Todd And I The Morning After The Bee Sting Before Heading Back To Kijani
The Elephant Outside Of Our Patio Door
Saturday, June 10th, 2017
After
falling asleep to the sounds of a hippo, Todd and I woke early today to the low
sounds of an elephant just 50 meters off our little patio. We had breakfast and prepared to check out of
our safari resort. First our Team had to
say goodbye to our server, and had a picture taken with him, as he had been
with our group throughout our whole stay.
His name was Peter (like our guide), and as a Team we appreciated his
efforts. He was soft spoken,
hardworking, and went out of his way to serve us each time we ate. Peter has a great smile, and after a few
meals we all got used to each other and joked back and forth; especially about
the order in which we ate our meals (soup, salad, and meal or visa-versa). I left him with a hand written thank you letter.
Our Team With Peter, Our Server At Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
On
the ride out of the park we took some different roads. The land here was hilly, rocky, and barren
except for the thorny trees; beyond that was what looked like the salt flats
again. Even still we saw giraffes, and
each of the aforementioned herbivore animals from the past blog journal
entries.
Purple Heron
Long Toed Lap Wing
Weaver Bird Nests
Close Up Weaver Bird Nest
One mammal that was new, was
the long necked giraffe gazelle known as the gerenuk. It was an animal that I had literally just
talked to our guide Peter about that very morning after seeing a list of
various animals in the resorts directory.
That was exciting, especially since it was right in front of an actual
giraffe. The gerenuk can go without
actually drinking water, as it gets its water from the leaves it eats.
Giraffe With A Gerenuk In Front Of It
A Gerenuk - Giraffe Gazelle
The
ride out from the park entrance to the main road, in the border town of
Namanga, was simply crazy bumpy at times.
I tried to capture some of it in a video. I napped for a little bit, even with the
jostling, as it sort of rocked me to sleep.
Our Driver Sylvester Gripping The Wheel
TWO VIDEOS:
After
we returned to Kijani Farm, we said good bye to our guide Peter and our two
drivers, Nicholas and Sylvester. I
really appreciated all of those guys, so Todd and I had a picture taken with
them. I also gave each of them a
personal letter that I wrote out late last night while at the resort. I’m hoping the letters capture the essence of
what I wanted to say to each of them. They
are good men indeed. Todd gave his hat
to Sylvester. Perhaps it’s one he’ll
wear for his next safari with someone else.
Me, Sylvester, Peter Our Guide, And Todd
The Water Tank On Top Of The Shed - Fed By Free Gravity!
Once
the vans left, we unpacked and had a quick lunch as new lumber was being delivered. Brian Dellamater and Jake Rogers had been
busy around Kijani in our absence; negotiating roadways to get supplies brought
out to the farm, and walking boma to boma to meet and talk with the nearby land
owners. Brian estimated that he and Jake
had walked 10 to 12 miles yesterday while we were on safari. In the end, they worked through the various
issues and misunderstandings. In fact,
it even involved the local Maasai chief who did a masterful job of helping to
bring understanding and compromises. Our
Maasai friend and neighbor, John, had helped as an interpreter.
Some Of The Lumber Being Delivered
With
that, less than an hour after coming back, we jumped into our work; each with a
share in the process. The housing
structure we are working on is being referred to as the “STEM House,” which
stands for “Short TErm Mission” Housing.
The Dellamater Family will be leaving Illinois and moving into this
structure towards the end of this year.
Once their own house is built, the STEM house will be available for
those who come to help with the different community aspects of the farm (health
care, education, church, work on the farm, and clean water). Most building structures in Kenya are made of
brick and cement, but those materials couldn’t be brought into Kijani at this
point, although the plan is to have the Dellamater’s main house build from
these materials. The STEM house was
going to be built from metal storage units, but those too were impossible to
haul back into the farm’s location. So,
the result of these facts was that the STEM House is going to be built with a
wood frame and wrapped in metal sheeting.
This is ok with me, as I like Kijani’s remoteness. Hopefully a blend can continue to be maintained
between the natural wilds that surround this property and the viable needs that
it will address.
Kristin And Nyles In The Background, And Brian And Jake In The Front
The Calves Watch Us Over The Boma Wall
Every
member of the Team was involved in setting up equipment, measuring boards,
cutting boards, ripping out warped boards and replacing them on the roof,
nailing in spacers for the floor joists, and adding ceiling joists. Thicker joists were added in the center of
the house to support the water tanks that will be added in the future.
Noah
Dellamater and I worked on the warped boards specifically. Todd helped where he could. The Team members who had been stung by the
bees yesterday were doing OK, despite some being sore after being stung
multiple times. Todd on the other hand
was having a difficult time as his eye continued to swell, which impeded his
vision and balance for climbing around on the STEM structure.
Looking Great From This Side
Hmmm...I'm Hoping That Starts To Go Down By Tomorrow
Some
of the warped boards had to be removed completely. Others we managed to clamp down and use long
screws to straighten them out and secure them flat to the trusses. To “clamp” them we used a little bit of
ingenuity. We would loop a strong piece
of rope over the warped board, down under a ceiling joist, and tie it
tight. Next we slipped a small piece of
scrap wood through the middle of the loop, and then by spinning the scrap board
we were able to shorten the rope as it tightened the warped board into
place. The whole process worked very
well. The only issue came after one of
the warped boards had been secured in place, and I commented to Noah that it
would be fun to watch the scrap board unwind like a helicopter propeller. The rope, when plucked, sang like a guitar
string. When I let go of the scrap
board, it spun around so quick that it hit the back of my right hand before I
could even begin to move it out of the way.
It hit with a force just short of a splitting mall on a piece of
campfire wood. It was a stupid thing to
do, especially so far from a hospital, and we’re not even supposed to say the
word “stupid.” Anyways, it wasn’t
broken…much, but it hurt like crazy. To
date, two weeks later, it still has a lump on it, and my whole hand goes numb
if I bump it on that spot. As my wife
Cindy’s boss in the screw machine shop used to say, “It’s a badge of honor.”
Dusk And The Long Shadows Before Dinner
We
all worked hard that afternoon, having enjoyed the once in a life time
safari. We were also elated to be back
in the bush at Kijani Farm; now our home base on the flip side.
From
where I sit, in this safari van, as the sun rises, I can see 50 or 60 elephants
both near and far. In the foreground is
a small flock of guinea hens. I am in
awe and I am humbled. I can hardly wait
to tell me parents and sisters that I’ve seen the birds we used to have on our
farm growing up; now here in their natural element. The guinea is a unique bird, with a face that
looks like it is covered in white, garish makeup. With a call that sounds like “buck wheat,”
these birds used to wake us early in the morning as they repeated this sound
over and over.
Grey Crowned Crane
Guineas
Video:
Mirror Image
Black Bellied Bustard
Yellow Billed Egret
Grey Heron
Glossy Ibis
A Hippo In Hiding
Hippos
emerge from the grassy marsh. The marsh
is filled from water seeping up out of the ground; spring fed as runoff from
Mount Kilimanjaro on the horizon to the west.
Gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest gnus are scattered everywhere
throughout the alkaline soiled grassland.
In the thicker grasses, a pride of lions rest. Their only movement is when they get up to
find another place to go lay down and try to get comfortable. Even as they disappear, they still see you
through the grasses; the cubs, the lionesses, and especially the male just off
to the side. Todd keeps saying “Clever
Girl” aloud; a quote from Jurassic Park that makes us laugh. The lions are massive cats, with sinewy
muscles that ripple when they walk.
A Lioness Moving To A New Resting Spot
Clever Girl
A Massively Impressive Male
A Place To Hide
Soaking In The Warming Sun
African Jacana-The "Jesus Bird" Because It "Walks" On Water
Cattle Egret
Our
guide and driver, Peter and Sylvester, are patient and very knowledgeable. They take their time driving, and stop often
to explain what’s around us. We see so
much more than the other safari companies whose trucks and vehicles drive
quickly from place to place only looking and searching for the next big
thing. We on the other hand (from Moriah
African Tours), are slow and steady. As
my Dad back home often said to me as a child, “Patience before you become
one.” Think about it, as it’s a funny
play on words. Due to the fact that our
drivers have kept it “status quo” while driving, they have been able to show us
so much more. They’ve explained the life
here in minute detail; both the small and often over looked, as well as the big
and shockingly magnificent. To date, we
have seen close to 25 different species of birds, and almost 20 species of
mammals; all unique and many in great numbers.
Impala
Yellow Baboon
Black Faced Vervet
Brunch After The Morning Safari
The Rooms At Serena Amboseli Resort
The Dining Room
Agama Lizard
-------------------------
P.M. With
strong arms, Sylvester grips the steering wheel of our safari van. He has to with the rutted, bumpy, gravel
road. This road is smooth compared to
what we came in on yesterday. Then,
Sylvester had to maintain an iron grip with hand and arm muscles tense to keep
us on the road. As we boarded today, he commented
that we will, “Look for an encounter.” Indeed!
African Cape Buffalo
Fish Eagle
This
afternoon we are seeing many species of animals; most up close and
personal. Among those is the fish eagle
not unlike our bald eagle in the United States, except the white extends down
onto the shoulder. It was eating a fish
while standing on a rock.
Observation Hill In The Distance
Greater Flamingos
Reed Buck
As
we make our way along the edge of the Enkongu Narok Swamp, extending toward
Observation Hill, we see many hippos; grazing and out of the water, basking in
the sun. They are huge with their
massive heads and bodies of bulk. Their
coloring is dark, but with a tint of reddish orange under their bellies. The way they plow into the mud to reenter the
water is indeed impressive. If I tried
that in waders, I would be stuck there forever with nothing left but my
bleached out bones. They are able to do
what they do, stepping and surfing into the muck, at 3,000 plus pounds. As we drive around the waterway, we look
forward to climbing the hill overlooking the vastness. It’s the one place you can park and get out
of the vans here in Amboseli.
Preparing To Hike Up Observation Hill
Me Looking Over The Lake And Swamp Far Below
Our Guide Peter, Scanning The Horizon
The
hike up to the top of Observation Hill is steep along the staircase, but the
view is breathtaking. Our guide, Peter,
encourages us to stay on the stairs specifically, as the soil off to each side is
sensitive to erosion with limited plant life.
Once at the top, some of our Team members are taking pictures on top of
a rock structured kiosk, while the rest of us are with our guide Peter, looking
down on the water at the hippos and flamingos.
After five to eight minutes, Peter tries valiantly to call the Team
together for a group picture on the hill’s edge, when suddenly a few of the
guys start running around wildly. Nyles,
Gabe, and Noah specifically are flailing their arms. Someone yells out, “Bees!” and then panic
ensues. You can see bees swarming all
around the heads of various Team members now.
Gabe says, rather matter of factly but with a worried look, that he is
getting stung. Peter, realizing what’s
going on, yells out, “Run…Run for your life! Run for the vans!” It is chaos, plain and simple. We all are running for the staircase now, the
opportunity for a group picture forgotten, but at this point ten of us are all
trying to get to the one small ribbon of steps leading down. Most try sticking to the stairs, but it’s
hard to jump, and run, and watch where you are stepping. Some are running off to the side, onto the
forbidden ground, but everyone is yelling, and spastically swinging at the air
while trying to descend and stay under control.
People are shouting, as the bees sting again and again; they won’t stop
and follow in clouds. Noah finally veers
off to the side, kneels down, and covers his head, but only for a second before
continuing down. Todd and I run by him
and encourage him to keep going. I know
the right thing would be to stop and help, but we are each surrounded and
outnumbered. Our drivers Sylvester and
Nicholas, talking next to the vans down below, have puzzled looks on their
faces as they try to formulate what’s going on.
You can see they are fearful we’re being chased by something big and
exotic, but upon hearing someone once again yell, “Bees,” they jump into action
and open up the van doors, awaiting our arrival. Many of us are now swinging our hats around
trying to ward them off, as Gabe slowly comes to a walk halfway down. He has been drilled well over twenty times
already, and has now gone into “give up mode.”
Finally
we make it to the bottom when it just as suddenly stops. I am instantly relieved as I really didn’t
want to get into a van with the possibility of trapped bees sealed in with
us. Each of us is talking at the same
time, trying to assess the damage, while figuring out what has just
happened. It is decided that it is an
encounter of random, unusual circumstances.
Paul and Todd each has been stung once under their eye. Noah and Peter, like Gabe, has received
multiple stings to the head and arms.
John Fay has a few as well. The
rest of us, miraculously, have somehow avoided them for unknown reasons; as
everyone had them flying around us. We
start pulling out stingers, almost like small thorns. We also began to check the swelling around
each sting to make sure nobody is having an allergic reaction. Patty Scholz, who had been holding on to
several cameras for other Team members when we had been on the top, has a
“kattywampus” phone video that captures our helter skelter escape. This will be funny at a later time and date.
It
was decided that those who were stung multiple times would return to the resort
as a precaution. Kristin, showing those
who are going to return how to use her EpiPen in case of a delayed reaction to
the stings, accidentally injects herself during the demonstration. Now she too must join the van of the walking
wounded that is returning. Despite the
shock and pain, it was also a comedy of errors of sorts; nobody’s fault, just
plain dumb luck.
As
Patty, John and Paul Fay, Todd, and I loaded into Sylvester’s van; John remarks
that, “There are not many people that can say they were part of an attack.” Todd and I simultaneously add, “And
survived!” The animals of note that we see
this evening are a warthog and a family of hyenas laying about their den just
ten feet from the van.
A Wart Hog Face That Only A Mother Could love : )
A Laughing Hyena
A Close Up
A Mother Nursing Her Pups At The Den
Two Different Types Of Vultures (One is A White Backed)
Black Winged Stilt
Kilimanjaro-Mowenzi (Left Peak) And Kibo (Right Peak)
Another African Sunset
Hmmmm. Is it divine providence or an inkling? Either way it is a great call Sylvester; you
predicted a day of iconic (although unforeseeable) “encounters” on the flip
side.
