Life's a Stitch

(Feb. 28)

It was difficult to leave this beautiful resort after just one night. On our drive we passed through a busier town with two and three story buildings. 

Then the typical market/souvenir warehouse with high pressure sales tactics.

Amboseli Sopa Lodge is made up of cute little cottages and scampering monkeys.

After lunch was the day’s game drive starting with an old lone elephant with one tusk. He is apart from his herd as his life expectancy is short.

This was our not so spectacular view of Mount Kilimanjaro, just a bit of snow peeking out halfway up the photo. You still are able to imagine its size.

We discovered a series of mini hippo pools in the swampy fields.

There was a Spoonbill catching fish

We were on the flat part of the savannah with foothills in the background and had our daily intake of giraffes, zebras, antelope, and gazelles.

I’ll add more photos once our travel mates upload theirs to our PhotoCircle.

In the evening we trekked up the long path to Hemingway’s Bar.

This was the house Hemingway built in the 1960’s, in the shape of Africa, and is now a bar/museum, with original furniture and fixtures.

Over time Hemingway developed a close relationship with the local Maasai people. We were the only ones in the bar and were treated to passionate storytelling by the bartender/house caretaker, who is the nephew of a pictured Maasai warrior and grandson of the chief who befriended Hemingway.

He also gave us background on the Sopa Lodges, owned by one family who are good employers. He pointed out a photo of his uncle with Hemingway.

It was one of the highlights of the trip.

(Feb. 27)

An early start for the 4 hour drive to Lake Naivasha, again passing many herdsmen and their livestock.

It is not yet official rainy season, but the forecast called for showers every day. We lucked out and it stayed dry for every scheduled game drive. Today did not disappoint.

We arrived at Lake Naivasha for a sunny boat safari.

First were the hippos.

Then we circumnavigated Crescent Island, a paradise without predators for the resident animals. 

The lake’s bird population was impressive. I was luck to snap a quick photo on my phone of my favourite bird, a kingfisher.

I wasn’t fast enough to get the one with a fish in his beak.

The Sopa Lake Naivasha Lodge was spectacular, luxurious with the bonus of animals roaming freely on the grounds. 

Our room was waterfront and at one point we had a hippo view.

Re registered with the resort’s naturalist for a nighttime hippo walk. Hippos rest during the day in the water and come to land in the evening to graze. Their diet is vegetarian. It’s hard to imagine attaining their weight by eating grass.

We were treated to close up encounters with zebras and giraffes. 

Returning to our room we were met by a giraffe busy trimming the hedge by our stairs. 

(Feb. 26)

The park, comprised of savannah wilderness, is named for the Maasai people and the Mara River. There were rolling green hills and stretches of wheat coloured fields.

We were given the choice of an all day game drive or sunrise and sunset drives with lunch and afternoon at the lodge. The six of us chose a compromise of an abbreviated day drive, 7:00 am to 2:00 pm as we had already done the evening one yesterday.

Although every day was good, in retrospect, this day was the highlight of the trip. Early on we spotted a Cheetah, probably the one we saw yesterday, as although a distance from where we originally sighted him, it was still within his territorial range.

Everyone on Safari hopes to view the “Big Five” animals—lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. “Originally coined by big-game hunters to describe the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot, the term now represents top wildlife viewing in countries like Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya.”

In Nairobi we checked two off that list: lion and rhino. Yesterday we saw elephants and today the buffalo.

Only the leopard to go, but we were warned that they were shy and not to have our expectations too high.

Along the way we saw gazelles, gnus aka wildebeests, mongooses, giraffes, impalas, ostriches, zebras, baboons, buffalo, warthogs…It was amazing that all these creatures lived together, some in a predatory relationship, others in a peaceable kingdom. Sometimes in one pasture there would be several different species all getting along. 

We saw a group of safari vehicles ahead, indicating a sighting of interest. It was a lioness relaxing in the grasses. She decided to move and the Land Rovers followed. Although this photo might give the impression of being irresponsibly close to wildlife, it was the opposite. The lion pair parked themselves right in the middle of the trucks. 

We continued toward our destination with an unexpected treat, a rest area in the middle of nowhere. 

The farthest point of the day was the Mara River where a regional guide took us on a river walk to see crocodiles and hippos. 

He taught us about Maasai culture and demonstrated how to use a twig of the green hat tree as a toothbrush.

The guides are in contact with each other via radio communication. Ours was advised of lions in the immediate vicinity. We came upon a male sitting in the field of flowers reminding me of Ferdinand the Bull from a childhood storybook. The bull, destined for the bullring, wasn’t fierce at all. His happy place was sitting in a field, smelling the flowers. 

The next lion was of the fierce variety, munching on a buffalo carcass.

I’ll spare you the video with sounds of crunching bones. 

Across the road hyenas and vultures were awaiting their turn.

On the way back to the lodge we had a giraffe photobomb experience. As I took the picture another giraffe popped up out of the trees.

It was a satisfying safari day.

(Feb. 25)

The real fun begins. At 7:30 we met our guide, David, from Nairobi and the rest of our group, Brian and Mindy, a couple from San Diego. We boarded our Land River for a 245 kilometer (152 miles), five hour ride from Nairobi to Maasai Mara.

Two rest stops were included: the great rift valley overlook:

and a giant souvenir shop where an employee follows you encouraging you to fill a shopping basket. They won’t price an item individually, wanting to give you one total at the end. It’s not the way I shop so I left empty handed.

We passed many Maasai herdsmen and their goats, sheep and cows, having to slow down for road crossings. The law says if you hit one of their animals you are responsible for compensating the owner.

The pavement stopped 45 minutes before our destination, replaced by bumpy clay and rock roads, which David dubbed a free Kenyan back massage. 

We arrived at the Sopa Maasai Mara Lodge in time for our first evening game drive.

We were stunned by the amount and variety of animals; there was hardly a time when you didn’t see something.

(Feb. 24)

Chuck, Rika and I were up early for our 6:15 pick up time, Mack dedicating another day to travel recovery. 

The first stop was Nairobi National Park, a 117,00 square meter area located in the outskirts of the city, complete with natural wildlife. It is possible, at the edge of the park, to see safari animals with the city skyline in the background. It is an unfenced area and animals have been known to wander into town. You can spot buildings behind the giraffes:

We reserved this tour as an additional opportunity to see safari animals, in case our nine scheduled game drives yielded disappointing results as the weather didn’t look promising. This was an example of reality far exceeding expectations. It’s hard to believe that ten kilometres from a major city we saw:

Lions

Zebras

Rhinos

Hippos, baboons, impalas, wildebeest…I’m sure I’m missing some. As we left the park Chuck joked “OK we’ve seen it all we can go home now.”

The second stop was the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, a non-profit rescue and rehabilitation centre for orphaned animals. Currently there is a tiny rhino, whose mother died when she fell off a cliff, a baby zebra rescued at weeks old, and 12 elephants. Most are young enough to require bottle feeding with human baby formula. It was a very interesting and engaging experience.

There was a typical tour stop for a lunch break with a warehouse sized store featuring overpriced locally made items and souvenirs.

Next was a visit to Kobetough bead factory, an organization the employs woman in financial need to craft beaded jewelry and leather items. The proceeds support Maasai women and girls.

The final stop was the Giraffe Center, another non-profit dedicated to bringing back the Rothschild giraffe from near extinction. In 1979 there were 130. Through their efforts there are now over 300. The facility serves as an education centre for school children and tourists.

We used our limited time to meet and feed the giraffes. 

Rika got an unexpected kiss.

What a day!

Tomorrow is the start of the real tour, first stop: Maasai Mara.

(Feb. 23)

Given the considerable amount of travel to get here, we added two days in Nairobi to tackle the jet lag prior to starting the official tour. 

The plan was a walk to a grocery store located less than a kilometre away. Sounds easy. Nairobi experienced drenching rains this week resulting in local flooding and a muddy walk. Following Google Maps we crossed a busy major ring road using our strategy of following a local who knows how to manoeuvre through five lanes of chaotic traffic.

On our list was drinking water, wine for our group pre-dinner glass, 

and my new favourite low cost souvenir – grocery store bags to be used at home. These featured the big five Safari animals. Not bad for 39 cents.

We had lunch on the top floor of the hotel with a good Nairobi view.

It was a low key day as we had a nine hour tour booked for 6:15 am the next morning.

(Feb. 22)

Part one – seating strategy

Travelling with Mack and Rika, our partners from our Egypt/Jordan trip and numerous camping experiences, began with two flights, 9.5 and 8.5hours each. Vancouver to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Nairobi.

As we are not getting any younger, it was time for a photo safari in Kenya and Tanzania. I emphasize photo because someone asked if we would be eating what we hunted.

Pre-trip planning included a consult with the travel clinic and updated typhoid and cholera vaccines and a prescription for anti-malarials. 

This was not a must do on my travel list, but again, the bargain hunter I am found an offer we couldn’t refuse. 

We met at YVR to begin the journey. 

The flights were surprisingly easy due to seating configuration, always a risk with economy tickets. Lufthansa lets you reserve a seat in advance for a fee with the warning that the actual booked seat isn’t guaranteed. Upon selecting a paid seat you are only assured of one in the same category area. Despite being a frequent flyer, this kind of policy was new to me. The alternative is letting them assign you a seat and paying for any change at check-in.

Given the length of the flights we elected to book ahead. The first plane had my favourite seating configuration in economy: two, four, two across. We booked the aisle/window seats together and were happy when nothing was changed.

Second flight – we played seat roulette in the more traditional three, four three set up. We reserved an aisle and a window hoping nobody would be placed between us. This has backfired in the past, but is optimal if it works – the free middle seat available for under seat storage and the freedom of nobody next to you. We strategically chose closer to the back, in the middle of the cabin, not too near the bathrooms, where there appeared to be many available choices. Now the nerve wracking part: having boarded and waiting for the roll of your seating dice. It was a packed flight and I wasn’t optimistic. This time we won and all went well.

Note to self: we have been loyal Westjet flyers, but increasingly it’s become an unpleasant experience. The staff seem stressed from check-in to onboard, the food is less than adequate, the cabin space has shrunk. This experience with Lufthansa was a refreshing change on all counts. 

Up next: free days in Nairobi

I don’t know how many out there stop by still hoping for some yarn content, but just in case, here’s some. 

I reported for my volunteer shift at the Art Society’s fall show and the woman whose shift I was replacing was wearing a colourful work of yarn art. I asked if she crocheted it and she happily shared the pattern link for the Double Crochet All The Way Cardigan. 

It was my vacation project which presented a dilemma: I hadn’t quite finished it in time for our flight home and it was too bulky for my baggage. So I wore it anyway, still in need of front and neck bands and cuff ribbing. I figured it was OK and hopefully nobody noticed the markers holding my stitches in place until another skein of Sirdar Jewelspun arrives from the UK.

Didn’t want to order it while we were in the US and have to pay their blasted tariffs. We noticed many things more expensive than in Canada because after all, who pays for the tariff? The consumer.

I use Instagram solely for the promotion of my art business and rarely do I post the same item here. Today will be an exception. 

I just had the pleasure of painting these beautiful kitties when SIL Ellen commissioned the portrait for a dear friend.

As has happened recently when I’ve put paintings in the mail, it was delayed due to severe weather. There’s always a bit of trepidation handing that package to the post office. Where possible I insure them, but the thought of having to repeat the portrait is intimidating as they are impossible to duplicate. It will look different. 

I have paintings in seven countries and when mailing to some, tracking and insurance is exorbitant. It was explained that some countries have a higher chance of missing parcels, hence the pricing. I’ve only had one wayward painting, in the US, never to be seen again. That was before I insured my North American deliveries.

Back to these sweet painting subjects, their owner commented “you have captured the souls of both cats perfectly.” I am happy to be part of illustrating Murray’s personality while preserving the memory of Marvin.

There is no universal scale of trail ratings. What’s considered moderate in one guide is easy in another. It’s totally subjective. I sorted through all the “easy” ones in the book “140 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs,” and am generally finding them underrated. 

Recently we hiked the Bear Creek Canyon/Boo Hoff Loop Trail, rated easy: 4.5 miles, 2 hours, elevation gain of only 400 ft (123 meters). Piece of cake, right? Maybe, if you remembered your hiking poles.

We started out on even ground and quickly came to the realization that the trail was too flat. 

We looked up to see the ridge where we should have been. We always add in “lost time” so we were on schedule. Not far back we had missed the turn, but in all fairness there were no trail markers; we were following written directions from the guide. Actually there were three more instances of questioning our location. Luckily each time a hiker approached from the opposite direction to reassure us.

It was unusually green given the recent strong rains that hit the desert.

It’s when you hit an inclined surface like this that you seriously consider your lack of poles:

Elevation has all to do the trail’s surface, this one being rocky shale. Up we went anyway. It was good for the adrenaline especially when combined with thoughts of the possibility of insufficient water and rescue helicopters. 

The trail wrapped around the mountain as promised and right on schedule we saw the view of La Quinta again.

We were back in the parking lot in reasonable time for lunch at Stuft Pizza. Total time: a reasonable 2hrs 40 minutes including lost time.