The Big Five

We are a bit behind on blogging (still catching up from), but here is the latest installment from Africa. Enjoy!

We had a short drive on Saturday (Nov 28) morning from Samburu to the Mount Kenya region. Mount Kenya is a very well known mountain measuring just under 5200 metres and one that many people have come from all over to climb. It is also the highest point in Kenya. We, however, just enjoyed the view from the base of the mountain and enjoy it we did. As I said earlier, Chris helped me to plan the trip so I pretty much deferred to his advice and didn’t know anything about the locations or places we were staying. It turns out that the Mount Kenya Safari Club we were booked into is part of the Fairmont hotel chain, and I’m sure most of you know the Fairmont chain, owners of luxury hotels such as the Empress or Banff Springs. (Left - The Mt. Kenya Safari Club)

We arrived at the hotel which sits on a sprawling 120 acre property, which exists inside a much larger animal reserve and at the base of the mountain. The resort room is probably up there as one of the nicest hotel rooms we have ever stayed in, and Christine and I have been in a lot of hotels. The service was top notch and the amenities endless. We had options to take out mountain bikes, ride horses, golf, play all sorts of racquet sports, pools, etc. The grounds themselves were beautiful and they even had a couple of resident dogs that you could take out for a walk if you wanted some company. (Right - Our incredibly deluxe room).

After an incredible buffet lunch Christine and I decided to try our hand at the hedge maze they had on the property. It only took us about 15 minutes to get through it, but apparently some people can spend more than an hour in it. We never did run into a dead end, but when we looked at the map afterwards it looked like there was quite a few. After the maze we decided to visit an animal orphanage that sat in the game park just outside the Hotel grounds. The orphanage was designed to take in abandoned animals and nurse them until they could be set into the wild. It also had the responsibility of managing some animal restoration projects. (Left - In the hedge maze)

The orphanage had a large variety of animals, and one of the staff spent a couple of hours showing us around. He introduced us to an antelope type called a Bongo, which is a species that is almost extinct. The orphanage is trying to bolster their numbers and bring them back from the brink. A number have been sent abroad and they have a sizeable population growing back on the mountain. They have beautiful striped colouring and at one point in time were more sought out for hunting than the Big 5. We also had an opportunity to feed a couple of different types of monkeys as they crawled all over us. There little hands and the way they used their tales to hold on felt a bit weird, but it was fun. We met a giant tortoise who is more than 150 years old, so he just passed into middle age. He was aptly named Speedy and weighed in at 400 pounds. We also got a chance to toss some corn at some pigmy hippos who looked exactly like a hippo but about 1/5 the size. Even so, they still had the massive teeth. (Right - Hovan feeding a monkey).

The highlight of the orphanage was most definitely the cheetah pen, where they held three full grown cheetahs. Apparently Cheetahs are the rarest of the cats in Kenya and both their population and gene pool diversity are very low. We were in the orphanage around the time the cheetahs were fed, and were allowed into the pen to pet them while they were busy eating their food. We were told as long as they had food and we didn’t step on their tail we would be fine to do so. That still didn’t alleviate Christine’s apprehension, but I just wanted to give them a big hug. The cheetah fur is so incredibly soft that you would be hard pressed to find a plush toy that feels nicer. (Left, Right - Hovan and I petting a hungry cheetah).

In the evening, when we were about to leave for dinner I read that there was a dress code, similar to the Empress Hotel. We were supposed to have on nice shoes and a collared shirt and pants. Unfortunately we didn’t know to bring some nice clothes with us, so the best I could manage was sandals, jeans, and a nice t-shirt. Christine really couldn’t muster much better. I wasn’t sure if we would be denied access to the dining room, but they seemed unconcerned by both our appearances. After a sumptuous plated 4 course dinner we returned to our hotel room just as someone was finishing up lighting a fire in the fire place for us. It was a wonderful end to a very pleasant day.

The next day we were off to our second park, Lake Nakuru, which is near the large centre of Nakuru. Along the way Ian stopped off for a bit at Thompson Falls, which was a waterfall that wouldn’t set any records for size, but was still a lovely sight. The landscape continued it’s pattern of constant variation in moisture content, vegetation and crop types. The Kenyan land has this incredibly rich and bright red earth that stands in strong contrast to the lush green foliage all around. The combination is something that we have never seen before, but makes for stunning scenery in all directions. (Left - Thompson Falls).

At one point we got a flat tire and so pulled over to swap it for another. While we were outside a few vendors tried to sell us some stuff, but they were unsuccessful. Then a small group of children came up to us to watch us. I don’t think a lot of white people stop near there homes and they seemed pretty excited. One little girl kept looking at me and laughing and laughing. I would smile and she would laugh, I would say hello and she would laugh, I would look in her direction or away from her and she would laugh. I am guessing it was the beard she was laughing at, or at least I hope she wasn’t just laughing at me, but it was pretty funny. Then we were on our way once more.

Once again we stayed in a high quality lodge in Lake Nakuru and the whole lodge experience is so much fancier than anything we have done up until this point on our trip that it feels like we are living in supreme luxury, and in point of fact, we are.

While we were relaxing on the bed after lunch and waiting for our game drive we had a special visitor. We had left the door open a crack for air flow. I looked up as the door swung fully open and thought it was a strong gust of wind. There in the doorway was a large baboon, staring right at me with the look of a guilty child on his face. He grabbed our basket that had tea and coffee, etc. in it and took off. I started chasing him and yelling at him. As he got to the end of the lodges he turned around and looked at me. I could see the plastic package of a bright blue sugar packet sticking half way out of his mouth. He dropped the empty basket and scrambled off into the trees. It was quite a sight and gave Christine and I a good afternoon laugh. (Right - the flamingos of Lake Nakuru).

We enjoyed only one game drive in Lake Nakuru, but it is amazing what we packed into 3 hours. The park is made famous by its flamingos, due largely to their numbers. The lake itself has tens of thousands of flamingos and the whole thing is covered in pink.

On our drive through thepark we came across a lot of new wildlife not seen in Samburu. We discovered a large herd of buffalo, and though quite large and not to be messed with they look dorky. They have these horns that go over their head like a scull cap and make them look really dumb. We also came across several rhinoceros, and they are a sight to see. We managed to spot the white rhino, which is the larger of the two. They looked like they were almost as big as the van and their horns looked very large and nasty. They are an incredible specimen and a rare one given all the poaching. I think anyone making a trip to Nakuru will see the white ones, but we were unable to see the shyer and even rarer black rhino. The white rhino grazes out in the open grass, but the black rhino stays in the forest and eats off the tree shoots. We did manage to get very very close to two separate white rhinos along the drive, and thankfully neither of them charged at us. The day also produced our first viewing of hyenas, and they look as unpleasant as their reputation indicates. We also got to see a couple more lions and this time one of them had a massive mane and looked like he was right out national geographic. We couldn’t help but think of good old Aslan. We didn’t manage to get super close, but that’s what the binoculars are for. (Left - Zebra, Rhino & Antelope).

Near the end of the day we were fortunate enough to spot the elusive leopard. He was reclining up in a tree and incredibly difficult to see. The leopard is the shyest cat and they have great camouflage skills. Apparently it is something not too often seen, despite being the most populous cat in Kenya. Still, we got a good viewing of him through the binoculars, but he stayed in the shade and prevented Christine from getting a good picture of him. (Right - Leopard in the tree).

Now for those of you keeping count, between Samburu and Nakuru we were actually able to see all of the Big 5 and they were as impressive as one would expect. On our way back to the lodge Ian took a detour just for some variety and he brought into view of a hippo that had recently come out of the water. It was a large, blubbery mass, but he moved very fast across the ground to get where he wanted to graze. The other animals around him were apparently quite afraid and despite their almost comic appearance, they are incredibly dangerous. Christine seemed to have some special affection for the hippo, so we asked Ian to keep an eye out for more. The evening was quite pleasant and we were treated to a dance from the local tribe before enjoying dinner and heading off to bed. (Right - Hippo down by the lakes edge).

On Monday morning we started a fairly long drive to the Masaii Mara. Though it is not the largest park in Kenya it is the most famous. It is a park that is abundant with animals, has all the big five and is famous for the wildebeest migration. Every year millions of wildebeest migrate from the Masaii Mara Park to the Serengeti Park in Tanzania, and the two parks are only separated by a dubious border of trees and bushes.

When we arrived at the park we found we were staying in yet another fancy lodge, but this time in tents. I was told at the outset that they were luxury tents, but after all the camping we did it was hard for us to believe that tenting could really be fancy. Boy were we wrong. The lodge upgraded us to the Presidential Suite tent, which seemed a bit humorous, but we were rolling with it. The tent turned out to have gorgeous wooden flooring, glass doors, two desks, a comfortable sitting area, a giant king size bed and an enormous bathroom with two sinks, marble and tile floors. The balcony allowed us to recline comfortably in the middle of the forest with great privacy and seclusion. It truly was luxury camping. (Right - Our deluxe tent).

Our first game drive in the afternoon was a wonderful experience, as we managed to spot all of the Big 5 once again. Apparently some people have been here for 10 years and never seen a leopard or maybe even a rhino. The Masaii Mara is incredibly popular, so even in low season there were a lot of vans driving around, and they would radio each other to tell if something important was spotted, so this increased the chances of seeing popular animals. (Left - Elephant and Baby).

When the radio told of a leopard pretty much every vehicle in the park dashed in that direction. We managed to see our second leopard, but again the sun was at his back and we couldn’t get a good picture. He climbed to the very top of the tree, almost as though showing off for the crowd. After climbing down he slipped into the denser brush, never to be seen again. What was really funny was the gathering of about 25 vans at the base of the tree to watch him. Then all of a sudden there was this huge urgency of movement as every van rushed off. We asked Ian what the deal was and apparently there is a $150 US fine for anyone caught off the road and on the grass, which almost every vehicle was.

Above - Leopard leaping down a tree

Later on in the afternoon we were fortunate to see a full maned lion and his lioness just a few feet off the side of the road. They were off from the pride to mate, and we were treated to a bit of voyeurism of the act. We were actually able to see them consummate their relationship but it happened so fast Christine couldn’t even get the camera ready in time to snap a picture. I thought it unwise to tell a huge, lethal, killing machine with massive claws and even bigger teeth that he was a little on the “quick” side and not really a tender and thoughtful lover. I kept those thoughts to myself. (Right - Lion relaxing in the evening sun).

Later in the afternoon we were treated with a sighting of our very first wild cheetah. Despite being known as the fastest animal on earth it was just lounging around like all the big cats seem to do most of the time. Shortly after seeing the cheetah we spotted a pair of the very elusive black rhino’s, hanging out near the edge of a small forested area. The elephants and buffalo are abundant through out the park and very easy to spot. We were also treated to large herds of hartebeest, topi, zebra and many other grazers. (Left - Pregnant Cheetah).

The next day started off well as we spotted a giant male lion sitting only a few feet from the road. He had a huge golden mane and looked as majestic as the king of the jungle should. Later in the day we spotted a pride of lions that had 9 cubs, 4 females and strangely 3 males. The males were spaced out about 80-100 metres from each other, so maybe the outside two were looking for an opportunity to take over. The cubs were so adorable and tiny. There were two batches and 5 of them were a bit larger and the other 4 were incredibly small. They were all very playful with each other and the females, though the moms didn’t seem to move a lot. The little ones kept crawling all over, suckling and enjoying the sunshine. We had them all to ourselves for about 20 minutes before Ian radioed it in to the other drivers. (Right - Lioness & Cubs).

We got to see a group of ostrich start running across the savanna and are they ever ungainly looking birds, especially in motion, but they can run really fast. We were also treated to the largest elephant herd we have ever seen. I could count 35 elephants that were visible and judging by the number of separate sections in the forest that were shaking violently, there must have been more than 40. They included lots of playful little ones, plenty of watchful moms, and a few humungous males that towered above all the rest. (Left - Ostrich)

At one point we got another flat tire and so we had to get out of the van to help Ian swap it over. He asked if we were nervous about being out of the vehicle, but we both felt totally comfortable. This was of course after having a quick scan for snakes. We did know that we had stopped only a couple of hundred feet from some lions, but were still nonplussed.

That night, after dinner, we were treated to a dancing and singing performance of the Masaii warriors. They put on a nice little show and we were amazed at how high they can actually jump. If you watch a movie called the “Ghost and the Darkness” it is about Kenya and you can see the Masaii doing a battle dance before they start to hunt a lion.

On Wednesday Ian treated us to an all day game drive where he took us to the far side of the park. We requested of him to try and let us get closer to hippos, see a baby giraffe and spot another leopard. We were driving for not more than 10 minutes when he found us a pair of cheetahs, relaxing in the shade and looking for some possible prey. About 20 minutes later he found us another cheetah in an open field. Judging from her distended belly, she was very much pregnant. (Right - Baby Giraffe).

We drove on for many hours and passed through field after field that was filled with thousands and thousands of grazers. The zebra and topi seemed to cluster together so that the zebra can take advantage of the topi’s keener senses. The buffalo and gazelle roam in the same group as well, but the topi try to stay away from the wildebeest, which is a tasty draw for predators.

At one point we came across a reclining lioness in a bit of shrub smack dab in the middle of a field. Hundreds of grazers were walking her way, and normally she would be spotted as she did not have much cover. We changed that by interposing the van between her and the other animals, and she could definitely sense it. You could see her coil herself up, ready to chase the nearest prey when it came close enough. Sadly the wind shifted and they caught her sent to keep clear of her bush. So instead of hunting she settled on an afternoon snooze. (Left - View of the fields).

In the early afternoon Ian spotted a leopard in a tree, and as soon as we got right underneath the tree it started to move. It went higher for a second, thought better of it and then dropped out of the tree. After staring at us from the bushes for a few seconds it took off, leaving us once again without a good picture.

Later on we spotted a large herd of giraffe, including some cute babies. Then to the river for a viewing of about 50 hippos as they lazed on the beach. A number of them were underwater and kept reappearing to show only their head, take a breath and disappear below. Apparently they can hold their breath for up to 4 minutes. They shared the river with the biggest crocodiles that we had seen to date. (Right - Hippos).

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in a field with all sorts of animals, and under the shade of an acacia tree. The view allowed us to look into nearby Tanzania and it made for a very relaxing lunch break. On the way back to our side of the park we crossed paths with more buffalo and elephants and even spotted a mother and baby black rhino for a moment, before they hustled off into the bush. That was our third sighting of the Big 5, so we had an excellent guide and a little luck.

We had a pleasant and uneventful evening and a safe ride the next day back to Nairobi. A nice evening back and once again we were being spoiled and entertained by Chris and Sherene and present to enjoy the incredibly wonderful hospitality of Tim and Lisa. (Left - Hovan and I in the van).

Cheers to one and all,

Christine and Hovan

Armeni Jewelers

In the sense of shameless family promotion I will point you all to an article about my families new jewelry store that just opened in Victoria. The Times Colonist article is very well done and the timing is perfect to remind everyone out there that Christmas is just around the corner and that Armeni Jewelers is THE place to get your gifts.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Jewelry+shop+proud+history/2297521/story.html

Cheers,

Hovan & Christine

Hakunah Matata

After leaving Nepal we had a bit of a marathon trip in getting over to Nairobi. Our flight left Nepal in the afternoon and arrived back in Delhi in the evening. We booked a cheap $20 hotel near the airport since we weren’t flying out until the next morning. The hotel itself was okay, but in the morning (1:30am) when we had to head back to the airport they tried to charge us double the shuttle price. We argued and pointed out there price list, which they had covered over with newspaper from the night before, when we had seen uncovered. In the end they claimed it was a night service price and we were stuck since we needed to get to the airport, so we had no choice but to pay the price.

From Delhi we flew to Doha, Qatar for a brief layover before heading on to Nairobi. The airport is interesting because it is pretty new, sparkling clean and serviced almost exclusively by the Qatar based airline. It seemed that only 2 flights in the entire morning were not from the Qatar airline. The airport had a mosque inside which we assume was to make sure that at any of the designated prayer times the Muslims had access to a mosque.

Then, finally we were on our way to Nairobi. Out of our entire 4 month voyage Christine was most excited about the Nepal portion of our trip; however, Kenya was what I was most looking forward to. A very good friend of mine that I have known since about 3 years old, Chris, has been living in Kenya for many years. The thought of seeing Africa, the incredible wildlife, and a life-long friend was very exciting. My father also grew up in neighbouring Ethiopia, so I have been raised on stories of Africa. (Left - Hovan and his good friend Chris).

When we landed in the afternoon we were picked up by a driver that Chris uses regularly. We had been out of the airport not more than 3 minutes when we saw giraffes in the distance. Too cool!! The trip through Nairobi and out to the complex where we were staying was pleasant and about 45 minutes. The city itself seems quite clean and comparatively quiet on the traffic front when compared to India.

Chris and his wife Sherene are teachers at Rosslyn Academy, a Christian school designed to teach missionary children. The school goes from primary all the way up to high school graduation and has about 500 students, including diplomat kids and those of children whose parents have business interests in Nairobi. The staff at the academy all have accommodation within the complex grounds and things are very well guarded. The street the academy is just off of holds the UN complex for western Africa, the US embassy along with about 10 other embassies. Funny enough the academy is sandwiched between the US embassies staff living quarters and the Iraqi embassy. Security is tight all around as Kenya can be a very dangerous place where robberies and car jackings and other violent crimes are a somewhat common place occurrence. One must always be vigilant.

Above - Rosslyn Academy

When we arrived at the academy we were introduced to Chris and Sherene’s beautiful baby girl Amaya. We also had the opportunity to meet their nighbours across the street, Tim and Lisa along with their two boys Max and Simon. It turned out that Chris’s place is a bit small for visitors so they arranged for us to stay with Tim and Lisa. Tim also happens to be Chris’s boss, and the principle of the Academy’s high school. Tim and Lisa are an absolutely wonderful couple and they completely opened their home to us and made us feel so very welcome. After so long in tents and hostels and hotels it was very nice to be in a home, especially such a nice one where we are treated like 5 star guests. (Right - Lisa and Tim).

It turns out that the day we arrived was Tim’s birthday, so we all piled into their 9 seat vehicle and went out for some delicious Indian food. Along the way we got a bit of an education on Kenya and some political and social back history. It seems sad that terrible corruption still plagues the country and often in such blatantly obvious ways. We also got a lesson on the driving rules in the country, limited so they appear. Still the Kenyans are much lighter on the horn than most of the Asian countries we visited and nothing can compare with India’s traffic situation, so to us it seemed reasonably tame, if not a little erratic. (Left - Lisa, Simon & Max).

On our way back from dinner a giant wolf spider decided to make it’s presence known on the outside of the car. When we returned to the academy, Chris and Tim managed to capture it in a container. The spider was absolutely enormous and not only was it large, the legs were incredibly thick. Very creepy.

Christine and I spent the next two days lounging around the academy and taking the odd trip here or there. We were treated to a tour around the entire campus and it is quite the facility. There are a number of well designed buildings, gorgeous grounds, a pool, lots of sports fields and a track. The US marine detachment guarding the embassy also uses the grounds to train, as most places aren’t safe enough, so we actually saw a marine running laps around the track (he was doing them in army issue boots). They seem to have most of the modern amenities of a western school and I have no doubt that the quality of education is quite high by western standards. We also were able to spend a bit of time watching Chris in action as a teacher, and I think he is a natural. I had the pleasure of having Chris’s father as a teacher when I was in elementary school and much of the family is in the education system. Chris is a natural at building good relations with his students, but still has that ability to be strict and serious when necessary and crack the whip so that the students learn. (Right - Tim & Lisa's Porch).

A good deal of our time has been spent on Tim and Lisa’s patio which has an amazing view down to a river and up a small valley the other side. It is so quiet and peaceful that we just sat and read, lazed in the hammock, drank tea, ate snacks and spent time chatting with Lisa or playing with Amaya when we could. They have been a couple of lazy days. We have also been eating well as there is a constant flow of delicious meals and continuous snacks. Many people here have staff to help with cleaning and cooking and the cost for staff is less per day than it would be for one hour of help in Canada. They are so kind and hard working. Apparently Chris hasn’t washed a single dish, done laundry or cleaned his bathroom once in the 6 years he has been in Kenya. That sounds pretty good to me.

We also took a trip to a jewelry shop that specializes in rare beads, such as trade beads which were used to buy slaves, (in some cases one bead was enough to buy another human life – so very sad) extinct black corral, and many traditional styles of local areas. Many of these beads and pieces are no longer being made as the skill has been lost through the centuries, so there are limited numbers left. One type of bead that Christine fell in love with was the bright burgundy of the Samburu tribe. The Samburu are closely related to the very famous Maasai tribe. In Samburu tradition a male would kill a lion and then receive a bead from the elders. He would then give the bead to a woman he felt was beautiful. Once a woman had a necklace with a significant number of beads, she would be eligible for proposal. The more beads a women had the more beautiful she was considered. I bought Christine a bracelet and earrings that contained 9 beads. I now have to find a way to hunt and kill 9 lions with either a spear or my bare hands in the next week and half, so I guess that’s the end of my lounging on the porch.

We really enjoyed our few days spending some good time with Chris and Sherene and Amaya as well as making friends with Tim and Lisa and their boys. It was incredibly relaxing and very peaceful. The break gave us some time to collect ourselves before we set off on our safari.

On Thursday morning we were picked up early by Ian, a driver for the safari company whose services we engaged. Ian was requested by Chris as a driver that he has used a number of times in the past and who does an excellent job. Ian was driving a standard safari van that has a pop top which allows us to stand and look out without obstruction when we are in the parks.

Chris had helped me make arrangements with the safari expedition since I had no idea what I was doing. He recommended a visit to 3 parks over a week and a schedule that I think was a very functional and common one. The trip to the first park was the longest drive of the whole trip and we spent about 5 hours driving out of Nairobi. Along the way Ian stopped at a few places where we could look at some local handicrafts or points of interest. The second stop we made was at the equator where we were treated to a demonstration on the correolis effect. A gentleman explained to us that water drains a different way depending on the hemisphere one is in. We walked about 20 metres from the equator into the northern hemisphere, and he drained water through a bowl showing that the water turned clockwise and that the water draining out the bottom was corkscrewing thusly. Then he walked us down to the southern hemisphere and demonstrated that it drained counter clockwise. At the equator he showed that the water drained straight down. It was very entertaining and somewhat reminiscent of a Simpson’s episode that focused on the same issue. (Right - Hovan and I at the equator).

In the afternoon we arrived at the Samburu game park, which is the same tribal area that I bought the lion beads for Christine. On our way into the lodge we passed a bunch of reticulated giraffe and saw an elephant in the distance. The lodge we stayed at turned out to be a wonderful facility with really nice rooms, a great pool, and phenomenal buffet feasts. We were treated at the door to a cold eucalyptus cloth that was very refreshing after the long drive. Then we were offered some fresh squeezed juice and led off to our room. The thing about Samburu is that it’s incredibly hot and the room only had a fan to keep cool, but the pool always served to cool us down. (Left - the beautiful lodge we stayed at).

Our lodge sat facing the river and we had the pleasure of viewing crocodiles sunning themselves on the shore. Monkeys, baboons and tropical birds are all around and we have enough wildlife off our balcony to give us a show without going anywhere. One monkey actually stalked us all the way from the restaurant because we had snacks in our hand for later and he hoped to make a quick hit and run, but we never gave him the opportunity. (Right - Monkeys in the hotel compound).

We went out for an afternoon game drive after getting settled in. The pattern is typically to do a drive early in the morning for about 2 ½ hours before breakfast and another at 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon for another 2-3 hours. This is the time of the day that the animals are moving around more and increases the chance of spotting them. We had 3 game drives in Samburu, which may seem like a lot, but the parks are very large and there is much to see. We had a fairly lengthy mental list of animals we wanted to see, not the least of which are the Big 5. The Big 5 are: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. The Buffalo seems like an odd one amongst the others, but apparently they are very dangerous and if you are out in a field close to one they will very likely charge you, due to their somewhat aggressive nature. (Left - Abundant wildlife)

Kenya has an incredible diversity in the wildlife, and the number of different types of gazelles and antelope is amazing. They are very easy to spot, in large numbers and all over the place. We were told that generally the gazelle families have males with horns and females without. The antelopes are a bigger class and both males and females have horns. You can see all kinds from the tiny Dik-Dik to the Oryx in abundance and scarcely does 5 minutes go by without seeing some, so there is always wildlife around. We will never be able to outline all the animals we have seen on our drives, so we’ll keep to the highlights and the big “popular” ones. (Right - Dik-dik).

On our first drive we came across a lion lying near a kill and keeping an eye on it. In Samburu many of the males do not have manes, so Ian had to explain to us that it was in fact a male. His kill was a baby elephant and there was enough of the carcass left to identify it. We watched him for quite a while, and at one point he passed about three feet from the van, so we got a really nice close view of him. We were a bit disappointed to leave him, but Ian promised that we would see many more over the course of the week. True enough we rounded the corner and about 7 seconds later spotted another male, and he did have a mane, sparse though it was. Through the drive we also got a good view of a giraffe up close and personal, and they are a fascinating creature as they look so very different from anything else on earth. (Left - Lion going to guard its kill).

The next day we enjoyed two more drives and they started off a bit slow. We did spot a very lengthy cobra, and that creeped me out, not being a fan of poisonous snakes. We also found a sizeable tortoise out in a rocky desert area. In the afternoon we came across the same lion as the day before, once again he was lying down not really moving much and enjoying probably his 10th nap of the day. Near the end of the day we discovered a wonderful herd of giraffes, elephants (including a couple of cute babies) and our first zebra. The zebra was strange as they are apparently found in large herds and he was all by himself. The zebra was pretty shy, but we got really close to the giraffes who seem not to care in the least how close we got. The elephants were also pretty casual in their attitude to us and apart from sheltering the young ones were content to let us get close. On our way back to the lodge we saw a family of warthogs waddling along. (Left - Giraffe and the lone zebra we saw).

We really enjoyed our time in Samburu not least because we saw our very first wildlife there. The park is a bit remote so the trails are rugged and bumpy and there was hardly anyone in the park. Apparently we stayed in the nicest lodge in the park and it only had 10 guests to fill the 72 bungalows they had, so definitely a quiet time in low season. We also got a good appreciation for not only how durable the vans are, but how good a driver Ian is. Every time we came to a rough spot that I assumed we would get stuck, Ian handled it with aplomb. Christine and I even found our travel legs as we stood and held on, balancing and bouncing all over the rocky terrain. (Right - Elephant and her baby).

Now we are off to Mount Kenya for the next leg of the safari.

Best wishes from us to you,

Christine and Hovan

Part VI - Half Atmosphere

Here is the last and final post regarding our trekking in Nepal. I hope you have enjoyed reading these as much as I have enjoyed writing them!

I'd like to correct something from our first posting. I mistakenly said that Mary worked for Sierra Systems - in fact, she does not, she works for the Ministry of Finance. (Sorry about that Mary!).

Also, please don't be shy to have a look at all the photo albums of the Nepal trip. The links to the various albums can be found on the right hand side.

Anyway, back to our final days in Nepal...

Day 15 – Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi
Tuesday, November 17th
Hiking Time: 3 hours
Elevation: 4540m

(Christine) Today was a relatively straight forward hike where we gained 500 meters vertical elevation. We could certainly feel the thinner air, especially on the steeper bits of trail. The trail was rocky and snowy as we are above the treeline now. The trail is filled with westerners, mainly a large group of French people. We generally hike faster than them, likely because we are more acclimatized. We have seen yaks wandering down the path alone and I wonder where they are going, but I’m sure they probably the same about us. (Left - one trail we zigzagged down).

Umbang found us a nice tea house in Thorong Phedi to stay at. Staying in the tea houses has been a different experience than staying in the tents. I am glad to have experienced both, but after a few nights in tea houses I must admit I prefer the intimacy of camping with the group. The tea house rooms are unheated so they are actually a lot colder than the tents as the space is larger and often drafty. The tea houses are made of mud and rock and are never more than two stories tall. Floors are sometimes wood, sometimes dirt or sometimes rock. The rooms are sparse with two beds and a light bulb. The light may or may not work depending on if the power is functioning (one can never assume it is working) so it is prudent to always carry your head lamp.

The tea houses usually have a central area that is heated by coals or a fire and is where the food is served. Food will usually take a minimum of 1.5 – 2 hours after been ordered to come as there is usually only one woman cooking and she cooks one meal at a time. The food is generally really quite good and you can get traditional Nepalese Dal Bot (rice and lentils), mo-mo’s (similar to a perogy) or western foods such as macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and pizza. People generally congregate in the central area as it is very cold outside or in the rooms and here you can chat with fellow trekkers. That said, everyone in the tea house is a foreigner apart from the staff so it is difficult to see or experience any of the Nepalese culture. The tea houses exist purely for the trekkers and were non-existent not too long ago. (Right - the trail to Thorong Phedi).

Tomorrow we summit the Thorong La, a pass of 5416 meters. Our plan is to leave at 4:00 am to get away before most of the other trekkers as there will be many people hiking the pass tomorrow. It’s off to bed early to get as much sleep as possible.

Day 16 – Thorong Phedi to Muktinath
Wednesday, November 18th
Hiking Time: 11.5 hours
Elevation Reached: 5416m
Camp Elevation: 3700m

(Christine) The morning began at 2:45 am, with the sound of our alarm beeping and the Sherpas knocking on the door with tea. Tiredly we climbed out of bed and prepared ourselves for an extra early start. We had to wake the kitchen crew up to make us some breakfast that we had ordered the night before and then donned our headlamps and began the 1100 meter climb to the summit of the Thorong La. Unfortunately Hovan’s tummy had decided it didn’t like the spaghetti from the night before and so had emptied itself in the middle of the night. Hovan was doing okay, but was unable to eat anything and had a very sore stomach. Thankfully the nausea that had bothered him on the Kang La wasn’t rearing its ugly head today, but with Hovan not feeling great, we started off into the darkness with only our headlamps and the stars as the source of light. (Left - Hovan hiking in the dark. Icicles are beginning to grow on his beard).

Never having hiked in the darkness before, I must admit this was a really amazing experience. The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly all around us. A few times I was fortunate to see shooting stars. We could see dark mountain peaks everywhere, but the only reason we could tell they were there was because there were stars missing from that part of the sky. There was no moon and so it was in true darkness that we hiked. (Right - Dawn approaching in the morning).

The trail started out rocky, but quickly became snow and remained snow until the summit. It was quite cold and we both hiked in our down jackets, gloves, fleece pants and toques. We stayed close as a group and no one strayed to far ahead or behind. Icicles began to grow on Hovan’s beard and one particularly long icicle grew to nearly an inch long. Hovan kept reminding me not to knock them off as they might break large chunks of the beard off with it.

Above - Hovan's beard growing icicles

As dawn approached we began to see the mountains take shape all around us. They were beautiful and changed colour as the sky began to lighten. As the sun rose over the mountains, the magnificent mountains emerged on every side. It was truly a sight! (Left - The sun rising over the mountains).




We reached the top of the summit after 5 hours of grueling but beautiful uphill climbing. The sun was fully shinning by the time we reached the top and we were finally able to take off our warm down jackets. The top was decorated with prayer flags and a sign congratulating us on our achievement. (Right - Our group on the summit of Thorong La).

The descent of 1700 meters took us 6 hours. Amazingly, our beloved Sherpa Umbang, who was in charge of getting us a tea house in the village of Muktinath, took one hour and 45 minutes to descend as he was trying to race 6 other Sherpas to get the best tea house in the village of Muktinath. He said he came in second place and was able to secure us the “Dream House”. At the “Dream House”, Hovan had to again rescue someone, this time it was Sharon who Robyn accidentally locked in her room. This was very amusing to us, and we wondered if it was truly an “accident”. (Left - The trail down to Muktinath).

That evening we played cards with the Sherpas and the porters which began as a simple game of pair making then as more Rakshi (a local spirit) got drank degenerated into a game of three card draw poker where cheating was abundant by both the Nepalese and by Hovan and I. All in all we had a wonderful time and everyone was laughing and in good spirits. Sleep was welcome that night as the day had started so early.

Day 17 – Muktinath to Jomsom
Thursday, November 19th
Hiking Time: 0 hours
Elevation: 3200m

(Hovan) Today we decided that we would take the Jeep ride from Muktinath to Jomsom, the only place on the entire trek where it was possible to take a Jeep. Roads have been reaching further and further into the Himalayas as both the Chinese and the Indians build trade routes. The trip over the Thorang La was pretty arduous and after 18 days of trekking the Jeep ride sounded like a really fun idea.

After enjoying sleeping in until 7:00 we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Tea House and then made our way to the Jeep. The Jeep had a number of seats, but we crammed in one Sherpa, 4 Porters, Mick and most of the crew (two people and two Sherpas decided to take the 6 hour walk between the two villages). After squeezing all of us into the vehicle we went for a bumpy, twisty, fun ride down the mountain, hugging the cliffside at certain points as we went. It was a lot of fun and a unique experience to cover so much ground in such a short time. (The Jeep we rode in to get to Jomsom).

Above - the view from the Teahouse in Muktinath

Once we reached Jomsom we settled into a Tea House and proceeded to explore the town. At one point Christine, Robyn, Sharon and myself went up to visit a museum on the Mustang Region, which is where we had been trekking through the last few days. When we exited the museum we found that a huge wind storm had come up, and even though the valley was quite wide it was funneling down something wicked. It was a good indication to us why sometimes flights were canceled due to weather. (Left - Streets of Jomsom).

We spent the late afternoon hanging out with the Sherpa’s and preparing to say good-bye. They had all been such an invaluable part of our journey and had gone over and above the entire trip to make us feel special and very well cared for. In the evening we enjoyed our final dinner on the trail as a group at a very nice restaurant. After dinner we all bunked down to have our last night sleep in the mountains before heading back to the big city and the hustle-bustle of life we left behind.

Final Days – Jomsom to Kathmandu
Friday, November 20th – Sunday, November 22nd

(Christine) Sadly this was our last day in the Himalayas as today is the day we fly back to Kathmandu. If we were to take the bus, it would be a 17 hour bus ride back to Kathmandu so I’m thankful we are not doing that option.

We got up at 5:30 in order to be ready for our 7:00 am flight. Thankfully there is no commute to the airport as it is literally right across the street. Before we left the Sherpa Dawa gave us each prayer scarfs as a parting gift. It was sad to say goodbye to the Sherpa’s and Porters after nearly 3 weeks together. We’d come to know them quite well and they’d done an excellent job leading us through the Himalayas, guiding us when we were afraid, carrying our packs when we were sick and generally providing encouragement and support along the way. (Right - the plane we flew on out of the mountains).

The airport in Jomsom consists of one landing strip and one tiny building. There were no x-ray machines and so the security attendant just searched our bags thoroughly for any contraband. We flew in a Canadian Twin Otter and it made me feel very safe to be in a home made plane in which I’ve flown many times for work back and forth to Vancouver.

Above - the airstrip in Jomsom

On the flight Mick and I held the hands of an elderly Nepalese woman who was seemingly terrified of flying. Despite the language barrier, I could tell she was thankful that we were there. She had likely not flown more than a handful of times in her life. With the mountains everywhere, the flight was actually quite turbulent but also incredibly spectacular. It was just like a shot out of National Geographic, flying down huge valleys in a small plane, sandwiched by enormous gorgeous mountains. A second hopper flight from Pokhra took us to Kathmandu where, if you were fortunate enough to sit on the left hand side, you were treated to view of the entire Annapurna range. (Left - Views of the Annapurna range from the plane).

In Kathmandu we were delighted to meet up with Kevin, Gerry, Glen & Mary whom we had parted with only 4 days earlier and we easily resumed the comradery we had enjoyed while on the trek. Thankfully they were feeling much better and it was great see them eat healthy portions of food. Hovan proudly managed to eat a half pound burger at one restaurant, something he'd been dreaming of the entire journey. (Right - Hovan and his half pound burger)

A final night of food and drink together led to an amusing story as our super cool fighter pilot (Jarrett) perhaps a little inebriated, decided he wanted to drive a rickshaw. He managed to find a rickshaw driver who would let him do such a thing, and, treating the rickshaw like a mountain bike, took a corner way too quickly and crashed it. Thankfully he was unhurt, and so was the bike and driver (who was riding on the back of the rickshaw), but the story stuck and he became known by a new call sign "Rickshaw".

Sadly, we parted ways and our journey in Nepal came to a close. I must admit, despite the difficulties we encountered, the trek has been my favourite part of our trip to date. It was everything I expected, and nothing I expected (if that makes any sense). We saw some of the most beautiful, remote parts of the Himalayas, practically untouched by our Western society. I built relationships with wonderful people from home and abroad, I was led down a mountain by a Buddhist monk who took me places I did not think possible, I saw people carrying wood for days just to keep warm at night, I experienced an incredibly beautiful culture and I grew with Hovan as he experienced one of the toughest mornings of his life. It has truly been an amazing once in a lifetime experience for me.

And now, it's on to our next adventure, but this trek is one I'm sure never to forget.

All the best,
Christine (and Hovan)