna grasslands in search of the Mara lions and to observe the diversity of wildlife. Picnic lunch along the Mara River where you will view hippos and crocodiles. Continue game-viewing safari in western Mara. Lecture/seminar, "The Ecology of the Mara."
Mara Sarova Deluxe Tented Camp
Day 15 - Tuesday (B)
Masai Mara / Nairobi
Safari back to Nairobi. A day room will be provided at the Safari Park Hotel. Rest of the day at leisure (last minute shopping or pay a visit to the National Museum of Kenya), followed by your transfer to Nairobi Airport for departure to U.S.A.
OPTIONAL RETURN FLIGHT
Approx. $125 per person (a 40 minute flight from the Mara will return you to Nairobi by noon). Payments for this flight will be made in the Mara by American Express, cash, or Travelers Checks only.
Day 16 - Wednesday
Arrive in the USA
Visas are required for all U.S. citizens. You can obtain your visa at the Nairobi Airport upon arrival for a $50 fee per person (subject to change).
PROGRAM PRICE
AUGUST & OCTOBER DEPARTURES
$3,695 p. p. double occupancy Land Only
$995 single-room supplement
JANUARY DEPARTURE
$3,495 p. p. double occupancy Land Only
$895 single-room supplement
OPTIONAL TANZANIA EXTENSION
Day 15 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Masai Mara / Speke Bay, Tanzania
You will depart with picnic boxes after breakfast. Drive to the Isebania border where you will meet with the Tanzania driver and after some brief border formalities, you will proceed on safari. Lunch will be en route to the Dutch owned Speke bay lodge situated on the shores of lake Victoria. Different bird species may be seen like the giant kingfishers, dwarf bitterns and Senegal lapwings on the shore as well as yellow white eyed and yellow throated greenbulls. It’s a very pretty lodge situated on the lakeshores. The following excursions are available: canoe-trip on lake Victoria to a fishing village. Mountain-bike trip through Masamba hills. Fishing on lake Victoria, lake cruise and bird walk.
Speke Bay Lodge
Day 16 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Speke Bay / Serengeti, Tanzania
After breakfast in the lodge depart for Serengeti arriving in time for lunch. Game drive will be conducted on your way to the lodge. Embark on an afternoon game drive.
Serengeti Serena Lodge
Day 17 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Serengeti
After breakfast proceed on a morning game drive returning to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, another game drive can be taken to explore this park famous for large concentrations of plains game such as zebra, wildebeest and gazelle.
Serengeti Serena Lodge
Day 18 - Friday (B, L, D)
Serengeti / Ngorongoro
After breakfast, depart for Ngorongoro crater via Olduvai Gorge site of archaeological findings, where traces of prehistoric people dating back to 3.5 million years have been discovered. Picnic lunch will be eaten at Olduvai Gorge. Continue to Ngorongoro and arrive in the evening.
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 19 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Ngorongoro
After breakfast at the lodge, proceed on a half-day crater Tour. In the crater you can see a spectacular array of wildlife including the big five. The crater has a variety of ecosystem including grassland forest and swamp. The lake on the crater floor is home to Flamingoes and many other species of birds. The rest of the day at leisure.
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 20 - Sunday (B, L, D)
Ngorongoro / Lake Manyara
After breakfast, depart for Lake Manyara where you arrive in time for lunch. All the lodges are situated on Mto WA Mbu escarpment, overlooking the Great Rift Valley and a good variety of big game.
Manyara Serena Lodge
Day 21 - Monday (B)
Ngorongoro / Arusha
After breakfast drive to Arusha arriving in time for lunch. After lunch, departure transfer to the Kilimanjaro Airport.
Day 22 - Tuesday
Arrive in the USA
TANZANIA
EXTENSION PRICE
JANUARY DEPARTURE PRICING
$1,795 p. p. double occupancy
$325 single-room supplement
(Extension price based on a minimum of four persons.)
AUGUST & OCTOBER PRICING
$1,995 p. p. double occupancy
$395 single-room supplement
(Extension price based on a minimum of four persons.)
(NOTE: Tanzania visas and yellow fever inoculations are required for this extension.)
B - Breakfast
L - Lunch
D - Dinner
Drinks are not included.
Any Questions? Are you ready to Register?
(click this link)
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:51:44 AM
here is their e-mail addy:
TraveLearn
Send E-mail to info@TraveLearn.com
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:50:41 AM
JO .. GOOGLE IT THIS WAY: TRAVELEARN (DON'T SEPARATE THE WORDS OR PUT TWO L'S)
LOTS OF INFO ON THERE .. (BE SURE TO TELL THEM FRANNIE SENT YOU!) XO
What's in a Name?
Our name, TraveLearn,
is a genuine reflection of our mission
which has set us apart
from other tour operators
for over 25 years.
The TraveLearn Experience:
Overseas Travel and the Joy of Learning
Outstanding Teachers
Great Food in Authentic Settings
Excellent Accommodations
Small Groups of Curious and Engaging Travelers Like Yourself
"Boring? Not on your life.
Dull? No way.
A good trip? Well, just about the best vacation
I've ever taken, and that's saying something."
From a well-known travel writer in a
nationally syndicated article about TraveLearn
So . . . Learn Something
While You Are Having Fun
TRAVELING!
Alaska l Antarctica l Arctic l Belize l China
Costa Rica l Egypt l Galapagos Islands & Ecuador
Greece l Ireland l Italy l Japan l Jordan l Kenya
Morocco l Panama Canal l Peru l So. Pacific
Spain l Tanzania l Turkey and more....please visit TOURS
New BUDGET Programs for 2007 are available.
Please register below for a free monthly
TraveLearn Cybertravel Newsletter
delivered to your e-mail address
View some of our SPECIAL TOURS and small ship expeditions!
SOUTH PACIFIC
CLOSE-TO-HOME
CRUISING
GRENADA
New Program!
Visit TOURS
(located on banner)
It's Like Taking a Luxury Field Trip
with the Best Teachers You Ever Had!
TraveLearn® is entering its 28th year as one of the leading tour companies specializing in educational tours and travel. TraveLearn provides international Learning Vacations for adults ages 30 - 80+ which are promoted through more than 300 universities, colleges and associations nationwide. These unique cultural adventures are now also available to the general public. As our name suggests, we are specialists in learning as well as travel, and our unique program itineraries are designed to inform you about the people and places you will visit. Accordingly, we pay as much attention to the quality of the people who lead our programs as we do to the selection of the first-class accommodations and transportation that will assure you a trouble-free tour.
Please Note: If one of our scheduled group departures does not fit into your plans, why not utilize our great guides and resource people on an individualized program. Great for Families, Couples, Friends and Small groups who have specific dates and ideas. Call or e-mail our offices. Our staff is ready to help.
We encourage you to subscribe to TraveLearn's Cybertravel Newsletter, a free online newsletter delivered monthly to your e-mail address. Each issue focuses on one of TraveLearn's worldwide destinations. You'll find such information-packed features as Book and Video Selections, Recipes, Travelers' Quotes, Trivia, and a Geography Quiz-all related to one highlighted country each issue.
Enter your e-mail address below to subscribe to our
FREE TraveLearn Cybertravel Newsletter
Subscribe Unsubscribe
Your complete Internet e-mail address.
Example: YourName@YourISP.com
Please check your email address carefully to make sure it is correct!
Do not use a space in your address!
You'll be sent an e-mail message confirming your subscription; if you don't receive a confirmation, you may have mistyped your e-mail address.
We do not sell or share our clients e-mail or mailing addresses.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Visit the TraveLearn Cybertravel Newsletter Archives.
A TraveLearn® Tour ...
For People Who Take Their Minds With Them On Vacation
Select to view TOURS
Earn Graduate Level Credit on our Tours
TraveLearn® l P.O. Box 556 l Hawley, PA 18428
1-800-235-9114 l 1-570-226-9114 l Fax: 1-570-226-6912
Send E-mail to info@TraveLearn.com
TraveLearn® is a registered trademark
Frequently Asked Questions | Media Comments |
Photo Gallery | Contact TraveLearn |
Order Information |
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:48:01 AM
HI JO .. I'LL DIG OUT THE INFOR FOR TRAVELEARN FOR YOU REAL SOON! THANKS FOR THE SWEET WORDS!
HA GURLFREN .. THIS "is" MY BOOK .. MY GIFT TO YOU ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS! XO
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 11:33:58 AM
Oh, Frannie, I am really enjoying your photos and comments; hopefully you are putting this all together in a book!
DH and I have been thinking about doing a safari in Africa; and friends of ours were just transferred to Kenya for a three year assignment last month, so we really are starting to plan. Your postings are really whetting my appetite for my own trip!
WHen you come up for air, do you have a website link or contact number / address for Travel Learn? I couldn't seem to bring anything up on a general internet search of just their name.
Thanks much...
Jo
Jo
"There are no strangers here, only friends you've yet to meet." |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 08:43:24 AM
Friday, January 19
Nyahururu Game Park
Lion Hill Lodge
We have passed through the gates of the Nyahururu Game Park and have been driving along for awhile and a loud clunking metal sound comes from the bottom of the car. We are isolated .. no other cars pass us and we are in wild animal territory (big cats and poisonous snakes being the biggest fear if contemplating getting out of the van!) Finally Paul tells us to keep a watch out becuse he has to get out and look under the car. Meanwhile, the ladies' heads are swiveling in complete circles on top of our necks looking for 'wild thangs' as Hank and "G" get out too and "G" sees a piece of bent metal. Paul pushes it back into place and we make it to the lodge .. uneaten!
I am like a cat on a hot tin roof! Feeling a little 'queasy' again .. so after nibbling a little salad and bread for lunch, I climb half way up a mountain to our room .. exhausted! A shower and a nap is what I need. No fans .. but we are on a mountainside. Our window looks into the forest and I did not see any fences or gates as we drove into this lodge. Simply a sign that said: DO NO WALK BEYOND LODGE! We have a safari at 4 p.m.. I do not want to misse it .. but sleep sounds so devine .. after our five hour drive today!
Paul tells us tomorow is SIX hours .. and on worse roads than we have yet travelled!)
Safari in Africa is NOT for the faint of heart!
Sleep wins .. and I miss the dusk safari .. and of course, they sighted lots of rhino and saw the 'ears' of a baby leopard .. which is as close to spotting the fifth of the BIG FIVE that we will come to on this whole trip! They also saw a lake filled with pink flamingos .. giraffe, zebra, ya-da-ya-da!
Suddenly, at dark .. I hear TRUMPETS and decide it is a warning sound that true to the lodge's name (Lion Hill) .. there is a lion loose in the compound. Soon the trumpets are followed by drums, music and DANCING at the Lodge. What a way to celebrate a wild lion among us!
O.K.!! O.K.!!! It was never a warning .. never a lion .. just in my imagination!
Hank and I amble down the hillside and watch a great dance program just before dinner. I only eat 'watermellon' for dinner! My appetite has just disappeared! And I do not want to tempt the fates that brought on that earlier stomach ache crud!
Saturday, January 20
OH YEAH! I think my stomach ache was also in my wild imagination. But decide to play it safe and have another 'light breakfast of tea and bread!
VERY LONG drive to next destination to Tented Camps at Masai Mara. More extreme poverty .. everywhere .. this is so third world!
We stop at a lake and take a canoe ride to see a family of hippos. About 2 dozen. They submerge themselves during the day with only tops of their heads showing .. occasionally opening their mouths very wide. They come out at night to feed. We're told that more humans are killed by HIPPO than any other African animal. Mostly by accident. Fishing boats (hmmmmmmmm .. and sight-seeing canoes???) hover over them not knowing they are there. The hippos surface for air and tip the boats over .. not a stalking of prey .. but just because they happen to both be in the same place at the same time! Fishermen either drown or are indeed bitten by the hippo. Hippos are vegetarians. We are told that they are slow in the water but can run faster than humans on land!
When I return home .. my daughter reminds me that she had warned me against taking a canoe ride when ther are hippos in the water! I guess I forgot .. ignorance is bliss .. because we did have a great time!
This area is where part of Out of Africa was filmed.
We glide around a large lake .. seeing beautiful birds and into narrow coves surrounded by grassy reeds where hippos hide. I can only think of the child's game: Hungry Hungry Hippo .. and am pleased they did NOT come out to play!
PELICANS
I forget what these were called .. we must have seen a MILLION
species of birds in Africa!
We canoe past an embankment with many women and children who have come to this lake to wash their laundry. Paul tells us that crocodiles swim along this banks and do from time to time kill someone doing wash or an inattentive child. What an amazing lifestyle! THIS IS the lake where the HIPPOS live too!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 08:41:49 AM
Thursday, January 18
We visit Jane Goodall's Chimpanzee Preserve
and hang out with MORANI .. the only TAME RHINO in the WORLD!
After more endless driving on more endless rough roads
.. we arrive at a Chimpanzee and Preserve
that was started by Jane Goodall.
We walk with guides to a brown river .. young chimpanzees are sitting in trees across the river .. with their backsides (butts) to us .. showing either disdain or simple 'non-interest' in their visitors. I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes and rush back to the van to bathe in DEET!
We then walk up a tower to view olde chimpanzees ..
a picture is worth a thousand words!
and .. as usual .. I walk up close to the fence!!!
and
receive a friendly greeting from this young man!!!
after watching their 'antics' for a few minutes
we say a fond farewell!!
literally: THE END!!!!
Next we visit a 'bone museum' that shows the bone structures of
many African wild animals
see how MILITARY the rangers uniforms are?
same is true for the policemen!!
and next .. we visit
MORANI .. the only TAME RHINOCEROS in the WORLD!
I'm pretty sure they mean this .. and a foreigner wouldn't have
a snowball's chance on the Equator of suing for any damages or death!
We were allowed to SLOWLY approach him with our guide who constantly said over and over .. and very softly: "Morani .. Morani .. Morani" .. We took turns being photographed with him as we 'patted him".
When we left, he followed us like a docile puppy.
An attempt was made to 'mate' Morani and a female rhino was brought into Morani's 150 acre compoound .. he KILLED her!!! (hence .. the term "somewhat" tame! Several attempts were made to release Morani into the wild. He kept returning and on the last attempt he got into a fight with another male rhino and was 'castrated' by the bull rhino. So he was brought home and no more attempts are made to release him. He is guarded 24 hours a day -- 7 days a week .. by an armed ranger. The gun is to keep poachers from killing Morani.
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| Phils Ann |
Posted - Feb 09 2007 : 08:21:29 AM
Oh Frannie, so much heartbreak.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 8:41:50 PM
SAMBURU VILLAGE
Thursday Morning .. 1/18
As we leave the Samburu area .. we stop at the Samburu Village
that we stopped briefly at last night .. and I was too sick to visit.
The villagers surround the car and ask how I am feeling this morning.
They smile and are pleased when I bounce out and tell them that I feel great!
(Paul later tells me that they said they all prayed for my recovery last night
and are pleased to see that their prayers were answered).
(I am sorry that I did not have the opportunity to sit down with one of the villagers and ask them all about their religious/spiritual beliefs. Paul told us that they DO believe in GOD .. but they do not believe in an 'afterlife'.
Three of the villagers speak very good English .. one being the lady in blue on the far left in this photo.
She and a young man were pretty much their 'spokespeople and interpreters' to the tribes as to what WE said.
There was also a young man who is well educated. The village has paid for him to go to school away from the Village.
The women greet us with a 'welcoming dance'.
It doesn't take me long to jump in and join the 'chorus line'
and of course, I had to show them some American Moves!
AND .. some rock and roll 'jitterbugging'!!!
We do not understand each other's 'words', but the smiles and giggles are universal!
*
The Samburu in this Village were nomads .. if there is a drought .. no food .. or if someone in the village died .. they would leave .. never to return. We were told that there are two other Samburu Villages in this area along with this village and this place is now their home and they have not moved in five years. (HA! they got a good thing going in this location .. because when tourists leave the lodge .. they have to pass their village on the way out .. and they do depend on the tourists to spend money and donate money to their village. They charge $20. per person to tour ... and then have lots of jewelry and other trinkets to sell you before you leave!
As our visit ended .. we were led past their 'marketplace' .. just a little area of the village with jewelry and other knick-knacks laid out for purchase. Ordinarily, tourists would 'haggle' with the prices .. but after being so welcomed and seeing such need .. I can't imagine anyone attempting to ask for a lower price for something .. EVEN THOUGH .. the prices quoted are always quite high in comparison to what you would pay 'off the street'.
Now here was a LIE .. that in hind-sight .. I really didn't appreciate:
There was an olde man and a very antiquated 'blacksmith's metal anvil' (NOT HOT)
sitting among the ladies selling their wares.
We were told that he MADE the metal jewelry.
I know that is not true because:
(1) men don't WORK!
(2) there is NO WAY some of the more intricate designs could possibly have been made with
that equipment .. being a 'crafter' .. we know these things!
(3) after we leave the village and go pass through that Somali/Kenya town again at the checkpoint .. two brown arms with a big ring and about TWENTY of the very same bracelets that I had just paid $15.00 each for .. and they are offered to me for: "ALL for only $10.!!!!!"
However, I just considered my purchases a 'donation' to the tribe .. and I bought three metal bracelets for $45. Two little tiny beaded bracelets for our baby granddaughter for $10. each and a beaded one for our daughter for another $15. I add another twenty and just gave them a hundred dollars for my purchases.
Barbara did the same .. so .. after you tack on the extra $60. they made from our 'entrance fee' .. they made out pretty well from our little visit.
But again ..
WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!
We dance our way through the thorny bush (see it at left in the photo below).
It surrounds the village to keep 'wild animals' out at night.
(especially leopard and lion .. and hyenas!)
I
the men and women's clothes are wonderfully colorful.
They do not make these cloths .. they buy them. I think they
both make and purchase all the beaded jewelry.
I do a HALLELUJAH dance unknowingly with Hank's future 'SECOND WIFE'!!!
Hank and his Honies!
The girls giggle as Hank tries to impress one of the women!
He finally gives up the 'jumping game' .. and 'gets down and boogies'
with the ladies!
Paul later tells us that the Samburu had a really fun time with us
and will never forget us! That makes our heart smile! We will surely
carry them in our memories forever!
The Samburu (along with many other primitive tribes)
do not use 'matches' to start fires .. it is always done
with sticks rubbed together .. straw, cow dung and the breath!
FIRE!
We watch and participate in 'ceremonial dances'.
The native men can jump incredibly HIGH
... especially the Maisi.
The Samburu are a tribe that broke off from the Maisi years ago.
They are a little less nomadic.
Hank gives the native men a good 'giggle' at his jumping ability.
I guess this is where the term:
WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP
came from!!!
Paul (our guide) looks on with a smile as a young Samburu
leaps and towers over him!
O.K. .. here we go ... READY! SET!
JUMP!!!!!
These men would get rich playing BASKETBALL in America!
A COURTING DANCE
me thinks me sees honey hunk holding hands!!!!
I pronounce Hank's partner his SECOND WIFE!
She and the villagers get a real giggle out of this!!!
As we were preparing to leave the village .. Hank's Second Wife made
her way to the front of the line of villagers there to say farewell to us ..
she looked at me .. and touched her heart with her hand .. and extended her
hand to me with a smile. I do the same.
We are told that all wives get along. They tell us that they do not 'inter-marry' but find
wives from other tribes. But I am not sure that is totally true because of other things that we are told by the Maisi. (more on that later).
The dances they shared with us this day were 'welcoming dances, rite of passage' dances, courting dances.
This young man has just been circumcised.
LOVE the GREEN SHOES!!!
We were told that the Samburu do not really count age in 'years' .. they count
ceremonies, events.
Before it became illegal to kill lions, a group of three or four recently
circumcised boys would all go out on a LION HUNT with spears and bows and
arrows. They would have to bring home one of his 'parts' (NO!!! not THAT PART!!!)
a paw, mane or something to prove they had killed the lion .. as part of his
rite of passage into manhood.
NOW .. they told us that they go out and steal COWS!
ALSO, circumcision is done wide awake and you DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE PROCESS ..
it had something to do with dirt and a big stick .. AND .. if the young boy/man even
utters so much as a tiny ouch or any utterance of pain .. he must leave the village for TWO years.
His family will feed him .. but he may not come back into the village for two years. He spends this
time outside herding their cattle and goats.
Their huts (homes) are very low and very dark. Three rooms are separated
only by 'half-walls'. The one we visited .. had a very small fireplace in
the middle .. but no 'smoke stack' at the top. Air filtered through the hut
and escaped through side slits. These are made of mud, cow dung, twigs and any plastic they can find to keep the rain out.
There is no true privacy in these huts .. the one we visited was the 'first wife's hut' .. where the husband and his wife sleep in one little triangle of the hut. then a small entrance .. (think of these spaces as a 'pie' that is cut in 4 uneven pieces .. but not all the way into the center of the pie. The grandparents slept in one of the slices on the other side of the entrance way. And ALL the children of the first wife slept in the larger 'slice' .. on a dirty cow hide. No pillows (they showed us a short wooden stool and said that was the 'father's pillow'.) We also saw no 'covers'. Hank and Barbara very hospitably took a seat on the children's 'rug' .. albeit it FOOLISHLY .. cuz' they both got lots of flea bites! I stood barely controlling myself from jumping up and down trying to avoid the fleas~ (my head would have gone through the 'ceiling' had I tried that little trick!
The SECOND and THIRD and FOURTH, etc. etc. WIVES would have their own huts all next to each other.
(more on that little subject when we visit the Maisi Village on our last day in Kenya.)!!!
This is the story we were told about both the Masai and the Samburu.
The boy's FATHER chooses his FIRST wife. He can choose his own second and third and so on.
But the boys keep as good a relationship with their father as they can .. out of respect .. and knowing
that they will choose their wife for them. AND it is MANDATORY that you marry your father's choice.
I ask about 'death' and 'burial' .. and it is explained to me that when the tribes are 'nomadic' .. when someone dies .. they wrap them in a cow hide and leave his body in the village .. they abandon the village . .never to return. It was further explained that sometimes they will 'burn' the huts .. but not always .. and that no other tribe will ever come into an abandoned village because they know death has occurred there and they do not know if it is a contagious disease.
Since this tribe is no longer nomadic, they simply wrap the body, (mother, father, grandparents and babies) .. in a cow hide and take them to a field outside the village and leave it for the animals.
I swear to you .. I almost fainted when they told me that! The look of anguish on my face elicited a further response from the woman who was telling me this (the lady in the blue dress that speaks English). She said "we mourn .. but not for long". We are simply returning to the earth what is the earth's .. we are born, we live, we die .. and we forget!
That statement has haunted me ever since hearing it and I do not think if I live forever, it will cease to haunt me!
I wondered the age of this Samburu woman .. she
certainly looks to be older than 49 .. but women
(in my opinion) have a very very hard life in these tribes.
THEY are the 'workers'. They tend the children and BUILD THE HUTS.
The men walk about all day with the cattle and goats.
Now I know full well that I surely do not have the 'whole story' .. but
Barbara, Priscilla and I all felt that the women had very hard lives!
Isn't it interesting to note the clothing and jewelry ..
versus the condition (lack of decor) and cleanliness
of their homes????
We were also introduced to this young girl who had
just been circumcised .. and it IS MANDATORY" at about age ten.
A Maisi told me they circumcise them early because they do not
want them to have sex before circumcision. GOOD GRIEF .. Sex with babies!
(There goes my American Attitude again!!!)
The best I remember is that they marry at about 14 or 16 years of age.
But then .. the life expectancy of Kenyans is 49 years old.
A young mother and her daughter.
NEVER did we see anyone, man, woman, child .. with LONG hair!
I cannot help but see the children wherever we go.
And I am consistently amazed in these villages how shabby
and dirty the children are always dressed .. especially in
comparison to the colorful beads and cloth the adults wear.
We visit the school .. which shocks me that it is on the OUTSIDE
of the village compound. I ask about this .. and they tell me
that no one is there during the nighttime when animals might come calling.
I so admire people from other countries who can go up to these beautiful little
souls and gather them up into their arms. I just could not do this. The little child
in the left corner of this photo (behind the little girl in the yellow dress) .. the child
with the blue crochet wool hat .. his poor little eyes had something dreadfully wrong with them
... I did not want to stare .. but Barbara said part of his face was missing. The little one in
the front in the purple shirt had no underwear on. The floor of the school is dirt .. and
there were no desks. I can't believe that tourists don't come through here all the time and leave school supplies (I was just sick that I had given all mine to Boys Town) .. and had none to leave here. But I wondered
where these supplies were. (Priscilla told me that the tribes SELL them). We were told that all monies given to this tribe went to the 'Chief' who lived elsewhere. It all seems so hopeless .. and I just pray that there are indeed lots of legitimate organizations that are helping poor people all over the world and that the poor are reaping the benefits.
The children sing "I'm a Little Teapot" in English for us.
I join in .. showing my handle, my spout and my 'tipping over' moves!
They laugh at me!
This dear little soul grabbed my heart!
It might have been her bright yellow dress
because they are all very dear!
Styrofoam cups with numbers 1 - 31 (calendar I suppose)
and a hand-embroidered alphabet.
Hank engages the kids in 'high five, low five, cool five, jive five
FUNKY FIVE!
they were shy at first .. but eventually all wanted to do "FIVES" with him!
their beautiful young teacher.
We say farewell to the Samburu of Africa
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 7:14:10 PM
Tuesday, 1/16 .. Our Journey Gets Scary!
We have entered a Somolian area of Kenya. We must stop to register at a check-point to travel here. We are suddenly swarmed by Somali Kenyans attempting to sell their wares. They are more aggressive than have approached us before .. poking arms through every open window filled with jewelry and other knick-knacks.
For the first time on our jouney .. I do not .. I can not .. look out the car windows of either side of the van and I find myself scooting to the middle of the van to avoid the outreached hands. Real or Imagined .. I feel somewhat threatened. We are oooooooh .. mayhaps .. 8 or 9 minutes from the SOMALIA BORDER .. (or in my wild-imagination .. so it seems!) ... but I have never been anywhere in the world so close to enemy territory. We are asked where we are from .. Hank replies: "Canada". I would have been more inclined to make-up a fictiocious country in a poor part of the world and start speaking 'in tongues' (or childhood pig-latin!)
Somalia/Kenyans
a mosque in this town .. what a contrast to the surrounding homes!
Paul has told us that these people truly believe that all Americans "Walk on Gold". The moment we cross the check point, there are no more 'roads' for the remaining million (o.k. .. Paul swears it is only TEN miles .. but we all took a vote .. and decided it is indeed closer to a MILLION miles to our lodge. (which we find is literally in the midde of a remote dessert .. not close to anywhere!) I have never felt so isolated! We wonder why so many people are willing to pay so much money to travel so far away. Paul says it is this remoteness .. this isolation .. they seek. NOT SO FOR ME! (see NOTE below!) Mostly I suppose because I feel more vulnerable now than I hever have before.
I wrote the entire time we rode to our lodge from the Somali/Kenyan checkpoint. Kenya is made up of 'districts' and when you leave one and enter another .. you have to present 'papers'. I wrote because I did not want one moment of what was running through my mind to get lost ... and probably also to occupy my time to keep me calmer than I might be if i let my fear take over. The road was so bumpy and Paul was driving so fast .. that my words were all over the page and barely intelligble .. looked like scribblings of a deranged woman
(which .. I was not far from being at the time!)
The gully we travelled on .. seldom was the view this 'grassy'!!
And mostly the only animals we saw were camels and goats.
There are NO roads .. just dessert floor sandwiched between scraggly grass which keeps the lifestock barely alive.
And being so close to the equator it is deathly HOT in this broken air-conditioned van. We travel at a very fast speed .. being jostled at every bump which come constantly.
Paul looks back for a moment and asks if we are all buckeld up? I am not! I sit at the back of the van .. in the middle .. in the 'catapult seat'. Paul swerves off the upper dessert 'road' .. into a gully, worn smoother over time by the herds of goats, cows and donkeys that relentelssly travel this route seemingly coming from no where travelling seemingly to nowhwere.
Paul does NOT slow down for these animals and their lone herders. They scatter at the last moment, barely preventing themselves from becoming dessertburgers!
I feel fear .. I sense danger. We rarely speak .. except for an occasional nervous humorous comment followed by equally nevous laughter. Fear truly is contageous. I try to get a sense of whether or not Paul is afraid.
A story he told a few days ago is brought to mind. We asked him at dinner, whether he had ever had any frightenhing events happen as a tour guide on Safari. He had us all on the edge of our seats as he unravelled a tale of being on a 'dusk' Safari with some clients. The time had gotten away from them and it got dark. He found himself trying to negotiate a deep puddle of mud on a very narrow road. The van was an old one and very open. He had two couples in the van and had to put the car in forwad and reverse .. forward and reverse several times in an attempt to get unstuck. He then saw a flash of 'cat' eyes shining in front of him in the dark. As the van lurched forward, a very frightened and angry leopard lept at the van .. glazing off the windshield. The clients were too busy holding on as the car lurched and they did not see the leopard. Luckily, the leopard jumped aside at the last second avoiding a head-on crash into the windshield and Paul said they were luckier still that the last lurch got them out of the mud ... and flooring the gas pedal, Paul was able to outrun the dazed leopard. His clients never realized the danger they were in and Paul certainly did not enlighten them.
Was he NOT enlightening us now?
I envisioned armed Somalian Soldiers riding camels from behind the next hill. (Ha! re-reading this journal entry later, I realize I do have quite an active imagniation when fearful! And by the way .. NO insurgents showed up!)
I continued to write in my journal. Hot, dry, dusty, scared .. I am getting grumpy as I wonder why Travel Learn does not provide a guarantee of 'air-conditioned' vans! How spoiled American of me!
(Very FEW cars in Africa are air-conditioned!!!!)
A herd of over a hundred camels appear with a lone herder dressed in Biblical times! Paul tells us to NOT take photos .. when we do pass these herders and they are close to 'the road' .. they have huge rocks in their hands .. and Paul said they WOULD throw them if they saw a camera pointed their way!
Suddenly, out of nowhere .. a van appears in front of us .. and we travel in the dust of another lone van .. rushing to pass him so that he may have his turn to 'eat our dust'.
The van continues to bump along .. tossing us in our seats. Paul tells us we are being treated to a free
"African Massage". We respond with 'nervous laughter'.
OH CRAP! We have just passed a sign that reads COMBAT SCHOOL .. out in the middle of nowwhere!!!
Awhile back we passed a sign that said: INTREPID ZONE. My brain is racing back to my high school days for the literal meaning of the word INTREPID!
I am as close to "IRAQ" as I'll ever be! This is the most frightened I have been .. and I have walked among Cape Buffalo .. the strongest, fiercest animal in the jungle!!
Why this vehicle has not broken completey down by now is one of the mysteries of the universe!
We arrive at our lodge .. and I do not like it .. mostly because I am scared, frazzled and frustrated! Even the service people here seem unfriendly, pushy, condescending . I am not the only one that feels that way. I am trying to understand the many many years of unrest, poverty and whatever else has molded their disposition .. but find, that I tend to 'skulk and hide' like the hyena .. and perhaps that is how we are viewed!
Paul does admit that these Somali/Kenyans do not have the cherry disposition of most Africans .. it is just the way they are he tells us .. it is their 'history'.
This Chapter should be entitled:
We Sleep With Crickets and Walk in Monkey Poo
Wednesday, 1/17
It is now the following morning .. a day and a half and a lifetime has passed since I last wrote in my journal. There is a crocodile infested BROWN river beside our lodge ..
that's CROCODILE CITY beside the bridge we walk over!
we walk along the path to the dining room with three to four foot prehistoric-looking lizards roaming the grounds.
Dinner and we crash early .. everyone is fatigued from all this adventure! Too much rich food .. and bumpy, bumpy roads. We go to our room after dinner .. our mosquito netting has been pulled closed for us .. curtains drawn and bed covers pulled back. I 'flop down' onto the bed only to 'flop up' at warp speed, as two huge crickets leap onto my forehead and bounce off somewhere in the crevices of my bed covers!
I "de-sheet' my bed .. searching for night crawlies .. re-make my bed .. and sleep with my head UNDER the sheets all night! I have not been eating meat on this trip and I was NOT going to start with crickets!
In the morning, i hear "WHEEEP! WHEEEEP! THUD! I look out the window (Hank pulled the curtains open last night to get a cross-wind. NOWHERE is air-conditioned! There is a native outside our window with a sling shot .. shooing/shooting monkeys out of the trees!
I drag myself to breakfast hop-skotching over monkey poop!
My stomach is queasy this morning (Priscilla got the African Trots last night .. is it now to be my turn??? We have a full-day Safari planned. Boxed Lunch picnic planned too! I can't bear to even think 'food'!
Not far into the trip I am getting sicker and sicker to my stomach! I lie down in the back seat .. get up to view elephants that are within 2 arms length! Most exciting was "G" spied a cheetah sitting erect and staring. We follow with our eyes where his eyes are looking. A herd of gazelle. He slowly starts to stalk them .. they sense danger! They stop eating and stand at rapt attention. Cheetah stops and slinks low.
(see the CHEETAH at 'alert' middle of photo .. slightly to the right)
Gazelle slowly move on. Cheetah slowly follows .. then .. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! like a streak of ligtening he takes off after them. He passes several of them with his eye on a particular one. He gets his prey .. but in the brush so we do not see the actual kill. I don't know if I am disappointed or thankful we did not witness
wild nature at feeding time!
(still stalking)
(cheetah on the run .. gazelle (lunch) in front of him)
That might have been my own 'undoing' .. as I lie back down in the back seat after downing a hand-full of TUMS! After about an hour of jostling .. we come to another oppulent lodge .. there are four lodges in this HUGE preserve.. but VERY far apart from each other. We stop for a 'tea and pee' break. I order a bottled COKE. Then on to an overlook for a picnic lunch. Tummy is churning. I drink my coke and nibble at a roll. And go back to lying on the back seat.
We pass a Samburu village .. VERY primitive .. dirt and dung huts from another era of history. Yet there is a group of villagers who live here. They are beautifully dressed in native clothing and jewelry. We were to take a tour .. I am so sick by now. Hank did not want to leave me alone. "G" and Priscilla don't want to tour the village. We are all very hot and tired.
Paul tells the villagers that I am sick. They surround the car and look at me with sorry eyes that tell me to get well. I ask Paul if we could see the village tomorrow. He says yes.
I barely make it back to my room. My stomach is wretching .. I feel so sick i am disoriented! I fall into the bed .. not caring if there is a village of 400 crickets in there with me! I am so sick. I crawl out of bed .. take a cold shower .. put my finger down my throat and release the coke and roll .. and fall back into bed until tomorrow!
Thursday, 1/18
WHEEP! WHEEEP! THUD! Monkey man is at it again! I feel better .. but wisely have only 'toast and tea' for breakfast.
"On The Road Again"
(to be continued)
NOTE: Sitting in my cozy little log cabin in the 'holler' here in Kentucky .. and feeling very safe .. I look back upon our experience, surroundings and the 'lodge' at Samburu .. it did have an "African Charm" to it. Even the 'scary' million-mile ride! And we did see sites that will remain romantically in our memories forever!
As you can see .. the lodge at Samburu is quite lovely! This is the 'pool'!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 7:11:11 PM
Tuesday, 1/16 - WE CROSS THE EQUATOR
Just rambling notes and thoughts:
We cross the equator .. big African Market .. cleaner than most. See demonstration of gravitational pull of water. Buckets within small hole in the bottom. 20 feet NORTH of the equator .. bucket is filled with water and a small stick is dropped in it. As it drains, the stick spins clockwise (as would your toilet when flushed). We walk 20 feet SOUTH of the equator .. and the same water/bucket/stick trick is performed .. and the water drains counter-clocwise. We walk to the exact equator line .. sam-o .. same-o .. stick will not spin at all! The further you travel from the equator .. the stronger and faster the spin of water.
We are descended on by people to visit their booths. I am still buying tiny colorful baskets with beaded handles. After MUCH haggling (oh yeah! my flea marketing skills has kicked in!) .. I now have 14 of those cute little baskets in my possession!
*
I come to realize that as a tourist I am viewing the people and the animals of Africa in much the same way .. with curiosity, reverence, awe. So far, the 'service people' at the lodges are the only Africans we have had social conversation with.
*
Priscilla is allergic to bee stings .. she carries an epi-pen .. a bee gets into our van .. buzzing aroaund MY window. "G" goes into automataic drive and smashes the beee-jeeezuz out of him .. but not quite enough to send him to bee heaven .. he falls into my seat .. stinger still quivering and bites me in the ass!
*
We now travel the bumpy, torn up road to our next destination. Shaba Saarova Lodge in the Samburu Game Reserve. The villages along the way teem with hundreds of people, goats and cows and ramshackle houses, unimaginable to most Americans .
LOTS of coca-cola tin billboards .. often we see store fronts and home fronts
made from discarded rusty tin pieces.
This is a country of slow moving. Roads always lined with people walking .. walking. Each going on their way to somewhere. The most endearing sight to me is always an African woman dressed in colorful cloths with a baby swaddled in an equally colorful 'sack' riding on her back.
such a contrast of 'clothes that we recognize'
and colorful wraps!
typical village scene
I note that NEVER*** have I seen a white person standing among these hard-working people.
*** .. looking back over my journal .. there was ONE incredible exception to never seeing white people walking among the black Africans ... this was in a small village (much like pictured above) .. there were 8 or 9 white teenage girls dressed in jeans and t-shirts walking along a village road.) Paul said these were daughters of Missionaries who lived in the area .. that there is a "Mission School" for them .. and they were walking at lunchtime. This came upon us so quickly (as did many, many sights that I could not get
*
We pass through an agrarian area with more successful looking farms than the usual small weedy cornfields .. next to small wooden or tin homes. More often than not .. these are coffee or tea farms run by wealthier white people.
my camera up quickly enough .. although for much of the trip .. it stayed in my hand!)
Paul tells us that lusher family gardens grow out of sight off the road with only narrow dirt foot paths leading to them. Often the produce must be packed in and out by goat or piled high on bicycles pushed along or by family members carrying it on their backs .. and taken to the many small roadside stands. I wonder who buys all these foods.
These are the foods I realize that we are warned against ever eating while in Africa for fear of illness and disease and for which innoculations are mandatory before leaving our own country. It is the 'soil' and the water that is used to grow them. I am sure these are the very foods that are served to us in our sumptous meals at our lodges .. only hopefully, washed in 'clean' water. Most baskets look to be overflowing the lush lettuces, firm potatoes and onions, beautiful tropical fruits.
I think about our early settlers to America .. when all farming was done by hand .. no modern mechanical equipment whatsoever. That is how it is done here (except, perhaps at the small hand-full of commercial farms dotting this country of Kenya.
*
The countryside has just opened up to verdant green hills with a ribbon of slightly better road running grey thorugh it. I see distant mountains and feel for a moment as if I might be back in my beloved Kentucky.
*
I am not a big 'souvenir' collector, but Hank has purchased a magnificent necklace for me made with leather and bone and stones with a brass amulet.
*
I miss our children! Each night at bedtime, I hold my hand to my heart .. gather all the day's love and adventure and raise my arm .. open my fingers and send it across the world to them!
I miss my family .. I miss my friends .. I miss Cabin and Creek. I miss our home .. and I miss Kentucky!
*
(to be continued)
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 1:57:59 PM
JANUARY 15 .. I SIT WITH CAPE BUFFALO!
There is a little 'hilltop' in the Aberdares
(you know .. one of those 'hilltops' .. where
animals RARELY visit .. soooo .. we humans
can stop for a quick pee-break!
Our wonderful guides .. after our wonderful
FOREST ELEPHANT adventure
bring us here for a quick look-see and pee.
As I approach the 'privy' .. I am warned to watch
for poisonous snakes and a 'weed' that grows all over ..
as it is very toxic to the skin!
OH YES! that's all I needed to hear to convince
me to pee my underoos if I must! This is as close
as I got to that little hut!
all around this 'woman-eating' plant is Snake City!
We walk along with our guides and they point out
a large depression in the 'grass' and tell us that
not long ago .. Cape Buffalo slept here!
O.K. .. this only gets better! ... so we take ten more steps to the edge of the hill
and two 'good olde boys' greet us!!
THIS is the icing on the Elephant Cake!!!
The large 'fierce' Cape Buffalo took turns getting up and sitting down .. seeming to not mind
that we have come for a visit .. and I will always believe they
each were 'bowing' to us. SEE .. I told you Lady Barbara
had sneaked out of her English Palace to come on this Safari!
Bravely, I walk a little toooooo close to them .. camera in hand!
Again .. I hear "STOP .. don't go any closer .. back up slowly."
Now all this is pretty dang amazing .. I have very little 'fear' of
Africa's BIG creatures .. but I am here to tell you that I almost didn't survive
an attack of a "dragon fly" that innocently flew into our van window ..
Suddenly .. I looked like a
deranged windmill .. with arms twirling and head spinning 90 degrees .. and
I think I must have landed in everyone's lap in that van until the
'deadly dragon fly' escaped my gyrations!
OH .. lord! and dung beetles, hut flies, tse tse flies, and the dreaded "cricket"
would send me into an epileptic fit!
There were two great wooden benches up there (the Cape Buffalo
are to Barbara's right and down the hill a tad). The other guide
and I sat on the bench in front of the Buffalo. They never did
leave us .. we just sat and enjoyed them and the magnificent view
until the sky got a little duskier.
I looked before me (that is the bench I was sitting on) and
THERE in the sky was the most beautiful rainbow!
I knew with all my heart and soul
that God was smiling at me on this blessed day.
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 1:54:07 PM
LOTS of pictures with this journal entry too gurlfrenz! so sorry i can't post them here!
AFRICAN "FOREST ELEPHANT" PATH ..
Monday, January 15, 2007
First, I thank God for opening up this path to Africa
for me and preparing and laying before me all these
incredible adventures. I thank you God.
Second, I thank my 'handsome honey hunk husband hank'
for making it possible for me to travel to Africa on Safari.
For going with me and watching over me and just 'being there' with me.
(oh .. and did I mention the buckets of money you spent!!)
We had such a wonderful time together .. there truly are no words
to describe just how wonderful!!! I
I delighted in his delight at me .. my joy .. my wonderment of it all!
I Thank You .. forever and eternity .. I Thank You!
I love you my dear husband Hank!!!
Our great guides were determined to show us Forest Elephants .. but they
just refused to show up on the road (it is more 'forest' here than open plains).
Sooooo .. suddenly .. they looked at each other .. and took a sharp left off the
little road onto a 'path' that only rangers take.
They told us this was an 'elephant trail' ..
the path they walk through the forest.
Before long .. we could no longer see the road ..
and we were riding through bushes taller than our van
.. so closed in it actually enveloped us as we disappeared
into the brush.
As we travelled along .. a family of
WART HOGS walked in front of us .. as if magically
guiding our way!
Suddenly, from a distance .. our guides pointed to HUGE BROWN ROCKS
on a hillside. They told us to just 'watch' ... and suddenly ..
the rocks MOVED .. and a 'trunk' was raised in the air!
Oh my gosh! these were ELEPHANTS!
We rounded a bend .. and found this big elephant herd
far off the beaten path!
As we approached .. one of the elephants
whipped around ... 'smelled us' .. and ...
went back to the business of 'eating'!
sooooooooo .. we drive yet a little closer and stop.
i look up to the right .. and there is a momma and a baby having a little 'nosh'.
momma notices us .. gives us a 'smell' and a LOUD verbal warning!
and ... goes back to EATING!
we inch closer .. and a big brother dashes towards us and
trumpets a warning!
our guides tell us to not be afraid .. again .. they are
just 'smelling' us.
baby sister enters the scene .. big brother sees this .. and ...
CALLS IN REINFORCEMENTS!!!!!
I so wish I had a 'movie camera' at this point .. these three
big mommas came running toward us .. lifted their noses and
BLATTED at us!
Our driver stopped the van .. (kept the motor running) .. and
told us again to 'not worry' .. HA! I don't think there was a single 'worry'
in either Barbara's or my mind at this point .. we were ecstatic!!
I believe I would point this to be the single most INCREDIBLE moment of
my trip to Africa!
(soon to be followed by another and another and another .. as you read further in my journal)!
with Baby Boo safely behind her .. Momma goes back to ..
yep! you guessed it! EATING!
and EATING!
and EATING!
One of the BIG BROWN ROCKS up closer than our first sighting!
I think the family has had enough of our visit .. and for the
next 15 to 20 minutes .. try to 'cajole' Baby Boo off the path and back into the woods!
Our guides say that they will NOT allow us to pass
until 'the baby' is safely out of our way.
They talked fondly of 'the baby' .. we were sure that they
have watched this little one since birth.
At one point .. and oh .. I do wish I had snapped a picture of it in time ..
Momma .. took her knee .. and 'nudged' Baby Boo to encourage him
to leave the path. (Still, he took his time .. it was obvious that like most
'human' babies .. he was the BOSS of this family!)
We waited for about 45 minutes .. and were thankful for every moment!
THEN .. one by one .. some of the elephant family made their
way slowly down to a small river for a drink of water.
And then there were three .. two young ones and one teenager.
BOO has decided to join his 'siblings' ..
and the Elephant Parade begins!
What pure JOY it was to witness these Forest Elephants
in their own backyard!
With the path clear ... we slowly start to leave .. I hear 'rustling'
over my right shoulder .. and am startled to discover .. a 'guard' who has been
standing on the hillside all this time watching us and overseeing
her family!
Seeing her family safely on the other side.
She quickly turns around and scoots behind us ...
She makes her way down to the river ...
splashes along ..
drinks deeply ...
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
then, she too joins her family travelling up the hill into the recesses of the Forest!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 1:37:10 PM
ann .. a few more coming today!! xo (and i'm only half-way through my trip at this point! xo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| Phils Ann |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 11:10:33 AM
Frannie, I stay on the edge of my seat reading your chapters. Gotta wait until tomorrow???! (to be continued )
XO,
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 08 2007 : 09:18:10 AM
LOTS OF PHOTOS TO THIS JOURNAL ENTRY .. REMEMBER .. E-MAIL ME TO GET ON THAT LIST.
JANUARY 15
LUNCH AT THE ABERDARE COUNTRY CLUB
AND
"I WALK WITH THE ANIMALS"
ABADARE COUNTRY CLUB
OH MY! was this place ever lovely!!! it used to be a 'private plantation' years ago .. but is
now a beautiful 'country club' .. and the 'travelling point' to THE ARK.
Only Park vehicles are allowed to travel to THE ARK. Sooo .. Paul brought us here to take a 'bus' to THE ARK after an incredibly decadent lunch. I swear .. it felt as if we had stepped back to Colonial times in Africa.
We had the BEST fresh-squeezed LEMONADE that had ever dribbled over any of our lips!
And NOWHERE else in Africa .. could we find lemonade!
We sat on a hillside beside the Club overlooking a magnificent view, surrounded by Peacocks Strutting Their Stuff .. and lunch was on the 'verandah'. This was my most favorite place we had a meal in Africa!
The ride to the Country Club had Giraffe, Gazelle, Zebra and
WART HOGS!
A babboon sashays past three sleeping Wart Hogs on the lawn!
I decide to take my camera and get up 'close and personal'
with the Wart Hogs!
SUDDENLY .. theY bolted upright as I was about 5 feet from them
and I swear .. I 'bout crapped my pants! Skeeered the be-jeeeezuz outta' me!
*
And just LOOK at this POINSETTA TREE in their garden!
breathtakingly beautiful!
and what a surprize to find it here in AFRICA!
I WALK WITH A GIRAFFE!
Now begins the most exciting day of my trip to Africa!!
After Lunch, we learn that there is a 'special safari' that you can take
(for an extra $25.) .. (and it was so phenomenal .. we tipped them an extra $30!) Only Lady Barbara and I opt to take it! It is about 2 hours long .. and the guides take us into the Aberdares Forest!
Our two guides were AMAZING!
We were still on the 'grounds' of the Country Club ..
and we drove into the midst of herds of gazelle and zebra ..
they asked if we wanted to get 'out' of the jeep.
I don't think I would have been more shocked if I had just
been informed that I was having TRIPLETS!
(Which is a pretty good trick considering I had a hysterectomy many years ago!)
.. not to mention I am also 65 years old!!
Barbara and Me
(LORD! I've been eating too much on this trip!!!)
I was more scared of stepping on a deadly snake than I was in
approaching wild animals!
I swear .. I do believe you could say I actually 'romped' with the animals!
The zebra were pretty shy .. but the
ELAN (i think) looked me square in the eye!!
the GIRAFFE and I made friends
(the guide had to actually tell me to WHOAH FRANNIE .. not so close!)
EARTH SHATTERING EXPERIENCE!!!!
*
Giraffe Poop!
NO! that is not MY hand!
check out the TUSKS on this dude! We had to laugh .. because this
field was an olde soccer field and overflowed with wart hogs!
Giraffe seldom sit down .. but this fella' was taking a rest!
*
O.K.!!!!!! I'm wondering if this is 'previews of coming attractions' ...
for when we enter 'the forest'!!
Our two wonderful guides and Barbara!
We enter the gate to the forest!
we stay in the car from here on ...
... well ... MOSTLY we do!
the forest through the trees.
Gazelle
WART HOGS
Cape Buffalo and one lone gazelle
GRASS-EATERS don't tend to fight with each other
Babboons
BIG DADDY!!!
We have searched and searched the hillsides for the FOREST ELEPHANT.
We cannot find any .. soooo .. those wonderful guides decide to surprize us ...
(to be continued)
(In Which we are Surrounded by a Huge Elephant Family)
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Feb 07 2007 : 4:30:16 PM
thanks gurlfrenz .. i hope you will all 'journal' the stories of your lives. even everyday stuff .. cuz' THAT is what life is TRULY made up of!
I have yet to write down my experinces on a safari that only barbara and i took where we sat with cape buffalo (OUTSIDE the van!) .. and were surrounded by a huge herd of forest elephants after going off the road .. and tracking their path through the woods! oh .. and walking with zebra, gazelle and giraffe! when we got back to the ARK .. we were both speechless and were not able to even talk about it .. as i have not been able to write of it .. but will try to tomorrow!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
|
|
|
