Author: Julie

We left for the airport Friday January 2^nd at 1:30pm having spent the last seven weeks visiting family and friends, traveling the States and now with 8 full suitcases are back in Lagos Saturday 11pm January 3^rd.   It’s 82 degrees and balmy weather.

 

We awoke Sunday morning to the sound of the fire alarm going off in the apartment.  We had gotten about 5 hours sleep at this point and it would have been nice to sleep in.  After calling security to let them know about the alarm, we discovered water on the floor of 3 bathrooms and the guest bedroom and not a little water but water an inch deep.  One of the hot water tanks (we have 2) had burst.  Here the tanks are located in the crawl space above the bathrooms.  Once again we called security and someone came round to turn off the water to the 2 bathrooms and the kitchen.  We won’t be doing any laundry! 

 

It’s Monday 1:30pm and a new water tank has arrived and is being installed.  Of course there is now rust colored water on the floor and grimy fingerprints all over the walls.  The plumber had to remove the wood frame around the crawl space to get the new hot water heater in, but at least we have hot water!  Watching workers in Nigeria is always interesting:  Plumbers, Electricians, and Carpenters – all show up with no tools whatsoever!  They arrive, and then go in search of a ladder, (we do not have one), then they ask to borrow a hammer or wrench, or must go off again to borrow one from somewhere.  If parts are needed, the leave and come back days later with the part to pick-up where they left off.  Therefore, simple jobs drag over either all day long, or over multiple days, and even then will only get completed in a timely fashion if they are called and cajoled on a continuous basis.

 

To be safe, we have asked to have the other hot water heater replaced before it might burst!  So the plumbers will return.  Welcome to life in Nigeria!

Finally, we have our belongings and yes they arrived 7 days before we leave Nigeria for our home leave.  Our belongings (furniture, kitchen and household items) were packed in May 2008.  They were moved to storage till a sea freight container became available (which took about 10 days).  Our stuff was then packed into the container and shifted to the dock where at the end of June it was placed on a ship for Nigeria.  However, once it got to sea it developed problems and had to be towed back to dock and put in dry dock for repairs.  Thus our container was unloaded and sat on the dock awaiting another ship to Nigeria.  It started on its way to us again in August and arrived in Nigeria in early September.  It took a while before it cleared customs and tariffs and taxes were paid. But October 31^st after calling the port for a solid week, our belongings arrived at 6:30pm.  Then they had to be unloaded the container.  The container was too big to get into the complex so 6 guys unloaded in the street and either carried the boxes through the gate past the guards,  across the parking lot, around the pool, up a flight of stairs to us or loaded the smaller items into a small van and drove the van to the closest entry and brought the items to us.    It took about 4 hours to unload.  But what a relief to finally have our own stuff!  We removed the bubble wrapping from the living room furniture and popped some champagne.  Celebration time!

 

November 1^st we ventured with the Nigerian Field Society to Makoko, a stilt village off the Third Mainland Bridge of Lagos.  This stilt village has been in the waters off Lagos Mainland for 2 generations now.  It is a village built entirely on stilts sitting in the water.  There are only waterways as roads. The population is ~9,000 people. It is made up of the fishing people of Benin seeking a better life.  We started by embarking into 3 skiffs to traverse the 30 minutes to the village.  We were accompanied by a couple who visit this village about once every 6 months always taking a small number of people to expose them to a different side of life here in Lagos.  Today there were 20 of us and we came bearing gifts:  cash for the children’s school and school supplies, drink for the Baale, and pictures of the previous visit.  We were greeted by the Baale’s men and welcomed into the community center.  We were allowed to ask any questions (through an interpreter) of the Balay and then given a tour by banana boat of the village.  The Baale is a mayor like figure that overseas the community handling most anything and everything.  He allowed picture-taking and was most gracious to the invasion of 20 Obinyos (white people).  The young man that guided us through the village was born and raised in Makoko.  He spoke English and conversed readily about the villages’ way of life.  The children begin swimming and paddling a boat from birth.  We saw 4 year olds out alone paddling a boat.  The elders and older youth go to the sea daily to fish and once the fish are sold the other necessities’ are either bought or bartered.  There is clean water that comes from the mainland.  The day we were there, the pipe sprung a leak and we watched them pull it up and cover the leak with a piece of rubber and drop it back down.  There are boats moving through the village selling cloth, clothes, DVD’s/CD’s, recharge cards (for the cell phones), oranges, smoked fish, vegetables and fruits (actually, they sell anything you can think of).   Yes a few people had electricity and a couple of homes had generators.  Most homes were one large room on stilts, but some were 2 stories tall and some had porches.  Several had outdoor showers to the side of the home.  During the tour the children smiled and yelled “Yaboo” (their word for white person).  The children want you to take their picture and then show them the picture.  They also want to touch you.  It was interesting to see those who have so little and make so much of what little they have.  It certainly was unlike any other village we have been to.

 

 

This weekend we took another trip down the intercoastal waterway via the Isahayi Sea to Conrad and Inyant’s beach hut. (See August 17, 2008)  A thirty minute ride on the water makes one worries melt away.  We were going for sun and relaxation as our sea freight had not yet arrived.  The sun cooperated and it was a wondrous day.  No cell phones and no traffic only the sounds of the Atlantic Ocean.   We walked the beach, relaxed in the hammocks, read a book, and flew a kite.  Emmanuel and Friday prepared a feast from the supplies we brought and we ate barbeque ribs, kabobs and burgers.  We shared conversation over a bottle of wine (or 2).  We even taught the local children to fly the kite.  What a peaceful day. 

   

 

This morning I had the privilege to attend a hospitality coffee offered by the American Women’s Club (AWC) hosted at the Nike Gallery.

Renowned batik artist Nike Davies-Okundayoe has turned the first floor of her Lekki Estates home into a showroom. Nike was personally there to show us around and to answer questions.  Her daughter was also there modeling some of the batik skirts and sashes.  Her home show cases not only her art but other artists thus paintings, beads, fabric and other artwork were displayed. It was a wonderfully interesting morning.

 

 

 

Nike Davies-Okundayoe is one of the most well-known and contemporary artists of West Africa.

She is an active supporter of women’s rights and promoting Nigerian art forms.  Nike’s Center for arts and Culture in Oshogbo trains men and women free of charge in the Nigerian art forms.  (Oshogbo is a major market town in southwest Nigeria that is the center of production of adire [indigo pattern dying].) Nike is working to keep alive the techniques of traditional Yoruba art:  adire, batik, beadwork, wood carving, mosaics, appliqué and even drumming and dancing.  Nike is also an active opponent of the economic slavery of women through the practice of polygamy. You can learn more at www.nikeart.com

 

 

The Elephant Dream by Nike Davies

 

 

Osun Goddess by Nike Davies

 

Close you r eyes and you will hear horns blowing, engine noise and one thousand conversations.  Open your eyes and see a kaleidoscope of colors in front of you and across the street as well as thousands of people.  The shops are 4 foot wide and 8 foot deep with racks on all 3 walls full of fabric from ceiling to floor.  There are all colors of the rainbow as well as fabric from all of Africa (Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, South Africa and more).  There is no door or air conditioning, but hops have one light in the ceiling.   There are fabric and then fabric with lace woven into it.  The colorful but plain fabric for every day wear and the laciest of fabrics for special occasions and Sunday Church wear.  The senses were overwhelmed.

 

This morning 7 of us ventured to Balogun Street on Lagos Island in search of dress fabric.  Some of the ladies were after skirt fabric or blouse fabric, but two of us were after fabric for traditional dress.  Balogun Market is on Balogun Street not too far from where Rocky works.  It is a street traversed on foot or by okada with people everywhere.  Occasionally you will see a car as it is difficult driving due to the volume of people in the street.

 

So where does one start with so many choices.  As this was my first time here, I followed my friends observing the wide variety of fabrics.  I was after dress  and headdress material as well as fabric to cover our bar stools.   After viewing several shops I found blue material overlaid with gold with hints of pink and lavender for a dress.  The shopkeeper wanted 4000 Naira (NGN) [~$34].  We bargained and I paid 2500 NGN (~$ 21)  for 6 yards of the blue fabric. All fabric comes in 6 or 12 yards lengths.  I then selected the pink fabric (that matches the dress) for a headdress from another shop.

 

 For the bar I found brown black with a pattern that matches the carvings on the front of the bar.  The gentleman wanted 4500 NGN (~$38) but eventually settled for 2500 NGN (~$21).   All in all, shopping took us about 3 hours. 

 

As we walked back to Breadfruit Street where the drivers and cars waited we bought 2 bags of oranges (6 oranges for 200 Naira [$1.70]).   As it turns out those oranges was lunch as we got stuck in traffic and it took 70 minutes to get home (normally 20 minute drive).  My next foray will be to find a tailor.

We headed back to camp, sat on the porch and enjoyed a bottle of red wine together, and prepared for the coming rainstorm that was building in the distance.

 

The storm hit with strong winds and horizontal rain, forcing everyone in Nyumbu Camp to take temporary refuge in their tents.  After an hour’s downpour, the rain turned to a sprinkle, and we ventured outside to find the nearly dry creek at the base of our camp turned into a 40-foot wide raging torrent.  Zebra who find daily evening refuge in the security of the camp were caught looking forlorn on the other side stranded from their security.  Phillip, the Camp’s Manager, assured us that the water would recede in a couple of hours, and so it would.  At dusk, the camp directors moved the campfire into the headquarters tent, where our Maasai Guide and Assistant Manager, James, told us about growing up Maasai in Kenya.  James is a college educated young man with a wife and 2 young children who was raised in the area.  He dresses each day in native Maasai dress, but speaks perfect school English, and represents the blending of African tribal traditions with Western upward mobility.  At 7:30pm we adjourned to dinner, and afterwards, we reassembled around the campfire for the anticipated stories.  When eyelids grew heavy, we broke the camaraderie for bedtime, just in time to make our way to our tents amidst the roars and rumbles of lions on the plains on the other side of the river.  Sleep came, though more nervously then normal, as the echos of preditor lions filled the small valley for the next 10-15 minutes.

 

My eyes awoke with a start in the still blackness of night that surrounded us.  I could tell by the luminescence of my watch’s dial that it was only a little after 2:00am, and the crunching and stomping outside of the tent is what woke me.  Julie and I quietly rose and took a look out the screen into the moonlight, to see two Zebra almost within arm’s reach, feasting on the still wet grass around the tent.  We took comfort in knowing that they thought it was safe here, as we crawled back under the covers to fall asleep.

 

We rose just before sunrise, again, and took a walk around the sleepy camp to survey the night’s handiwork.  The river had receded to its normal trickle, and the sign of Zebra and Wildebeest around the camp was abundant.  We wandered back to our social campfire patio to sit with morning coffee, and were lucky enough to see a family of three Velvet Monkeys 30 yards away playing hide-and-seek with the local tree trunks.

 

Sadly, we made our final check out after breakfast, and said our goodbyes to the other guests and staff.  Phillip and James had made our short stay truly memorable, and we were sorry to have to leave.  We used the few extra hours that we had in Kenya to re-enter the Maasai Mara Park, and take one last Game Drive through the Reserve.  Given the rains of the night before, we stayed to the main roads, and took one last long look at the vistas of over 10,000 animals that filled our small horizon.  In the distance were the ever present Elephants  and Giraffes, and we came upon two new groups of Ostrich who were busy with their heads to the ground, eating – pausing only occasionally to look up and see what was going on around them.

 

 

  

We started our trip to the park’s exit when our driver took a turn into a small quarry on the side of a hill where lay the park’s king, a male Lion, (Simba in Swahili), grooming himself without a care in the world.  From only 20 feet away, one can finally appreciate just how big the animal is, with front paw pads measuring 10 inches across!  We watched him for 15-20 minutes, until we decided that we needed to leave – a spectacular end to a wonderful visit.      Within the Maasai Mara Park, we had seen at least 2 of every large, major animal, with the exception of the Rhinoceros.  Only 20 years ago, there were hundreds of Rhinos here, but poachers looking to feed the black market for their horn almost wiped them out!  Today, only 24 Rhinos are surviving in the Park, vigorously protected by the government and locals.  The belief is that they are slowly making a comeback, but we are not destined to see one this time.

 

The drive back to Nairobi is long, bumpy and uneventful.  We stop at a souvenir shop along the way to stretch our legs and take one last look at carvings and beadwork.  After another hour’s journey, we reach Narok where we stop for lunch as Samuel seeks out his mother at a local market to stop and say “hi”.  Narok is in the middle of the wheat farms.  The farmers still dry the wheat by spreading it on huge sheets in the sun for 1-2 days.  Full and tired, we resume our 5-hour journey to get back to Nairobi to catch our 7:00pm flight.  At the airport, we warmly thank our Driver, Samuel, who is a fine a guide and driver as one could ever find.  Sadly, we enter the airport and say goodbye to one of our memorable journey, ever. 

The day was a scenic mural of vast game-covered vistas, punctuated with spectacular sightings!  We entered the Talek Gate, and headed west towards the Mara River over the Olorukoti Plains.   Over two million Wildebeest and another half-million Zebra make the migration north to this area every year, and the herds there now, after most of the migration, were vast and wondrous.  While making our way to the Mara River, we needed to cross a number of tributary creeks and streams.  Since it had rained considerable in the park the night before, some of these were un-navigatable by vehicles.  On one crossing in particular, we observed a vehicle in front of us get stuck in the mud ruts, unable to navigate the flooded road ahead, unable to back-up up the hill, and unable to jump the wheels out of the ruts onto better ground.  Our driver got out to help as the others cut grass to place under the vehicle’s tires, and to push the vehicle to safety.  They finally got it out, but unfortunately, Samuel was spattered with mud for his trouble.  With him at our wheel, we made the crossing in a new spot, sliding comfortably onto dryer ground on the other side, and grabbing traction to climb up out of the valley.

 

We also came upon numerous groups of Giraffes, and a couple of pods of Elephants.  However, the first unexpected highlight was when we encountered a mother Cheetah with four 1-month old cubs.  Mother was obviously on the lookout for a meal, and every animal within sight had a hard lookout on her.  A hungry Cheetah mother with cubs is a danger to most animals on these plains, and they we at their most alert status.  Meanwhile, the cubs were wrestling and playing the whole time, already knowing where their next meal was coming from.  They were just losing their baby-down, and were likely still suckling from their mother.  Unfortunately, the law of the wild says that only two of the four of these cubs will be lucky to make it to adulthood.  Lions stalk and kill Cheetah cubs to maintain a competitive balance of predatory cats in the wild.  We regretfully left the Cheetahs, and continued our journey to the Mara River, near the southern border of Kenya. 

 

 Next on the adventure was a climb to the top of Loldopai Hill Lookout, 1580 meters up, where a view of the Mara River Valley stretches to the horizon in each direction.  On the way down, we came across a trio of Hyenas who were so gorged that they could barely walk.  We soon reached the Mara River, where, in the slower moving waters of the muddy river, huge families of Hippopotami soaked while bellowing their dominance over the river valley.  We saw at least 4 pods of over 15 Hippos each in one small section of the river.  Even the giant African Crocodiles, of which we saw two 16-footers, defer to these Hippos, who leave the water at dusk each day, to climb the banks and eat grass all night long.  Here, on the high banks of the river, we had a picnic lunch, sitting on ground that just one to two weeks ago saw millions of hooves pass.

     

After lunch, we travelled along the river until we could see a small grotto of brush, with a few trees topping a local hill.  There, in the branches of the tallest tree was the carcass of an antelope, a telltale sign of a Leopard/Jaguar kill.  We circled the grotto until we spotted the Leopard resting in the shade of a tree, waiting out the heat of the day.  She was lithe and incredibly powerful, being able to bring down an animal equal to her weight, transport it back to the Grotto, and haul it 30 feet up a tree.  We left her resting in peace, and continued our journey.

 

We then started our journey back to the gate via a different route, following the tributaries to the river.  We came upon another small group of elephants blocking the road with play in the rutted road’s mud puddles.  They sprayed themselves, and playfully frolicked with the water at hand.  We slowly circled around them, and went on to cross the tributary where we spotted another Leopard near the marsh’s edge, sound asleep under a bush.  After leaving the wet lowlands, we headed back up to the plains, coming across more groups of Giraffes, and another large pod of Elephants.  This group of 16 Elephants had 2 small babies among it, and the herd was careful to always keep those two sandwiched between two large adult females for protection from predators.  Daylight was growing short and so we reluctantly resumed our journey to the Gate.  But one more surprise awaited us tonight as we came up on a huge male Ostrich.  This bird was much bigger than the Wildebeest and Zebra that we has seen, and was easily 12 to 14 feet tall.  It was a fitting end of a wonderful day in the park.

  

To be continued…..

The Maasai Mara Park shares its southern border with Tanzania and their Serengeti Park.  The area is home to the Maasai people, who still build traditional homesteads of encircled huts and wear traditional red linen wraps.  They are still a people who herd their animals, (cattle, sheep or goats), and stay with them 24 hours a day, moving to wherever the herd’s food drives them.  The auto ride south is a formidable one – five hours by road, only half of which is on an improved road.  We are impressed by the amount of agriculture that takes place in this country, with multitudes of family-sized farms growing nearly every type of vegetable that one can think of.  At a little after noon, we finally enter the Maasai Mara Park through the Sekenani Gate, and immediately spot a large family of Elephants, followed by a group of Giraffes.  We crest a hill, and are met with the annual Wildebeest migration – 100’s of thousands of animals moving across the park in an annual migration that takes them north across the Mara River.    It is a sight that is hard to fathom, as they move along the same routes as have been used as long as man has recorded the event.  Mixed in along the way are large Secretary Birds prancing about, large herds of Zebra, groups of Gazelles and numerous pods of Topi, a very large type of antelope.  We head to the Nymebu Tented Camp, located just outside the park’s Talek Gate, and arrive just in time to have a catered lunch.

 

Our tented camp is a collection of 16 permanent residence tents on stonemasoned slabs.  The camp is powered by large solar cells, and sits within the wildlife area.  We no sooner finish lunch, and three Zebra wander through camp, and from our front porch seats, we spot a group of Wildebeest and a family of six elephants.  The camp has a large and helpful staff, and its food is spectacular.  www.maasaimara-nyumbu.com

 

  

 

 

At 4:00pm, we leave for a dusk game drive through the park.  We are accompanied by a Maasai Guide, Edward, who guides us through the park to the Talek River, passing more Wildebeest, Zebras, Gazelles, Antelope, and Giraffe until we happen upon a pack of Hyena who have obviously just eaten, with distended stomachs, and lack of vigour.  We spot a majestic Martial Eagle, and a snake-eating Secretary Bird, a 3-foot tall stork-looking creature with tufted crests upon his head.

  

Our first major highlight of the evening, however, was as at the top of the river’s embankment, where we came across a pride of six Lions, napping and resting in the grass.  From our open, exposed vehicle, not 5 meters away, we watched the 3 adult females, and the other 3 young adult Lions for nearly one-half hour, at which point we started to draw a crowd, and so we moved on.  However, just 10 minutes ahead, we came across another female adult lion, up and searching for her next meal.

                    

Our second highlight came soon afterwards, as on a mound, 60 meters away, sitting tall was a king of land speed, an adult Cheetah.  He sat attentively, watching a Servel Cat who was entering his territory.  When the Cat approached too close, the Cheetah let out with a tremendous burst of speed, sending the Cat scurrying for its life.  With the problem resolved, the Cheetah returned to his throne and took up his surveying of the plains below. 

 

By now, the sun was setting, and we started the journey back to the Camp.  In the distance, translucent veils of showers played with the setting sun to cast an orange brilliance on the horizon. 

 We arrived back at camp at 7:00pm, and after shooing the Zebra grazing away from our tent door, we washed, changed, and headed to dinner.

                                                                                        

On this night, we are sharing the Camp with only 7 other guests, also from the United States, but having travelled from a previous Safari in Tanzania.  We share a pre-dinner campfire with all, listening to Maasai childhood animal stories told by James, our Maasai host and expert Camp Guide.  Dinner is served at 8:00pm in the Dining Tent, and is enjoyed by all, as a brief thunderstorm rolls past.  9:00pm calls for bedtime as we have a long day of game rides tomorrow.

 

With Zebras and Wildebeest around the tent all night, it was not unusual to wake to snorts and grunts, and the sound of hooves on the ground around us.  We rose with the sun, showered and made our way to breakfast, looking out over the river bottom at the foot of the camp, and the antelope covered plains beyond.  We left for a day of Game Drive in Maasai Mara Park with our driver, Samuel, at 8:0am, and we were not disappointed.

 

To be continued……

We turned south and arrived in the town of Naivasha just in time for lunch, and check into the Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge, 70 villas spread around on the edge of a Game Preserve on the lake’s shores.  While eating lunch, we saw giraffes ducking in and out of the trees across the field, and after lunch we went for a quiet walk through the forest to the lakefront observation tower and jetty.  Along the way, we skirted groups of waterbucks, bushbucks and other gazelles, and walked up on a huge Maribou stork, (over 4 feet tall and likely 70 pounds). 

Wandering unattended among the wildlife made us feel as if these moments were taken from the pages of National Geographic.  It’s an adventurous, but powerless, feeling walking among 200-800 pound animals knowing that you are in their home and that your safety is at their discretion.  Ahead, we ascended the observation tower, from which we could see the rangers working to remove a dead Hippo from the lake – a loser in a 24-hour battle with another Hippo over the attention of a female.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 4:00pm, we met Samuel for a Game Drive in Hell’s Gate – a park that encompasses the part of the East African Rift System that includes active geothermal springs and vents.  Upon entering the Park, we saw herds of Plains Zebra, Thompson Gazelles, Impalas, and Grant’s Gazelles.  A particularly curious baboon watched us from a few feet away, as we drove deeper into the Park. 

 

                                                                                          

 In the middle of the Park, we stopped at the headwaters of the Rift Ravine, fed year round with 100 degree Fahrenheit water.  A local tribal guide took us on an hours hike down the ravine, walking and climbing along the riverbed hundreds of feet below the ravine rim. 

                                                      

After a strenuous hour of descending our way downstream, we climbed nearly straight up out of the side of the ravine on ancient footholds used by Maasai for centuries, and walked back along the ridge to our vehicle.  The journey out of the park was at dusk, but we saw a reclusive Dik-Dik, (small antelope-type of animal), and a few Elands, (large Elk-like animals), in addition to the grazing herds that we saw when we entered, and the ever-present families of warthogs.  We made it back to the Lodge in time for 8:00pm dinner.  But then, it was time for a quiet night to prepare for tomorrow’ trip.

 

The next morning, we arose before sunrise, and setoff back toward the lake to see if we could spot any dawn wildlife.  During the night, Water Buck herds had moved into the area, and we quietly made our way to the water’s edge where we could see a school of Hippos submerged offshore.  We were soon joined by a hotel Nature Guide, Bernard, who walked us back into the bush where we followed the sounds of clattering horns to come across two male Waterbucks fighting with their head’s down, uninterested in us.  We followed them deeper into the forest, until we remarkably came across a lone Hippo, foraging on the forest floor. We approached quietly behind a large Yellow-fever Acacia tree to within 15 meters, and then slowly circled, until the Hippo took notice, and rudely turned away.  We did not pursue, as Hippos can be very dangerous on land as well as in the water. 

                   

But the sidetrack to view the Hippo had taken us deeper into the forest where we happened upon a family of Giraffes, (including one six-month old).  We followed them for a while, but needed to complete our morning adventure in time to take a quick breakfast, check out, and begin our automobile trek to the famous Maasai Mara Park.

 

To be continued…..