Weekend Bonding trip

Blue skies, music and the car packed and we were on our way. My brother and I were road tripping to Naivasha to spend the weekend camping, fishing, watching the football and then climbing a mountain.

It took us about 2 hours to get to our campsite and then figure out where to pitch our tent.  Fishing rods came out, and we stood on either side of the jetty casting out. As dusk began to set in, the sky turned from a beautiful blue to that of purple and pink. The lake was so calm it looked like you could step onto it and float. The Kingfishers and other birds were getting ready to settle in for the night; it was peaceful and serene. Moments before we packed up, my brother got a tug on his line and caught a fish. The excitement set in and we decided to stay out a little longer before we sorted ourselves out to go and watch Brazil vs Chile.

 The campsite was packed on Saturday and I bumped into quite a few people that I knew; everyone was heading next door for a party after the game. The match was intense and at full time, was still a draw. Extra time then penalties followed.  My brother and I, being sensible went off to bed afterwards seeing as we had to get up really early and we had a long climb in the morning.

After virtually no sleep (perhaps an hour-after the music from next door was turned off), my alarm went off and it was time to start the day. Within an hour we were on our way to the park. I had wanted to trek up this mountain for a while now; the last time I did it was when I was 10 years old, and I never did the rim. This time, I wanted to do everything. I can say now, that I am glad that I did it, but never again! It was a beautiful day and we started early enough.

Mount Longonot’s name is apparently “derived from the Maasai word oloonong'ot, meaning "mountains of many spurs" or "steep ridges".  I can believe that as on the way up to the point it was necessary to use both hands to hold the rocks on either side of you to make your way up. 4 hours it took us up, around and down (3.1 kms up, 7.2 kms around). The view from the top peak is amazing and is worth the hike, but it was hard work! 

Half way around the rim, my brother and I stopped in our tracks. Fresh buffalo pooh and tracks going over the tracks of the people in front of us. Shit! We made a game plan that if we found ourselves in a situation; we would climb down the inside of the crater and hope that we would be ok.  We didn’t speak and we almost tiptoed; I kept look to the right and my brother straight ahead. It was an intense 20 minutes, not knowing that around every corner there might be a heard of buffalo. When we eventually came across a Maasai and his sheep, we gave a sigh of relief and continued going, a lot less nervous than before.

When we were on our final section down, and could see the car, we couldn’t be more relieved. My brother ran off and when I got down the bottom he was lying on the floor next to the car. We were both so exhausted.  Despite the blisters, sunburn and layer of dust we had on, it was well worth the hike. We high fived each other when we got in the car and looked forward to a shower and a nap when we got home!

Spontaneous adventures

People would think me mad for agreeing to go away for the night with three guys I barely know! I would generally think I was mad too; but I decided to be adventurous.

Last Friday night I went to watch a band playing; I knew the drummer so I wanted to go and support him at his first gig. At the gig, after dinner, this guy came in with a friend and sat next to me. We got along really well and spent the rest of the evening chatting! Now, when I am talking I tend to take ages to finish my drink. The friends that I went with were seated at the other end of the table and looked like they were having a good time. They had mentioned to me that they wanted to leave, but I had just ordered a glass of wine so said to them “sure, as soon as I’ve finished this”. It must have been quite a while after this that I got a message from one of them saying “that wines going to evaporate faster than you’re drinking it :P) *Oops!* So the wine was downed and off we went.

We all went to one of our local spots where you can drink and dance.  On arrival we were a little cautious; there were a few cops standing at the entrance with their guns; a few more than normal, but we decided to go in anyway. Due to recent problems here and with the world cup going on, there is extra security everywhere.

Beer, laughter, dancing and catching up pretty much describes my night. Plus being able to dance with someone that knows how to dance is always a bonus. Problem is, I am always leading people, so when I am with someone that is trying to lead me...well, I get a little confused! (I think I also stood on his feet a few times- sorry!)

Somewhere in the early hours of the morning I was invited to go away with these three guys for the night (the one I met at dinner plus his two friends). A drunken invite is all I thought of it. Until lunch time the next day when I got a call saying they wanted to leave in an hour. I must admit I was in a little shock! The sensible me probably would have said no, but I had a great time with them the night before and they didn’t seem too strange haha so I decided to go along. I have a friend that lives down the road from where we were staying, and I know the owners of the camp, that I figured I was pretty safe- which I was. I had a really great time and want to do more spontaneous things like that! Next time though, when debating whether we should buy a bottle of gin or not, we should just buy it. I am pretty sure that we drank way more than we would have otherwise!

The death of Satao: Just one tragedy of many

I cannot comprehend the greed and sickness that infiltrates peoples’ minds to keep slaughtering these beautiful creatures. The recent murder of Satao- Kenya’s “Big Tusker”, has brought the attention of this brutal crime to the reality of many more people. Grief and sadness has spread far and wide. Satao had been a target before, but the poisonous arrow did not penetrate deep enough to be fatal.  He fought through it and survived. This time however, on the 30^th May 2014, the poisonous arrows rammed too deep into him, that he yielded to the fate of his killers. When he was found, his face was hacked off and it is presumed he was only identifiable by his size and the scar on his trunk. Not only was Satao a target for those monsters, but so were many other beautiful bulls who were found massacred- it was a “killing field” said Mark Deeble.  

How does this keep happening time and time again? Why has something more drastic not been done to fight this crime? The deaths of these magnificent creatures is far outdoing their birth rate, that sooner than expected they will be no more.  At this rate, we will be the generation that allowed our elephants to become extinct. Our grandchildren will be growing up and will not have the honour and pleasure of seeing these creatures in real life.  I have so many stories of accidental close encounters of being charged and having one trumpet midst mud bath as I drove around the corner and frightened it. These are fantastic memories of mine and make great stories. Soon, stories like mine won’t exist.

Kenya is going through a crisis with security- Al Shabab have forced their way into our minds and have caused fear among the people.  They have broken up families. The Kenyan Government has a responsibility to protect their people and to protect their wildlife. At the moment I don’t see either issue being addressed appropriately or action being taken to solve this problem. I see the Government running from the problem because they don’t know how to handle it.

Terrorists are getting involved with the ivory trade as this is what funds them. These two big issues are intermingled together. On numerous social media networks, when it comes to Kenya, all that is talked about is terrorism and poaching. I googled “travel to Kenya” to see what it came up with: Terror attacks and travel advisories against coming here. I understand that people are scared, I am scared, but fear should not consume our lives. Tourism fuels are economy and if people stop coming it is going to crash.

These are not problems that are going to be solved over night, but more needs to be done. Instead of hiding and running away, they need to be tackled head on. I fail to understand that with the amount of KWS rangers that are in the parks, how this is still happening. Obviously more need to be instated, so train and employ more people so not only are you taking a step towards fighting this, but more people are being educated and employed.

I cannot stress the importance of the grave situation that Kenya faces at the moment.  Please don’t let our wonderful country lose these beautiful elephants. Please don’t let these terrorists take any more of our people. Let our country thrive with the beauty that it encompasses and let us start again to have time to rejuvenate.

Kenyans, non Kenyans, young and old. What are you doing to help? Don’t just read a post and “like” it. Do something.  You can start by signing this: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Uhuru_Kenyatta_The_President_of_Kenya_Give_Presidential_protection_to_the_last_great_tuskers_in_Kenya/?ddykhdb&pv=39

Thank you.

Who are you?

It’s 12.30 am. I see you walk into the bar. You are dressed in casual khaki pants, a t-shirt and trainers. You sit at the table opposite me and order a drink. Rum and coke…Vodka and coke? I notice you are left handed. I am enjoying my drink with my friends, but you stand out to me. You are alone and drinking- why? You spend a lot of time on your phone, and then look at the door expectantly. I wonder if you are waiting for a date and if you have been stood up. I build up different scenarios in my mind, trying to see which one will fit you. I contemplate that maybe you have had a fight with your wife or girlfriend and you have gone to the bar to cool down…but you look sad and alone, not angry. I think that you might be a teacher or maybe even a director; you wear big, thick glasses and look studious but creative. You don’t talk to the waiter; you don’t smile at anyone around you. You look at your phone or at the door… waiting.

I have asked for the bill, it’s time for me to move on. I suddenly notice a smile, a wave of relief. A man and a woman walk in. You know the man; you give him a hug hello. He introduces you to the woman he is with. A new girlfriend I suspect- she looks nervous; she touches her hair a lot, she doesn’t smile. I think that you and him are friends, but haven’t seen each other in awhile. Maybe you don’t live in Nairobi? The introverted behavior you were expressing has diminished and you look at ease. You are no longer crossing your arms and trying to hide away, now you are standing assertively and are laughing. Now you smile at the waiter. Now you are happy.

I leave, and as I walk past you I wonder who you are. I wonder if what I thought was right, or if my observations were just a way for me to build a character for my stories.