Last look at Albuquerque
Africa is an expensive place to visit. In addition to airfare and hotels there are a number of required and recommended vaccinations and pills. More on that here.
Scott has researched electrical availability in Kenya and Tanzania and advises that we will encounter 240 V 50 hertz and will need adapter plug type G.
Travel day! Up at 3:15am. Carol was a sweetheart to get up and drive me to the airport. Through security and at the gate by 4:30am.
Last look at Albuquerque
ABQ to DFW to PHL flights on AA were OK but the real treat was to board the British Airways Boeing 777 with GE 90 engines and "lay flat" seat/bed. When I worked at GE in Albuquerque, we manufactured the big first stage GE90 fan blades out of a composite material. The engine was so named because it could develop 90,000 pounds of thrust. This permitted large airplanes to fly with just 2 engines instead of 4 and Boeing used this as a selling point. Since large passenger planes do not frequent Albuquerque, I had never had an opportunity to fly on the 777 until now.
Notice the size of the engine compared to the truck cab in front of it
One of the worst complaints about airplane flights are the cramped seats. However, the front cabin in the Boeing 777 has changed all of that with plenty of leg room and only 4 seats across the width of the airplane and two aisles so every seat is on an aisle. The problem of trying to sleep on long flights has been solved with the lay flat seat/bed arrangement.
 Wide seat |
 Lots of leg room |
 Nice meal with wine |
 The lay flat bed and PJs furnished |
 The seat was equipped with a nice video monitor |
 I enjoyed the flight info. Check out our speed and outside temperature |
I arrived at the Nairobi airport and waited in long lines to obtain a Kenya visa and clear customs then go outside to find my driver. The Palacina hotel is lovely. I had a very nice room but it's on the third floor with no elevator.
 The Palacina Hotel in Nairobi |
 My bed with mosquito netting |
| Dinner out at a restaurant in a tent. This was the only time it rained on our trip. Click for video clip |  |
 Casey celebrated his 19th BD at the hotel |
 We visited the Nairobi Museum |
 Nairobi traffic is some of the worst in the world. The government has tried to address this by mandating that speed governors be installed on all commercial vehicles to limit speed to 80 km/hr (50 mph) |
 Traffic will be much worse during Obama's visit. We were told that his route would be blocked off to all other traffic. Cell phone service would be shut off during his visit for security. (click on newspaper to enlarge) |
The areas circled on the Google Map above are the places we visited. The two gold stars mark the lodges that we stayed at in the Serengeti and in Masai Mara. I had used the GPS on my cell phone to drop pins on the map.
Lake Nakuru Wildlife Park
I saw zebras and impalas everywhere, even along the highway on the way to the park. Deep inside the park we saw herds of buffalo, herds of impala, lots of zebra, a few waterbuck, some Thompson gazelles and a tiny dikdik. We also saw one Monkey and several baboons. Driving while standing up under the raised roof gave a clear view and normally nice fresh air. However, we smelled something rotten and came upon a dead buffalo with a pride of 6 lions resting in the grass in the shade of a tree. How exciting! Later as we approached the lake, we saw flocks of flamingoes standing in the shallow water. Next we saw 6 white rhinos baking themselves in the sun. We stopped at the lodge and were greeted by a man with a basket of damp washcloths to wipe away the dust. Next was a woman with a tray of glasses of mango juice. We selected a table then served ourselves a nice lunch from an extensive buffet. All in all, a really terrific day.
The graceful flat topped trees are acacia. The giraffe struck a stately pose.
Click for a video of giraffe walking. Note how they advance both legs on each side of their body instead of a diagonal stride.
 Dead buffalo could be smelled from afar |
 Nearby lions relaxing in the shade after a big meal |
 Don't miss the lion in the tree |
 Yellow Billed Stork |
 Buffalo and flamingos |
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 Rare and endangered white rhinoceros. Click on picture for a larger image. |
From Nairobi, we made a day trip to the Giraffe Center and to the Elephant Orphanage.
 Linda and Kristie feeding a giraffe. Click on picture for a larger image. |
 Casey takes a turn. When I tried it, their stiff whiskers tickled my hand |
 Scott petting a giraffe |
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 We were told that elephants spend about 5 years in the orphanage then another 5 years in a park where they are reintroduced to wild elephants |
 Notice this elephant is holding his own bottle. Click for larger image |
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 We stopped at a nearby restaurant before visiting the Karen Blixen house |
 Karen was an author that wrote "Out of Africa" (1937) and "Babette's Feast" In the 1985 film adaptation of "Out of Africa" Meryl Streep and Robert Redford played the leads. It won seven Academy Awards. |
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 Tree to right of palm is called a Monkey Ladder Tree. Click to enlarge |
 Coffee grinder and dryer |
Our vehicles originated as Toyota pickup trucks which were then extensively modified in Kenya. The truck bed was removed and a new fiberglass enclosure was installed with 3 rows of seats and a raisable top. Two spare tires were mounted along with a snorkel visible by the front door to bring in relatively dust free air to the engine. Vehicles were equipped with long range HF radios even though cellular service was generally very good all across Kenya and Tanzania.
Leaving the Nairobi area, we drove south into the Great Rift Valley and on to the Amboseli Serena Lodge and adjacent game park.
 Splits the African Plate into two new separate plates. Geologists generally refer to these incipient plates as the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate |
 Kristie at the Great Rift Valley overlook |
Amboseli
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 We found several of the lodges had swimming pools but they were not heated |
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Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain inTanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa, and rises approximately 19,341 ft above sea level. Almost 85 percent of the ice cover on Kilimanjaro disappeared from October 1912 to June 2011. At the current rate, most of the ice on Kilimanjaro will disappear by 2040. Photo from the Howes collection |
Dinner in the Amboseli lodge
Click on any picture for a larger image |
 Ostrich |
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Buffalo can be dangerous when provoked or injured
Guess who gets the right of way :-)
Elephants crossing the road in front of us Video
Wildebeest were thinking about starting their migration soon
Wildebeest video 1 Wildebeest video 2 Click to watch in a new window
I mentioned earlier that our vehicles had raisable roofs and this afforded excellent viewing and picture taking.
Continuing south from Amboseli, we crossed the border from Kenya into Tanzania, had our Yellow Fever vaccinations confirmed and paid the $100 fee for the entrance visa. We had to switch our luggage from our Kenya vehicles to our Tanzania vehicles and drivers.
The roads for the next 60 km or so were terrible. At best was simple washboard, at worst were deep ruts caused by the previous rainy season and always there was dust.
 Toilet facilities at the border were not the best |
 Click for larger image |
 Click for larger image of roadside produce stands |
 A man hauling charcoal to town to sell |
Ngorongoro
 The Ngorongoro Farmhouse. Click on pictures for larger images |
 A pleasant deck with a nice view. Fires would be built in the round concrete structures in the evening |
The Ngorongoro Farmhouse grows its own vegetables for the table, nice flowers too
 At the entrance to Ngorongoro caldera |
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The rim of the Ngorongoro caldera was at a high elevation with lush growth and chilly early morning fog. This is not what I envisioned Africa to be like.
The bottom of the caldera was warmer and dryer.
 Crowned Cranes |
 As you can see, some animals came very close. Click to enlarge |
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A Grants Gazelle with zebra and wildebeest in background |
| Hippopotamus sunning themselves |  |
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 Our box lunch place by a lake in the bottom of the caldera |
 Switchbacks in the steep road out of the caldera |
 First gear and peddle to the metal to climb out |
Scott and me at the Ngorongoro caldera overlook
Olduvai Gorge, click images for a readable size |
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Serengeti
The Serengeti looks much more like my preconceived notion of what Africa would be like
Blasting over the dirt roads at 50 mph to get to our next destination
Racing down dirt roads video Click to watch in a new window
This sign was a very welcome sight. One thing worse than riding for hours in a truck on a bumpy dusty road is
riding for hours in a truck on a bumpy dusty road with diarrhea!
| The lobby of the Mbalageti Camp was very nice. Due to the nearly constant year around temperature, this lobby and many other public rooms only had walls on three sides. |  |
Note the chandelier seems to be made out of Wildebeest bones
| Interesting but not a very comfortable looking bed |  |
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The camp was on a hill giving the patio and restaurant a wonderful view of the Serengeti and bands of grazing animals. |
| The pool looks very nice but being conscious of mosquitos and malaria, I refused to expose too much skin. |  |
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A rustic dining room with a view and the sounds of the zebra talking |
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 The paths from our canvas tents to the dining room were gracefully laid out. After dinner, we were given an escort armed with a spear to walk us back to our tents. I had distinct unease trying to get to sleep while listening to the lion snarl. After awhile I could relax when I heard the zebras chatting and knew the lion must have moved away. |
Masai herding their cattle
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 The next day we had very good success seeing game. Click image to enlarge |
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 Click to enlarge then look carefully in the upper left to see where the leopard has stashed his gazelle carcass to keep it safe from hyaenas while he sleeps |
How many lions do you count in this tree?
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Two ways to cross the river, one for the dry season and one for the rainy season |
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Masai Mara
We drove back across the border into Kenya to get to the Masai Mara.
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I was told that Kichwa Tembo is Swahili for elephant head |
| This last lodge was the most luxurious |  |
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My tent |
The view of the Masai Mara from my tent. Notice the Warthog mowing the grass
 Notice the magic little door in the wall |
 My tent steward would knock for a wake up call then slide into the box my morning coffee, sugar, hot milk and a plate of cookies! How nice is that? |
Kichwa Tembo has its own air strip for those with deep pockets and don't like long bumpy dusty roads
Termite mound
 Peter gave us a talk about the Masai people way of life |
 He explained the women build the huts, gather the firewood, carry the water from the river, raise the children do the laundry and the cooking. When asked what the men do, he said they stay up all night and guard the village from wild animals. |
 The huts were high enough to stand erect inside |
 Kristie and Linda were invited to join the ladies in a song |
The men gave us an amazing demonstration of making a fire that would likely out do our Boy Scouts
Fire making video (Click to watch video in a new window)
At the end of the visit we had an opportunity to buy their crafts. The women do bead work and the men do carvings
An armed guard for our walk along the river with a Masai guide
The morning of our last day game drive we saw hot air balloons drifting over the Masai Mara. We were told that costs $650 USD
Another happy day sightseeing all the amazing game animals
 A nice buck Impala with his harem |
 A black rhinoceros |
 Weaver Bird nests in an Acacia tree |
 Big Crocodiles |
 A Topi stands guard while others graze |
 Standing guard is important with these guys around. Click picture for larger image |
A very good day of game viewing
Up at dawn for the start of a very long journey back home. This was a super bucket list trip of a lifetime
An interesting surprise in London, I was going to fly on the largest airplane. Notice the full length row of windows on two decks.
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 Notice the altitude and outside temperature |
Thanks to Linda for organizing a fantastic family trip and thanks to Carol for making it possible!
Rev. Sep. 15, 2015
