I think I have done Kenya a bit now and wanted to head out further and visas had been applied for and a few came in and my next stop was Mozambique. It was my last night at Nairobi and I was determined to have some fun. But first I needed a haircut and so I ventured into an African hair cutting salon. Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Caroline and the African Hair Cut!"</span>
Continue ReadingMaasai Mara had been great. No two ways about that and I enjoyed it to the fullest. I went back to Nairobi after that for a two day tour of the city. I parked myself in a hotel aptly called After 40 for two nights at $100 a night. My friend back from school at Welham Boys, Yah Krishna sent a car for me and I was off to see a really loving place called the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
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The organisation was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honour of her late husband, an Englishman, a famous naturalist and the founding warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE. It is a famous landmark in Nairobi and housed here are orphaned animals like elephants, mambas and rhinos.
They have a show beginning at 11:00 am everyday where baby elephants that are under the age of four are showcased to a cheering crowd. I saw school children watching the show and playing with these orphaned elephants. Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Damn I Am a Dad Now!"</span>
Continue ReadingOne of the last part of my journey through Kenya was the Maasai Mara National Reserve (aka Masai Mara or simply The Mara) a massive 1500 sq km game reserve in the Narok County at Kenya. It is right next to, adjacent with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
The Maasai are the historical inhabitants of the area. Tall and hardy they are a colourful tribe in the way they dress and their simple lives – still making fire the very old fashioned way!
I was staying in a camp just outside the game reserve and it is a jungle camp right in the middle of the Mara land. I have a tent to myself for the four nights I planned to be here. The tents are spread Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Dining with Lions and Leopards – Maasai Mara"</span>
Continue ReadingA gallery of some of my better pictures of the animals I saw !
Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Animals in the wilderness of Africa"</span>
Continue ReadingThe word Nakuru in the Masai language means a dusty place and is also the fourth largest city at Kenya and the capital of Nakuru County.
The Nakuru Lake lies to the south of the city and is a great collection of African fauna.
It is a sanctuary for many wild animals. There are elephants roaming free, water buffaloes, baboons and zebras and wilder beasts that find this an ideal habitat. Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "The Baboon and the Birds at Lake Nakuru"</span>
Continue ReadingThe Amboseli leg of my journey was coming to an end and it was time for us to move towards mount Kenya. In the meanwhile I also took the opportunity to apply for my Zambia visa online. I used a 3G dongle with a local SIM card to get access to internet on the move and while the connection was not exactly stellar – it did get the job done!
I could upload and send mails , everything on the move from the comfort of my van. I am thinking now that I need to go back and tie up with a telecom service provider and get a discounted deal. Telecommunication cost can be a substantial part of ones travelling expenses especially if you also want to blog while at it. Continue Reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Onwards to Mount Kenya and ruminations!"</span>
Continue ReadingFor most tourists to Africa the goal of the Safari is to catch the big game – perhaps a glimpse of the Lion King. It is not a tough thing to do if you look in the right places and I spotted the king of the beasts as he lazily slept on the coarse grass of Amboseli Park.
I stopped my mini bus to take pictures of this magnificent beast, and today it did not disappoint – except that it was a lioness! The Queen (can we call it that?) was laying on the grass as it looked at me drawing close in my bus.
It got up and yawned at me and went along for a lazy indolent, stroll. I clicked away with my camera and the distance between me and her mustn’t have been more then 20 meters and I had a good view.
Next was a team of elephants who where busy eating the bush grass and sipping water from the lake with their cubs at their tails.
As we wandered further we came upon another a herd of wild beasts, water buffaloes and zebras.
This time we circled around the lake to catch a glimpse of some amazing bird which included a red billed Pelican and what might have been a Kingfisher.
So much of color on a bird the kingfisher definitely looked majestic and perhaps no wonder it became a mascot for a beer brand!
“ You know Anuj, I used to watch Mahabharata when I was young and I think it was a famous Indian TV serial which was also very famous in Kenya” remarked John my guide once during the safari .
“ I take a lot of Indians to safari , nice people and they eat a lot of chilies with their food !” He added making small talk in the heat and dust of the bush.
I smiled and asked “ who was your favorite hero from Mahabharata then?” John scratched his head for a while and said “ Bhishma, the man who lay on a bed of arrows , man he was so powerful because no one could kill him as he had a divine boon , so all they could do was to put him on a bed of arrows .”
I was frankly amazed he knew all this, about a culture so far away to be impossible. I was also fairly heart warmed thinking the strength of our culture that spreads so far and wide.
John was a fine guide and made sure I had everything I needed on my journey, he took care of my lunch my drinks and my rest and recreation.
Africans are simple people, brave strong and forthright. Sometimes I wonder how they were once colonized by the Continental Powers at one time.
Kenya today is a vibrant economy and has evolved with the spread of technology, internet and mobile telephony. They are one of the more advanced nations in Africa.
Tourism forms a big part of their national revenue and there are people from all over the world here. I saw and met Danes, Russians, Koreans, Japanese all come over to see this wild spectacle of Africa. And what a spectacle it was indeed.
As we headed back from the observation point in the park at about lunch time I realized i had spent almost six hours watching these magnificent animals.
Time just flew and I wouldn’t have noted had it not been as I was hungry. After a bite of spaghetti and meatballs I opened a bottle of lemonade called Krest, a brand owned by Coca Cola and available in Africa.
As I sipped it I could tell the flavor of the drink had not changed and was the same even twenty five years back when I was last in Africa growing up in a land so vast and unique.Now with the afternoon heat getting to me i soon retired for a nap dreaming about my next destination which is Mount Kenya.
Continue ReadingMadagascar was a blast and now I head forward and it was time to bid adieu to Antananarivo and fly in to the Jomo Kenyata Airport (IATA: NBO, ICAO: HKJK) at Nairobi for the next leg of my African adventure. Visa was not an issue though yes Indian passport holders need one with a fee of $50 for a single entry tourist visa. You can apply for an e visa also.
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I was booked into the Radisson Blu hotel and once checked in – spent the next two days resting and getting my bearings around the bustling new city.
I was advised by my bankers at India not to use your credit cards in this part of the world. It is a bit like the credit card fraud capital of the world though no it is not – as per statistics that I can see – that is in fact the US! I was advised and took along an ICICI Multi currency Travel card – a sort of “pre paid” card with a stipulated amount of dollars loaded onto it which can be topped up according to my need. I felt that the card was in fact a god’s gift of sorts considering how secure it made travelling and transacting.
I roamed around the city and found my self a tour operator for a 10 day trip around Kenya, covering the Amboseli National Park, The Masai Mara game reserve, Mount Kenya and others. At $250 a day, all inclusive it was a bit steep to me but it was a private tour and the service has been excellent so far.
Soon we blazed around Nairobi headed to sample and see the wilderness of Amboseli wild life at it’s closest.
I have this huge SUV with a open top all to myself with a exclusive guide and driver. We were to get to a camp at the park.
It is about eight hours drive from Nairobi. We stopped en route for food and other rations for the camp. Once at the camp I had a tent to myself and perhaps very aptly named Hippo.
Other tents had names like Baboon or Zebra etc and I was pretty happy with my camp’s appellation. After a lunch of Chicken cooked African style with peas and rice we headed for the park.
I realized and saw the magic of having an open top SUV. It was so convenient for me to take photo’s of the animals and they were so near to us.
First I saw a group of ostriches, then a herd of Zebras, followed by wilder beasts, lions and before long wild donkeys and before long I managed to glimpse a hyena as well.
The view was glorious and camera worked over time. I got some great shot’s of the sunset among the trees and the lake of course.
On the way back I watched as we passed Mount Kenya in all it’s majesty just staring at me from afar.
Truly this was a magnificent land of Disney’s Lion King and it felt like I was right in the middle of all the action. All the animals looked like characters in the film, a mind blowing experience.
On the way back, we stopped at the local Masai Village and I was greeted by Thrombo which means The Chief. He showed me around the village.
I danced with the Masai and saw how they made fire with a stick, a piece of wood some elephant dung and straw.
It is a art in itself and a trick one must learn to survive in the wild. After strolling through the village with their huts made of straw and cow dung, it looked not too different from the villages at India in U.P or Bihar.
Except that the Masai are a polygamous society. They also keep cattle , raise goats and keep donkeys.
They are an ancient nomadic tribe of Africa and have kept their tradition and way of life intact for thousands of years.
I went into one of the huts and saw their kitchen and cooking utensils , the beds are made of cow hides and their markets sell colorful artifacts and jungle jewelry.
The word Amboseli means the Hurricane in Swahili, and this land witnesses many a hurricaneand hence the name. Amboseli is also a wild bat ones that inhabits these land.
That is the legend of the land and it’s wildlife park and for me it was a very satisfying experience.
Continue ReadingMy days at the island nation of Madagascar were getting to be fun. It had been countrywide journeys to cross the length and breadth and to get as good as possible a feel of this place.
The afternoons were getting warmer and I didn’t feel the need to take my jacket out as I venture into the wild.
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As one of the last things to do here before I head further deeper into the African land and we headed off into the thick of the Isalo National park .
The entry fee is 65000 Ariary, about $22 or about 1460 Indian Rupees for a day and you need to pay another 120000 Ariary to get a guide, which is mandatory and who would take you around and inside the park.
Some visitors tour the vast expanse of the park over a week or so. We, my guide and I began our little trek began through thick woods and wild rocks.
we marched on crossing water falls and small streams and before soon I was engrossed in these purple flowers with huge bees buzzing on them.
That was it and I was amazed at the scene and begun taking close up shots of the bees and the flowers with my camera.
A little distance away was a jungle camp with people having lunch with tents put up in tents right in the middle of the jungle park.
I decided to rest for a while but not before I got a glimpse of the Lemurs and I took lot of pictures of all the three distinct types of Lemurs including the one with the long ringed tails.
After a quick meal of Chicken and rice I had what was probably the best dessert I have had in a while pineapple in caramel sauce and boy was it mind blowing or what?!!
After that snack I was up and ready to take on more of the the jungle again. I went down in between the steams to capture the play of nature in my camera.
It is much cooler in the jungle with the thick foliage and cool streams and water ways, one feels so one with nature here and a kind of soothing feeling sets in.
At times like this one just wants to sit back and contemplate life a bit.
After a full tour of the park which took about two hours we headed back home, but not before I spotted a brown and green snake in the bushes on our path.
I got a few close shots but must have scared the snake as he rustled past through the bushes.
As if on cue my guide picked up a stick and tried to pull the snake closer so that I could get a better shot of him. The snake fought back and jumped to the other side before slipping away from us.
Now we were dangerously close to the snake he could have attacked us , but i managed to get a couple of shots of the slippery bugger.
I am getting a hang of taking close up and portrait shots now and getting to grips with my larger lens on the camera.
I knew I wanted more and there was more to be had, deeper Africa to be probed and wilder sights to be seen. I knew I was heading forward onward to Kenya now, the wild life explorer in me having woken up !!
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The last few days here at Madagascar have been me sitting in the back of the car and Londry, my driver aide de camp driving through
the dusty meandering roads going though lush green farm land interspersed with lakes and canals. The arteries of this great land of Madagascar.
The sky took on crazy hues of purple and pink in the evening as the sunset approached and at times it burnt bright like a forest fire.
We blazed through small villages and towns. The village typically comprised of hut’s a open market , with kid’s playing on the filed and farmers taking their cattle across the road.
As proud Madagascans march away in the evening for a stroll or to catch their glimpse of the market place . Cathedrals litter the countryside in this predominantly Catholic Country.
People are liberal and polygamy was a way of life in this part of the world, but due to economic realities perhaps this tradition seems to have collapsed.
People are generally happy and social events are things like cock fights , birthday singing parities or playing bowling in the park seem to be favorite pastimes. I got a chance to see a song and dance performed at the hotel I was staying at.
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They love to make things out of wood from exotic wall hangings to simple furniture even statues and ornaments.
The Malagasy food mainly constitutes pork, beef, rice and vegetables. It’s a weak economy but the people are simple and while at the bar of in the restaurant, people seem to want you to have fun. The place has it’s short comings but also has it’s own unique flavor and identity.
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Not to forget to me mention the top class service my driver Londry was providing me. I was strolling in the bar of my hotel , asked for a whisky at the bar. One evening and a few pegs down and a few fish fingers later, my eyes met that of Natasha.
A young nymph who was tending to the bar. I just had to know and enjoy her giggly smile and bronze skin. In the evening I let my feelings be known to Londry regarding Natasha and able Man Friday, he promised to help. Laundry along with his network of friends in the hotel got the job done and we changed hotels the next day as Natasha was smuggled into my arms. We spent the whole morning together drinking and listening to Beyonce . But alas the love making was truly out of Africa , so tender but so harsh , needless to say my day was made. I slept through the whole of the next day, recovering from the excesses of the morning. I welcomed the unique purple and pink sunset of this land again. Yes I could indeed now smell Africa now I could flow in my veins.
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