Happy Birthday....to me!

Kenya Greetings!
 
Happy Advent to you. I hope this is finding you a time alone in the desert with God. It is a difficult task these days, but one that is necessary.
 
I wanted to share with you my first safari experience. Kathy, my commissioner companion from Wisconsin and I departed from Nairobi after our Maryknoll Advent retreat. It is amazing how God so perfectly brings his creations together!
 
We spent the first day traveling to Mt. Kenya and Ol Pejeta Conservancy game park. A conservancy comprises of several peoples’ land (once ranches) then surrendering it to be used to protect wildlife. Our first stop on the way was to stand on the equator. I learned that if you pour water into a funnel north of the equator the water will drain out in a clockwise swirl, south of the equator it swirls counter clockwise, and on the equator it drains straight down. I’ll bet there was a day that I knew that!
Shortly after entering the gates to Ol Pejeta on the way to our lodge we stopped several times to view the many zebras, giraffes, antelope, and impalas. We checked into our tents, had a wonderful lunch, and then off for an afternoon game drive. We saw a black rhino, one of the few left in existence, a huge elephant dancing in the water, pulling large chunks of grasses from the earth with its trunk to consume. We were so close and the sounds of his activities were spectacular. Toward the evening we spotted one male and two female lions laying in the grass along with many more elephants and other animals.
 
Day 2 we stopped to see the Jane Goodall’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary where they care for chimps that have been abandoned or hurt and try to nurture them back into a natural life. We then proceeded to Samburu Game Reserve. This was one of the most awestruck places I have ever seen. The backdrop of the entire park was mountains and the trees throughout the park were stunning. The landscapes were so beautiful. We saw colorful birds and eagles along with close to 100 giraffes, buffalo, elephants and many more. Our guide spotted a beautiful black leopard resting on a tree limb. Later that evening we saw two female lions walking along near the roadside. We got into our camp which was located on a very fast-moving river and fell asleep to the trumpeting sound of elephants.
 
Day 3 we went across the river into another section of the Reserve seeing again many animals. Todays new find were male and female ostrich and three cheetahs. The highlight was a visit to a Samburu village of about 1300 people. They live in their tribal traditions and were welcoming people to us. The men wear kikois around the waist, bare chested and decorated in colorful jewelry. The more decorated the men are the more lovers they have. The men are branded on the stomach for each girlfriend so that when the female places her hand on that place, she knows she belongs to him. They are branded by taking a hook through the skin, pulling the skin tight then snipping it. Each patch is unique and the scars go in different patterns and sizes. Polygamy is still largely a part of the culture in most of Africa and I am trying to understand their beliefs in it. One belief is the more wives and children a man has the more he is viewed by the community to have obtained the leadership skills to lead the tribe. Tribes and villages have male chiefs and leaders, but these people also have a very old woman to lead the women. Male circumcision at the age of 15 is still a community celebration. If the boy as much as flinches during the circumcision he is disowned by the family and the community. He must leave and try to become a member of another tribe.
 
We returned to the lodge and invited our guide to join us for dinner that night and as we were finishing our dinner, out parades all the staff dancing and singing with a birthday cake moving in my direction. It is a tradition here and the guest of honor has to cut the cake to the song, “kata, kata keki”, into small samplings for everyone. It was a very memorable birthday.
 
Day 4 we traveled into the mountains for one last game viewing. This was Aberdare National Park. We were dropped at a country club for lunch and then boarded a bus to a very unique lodge called The Ark. This park has a great history and entails 300 square miles. The lodge has 3 levels with outstanding glassed in viewing areas. There have been excessive rains and flooding up country and it rained the entire time we were there and was it cold. 7 degrees C which is about 45 degrees F. That is quite cold being no heat and the dampness. The animal sightings were few, but we did see a few hyenas almost face to face through the windows. Hyenas have the strongest jaws of all animals. They usually get the leftovers from a kill and they can eat all the remaining bones. Their feces even turn white after about a week due to the amount of calcium consumed from the bones.
 
It is hot back here in Mombasa, with humidity in the 90’s. Last night my phone said “feels like 91” while lying in bed. Today I am on my porch in the shade with a beautiful breeze after taking a lengthy hot 8.5 mile walk up the beach with my commissioner Gabe who is visiting from South Sudan. Tomorrow I begin marking all the final exams the students took during the month of November.
 
Peace and Love to all,
Mike