Elephants in Amboseli National Park!

Amboseli National Park, in the southern part of Kenya on the Tanzanian border, is famous for its elephants. Apparently it is THE park to visit if you want to see elephants and we found it lived up to its reputation (and then some!). There are herds of elephants everywhere in the park, many of which spend several hours a day in the park's swamps munching on green plants. We spent a significant amount of time with four herds while we were in the park (along with several solo elephants along the way). If you parked your car and just sat still, the elephants would drift around you as they slowly and deliberately wandered, ripping grass from the earth the whole time. The sound of the grass ripping from the ground and also of the elephants chewing the grass was overpowering and engrossing. In fact, while we drove in the quiet end of the park, we had herds to ourselves for hours, with no one else around for miles and miles. It was an incredibly still, serene and soulful experience. We watched adolescent elephants spar and play, babies nurse alongside their mothers, and large males watch over their families. The only tense moment came as we left the largest herd we spent time with. The biggest bull swung around as our car crept past, as if was deciding whether or not to charge our car. Another bull had just turned to face us, as well. Needless to say, Brian stepped on the gas pedal and scooted out of there as quickly as he could. Thank goodness the transmission hose didn't break at that moment!

Wildlife in Amboseli...

We took too many amazing photos of wildlife to post on the blog (check them all out on Facebook!). But here are some highlights...

Our encounter with the Maasai...

We had the privilege of visiting a remote Maasai village while at Amboseli, and we spent the better part of a full afternoon walking through the village, visiting the school, talking about the community and getting to know some people. We learned a few words in Maasai (Sopa! Ashayolang...) and we spent a full hour working out a price for a Maasai spear, a beaded wedding necklace and some beaded bracelets. It was a community affair, with all of the men seated and standing in a semi-circle. Daniel, one of the schoolteachers, was appointed as the businessman and he engaged in bargaining with enthusiasm. We had read about how long bargaining takes with the Maasai and, indeed, our experience was a lengthy but very enjoyable one. Lots of laughter, stories and pauses made the experience positive and good. In another post called "Car Trouble" you can read about some additional adventures with Chief Supak and his brother, John. John gave us a call the night after we returned to Nairobi (he is in charge of the village cell phone) and we think we'll be chatting with him again soon about ways Freedom Through Learning can support the village school. What a blessing.

Views from the tow truck... (see story below)

Car trouble...

This past week, on our trip to Amboseli National Park, our poor Subaru Forrester broke down three times. The poor 11-year-old hoses in the car just couldn't take the crazy washboard roads we used for days on end, and the transmission hose gave up the ghost. On the way down it broke the first time, thankfully right next to where a road construction crew was doing some road work. Some of the road guys were helpful and ascertained what the problem was. Brian worked with the guys to cut the hose and re-attach it, and then he rode into town to get multiple litres of transmission fluid. The whole process took about four hours but then we were rolling again! Everyone assured us the park wasn't too far but what they all failed to mention was that the road from the last village (Namanga) into the park gate was completely rutted with washboard for 67 kilometres! As we drove along, we realized it was getting dark and we still had hours to go (with a dubious repair job to boot). Brian and I envisioned spending the night by the side of the road, camped out in our car, fighting off lions or bandits. We were so relieved to arrive at the park gate in one piece! Two days later, after a wonderful afternoon at the Maasai village outside the park, we drove the chief and his brother, John, over to the Amboseli Serena Lodge (a very expensive lodge in the southern part of the park). As we coasted in to the gas pumps there, Brian commented that the steering felt funny in the car. Lo and behold, we had lost all of our power steering fluid and also cracked the transmission hose again, bleeding the transmission dry. It was another lucky break, though, because there couldn't have been a better place to break down - a ritzy bar with cold Tuskers was waiting. While Brian sorted out the repair (with the help of Chief Supak and John - and Supak's very large knife that was used to cut the hose again), the girls and I ventured into the lounge and reflected on our good fortune. After the repair was complete, Supak and John joined us at the bar for a drink and further conversation about their community school (and possible Freedom Through Learning partnerships there). We also talked at great length about the drought that has resulted in the death of all but two of the community's 400 cows. The situation is dire and the community has been ravaged. Supak believes education is the key to moving forward, and he is passionate about providing education for the community's children. We came home with a lot to think about, and with the beginnings of a relationship with a unique community. The following day, after driving on many more miles of washboard road before we hit the glorious tarmack, our poor car (which we have nicknamed Joey Africar) simply couldn't keep going. The transmission hose broke for the third and final time 75 kilometres south of Nairobi. Thank goodness an AA tow truck was able to come and get us (two hours later) and we rode back into town in high style, seated in our humbled Forrester on the back of the tow truck. It was quite an experience!

Braving a Nairobi mutatu...

Last weekend we had to take our car to get the brakes done. There is a garage just down the road and Brian decided it was time to muster up some courage and take a mutatu back to the apartment from the garage. To explain, a mutatu is a van that serves as public transportation here in Nairobi. There are hundreds of these vans in the city and they follow bus routes, picking up passengers along the way whenever someone flags one down. Apparently, up until a few years ago, the rules about mutatus were a lot looser and dozens of people would pile into one van. The laws are a lot tighter now and the vans are supposed to only take about 11 passengers each (although we have seen a lot of infractions in this regard). When it came time to go back to the garage, Brian convinced me (LeeAnne) to come along for a return mutatu ride. I was a bit dubious, as the mutatu drivers are quite erratic and aggressive, driving at fast speeds and in creative ways, veering onto the shoulder and cutting other drivers off at will (in fact, they strike fear in my heart whenever we drive in the city). This mutatu ride didn't let us down in terms of the fear factor. It was packed with passengers to the point that Brian and I shared a seat by the sliding door (I was perched on the edge, hoping I wouldn't get caught in the door when it was opened or opened - while the vehicle was in motion, I might add). The video is a bit chaotic because as soon as I turned the camera on, the mutatu stopped and we needed to get out of the mutatu to allow a gentleman in the back to exit the vehicle. The video doesn't fully capture the intensity and risk associated with a mutatu ride, but it does give a little taste of the experience. And we survived! :)

Literary Festival fun...

On October 3rd, we took advantage of a wonderful 3-day literary festival in Nairobi and attended a session that featured two Kenyan poets (Tony Mochama and Njeri Wangari) and a British poet (Benjamin Zephaniah). It was so delightful to be engaged in a discussion about the power and purpose of poetry, with poets who are passionate about their craft, dialoguing and reading from their work. After being away from access to such events (in English) for awhile, it is a treat to be able to participate in such events and to be exposed to a whole new group of artists. We came away from the day with three fabulous books of poetry by Kenyan poets (along with several other books as well!). In the video you see Zephaniah performing one of his poems about his brother scoring a goal in a soccer game.