Week 9: More Kenya + Arusha Weekend!

Hi all,

I just got back from an incredible two weeks in Kenya followed by a free weekend in Arusha, Tanzania's third largest city. I already shared all of the things I did during my first week in Kenya, so I'll start with week number two...

Expedition: Tsavo and Chyulu Hills National Parks:

On Monday we left for Tsavo National Park for a four day expedition which also included neighboring Chyulu Hills National Park. Once inside the park we stopped by the Shetani Lava Flow. This is a lava field that originated from the surrounding volcanic hills only around 500 years ago. We were allowed to walk on the vast field of sharp, crumbling volcanic rock and I had a good time climbing and taking in the views (particularly of Kili which was still visible from these national parks). I found a small cave within the volcanic rock where some bats were hanging out, and there was also tons of scat which Dr. Kioko said was from a leopard! After this we drove slightly outside the park to a gas station/shop where we bought some ice cream and relaxed for about an hour and a half before our afternoon lecture. While most people sat out at a seating area, I decided to go in the car where I took an awesome one hour nap. The only sucky part about this was that it was very hot out (I'd say in the 90s for sure) so I woke up covered in sweat. One thing about Tsavo and Chyulu Hills is that they are much hotter than Amboseli (the National Park I was at last week) - with highs in or near the 90s every day. Anyway, the afternoon lecture consisted of a female Tsavo warden talking about the history of Tsavo and the park's current conflicts and solutions/actions. She was also accompanied by a researcher for Tsavo who spoke directly after her. While I was a big fan of the warden's lecture, this researcher basically repeated himself the whole time. He also said he would be "brief" but we ended up listening to him talk for 45 minutes over the scheduled time (not to mention in the 90 degree heat!). If I didn't take that nap in the car earlier, I definitely would have been nodding off like so many of my fellow students were. After this, we drove to our campsite in Tsavo, where along the way we saw lots of dik diks. The night was very hot (as expected) and so my sleep was a little too sweaty and sticky for my preference!

Shetani lava flow

On Tuesday we started off with a breakfast that included cereal with COLD milk (I've only experienced hot milk since being abroad)! While on the road we observed many more dik diks, kudu, and a BLACK MAMBA in the middle of the road. It was a long bumpy ride to Chyulu Hills National Park, and along the way we saw an old racetrack among the picturesque hills: it hosted the East African Safari Rally until the 1990s. We had a lecture among these hills and then had a strenuous hike full of loose rocks to the top of one of them. The views were incredible (we could see Kili again) and at the top there was a lush forest. After driving down some ways we stopped at some deep caves that continued for 15km, however, we weren't able to explore them since it wasn't included in SFS's safety plan for the expedition. The drive back continued with another stop to the gas station/market where I bought more ice cream and some TIC TACS (for those who don't know, I'm kinda addicted to them), and then we did a game drive back to camp for the night. Tonight I stared at the stars for a very long time once almost everyone went to bed. I really needed some "me time" and looking at the endless sea of stars helped me to calm down and be more appreciative of everyone and everything in my life. While watching stars and pondering about life I could hear hyenas near the camp and see bats overhead which made this moment even more surreal.

Chyulu Hills

The next day we had a lecture/debate with Kendi (Dr. Borona) about wildlife conflicts and the topic of compensation for wildlife killing livestock or causing crop damage. Then, we went to mzima springs, which as its name suggests, is one of the few remaining natural springs in the ecosystem (the rest are drying up due to climate change and human factors). Here we saw an owl, hippos, catfish, monkeys, a giant kingfisher and some crocodiles: one was waiting for fish with its mouth open under a small waterfall and another one was at least 10ft long! We then drove back to camp for lunch and a long siesta break where I got some reading done. Afterwards, we went to hike up one of the volcanic hills in Tsavo. This hike was pretty difficult (steep with loose rock) but was a ton of fun with amazing views at the top! Evan and I ended up racing back down after chilling at the top for a while. We then had another game drive to camp where we saw lots of giraffes. For ReKAP tonight the mwanafunzi of the day did an amazing presentation where we sat in a circle with our eyes closed and two people at a time would get up and tap the people who fit certain prompts (ex: "tap someone you admire", "tap someone who is easy to talk to", "tap someone who has a contagious smile", etc.). It really made me and everyone else feel warm inside!

Mzima Springs

At the top of the volcanic hill we hiked

For our fourth and final day in the park we drove to a rhino sanctuary early in the morning!!! It was a chilly drive (since it was 6am) which was a nice change from the insane heat we had been dealing with. We drove around the sanctuary (which contains about 80 black rhinos) and actually saw one!!! It was pretty far down the road from my vehicle but we could see its cute little ears before it ran away into the brush (they are very shy animals). There was then a rhino conservation lecture by one of the scientists that works at the sanctuary. After this exciting morning, we went to a lodge where I treated myself to a buffet and swimming. We played some fun pool games, some of the girls convinced me to put my hair into a man-bun (it's getting that long!), and I was even able to tan a little bit. The lodge was elevated and had an incredible view of the vast landscape. One thing I loved about looking out over the land was seeing NO signs of humans for miles and miles other than the scarce dirt roads that the safari vehicles used. Later in the afternoon some elephants came over to a water hole next to lodge: I watched them forever and particularly fell in love with the baby elephants playing around! Following this relaxing afternoon, we had one final game drive through Tsavo National Park to get back to our camp. Here we saw lots of secretary birds and oryx. This night I did more "me time" and star gazing after partaking in a massage train with some of the other students.

We woke up early the next morning to pack up camp and head back to our Kenya campus. On the drive out of Tsavo we drove past the lava field again where I finally saw a klipspringer!!! This animal is like a slightly bigger dik dik and it was one of the two animals on my list that I wanted to see and hadn't yet (the other is African wild dogs). Back at camp we unloaded the lori (truck) and I took a two hour nap after lunch but before our afternoon briefing about the Kenya/Tanzania "switch". We also discussed the upcoming Arusha "spring break" weekend. Before dinner we had a farewell soccer game. A lot of students and some of the staff played and we had a great time! Not many people can say that they played soccer with the views we had: a rainbow, Mt. Kilimanjaro and a killer sunset! The evening concluded with me playing "Just Dance" with some people. I was definitely sad to leave such a beautiful country but happy for the adventures that awaited back in Tanzania such as the Arusha "spring break" weekend!

Arusha Weekend:

No surprise, we woke up super early to begin the long drive to Arusha in Tanzania. I said goodbye to Kili - who had an unbelievable amount of snow on it this morning! Going through the Kenya/Tanzania border was much quicker this time since we didn't have to go through the process of getting a visa. After driving through the town of Moshi and getting some nostalgia of when I stayed there before/after my Kili hike, we got to Arusha in the mid afternoon. I mostly just explored the numerous roadside shops with some other students before going to the complex we all had to be at for dinner (the weekend is a "free weekend" but still structured since we are representing SFS). I got some Chinese food - sweet and sour chicken! - before going to a bar with everyone where I drank a little, danced, and played some pool.

The next morning, Sunday morning, I went on an optional tour of a glass blowing facility where they hire Tanzanians with disabilities. They use recycled glass, aluminum, paper, and other materials to make all of their products and I loved that this place existed to give handicapped individuals some freedom and independence! I ate some Mexican food for lunch and went on another optional activity: visiting a cultural gallery/museum, only to have it be closed when we showed up...so instead I went back to the hotel and took a deep nap before dinner. For dinner I gave-in to my American temptations: I got Pizza Hut!!! This was the only American food chain that I noticed in the city so why not say I ate Pizza Hut in Tanzania! After this I went with everyone to a bar again where I drank a little, played more pool and witnessed some people getting a little too frisky lol (aka some girls were hooking up with local guys). I went to bed happy with how this weekend went, despite not being a city person.

Glass blowing

We left Arusha after breakfast in the hotel and stopped at a snake park on the way back to Moyo Hill Camp. The exhibits were really cool and included very venomous snakes (and constrictors), crocodiles, monitor lizards and some birds of prey. I was able to hold a grass snake and then walked around the cultural museum and shops within the snake park facility before riding a camel that they had for some reason. At first I didn't want to ride it for ethical reasons but in the end decided "why not?!?" since the camels seemed to be treated well.

After arriving back at camp I unpacked and re-setup my room, did a crap-ton of laundry and played some volleyball before dinner. After dinner (and cook crew dishes) I watched Finding Nemo and wrote this blog before calling my parents. Tomorrow is our study day before our finals which are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wish me luck!!!

Have a great week and thanks again for reading!
Matt