Traveling Cat

The Giraffe Centre is in Nairobi and was established to protect the endangered Rothschild giraffe that is found only in the grasslands of East Africa. It was started by Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, when he and his wife Betty captured a baby giraffe to start a programme of breeding giraffe in captivity at their home in Langata – home of the present centre. Since then the programme has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks.

In 1979, Leslie-Melville added an education centre to his giraffe sanctuary. By 1983 he had raised enough money to establish the Giraffe Visitor’s Centre as a tourist destination in Nairobi. The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform. The center is also home to several warthogs which freely roam the area along with the giraffes. These days they conduct education programs for local school children from the slums who’d otherwise never get a chance to see or appreciate the wildlife that makes their country famous. (Did you know 75% of Nairobi’s 4 million people live in the slums? Not an easy life…).

In their words:

The purpose of the Centre is to create awareness and provide free environmental education aimed at sensitising Kenyan youth and the general population on the need to appreciate and conserve Kenya’s biodiversity. We give local and international visitors an opportunity to come into close contact with, and feed the world’s tallest animal, the Giraffe.

Brett was excited to join us in Nairobi two weeks ago for tour number three together! After internet, donuts, and fighting for plane tickets in the city centre, we headed out to do the touristy must see things that Susie and Brett hadn’t done yet: the elephant orphanage and the giraffe centre.

The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is an NGO that saves orphaned baby elephants from across Kenya who’s mothers were killed by poachers. It’s home to some of the cutest babies on the planet, age infant to 3 yrs old.

Happy me!

Happy Brett!

Happy Susie!

Today is Day One on the start of my new journey… a journey that begins in Seoul but is more accurately a journey of navigating life after Africa. My wise, world traveler friend Maggie sent a long, heartfelt email this week with her musings on life after she returned from her round the world trip a few years ago – www.y2k2go.com. She was also gone for a year and a half and, like myself, wasn’t ready to go home when the trip was finished. “Coming home is easy,” Maggie wrote. “What I’m trying to say is that it’s HARD to be home.”

I think I know what she means and I suspect I’ll be navigating life a bit differently for a long while to come. Expect belated photos and posts to show up here on the site for a good while, and expect to see some musings slipped in between the cracks as well. I think most of it will be lived out inside my head as that’s the way things like this usually go for me, but I might try to get some of it down in writing as well… we’ll see what time permits and see where life takes me.

For now, I’ll leave you with a little passage from Beryl Markem that really spoke to me. She was born and raised in Kenya, worked there as a horse trainer and bush pilot as an adult, and eventually moved to Europe later in life. This is a passage about when she left Kenya from her book “West With the Night.”

I knew that while Africa would be there for ever, it would not ever be there quite as I remembered it.

Africa is never the same to anyone who leaves it and returns again. It is not a land of change, but is a land of moods and its moods are numberless. It is not fickle, but because it has mothered not only men, but races, and cradled not only cities, but civilizations – and seen them die, and seen new ones born again – Africa can be dispassionate, indifferent, warm, or cynical, replete with the weariness of too much wisdom.

Today Africa may seem to be that ever-promised land, almost achieved; but tomorrow it may be a dark land again, drawn into itself, contemptuous and impatient with the futility of eager men who have scrambled over it since the experiment of Eden. In the family of continents, Africa is the silent, the brooding sister, courted for centuries by knight-errant empires – rejecting them one by one and severally, because she is too sage and a little bored with the importunity of it all.

All nations lay claim to Africa, but none has wholly possessed her yet. In time she will be taken, yielding neither to Nazi nor to Fascist conquest, but to integrity equal to her own and to wisdom capable of understanding her wisdom and of discerning between wealth and fulfillment. Africa is less a wilderness than a repository of primary and fundamental values, and less a barbaric land than an unfamiliar voice. Barbarism, however bright, its trappings, is still alien to her heart.

There was no sign that Africa was aware that we were leaving, or cared. All things return to her – even such trivial things.

~ Beryl Markham, 1942

I’m in Qatar right now on a layover between Nairobi and Seoul. Yep. It’s Sunday, I’m officially out of Africa, and it’s a sad, sad day. Not as sad as driving away from the village in December with all of our bags… Cindy and I were a great pair and I think we did impressively well with village life, an intense work environment, and creating a partnership as coworkers, roommates, and friends. And getting on the plane today wasn’t as sad as leaving Lamu and leaving Susie earlier in the week. Susie and I were also a great dynamic duo, finding our groove and having a great time full of adventures. Leaving Lamu on Friday felt like The End with me gliding away on a dhow while Susie and Hasan waved goodbye from the island’s main dock.

Flying out today was just the next mechanical step in the leaving process. Anonymous cab ride to the airport. No one waving goodbye. No hugs. No tears. Just a very large man in the seat next to me taking up all of his space and some of mine. However, since it was time to go I suppose Qatar is not so bad a place to be on the way out. In fact, it’s pretty great so far as layovers go… gotta love free internet kiosks in airports! It’s the fasted internet I’ve used in eons, and it’s even free! Too wild. I’m sad to begin the journey home, but still looking forward to seeing Beal and Hanna in Seoul, and looking forward to meeting my nephew Gus very soon! Much love to everyone!

I’m leaving Africa in THREE DAYS, can you believe it? That means it should be time for souvenirs, but I never ever know what to get, I doubt people want a cheesy carved 2 inch giraffe or key chain (or maybe they do?), I don’t have tons of room in my bag, etc, etc, etc. It doesn’t mean I don’t love y’all. It just means I’m lousy at knowing what to get for who and often end up erring on the side of not getting anything. Mary was good about proactively speaking her needs and the kids are now outfitted with new African dresses (Done! Good work Mary, and good work Titus the tailor). Stef asked for baskets once (easy and done!). Charles asked to abstain from souvenirs (easy and done!). Ian is four years old which means he’s easy to shop for so he’s done too. But beyond these four lovelies, there are many more loved ones I haven’t heard from and have no idea what to get. Sorry to post this so late, but I’m getting desperate. So this is where the last minute offer comes in. If you email me or post a comment ASAP, I’ll be in Nairobi on Saturday to do shopping. The only clause is it must be relatively small in size. So if you want something from Kenya, just say the word. Seriously. Local music CD? Beaded jewelry? Big necklace? Earrings? Bracelet? Key chain? Carved giraffe? Other? Just say the word and say it soon as time is running out and this last minute offer expires Saturday morning Kenya time. Love to all, Cat

Samite buys veggies and makes a new friend

When we were in Bwindi we were figuring out how to get back to Kampala. Susie had heard there was a guy staying nearby who came alone in a minibus and was probably heading back to Kampala soon. We opted to go over to his lodge and eat lunch there and by luck ran into him at the café. We asked about his ride and he immediately offered us seats in his private minibus. We offered to pay and he immediately refused! Who is this kind and generous soul? None other than a Uganda-born musician named Samite.

We thanked him and took him up on his offer for a ride, and soon learned more about him. He had 56 brothers and sisters. He grew up in Uganda during the rule of Idi Amin (anyone seen Last King of Scotland?). He later moved to New York with an American wife. When he moved to the States, he was already doing music and shared management with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (a fabulous South African band we all know and love). He’s also played on recordings with Paul Simon (“when Paul Simon calls and wants you in the band, you play in the band.”)

I was delighted on the ride home when Susie handed me her iPod and discovered she actually had a Samite song on there from a compilation called “Songs from the Coffee Plantations.”

I was even more delighted later on the trip when Samite says “Hey Cat! What are you listening to right now, right this very moment, on your iPod? Trade me!” Yikes! I was embarrassed to admit I wasn’t listening to music at all, but was instead listening to a comedy routine by Eddie Izzard, a transvestite British comedian. Regardless, Samite and I traded iPods. He got to experience Eddie Izzard (I don’t think he was too impressed) and then quickly switched to Enigma which seemed to be more his style.

I got the better end of the deal and got to flip through Samite’s iPod and listen to some of his music. He’s released seven solo albums, in addition to his work on various compilations or his music in Paul Simon songs, etc. I spent the entire rest of the ride listening to songs from each album and listening to an hour long radio interview his did a year or two ago. I learned he had family members tortured and murdered by Idi Amin’s government. I learned that he went to Kenya as a refugee. I learned that his wife died of a brain tumor. I learned that he started an NGO called Musicians for World Harmony that works with children around Africa at orphanages and refugee camps.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask to take his picture without feeling like a star struck fan, but you can check him out yourself on his site. (I also saw on his website that he has various gallery shows on his calendar of events). Or you can go to the iTunes store and listen to a few songs. His most recent album is a bit mellow and I think I actually like some of the older stuff better. Many thanks to Samite for a fabulous trip at the end of our time in Uganda. We had an incredibly spacious, cushy, comfortable, and direct ride with an amazingly generous host who’s also an amazingly talented musician and photographer. I continue to feel incredibly thankful for the awesome and assorted band of people I’ve met during my year and a half in Africa.

Susie and I left Uganda last Thursday and headed to Kenya… we were saving the best for last! After a day in Kisumu we headed to the village and got to see friends for four super quick days. They were drama filled as life in the village usually is, and a bit scary when a friend was in a bad matatu accident, but it was great to see everyone and great to see the friend on the path to recovery. I only wish I had more time there…

We’re now in Nairobi (with Brett – tour #3) for a day on our way to Mombasa/Lamu. Can’t believe I’m leaving Kenya in 10 short days!! So much to do, both here and upon arrival home… my brain is on overdrive right now and my heart is too. I’ll have sporadic email for a little bit, so advanced apologies for slow responses.

Lots of love to everyone,
Cat

We found a few new friends at the Backpackers in Kampala (Nathan from Canada and Sarah and Rowena from the UK) and the six of us set off to explore Lake Nkrumba.

The drive from Kampala was gorgeous… you know how much I love driving past lush green tea fields…

They make me happy and remind me of Kenya’s lovely Western Province

Who needs the Tulip Festival when you’ve got Fort Portal?

Who needs Fort Portal when you can stay at any number of crater lakes in the area?

At the lookout point

Blurry Roy finished seven years doing IT work in the Israeli army and is now traveling around for a year

Nathan was a welder and adventure tour guide leader from Canada

Brett’s our former adventure tour guide leader from New Zealand modeling his new haircut

I am not adventure anything, but do enjoy a good hike

I also enjoy spending time with monkeys of all kinds, especially playful Colobus monkeys

We stayed at a lovely place called Lake Nkrumba Community Rest Camp. Private bandas were 15,000 Ush each ($9) and even better than the cool bandas were the high number of monkeys crawling all over the place.

Brett also enjoys spending quality time with monkeys

Cows aren’t as fun as monkeys, but I think the Ankole cows had pretty sweet horns.

Went on a day hike with Roy from Israel. The two of us hiked to “The Top of the World,” a surprisingly easy hike that didn’t take so long. Was gorgeous up there and afforded great views of the many crater lakes in the area.

Passed a boy on the hike who was coming from the farm with a harvest of arrowroot.

I sometimes find myself slipping into the B&W habit thanks to Brett. Uganda has gorgeous countryside all around, whether in color or B&W. Hard to resist a few boring scenery shots.

Tanzania

Omari from Tanzania

Daniel from Portugal, now living in Holland for 17+ years

Uganda

Roy from Israel

Nathan from Canada, eh?

Samite from Uganda, now living in New York for 20+ years

Rowena and Sarah from the UK

Aussie Mark liked to sleep

Though sometimes he could be convinced to leave the couch and be social

Bwindi National Park in the distance

The drive in passed through the forest on bumpy dirt roads with sheer walls of cliff. Wasn’t too pleasing to watch and I admit I actually opted to keep my eyes closed for a long while to keep myself sane (and to keep my food down. Sadly, my stomach has never been the same since my second bout of malaria… just seem to get nauseous now so much easier).

Home sweet home was actually located inside the park boundaries

Most people who stay at the camp are here for one reason – gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park.

This cabin near ours offered great forest views. We’re told by friends that sometimes the gorillas even come into the camp and hang out. Why pay $375 when you can see them here for free (on rare occasion)?

Brett and I had some quality time for contemplative conversation. (Notice the clean cut Brett… he’s getting gussied up so he can look good when he sees his girlfriend again after a few months away).

Town consisted of a few shacks with souvenirs and a few fancy lodges with clientele who never come into town.

There were, however, a plethora of kids, including this boy with a super cool homemade scooter. We definitely never had anything near this fancy in my village! Quite impressive…

Jumping rope isn’t just for hipsters, though this little girl did have a cool hoodie.

Our new friend Manu buys dried organic pineapple at a mostly empty store. Manu’s from DC and is volunteering for a year with the UN in Sudan. Interesting and fun to swap stories on our different volunteer experiences, and sad to hear safety is more of an issue in Kenyan villages than it is for him in Darfur, Sudan. Sad but true…

We went to a play one night by local orphans to raise money for their center.

They did singing and dancing and you know me… I’m a sucker for kids, dancing, and good causes…

My favorite dance was the Gorilla Song – highly entertaining, complete with grunts from costumed student gorillas.

Precious (and pretty darn funny!)

Leaving Buhoms and Bwindi was kind of sad, but we got the sweetest ride home of all time in a private minibus. And the views were fantastic the whole way… gorgeous county side lined with scatterings of small villages and markets.

Bananas are one of the staple foods of the Ugandan diet. Boiled mashed unripe banana is called matoke and is eaten like any other starch similar to mashed potatoes or ugali. You can also get roasted bananas in the markets or roadside when your minibus stops on the tarmac. I’m a fan of either, but especially enjoy the roasted bananas.

Susie and I said our goodbyes to Brett (again, just as sad as leaving him the first time), said our goodbyes to Manu and Uganda, and are now back in Kenya. We’re spending the day in Kisumu where our Kampala bus dropped us off and are then heading to my village for a final visit! I’ve got just two weeks left before flying out to Seoul, Korea and it doesn’t feel like enough time to do everything, see everything, and visit everyone. Hope everyone is well!

Photos won’t possibly do justice to the experience of being within a meter of these amazing creatures… but I’m posting some regardless, just to give you a taste of what we saw.

Approximately 706 mountain gorillas survive in the world today, all of them in the wild, and about half of them in Bwindi. On Gus’s birthday (happy first birthday little guy!) I spent the morning on a gorilla trek in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park to spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, just me and the wild mountain gorillas. Well, technically it was just me and Brett, and six other tourists, a park rangers, three trackers, and three armed guards (though I’m not sure if they were there to keep us safe from the gorillas or safe from possible rebels from nearby Congo). It was an amazing experience!

Getting a bit close. We were supposed to be no closer than 7 meters/21 feet, but our guards seem to be the loosest in the park. We spent much of our time within a meter of the gorillas, at which point they’d ask us to move back a bit.

Some background from the web: “In the last century, a combination of hunting and habitat destruction has driven this very rare primate to the verge of extinction. But for the intervention and dedication of a handful of people, the mountain gorilla would surely already be extinct. The work of conservationists such as Carl Akeley, George Schaller and Dian Fossey focused global attention on the plight of gorillas. Mountain gorillas are effectively divided into two distinct populations. The first is confined to an area of around 330 square kms in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The second is found in the Virunga Volcano Region (VVR), which lies across the international borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Checking in at the park is a long process, though still quicker than buying the permits in Kampala.

How you doing Brett?

Are you excited to see the gorillas?

Debbie from San Francisco was definitely excited to see the gorillas. Was great to see her and her 68 yr old hubby Gerald out there, hiking up to the top of the mountain. I doubt every 68 yr old would be able to do the trek and was impressed to see them join in… no other way to get to the gorillas unless you’re up for the “bush hike.”

First sign of gorillas: adult gorilla poop!

All of what we saw we saw from a distance in their natural habitat… there were always branches in the way, there was a bazillion flies surrounding them (and then us), and it was just astounding regardless!

The Rushegura group we visited had 15 gorillas… and they did family things like climb all over dad while he was trying to sleep, carry around younger siblings, fight with their brothers and sisters, etc.

Cutie pie

Snack time

Why the guard didn’t look more excited is beyond me. I think I’d be happy to spend a year up there with the gorillas and suspect it’d never get old…

I was in the front taking pictures, crouched down low so others could stand and take pictures over my head. Usually when the gorillas got too close, the guards would instruct us immediately to move back. And we knew the rule about the silverback… if he charges, just crouch down and whatever you do, don’t run as it’ll only get worse! Well, I was crouched down when this 3 year old comes running up at me. I immediately start to move back to keep the meter space between us but the guard warns me against it and says I should stay very still. Yikes! He was only three, but still had sharp teeth and was strong enough to thrash me if he wanted to. Instead he walks up to where I’m crouching with the guard at my side, and is about a foot from me. He reaches up, swats once at the guard’s arm, then bounds off to play more with his friends. Deep sigh of relief from me! They’re cute and funny and playful and furry, but they’re still wild at the end of the day and the risk is still there (as are the three armed men with rifles, yikes).

Less threatening

One of my favorite things to watch them do was climb up a branch after a sibling, the branch then couldn’t sustain the weight of both 2-3 yr old gorillas, then they’d crash down together on top of each other and on top of the other family members below. Highly entertaining every single time!

Giant silverback!! There’s usually one adult male per family and this big guy was it! Why the name? The males develop a silver spray of hair across their back and hips, earning them the name ‘silverback’. This generally takes place around 15-17 years of age, though their lifespan is actually 40-50 years.

Daddy silverback was massive with giant shoulders (and a giant bum). Adult males are usually between 300-600 lbs… I wouldn’t want him chasing after me.

Daddy silverback

Daddy silverback

Momma! Females start having kids around age 10-12, their gestation period is 9 months, and their inter-birth interval 3-5 years.

Kid

Brett takes more pictures. Yep, we were THAT close!

Hard not to fall in love with these faces and creatures

They can run upright… how cool is that?! I forget the statistic about how much DNA we share, but it’s a remarkably high number…

Gorilla hug or headlock?

Got a little nervous when the playful little guy picked up the log, but eventually he lost interest…

I’m sweaty, dirty, fly covered and entirely too excited to be with the gorillas!

Really… I know photos won’t convey everything, but still. I wouldn’t say it was “life changing” like one woman on our trip asserted, but do believe me when I say it was absolutely awe inspiring!

Harder than the trek up and harder than the muddy trek down in the pouring rain was saying bye at the end of our visit…