Finally - a trip to Africa

gerenuks - a species of antelope that the Kenyans call a mix of giraffe and gazelle
see all photos »

Okay, I know Egypt is in Africa, and I go there all the time.  When I finally managed to get a trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, I was pretty stoked.

On our trip to Mombassa, we got to deal with all the standard idiosyncracies of travelling in the third world.  Due to the recent liquid explosive scare in London, you cannot travel with any liquids (not even chapstick, which I think is really a solid) within Kenya.  So once we got through the airport in Nairobi and managed to find the domestic terminal, we had to empty our bags of pretty much everything but the clothes.  Luckily we had one bag we could consolidate everything in and check - otherwise we would have been in serious need of toothpaste and deodorant.

ostrich
see all photos »

I've heard lots of stories about Kenya Airways - notably, the beef sandwich that stinks up the plane and converts your insides to a nonstop roller coaster.  So we were in for a treat when they served us chicken sandwiches on our hourlong flight from Nairobi to Mombassa.  It was some kind of curried chicken, served on decent bread with mango juice - frankly, not bad, considering that we all thouht we'd retch from the stench.

Driving from the airpot to our hotel illustrated the two sides of Kenya, and I suspect the rest of Africa as well.  We saw people in all styles of dress, from full dress suits to just a rag around the loins, engaged in a lot of really primitive activities, like carrying water from a well.  When we arrived at the resort, we were greeted with hibiscus juice, cold towels and quick check ins with porters to carry our bags.  In other words, it was a "don't lift your pretty little finger" type of place.

a trio of giraffes
see all photos »

So most of the trip was actually work, but we did manage to visit the wood carver's village and go on a day safari.  The Mombassa Carver's village is like a little neighborhood that you can walk through and visit with the craftmen as they work.  It seems their proudes work is with ebony, as every one we met wanted to give us a piece (makes a great trivet) and tell the story, which is basically that ebony is the wood of harmony - white on the outside, black on the inside, all in the same tree.  They make everything from tables and chairs to masks and bowls and drums, with very limited tools like knives and razors.  It's pretty impressive to see.

water buffalo
see all photos »

After watching the craftsmen, we spent even more time in the co-op store, trying to decide what to buy.  The co-op is just to the right when you pull into the compound, and allows bartering.

Our driver knew of a restaurant we should try, and we went back into Mombassa to find it.  Already enchanted with Tuskers beer, I was amazed after my first sip of Tuskers Malt.  It's super-smooth and fresh - the born-on date was for that week!  We had many while we waited for our mysterious platters to arrive.  First, in a gesture of hospitality, the waitress came around offering a red plastic gasoline can filled with water with a coarse soap on a string tied around the handle.  She poured the water over your hands right to the floor while you washed, then offerred tissues to dry.  Our food came out in a parade from the kitchen.  Plates filled with grilled lamb and chicken, tomatoes, and mashed potato dish with huge corn kernels and beans inside.  We rapaciously tore into the meat with our fingers and let the juices drip down into the potatoes, making them just as delectable.

animals near watering hole
see all photos »

Tsavo National Park is about an hour and a half from Mombassa, so we left early in the morning. There is only one road, if you want to call it that. It starts out paved, and then quickly breaks up into patches of pavement here and there that the van leapfrogs between until eventually there is nothing but packed ground, and you try to follow a path in between fields and hills negotiating the bumps Suddenly, about 10 km from the park entrance, you’re back on a beautiful, smooth road.

elephant
see all photos »

The first wildlife we saw was a family of elephants about 1 km from the road – really, it looked like a bunch of moving blobs under a shady tree. Still, it was the first time I’ve seen elephants in the true wild, and we took tons of blurry pics with the zoom lens (that barely came out) then kept going.

As we got further into the park, we found animals closer to the road. First it was all kinds of deer species, then packs of zebras, then a family of giraffes eating from the acacia trees. We got to the point where zebras were no longer exciting – there were so many of them all over the park.

zebras
see all photos »

I’ll let the pictures show what else we saw. Our eyes were peeled for predators – lions, tigers, bears (I know, I know, not the right place). Another van sighted some lions, but you needed binos to see them and none of us were that prepared. The drivers all monitor a radio channel where they report good sightings, so about five minutes after finding anything, you’re ambushed by all the other safari trucks and choose to scoot.

At some point we found the Voi Lodge for lunch. What a surprise! The drive climbs up a hill to the lodge, and you have no idea what’s on the other side. As you walk through the crowded little lobby, you wander about the place, and whether the food will be any good. No worries, though, the view itself would compensate for anything. The bar, restaurant, and lounge all form a huge semi-circle that overlooks a small watering hole overlooking a huge plain. Animals are spread around all over the place, with small packs always coming and going. We watched the water buffalo and elephants cycle through, strategically crowding the other species out of the water, while off to the side the zebras kept fighting. A crane landed on a water buffalo’s back and sat there for a while, observing, then flew to another perch. A pack of deer ran through masses of elephants without really causing any stir.

a crane comes to land among the animals
see all photos »

After we ate (by the way, the buffet is pretty tasty), we headed down a walkway and through a tunnel to a small viewing area down by the water hole. It’s a small opening that the hotel built out of the cliff with bars (kind of like a jail cell) to protect you from the animals. You’re only about 3 m from the animals at the water, which makes for amazing pics and a few chills when the water buffalo stare you down with their sardonic grins.

We left the park as the sun began to set and saw more animals in glorious silhouette. It’s the first African safari type place I’ve visited, but I think Tsavo has tons of animals! You’re virtually guaranteed to see all kinds.

the safari road
see all photos »

The road back was crazier than the morning drive. Road construction was all over the place, which I’ll be excited to test out next time I’m in Mombassa. However, that meant we had to stop frequently. When we got back on the main path, we witnessed a horrible sequence: a train derailed off to our right, then a huge truck screeched his brakes (I think out of fright), which caused it to tip over and crush some other vehicles. Our driver just roared past, leaving us to wonder about the accident and people involved.

Just as a warning, Kenya prohibits any liquids on carry-on bags. Their luggage X-ray machines are frequently down, so I recommend checking anything that can be construed as a liquid if you’re going to need it in onward travel.