Kenya Safari Sampler: Masai Mara

The Mara Simba Lodge -  the same place I stayed in 2007 !

Hippo pod.

One of many crocs !

The zebras migrate with the wildebeest.  The zebras eat the longer grasses, revealing the shorter grasses for the wildebeest.

Topi, or not topi -- that is the question.

Masai giraffe in the grass.

Wildebeest - as far as the eye can see !  They migrate here from the Serengeti to feast on the oat grass.

Are you looking at me ?

Let sleeping cats lie !

Elephant family.

Neck and neck !

What's up, croc ? (can you see both crocs ?)

Tanzania / Kenya border -- where the Serengeti meets the Masai Mara.

Kenya Safari Sampler: Lake Naivasha

Yes, we really got this close !
We went on a walking safari on Crescent Island.

Kari finally got her man to come to Africa !

Loving nuzzle.

Russ, communing with the giraffes.

Acacia thorns.  Can you imagine separating the leaves from the thorns ? 
It seems an easy task for most giraffes, thanks to their long, sticky tongues.

Russ communing with his kin, once again !
They actually came to him, like a long lost leader.

Kenya Safari Sampler: Lake Nakuru

The gang:  Bill (Dad), Toni, Donna, Russ (Brother), Kari (Sister-In-Law), Me, Bob and Marilyn (Kari's Parents).

Rothschild giraffe - with white knee socks and three horns.

Just lion around. (I love this tree!)

A very muddy cape buffalo!

Baboon family moment.

A sleepy white rhino.  It's a hard life !

Russ and Dad at Lake Nakuru.

Masai Musings

In the Masai Mara, Kari, Dad, Russ and I went for a walking safari with two young Masai men, Simon and his brother.  Simon taught us the practical and medicinal use of various leaves and roots, how to read animal tracks, and how to tell the age of an elephant from its dung.  Simon explained that pregnant and nursing women are fed elephant dung tea, for the nutrients from the processed acacia thorns.

The Masai men and boys still lead semi-nomadic lives, taking their cows and goats to graze.  Predators have learned to fear them from their red cloths.  The women stay behind in the village (boma, or manyatta) to tend to the younger children.

We visited Simon's village, which houses 10 families. The men and women greeted us with song and dance, and encouraged us to join in. Simon showed us the inside of his house, which is constructed from cow dung and sticks.  He is married with 3 children.  His family arranged his marriage, and he is okay with that.  As the sun began to set, the children led the cows and goats into the manyatta and Simon led us back to our lodge.

 Simon explains the beneficial properties of drinking elephant dung tea.

If you look closely, you can see that those rock-like lumps in the river are hippos.

Simon taking us to his boma, which is fenced with thorns to keep predators away. That baby goat was born that day.

The villagers answer the kudu horn call to dance with my brother. That's a lion mane hat he's wearing !

 

Now it's the women's turn to sing for us.

Village elder.

Taking the calves home for the night.

Thanks for the wonderful walk, Simon !

Kisii Kids

One of the main drivers for the Raymer / Bishop reunion in Kenya was for my sister-in-law, Kari, to share her passion for Kenya with her new husband, my brother.  As a special gift to me, they brought my 81 year-old father along.  I didn't expect to see my family at all during my year away, so I was thrilled to have the chance to join them for at least part of their trip.  I don't think either my brother or father would have conceived of a trip to Africa were it not for the crazy women in their lives -- Kari, and of course, myself.

Kari spent her early childhood in Kisii, where her parents worked at a school for girls.  Kari has had several return visits to Kenya as a young adult, teaching in Nairobi and leading volunteer groups.  But this was the first trip back for her parents, Marilyn and Bob, apart from a brief visit in the mid-'80's.  Kari also recruited a dear friend, Toni, and her mother, Donna, from Wisconsin.  Kari and Toni worked together in Nairobi.  So, our happy troop of 8 veered off the tourist safari track to pay homage to the Raymers' old stomping grounds in the Kisii highlands.

Kari did a bit of research before coming to Kenya, knowing the Canadian and American contingent would have extra luggage space.  She found a link to the Kisii Kids Orphanage, wrote to find what they most needed, and filled up the extra suitcases with the 'blessings' they requested.  I think it's fair to say that for all of us, one of the highlights of our trip was the morning spent at the orphanage.  It is run by a young couple, Stevenson and Damaris Maranga, who have 7 children of their own, but still found the faith and conviction to take in an extra 40 or so children from the area.  They feed, clothe, and shelter them all, through the grace of donations from friends and neighbors, and even run a small school on site for the younger kids.

Here are some of the sweet faces that made our day.

Stevenson and Damaris welcome us into their home.

Kari makes a new friend.

Getting a break from class to greet the visitors.

Moses kept us company all morning.

These little ones weren't so sure about us.

Amani Ya Juu Unity Quilt

In Nairobi, we visited the Amani Ya Juu cooperative, "where peace is sewn through the eye of a needle".  Amani Ya Juu is Swahili for "higher peace".  It is a training, sewing, and production centre for marginalized and refugee women from throughout Eastern and Central Africa. 

Together, they had produced a unity quilt, illustrating how reconcilation is traditionally celebrated in their homelands. 

I was immediately drawn to the square representing Rwanda, having spent some time there years ago.  When there is a dispute, the elders talk first with the representatives from each group.  Here the problem is exposed.  When the dispute is settled, everyone drinks banana or sorghum beer from one pot on the ground which has many straws in it.  The drink is provided by the one who is found guilty.  Everyone drinks at the same time from the long straws in the pot.  Afterwards, everyone hugs each other to show that the problem is solved.

The square representing Kenya features a rooster. When a rift occurs between two families and they are unable to resolve it themselves, the elders are called to act as mediators. The one who is found to be in the wrong is required to give out a young goat or rooster to be slaughtered. The elders collect special leaves which are dipped in water. The elders sprinkle each family member with this water to cleanse and purify them. The chicken is shared between the two families and then a large meal is prepared for the families and community.

"My friends call me Jozi."

The Orlando power station, Soweto.  A playground for bungee jumpers and thrill seekers.

Two thumbs up in Kliptown, Soweto.



On 9 May, 1994, South Africa's first democratically elected parliament met for its first sitting.

Sprawling Johannesburg with remnants of gold mines on the horizon.

 "Pay careful attention to your personal security in Jo'burg.  Daylight muggings in the city centre and other inner city suburbs, notably Hillbrow, do happen and you must be constantly on guard."  (Lonely Planet, Southern Africa)

It is statements like this that kept Jo'burg off my 'must see' list.   However, I thought I'd make use of a layover enroute to Nairobi to make up my own mind about the city.  I signed up for the 'Ultimate Johannesburg Tour' to see the highlights of Johannesburg, Soweto, and to visit the Apartheid Museum.  I even had the guide drive me through the densly populated and notorious Hillbrow. 

In Soweto, I was struck by evidence of a growing middle and upper class in close proximity to the slums whose denizens are still waiting for public housing.  Unlike parts of Jo'burg, you don't see a lot of security gates and fences.  I asked the guide why.  He said that in the townships, the residents deal with crime in their own way.

We visited Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, where, on June 25, 1955, over 3,000 representatives of resistance organisations, known as the Congress of the People, drew up the Freedom Charter, an alternative vision to the repressive policies of the apartheid state.  The Charter remains the cornerstone of African National Congress (ANC) policy to this day, and is seen by many as the foundation of South Africa's 1996 Constitution.  Here are the tenets of the Freedom Charter:

The people shall govern

 All national groups shall have equal rights
 The people shall share in the country's wealth
 The land shall be shared among those who work it
 All shall be equal before the law
All shall enjoy human rights
There shall be work and security
 The doors of learning and culture shall be opened
 There shall be houses, security and comfort
 There shall be peace and friendship

I think the last one is my favourite.

Back in Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum was a moving testimony of a very recent history.  I plan to take a visitor there next month.  

1994 is not that long ago, however, and the wounds are still fresh.

I asked my guide what he thought about the Truth and Reconciliation process, and he said, "We have tried to move on and forgive the Apartheid regime... but you know what ? - they never said they were sorry.  It is hard to forgive someone who isn't sorry.", echoing the famous statement of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "Without forgiveness there is no future, but without confession there can be no forgiveness."

Thank you for the enlightening visit, Jozi.  I will be back !