Onwards to Mount Kenya and ruminations!

August 7, 2016

The 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!

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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>

By adminin others

The Lioness of Amboseli and the many animals there !

August 5, 2016

For 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.

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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.

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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.

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As we wandered further we came upon another a herd of wild beasts, water buffaloes and zebras.

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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.

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So much of color on a bird the kingfisher definitely looked majestic and perhaps no wonder it became a mascot for a beer brand!

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“ 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 .

John - my guide in the bush! — John – my guide in the bush!

“ 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.

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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 .”

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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.

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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.

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Africans are simple people, brave strong and forthright. Sometimes I wonder how they were once colonized by the Continental Powers at one time.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

By adminin Africa, others

Hakuna Matata from Kenya

August 2, 2016

Madagascar 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.

Downtown Nairobi – The Uhuru National Park – From Wikipedia

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.

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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.

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Soon we blazed around Nairobi headed to sample and see the wilderness of Amboseli wild life at it’s closest.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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On the way back I watched as we passed Mount Kenya in all it’s majesty just staring at me from afar.

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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.

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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.

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I danced with the Masai and saw how they made fire with a stick, a piece of wood some elephant dung and straw.

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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.

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Except that the Masai are a polygamous society. They also keep cattle , raise goats and keep donkeys.

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They are an ancient nomadic tribe of Africa and have kept their tradition and way of life intact for thousands of years.

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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.

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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.

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That is the legend of the land and it’s wildlife park and for me it was a very satisfying experience.