Don’t Go Chasin’ Waterfalls…and Elephants!!!

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     We mwege’? (pronounced “a”) Eeh nde’(a) mwege’(a). This is a common greeting and response combination in Kikuyu- the dominant language of the local people who also happen to be the largest and most politically dominant tribe in Kenya. I find it interesting that as a kid, I remember having a unit on Kenya in the 1^st grade. We were told that there were elephants, buffaloes, lions, rhinos, hippos, and leopards and were introduced to the idea of endangered species (interestingly, this was around the time that Leakey, under Moi, launched an international anti-ivory campaign to save elephants and rhinos). We were also taught that the main languages of Kenya were Swahili and English. But my most poignant memory of this time was studying the “peoples of Kenya.” Never were we told that there were 42 unique tribes in Kenya. All I remember is talking about the Maasai and studying them as typical Kenyans, living in mud and cow dung houses –wearing their traditional garb of blankets (we weren’t told they were shukas) and carrying swords, and spears (never mentioning rungus.) I remember making “Maasai shields” as a class project and essentially being indoctrinated that the Maasai WERE Kenya. While the Maasai are a formidable political force, occupying a great deal of territory and are historically important and culturally fascinating, they only represent 1% of the Kenyan population. There ARE 42 other tribes in Kenya. The Luo, the Kikuyu, the Meru, Samburu or the Embu (just to name some predominant ones) were never mentioned in this class, giving us, children, a false image of this country. What is worse: the Kenyan tourist industry ALSO sells this image- appealing to the desires of many Western cultural tourists to find “pure” untouched cultures etc… (the tourist industry would freak out if I wrote a guide book with my photo of a Maasai man –dressed traditionally, but talking on a cell phone and having some Nikes on his feet!) What I find ironic is that these very people they are trying to “sell” to the rest of the world as being Kenya are the same people who are most frequently marginalized by government policies. And things don’t even balance out as the Maasai receive the majority of tourism, but don’t reap the benefits, while the rest of Kenya remains largely underrepresented in tourism, and unless you are Kikuyu, Embu or Meru, chances are you are politically underrepresented.
     But enough griping! Now we go to the paradise known as the foothills of Mount Kenya. It is a region that holds immense spiritual value for both the Kikuyu and the Maasai (I am sure other groups as well.) In each of their respective mythologies, the mountain is believed to be the home of their god, Ngai (Engai if you are Maasai). It was strongly believed that he lived on its snowcapped peak. Thus, I feel like one day I will have a chance to visit his abode (I want to put a 7-day hold on my internship so that I can summit the peak). I want to organize a trip of CFSA students to trek up to the tertiary summit (as the primary and secondary require technical rock-climbing skills- for another time I suppose?) As soon as I saw the peak, clearly coming out of the clouds in the morning, I got the same feeling that I had when I saw Katahdin for the 1^st time- a knowing inside of myself that I had to- and would summit it.
     But seriously, this location is truly fit for the gods. There is a perpetually cool breeze during the day (it actually gets pretty chilly at night) which makes sleeping really comfortable as you enter the warm cocoon of your sleeping bag. On our first day here I ventured out on some forest path close to camp only to discover a series of 15-30ft waterfalls! (We were told there were some nearby) They were hidden in a valley with dense foliage of palm, ficus vines, Cyprus, eucalyptus and bamboo running up the steep walls. These intermingle with hundreds of other species, creating dense forests that are home to colobus monkeys, elephants, buffalo, and leopards. Despite the warnings of the neurotic, but very kind group doctor (Dr. Sue replaced Dr. John after Nguruman), I tested the water and determined (very scientifically of course…) that the water was too cold for schistosomiasis snails who require calm water and at least 20 deg Celsius to survive. This water is literally glacially cold as it comes from the melting snows of Mount Kenya. There is no better feeling than swimming through a waterfall (also bathing) that is so cold that is sucks the air out of your lungs and even the mosquito bites shrink to miniscule proportions. From there, you can climb out, and run shivering up to the stone lodge, which is warmly furnished with wood tables, billowy couches and lit by kerosene lanterns. It’s easy to relax while drinking a cappuccino or a glass of freshly squeezed mango juice as the air has the sweet smell of a cypress wood-fire from the stone fireplace and depending on the hour of the day you can listen to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album (which I requested over and over) or some chill jazz at night. Apparently the British built this lodge as a royal retreat, but now it is owned by a kind Dutch woman who runs this as a ridiculously inexpensive paradise on earth.
     I must talk more about the waterfalls: I vowed that I would swim through them at least once every day and I have tried (unsuccessfully thus far) to start a polar bear club in the mornings. (right now it is more of a solo act rather than a club) I jokingly tried to convince some of our Kenyan TA’s and field staff to come swim, only to have them look at me incredulously and laughed in awe when I told them that I tried to climb the rocks of one of the waterfalls (completely clothed).  They think that this is the coldest place on earth (out of the water) and wear what I would only be comfortable wearing in December in Montréal (tuques, fleece and multiple layers!) I wasn’t able to do the polar bear club on the morning of the 7^th as we had to wake up at 6 am to prepare for a hike to the bamboo forest. Although the scenery was absolutely breathtaking, I found the hike excruciatingly frustrating as the group was only as fast as the slowest person and we all had to stay together. I understand the reasoning for it (forest elephants and buffaloes are very dangerous) – to prove the point we were escorted by 4 askaris from the Kenyan Wildlife service, who carried huge semi-automatic rifles. (Yussuf said that these rifles were powerful enough to “lift” an elephant. The problem with such a large group is that it is slow and loud, which makes it impossible to see wildlife of any kind.
     To emphasize the alleged danger of forest elephants, at night when someone needed to use the washroom, it is necessary signal to an askari with a flashlight so that they can escort the person. While we have some skeptics in the group, my explorations revealed large piles of elephant dung not too far from camp, meaning that they do come very close to browse. However, the signaling system has become cumbersome for people who are afflicted with GI problems who can’t afford to wait for escorts.
     -Amani my friends.