Big Catch-Up Part Mbili!

December 2020 - After many many tears, I made it back to Kenya in time for Christmas. I actually kissed the ground when I landed in Nairobi. I went by road to a lovely place called Elsamere, the former home of the author of Born Free. The lodge is on the shore of Lake Naivasha. I relaxed there, watched the black and white colobus monkeys, took a drive to a local sanctuary where I fell completely in love with the giraffes, and climbed a small mountain! 

African Fish Eagles

Black and White Colobus Monkey

Stonechat

Crater Lake Sanctuary

Dik-dik

Eland

Lake Naivasha

This is called 'necking.' It's how males establish dominance.

Hammerkop

Gazelle

Mount Longonot

Superb Starling

White-fronted Bee-eater

Big Catch-Up!

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost a year since I have updated the blog! It has been a crazy year, for me and the entire human race. I'm still here in Mombasa, still loving the monkeys and the birds.  

Red Colobus Monkey, Jozani Forest, Zanzibar

December 2020 - I had to make a 'visa run' to Zanzibar. Sounds idyllic and romantic, right. Guess again! We were still in the height of the pandemic, before vaccines were available. The Tanzanian government and people were in denial about the pandemic, so there were NO restrictions, and people were yelling at me in the street, telling me there was 'no covid in Zanzibar!' While in Zanzibar, of course I did manage to take some gorgeous photos. Maybe one day when we are all back to 'normal,' I will give Zanzibar another chance...

While waiting for my visa to be issued, I took a day trip to Jozani Forest to meet some red colobus monkeys...

Stonetown, where I was staying, is famous for its 'Swahili doors.' These doors are about a hundred years old, and intricately carved with significant designs.

The island of Zanzibar was a major port in the East African slave trade. I visited a heart-wrenching exhibition about this horrible chapter in human history. 

Some Excursions Around Mombasa

 Getting Comfortable

Life on campus wasn't all work and no play. One Sunday, the director of the school took the four newbies and their families to a town called Diani for a lovely lunch at a hotel on the beach. My first taste of the Indian Ocean (from Kenya)! Bliss. 

To get to Diani, which is to the south of Mombasa, you first have to cross a channel by ferry. Oh my goodness, it took SO long to get on the ferry. We actually had to wait for a third ferry before our vehicle could board. 

Then we drove through a fairly rough-looking area by the ferry, through countryside, and finally turned seaward. Finally we arrived at 'The Sands at Nomads.' The hotel and restaurant are situated within a lovely forest right on the beach. 

Unfortunately, you see camels fairly often here being used as tourist attractions. It's a little heartbreaking. 

While we were eating lunch, a group of young men suddenly appeared on the beach and started to perform acrobatic feats. I was wildly impressed by their physical courage. They were performing for tips. 

The Aga Khan Academy campus borders the Mama Ngina Waterfront, much of which is a lovely park. For about the first month of my stay on campus, the park was closed because of Covid-19 restrictions. And then suddenly it opened! One Saturday I took the opportunity to walk along the entire waterfront.

At one end of the park is a grove of baobab trees. The baobab fruit is huge, and apparently is one of those fruits that has a hundred different uses. 

The fruit of the baobab tree

I saw a man using a long stick to knock some of the fruit down.  I think it against the rules in this particular park, because a security guard came over and calmly stopped him. 

From campus, I had seen black-headed herons flying overhead. And one evening, I spied a number of herons in a tree in the distance. I was so thrilled when I entered the park, and discovered that there was a huge flock of black-headed herons nesting in the baobab trees! I was so excited, walking from tree to tree, craning my neck back for a better look. And all of the Kenyan visitors in the park were pretty entertained by this weird white woman freaking out over birds!