Diani

This will be short: a) because I’m way behind in blog posting and b) it was a wonderfully low-key time at the coast that didn’t engender much drama.

tuk tuk from the airstrip

As a part of my mother-in-law’s visit, we headed back to the coast. It’s become sort of a standard drill to take visitors on safari, usually Amboseli, and then to the Indian Ocean. Often it’s been Diani. There’s a lot to say for the “go with what you know” theory. When you have someone visiting on a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime excursion, you generally want as few surprises as possible. Or when you’re traveling with your children. I remember my brother visiting me in Europe many years ago and he specifically requested to do something new to me rather than show him a slew of my favorite things. It was a way we could both explore together instead of having just one of us seeing new stuff. I get that and that was probably the right thing to do in that situation. But the older you get, the less keen you are on leaving the door open to things unraveling. Especially in a foreign country. Moreover, stuff is going to happen anyway, no matter how well you plan, and my appetite for the unpredictable and inconvenient isn’t what it was when I was in my 20s and 30s. 

So Diani was the natural choice. We’ve been other places but this is the place we know the best. I have to say, the entire coast is beautiful and most places are quite nice. Occasionally I’ll hear about someone having a miserable experience here or there but overall your chances are pretty good of having an amazing time at the beach.

not my thing...

The standard drill is to put on a swimsuit, get wet, eat too much and do the same thing the next day. There are loads of possible activities but the girls are at the age where they sort of dominate the swimming pool from sunrise to sundown. We spent some time on the beach, making sandcastles and so forth, but they seem to prefer the pool.

colobus monkeys munching on flowers

For some reason I didn’t spend much time sitting and relaxing. As I think back on the trip, I’m trying to sort out why. I know that I had quite a bit of work to do so that ate up a big chunk of time. No, it’s not ideal to make a trek to the coast and “waste” a bunch of it on work, but, sadly, it needed to be done and, if you need to do it anyway, there are far worse places to bust out your laptop.

girls pulled into the act

I did spend a considerable amount of time in the pool with the girls, throwing them around and playing various games. They’re tons of fun to hang out with, plus, in the back of my mind I knew I had a few weeks away from them coming on the heels of this trip.

Too soon we would be back in Nairobi. We would have a few days in the city before my mother-in-law and I would return to the airport for her journey home.

Sad Anniversary

Today is the 4^th anniversary of one of the largest terror attacks since 9/11. On October 14, 2017, a truck bomb killed over 500 people and injured hundreds of others. Somalia declared the date a national remembrance day for the victims of terror attacks in the country.

I had been in Mogadishu the week prior to the attack. Though smaller attacks happen rather regularly, there was no indication that such a massive attack was in preparation. Reports that came out in the weeks that followed indicated that it was likely that the truck, laden with explosives, was on its way to another destination, probably some sort of government installation, when it breached a security check and detonated prematurely. The impact flattened an entire neighborhood and caused damage hundreds of meters away. Our office, about a kilometer away, received damage to windows, the entry door and other parts of the building.

In Somalia there are about two degrees of separation. Everyone seems to know everyone, or at least they know someone who knows someone. The attack was a sucker punch for the entire country. One of my staff, who was in a nearby hotel, was killed when the building he was in was razed to the ground.

Once I was given security clearance, I caught the first flight I could to Mogadishu. I think it was about two days after the bombing. I arrived to see a team still stunned by what had happened. People often say that Somalis are a resilient people, and that’s true, but such a statement can be dismissive of the personal toll these repeated attacks have on the human psyche. It wears people down.

In the staff meeting we had soon after I arrived, I did very little talking. I sat and listened to my colleagues express their pain and anger. There was a certain bewilderment that something like this could happen. You try to live in hope that the country is moving in a better direction and then the rug is pulled from underneath you. You need hope – something to hang onto to get you out of bed each morning. Mental health support is limited in Somalia. It does exist but most don’t have access to it. But people seem to find ways to cope.

Since 2017, attacks have continued to happen, though none nearly as massive. Only a few months after the October attack, another one of my staff was injured when a car bomb went off near to where he was crossing a street sending shrapnel into his leg. Two days later he was on an airplane to another one of our offices to carry on his job. It’s both sad and impressive.

I likely will always remember October 14 as the day of this horrendous attack in Mogadishu. It seems to be imprinted into my memory. On this anniversary, my thoughts and prayers go out to those who were affected by the attack. May the madness come to an end.

Amboseli

I spent a couple summers as a tour guide when I was in grad school. I’ve also taken friends and family throughout my life on three different continents. One thing is certain: you never want to be with someone who is unappreciative and/or high maintenance. It’s always fun to share things you think are cool with someone who gets a thrill from experiencing the same thing. My mother-in-law traveled with us from the US and is spending a month visiting the country. She's an incredibly curious person. That’s a quality you always want, particularly when showing someone around. Moreover, she’s genuinely enthusiastic and appreciative. Makes travel much easier.

* * *

After a couple of weeks of getting settled and visiting the sights and sounds of Nairobi, we headed out to Amboseli National Park. It’s the park we’ve been to the most and, though we should probably venture out to other places more often, we sort of wanted to go with something we knew (and love) and avoid any potential unpleasant surprises. It’s also fairly close. We can do new when we don’t have a guest.

One thing we enjoy about Amboseli is obviously its proximity to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Other parks have nice views but the tallest mountain in Africa as your backdrop is pretty special. The question would be whether or not it would make itself visible. We know people that spent several days in the park without seeing it due to persistent clouds. As we approached the park by safari vehicle, it was unfortunately obscured. We were hopeful it would present itself at some point.

We checked into our rooms at the lodge and made our way to lunch. The location inside the park means that the dining area provides you with a gorgeous view of animals milling about in their natural habitat. Meals are “modified buffet style". The buffet spread is laid out similar to normal times but you don’t serve yourself. Masks are required when you are up and moving around. Tables are a sufficient distance apart and all the staff are masked all the time. Works for me.

The first afternoon we spent by the swimming pool, something that plays into the reason we stay at this place. It’s nice to have access to a pool as a grown-up but having that option for kids during the heat of the day (when you’re not going to be out on game drives), is wonderful. Following that, in the British tradition, we had tea around 4pm and then we would head out on the late afternoon/early evening game drive.

* * *

Our guide was the same guy from when we were last in Amboseli nine months ago. He’s a nice guy but I’m not sure he knows the park that well. We’ve been there in our own vehicle (self-guided) and I feel like we managed as well, if not better. One big advantage of a guide is their ability to radio the other guides as they often share info about key sightings. But our guy, who I think is normally based in Nairobi, didn’t seem to be well connected with the other guides and was mostly relying on his own instincts. A couple years ago in Masai Mara, a guide was telling us that guides in national parks are sometimes tribal and will share information with their own rather than inform everyone. Not sure if that's the case in this park but it's possible, if not tribal it could be local guides vs. Nairobi-based.

The weather was mostly overcast but no rain was predicted. Thus the lighting wasn’t fantastic for wildlife photography. Every once in a while I would look south in the direction of Kilimanjaro to see if it was visible. To no avail. Nonetheless, it was good to be out on the dusty roads and feeling the cool air. The landscape of Kenyan national parks, at least for me, is a big part of the overall experience. It’s also just great to be out of the city.

One thing nice about Amboseli is the diversity of the landscape. It has lakes which provide a home to lots of wildlife that you wouldn’t see otherwise.

On this day there was an unusually stiff wind that was picking up as we moved into evening. A guy at the hotel said he’d never seen it like it. Probably an exaggeration but it gave credence that it was out of the ordinary. It really didn’t make it pleasant to sit outside (they make a fire in a pit outside every evening) so when the game drive was over, it was basically dinner and back to our rooms to get ready for bed. I’m not sure what it is about game drives but they do make me tired at the end of the day. I tend to stand inside the safari vehicle most of the time and just keeping your feet sometimes can be a workout.

* * *

The next morning, the game drive would start at 6:30. It’s good to get out early since the animals tend to be a bit more active (and the lighting happens to be better). You basically go out for a couple hours and then come back to the lodge for breakfast. Great way to start the day.

Other than a large herd of elephants near the lodge, many with calves, the day began rather slowly. But before too long we did manage to see three lions. They were a bit far away but things were beginning to look up. About a half hour after that the sun came out and the lighting improved. Kili remained obscured but I was hopeful that as some of the clouds were beginning to dissipate, we might end up seeing the big mountain before the end of the day. I’ve seen it numerous times (and climbed it), but I desperately wanted my mother-in-law to see it at some point during the visit.

Generally speaking, the morning game drive was nice but nothing earth shattering. We’ve had so many wonderful experiences there, I suppose my expectations are a bit too high. Just as we were heading back to the lodge, we did come upon a really nice moment where a herd of elephants passed in front of us (likely the same herd that we saw earlier), alongside some hippos, wildebeest and some zebras. There were things to see on all sides of the vehicle and I had a hard time knowing where to place my focus. Very cool. 

 

* * *

Then it was back to the lodge for breakfast. We would enjoy the down time for swimming, reading and enjoying the views of the animals, often very close to the fence surrounding the grounds. The middle of the day alternated back and forth between overcast and sunny. It kept it from being too hot but I was hoping it would clear up by the evening game drive. Unfortunately it was not to be. It was mostly cloudy for the remainder of the day.

 * * *

At around 4pm, we headed out on the evening game drive. I was sad to think that this would be the final one, other than what we might see as we drove out of the park the next day. The one bright spot was that Mt. Kilimanjaro finally revealed itself to us. It wasn’t super clear but you could see the outline of the mountain on the horizon and the white snows on the top. It really is beautiful and it’s always bigger than you think it’s going to be.

As sunset neared, we were quite a ways from the lodge and in an area where we’d never been. It was nice to see some new parts of the park but there didn’t seem to be much in the way of animals. It’s the kind of thing that can be stressful. You have a limited amount of time and you want to make the most of it. In my mind I was sort of questioning the guide’s decision making. I generally don't like to get in the guide's business (particularly since he's been there far more than we have), but it just seemed to be an uninteresting place to be at that time of evening. Before we could say anything, he suddenly hit the accelerator and off we went. There were another couple vehicles in front of us that seemed to get the same information. It provided some hope that we might see something special before calling it a day.

We hit a couple of dead ends and had to turn around, confirming my fears that he didn’t know the park that well (nor did the other two drivers). But we pushed on and towards the horizon we began to see a large gathering of safari vehicles. It was great that there might be something interesting awaiting us, but it was tempered by the fact that it was starting to get dark (and my camera zoom lens doesn’t do well in low light). Hopefully we could at least see whatever it was with the naked eye.

It turned out to be lions. There were a couple of females lounging to our left as we joined the throng of vehicles. Soon we would realize that there was a male, with a stunningly dark mane, off to the right sitting in some tall grass. The sun was mostly set by this time and the air was mostly still, unlike the prior evening. We shut off the engine and just sat and watched. I knew we wouldn’t have long given that it was late but it was still wonderful.

The male finally got up and walked away and that signaled that it was time to beginning heading back. Just before reaching the lodge we witnessed a couple of bull elephants engaging in a little battle. It was almost dark so it wasn’t easy to see, much less photograph, but it was cool nonetheless.

 

* * *

The next day we had breakfast, packed up and headed out. Overall, we’ve had far more amazing safari experiences. But it was still a great weekend and, more importantly, I think it was a treasured experience for my mother-in-law.