Next time the kids complain about mowing with a power mower ask how they'd like to pluck the grass instead.

This is how our lawn gets trimmed.

This blog has been highjacked

Apologies to anyone who has received an adverstisement from this account for a certain MS Windows product. Some jerk has highjacked our blog. Hopefully they won't be able to do it again.

Is THAT the restroom???

Leopard high tailing it away from the baboons (taken by Pam Georgeson)

Leopard: Most amazing picture of the trip (shot by Pam Georgeson)

We watched this leopard hiding in a clump of grass, possibly thinking of a baby baboon for dinner.  Larrie noticed a ruckus in the trees and we wondered what was happening. Baboons were very restless and chattering loudly. Suddenly we saw baboons coming toward the leopard and we anticipated seeing the leopard rewarded with some food. The leopard moved to another bush and snuggled in to hide. Suddenly the leopard was flanked. A big baboon was on both sides and the biggest of all vaulted over the back of the bush. We learned afterward that a troup of baboons will mod a leopard and shred it, if thay can catch it. This picture is of the leopard running for its life. Pam tracked the action with her camera beautifully.

Yellow Fever Immunization in Bengaluru

In preparation for our trip to Africa over the 2009 holidays we needed to get Yellow Fever immunizations. India requires WHO proof that you have been immunized before they will let you back into the country when you have visited equatorial Africa or South America. When we visited SA in 2008, our physician in the US talked about the yellow fever shot, but when he looked at the map of where we would be in SA, he did not give us the immunization.

A quick search of the net led to several posts about only being able to get the immunization from India Public Health, and they would only do them when they had 10 persons ready to receive, and you had to bring your own syringe with needle. Three vs. 10, hmm, and we needed to get done in the week following the discovery of need. There needed to someplace else, but where was the question. A quick call to the health group that Jessie had been to indicated they did the immunization. Larrie and Jessie went to the group that evening, paid the Rs. 300 (about $6) to see the doctor for the immunization only to have the doctor say that "we cannot do that here, you can only get that done at public health". The money was refunded and the switchboard procedures were updated with a new "we cannot do that" item.

Larrie and Jessie had another false start. A neighbor indicated that one of the more prestigious medical groups in the city had opened a new clinic close to the house. A quick call to their switchboard indicated that yes, they could provide the shot. So we went to the clinic, waltzed up to the counter only to be told that they did not do that immunization, and that it could only be done at public health. Again, switchboard procedures were updated.

Larrie then called the hospital where he had taken Jessie when she contracted viral fever. It is one of the larger and better facilities in the city. Yes, they confirmed they could do the immunization, but you needed to see a doctor first. So, Alli took a half day off, and she and Larrie went to the hospital. We sat in the waiting room for over 1 hour for our turn to see the doctor. Oh, BTW, it cost us each Rs. 350 (about $7) to see said doctor. The doctor was an elderly gentleman who inquired what we wanted and why we wanted it. Once understanding our need, he placed a phone call, wrote the prescription orders, and we were escorted by one of the nurses first to the pharmacy to get the immunization (Rs. 1500 each, about $30) and then to the ER for a different nurse to do the stick. I am not sure why the nurse at the doctors office could not administer the shot.

Well, walking into an urban Indian ER in the middle of the day is not unlike the tv show ER - except without air conditioning and sometimes the lights went off, for quit awhile. There was a body, not a person mind you, on a gurney partially hidden by curtains. Grieving relatives were around. Ambulances arrived and unloaded. And, we just wanted to get a shot. The doctor, a very polite young man, indicated that they were a tad busy, and would we mind sitting - in the middle of the ER, until a nurse came available.

So, there we were in the middle of the ER watching a full episode be acted out by real people. Finally, a nurse escorted us to an examination room and prepared to give Alli her shot. With needle poised to jab, the lights go out. No emergency lighting and no generator backup, and we were in an interior room. It was pretty dark. We just sat there thinking that the generator will kick in any second now, but it never did. After what seemed an eternity, we had lights again, and Allie got her jab. Next was Larrie who did not have to endure darkness; however, without A/C it was questionable if Larrie would be conscious after the shot. [He almost passed out when a nurse had to do a second stick for an IV in Minnesota on a hot day.]

Upon completion of the process, the nurse calmly asked if we had our WHO forms for her to record the administration. What forms were those, we asked. Turns out that there is an international form for certain types of immunizations, and the WHO standardized the form. The hospital did not stock them providing Larrie with another opportunity for a citywide search and acquire mission the following day to get some (cost Rs. 50 each). The hospital did give us a local form to show we had had the shot, but that would not do for Immigration.

The whole process took over 3 hours. Our friend Pam, who was going to Africa with us, walked into the ER the prior Friday night, and was in and out in 20 minutes. Friday Night!

After the appropriate WHO forms had been acquired from a local travel agency, which begs a question as to why you get the form from your travel agent rather than the doctor who provides the shot, Larrie booked an appointment with the hospital for Jessie's shot.

Children are handled a bit differently at this hospital as there is some attempt to separate their experience from the pain and suffering of adults. We adults do not handle our pain well, and we suffer much too loudly. I guess there is a reason they call ER a trauma unit - if you don't have it, you'll get it. At any rate, after paying to see the doctor (Rs. 400 this time as pediatricians cost more than internists), we waited only to be told by the doctor that they did not do that here, which I found out minutes later meant that they did have the immunization in Pediatrics. When I explained the situation and my experience to date, the doctor called the pharmacy where she learned that the vaccine existed. She wrote an order, and we were off to the pharmacy for the kit. Once obtained, back to Pediatrics (not the ER), and the nurse gave Jessie her shot.

I had the proper WHO forms with me, and I had the documentation of Larrie's and Alli's shots so that the information could be transcribed into the WHO document. The Pediatrics nurse looked at me, and said "I cannot complete that form, I do not have the hospital stamp". Beware of Vogons, they just complicate your life. Curse you WHO!! (said with shaking fist in the air) Ok, with all the documentation, we headed down to see the ER doctor to get the WHO forms signed by the doctor and stamped with the correct stamp. We had hoped to spare Jessie a trip to the ER, but alas, it was not meant to be. Luckily for Jess, ER was pretty quiet, but she did see a couple of suffering adults that provided us with conversational material.

All forms signed, documents updated, and persons immunized, Larrie and Jessie headed for home. Moral of this story is that when you move to India, do not rule out visiting Africa. I only wonder what shots we will need when we go to Southeast Asia that seems to be the breeding ground of so many new bugs out to get us humans. Oh, well.

An Indian / Italian joint with a Mexican restaurant name in Tanzania

Best pizza I've had in more than a year.

Ever seen a hotel with so many time constraints?

Note the limited hours for electricity and hot water. The difference between a 4 star and 5 star hotel in Kanya was a hot shower and power 24 hours a day.

Dandy lions!

Lazy lions lounging languidly. There were more than 20 lions hanging out in the sun in this pride. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Jambo! Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara

Ngorongoro Crater - Creighton must have got the idea for Jurassic Park here (MapMyRide

Leaving the Ngorongoro gate late in the afternoon, we began the winding trip up the outer crater wall and around the rim to the lodge. The earthen road gained

altitude quickly in dense forests. At first breach of the rim, an overlook reveals the first view of the crater area above the Gorigor Swamp. The crater is about 23km across, and has an area of about 250 kmsq. It was about 4:30 - 5pm, the sky was pre-dusky and cloudy. Whisks of cloud segments scudded around below our vantage point, which was about 2300 ft. above the crater floor. Everything was green as only a rain shower can leave it, and the smell of fresh air was nectar to our Bangalorean sooted lungs.

After spending many minutes soaking it all up and taking some pictures, we continued our journey to the Serena Lodge. Along the rim road we saw a few Cape Buffalo and a few elephants. The elevation was around 7600 ft., and the inside wall of the crater was quite steep; so, I am guessing that animals are a bit sparse along the rim road. We passed a few Maasai moving cattle about the rim, where they are allowed to graze their cattle, but they cannot move the cattle into the crater.

The Serena is perched on the edge of the rim, and our rooms over looked the crater. It was an absolutely magical view. The lodge was a very pretty place, and followed the same pattern of service delivery as Amboseli.

Looking off our room balcony's, birds flitted about, a few of the smaller beasties traipsed through the surrounding forest, and the air - oh, you have to smell this air, it is just amazing. Our last encounter with air this fresh was atop a boulder field as a spring westerly blew the fragrance of the Bob Marshall towards us from the Chinese Wall. Clouds and storms moved through the area obscuring the view here and there, but as soon as they obscured they cleared. Wisps of fog below us came and went. Through the binoculars we could see animal

herds moving about the Mounds on the edge of Lake Magadi. Elephants moved back into the cover of the Lerai forest. Sunrises and sunsets were captivating to behold as colors radiated through the clouds and reflected off Lake Magadi in the center of the crater.

Day 5 - Dec 29 - Full Day in the Crater (MapMyRide)

We were off early as we had a full day ahead of us. Our new guide / driver, Sufuni, had gotten box lunches from the lodge and stowed into the Land Cruiser. Leaving the lodge, we had about 10 km to continue around the rim before dropping into the rim via the Seneto Descent Road. A ranger checkpoint exists at the descent road to check vehicles into the crater area - a different road is used to ascend out of the crater.

With about 2km prior to the descent, we had a flat tire. So, everyone out of the bus while Sufuni changed the flat, which took about 15 minutes to accomplish. The Land Cruisers carry two spares; so, one down, and one to go. A number of nearby Maasai came to witness and attempt to make a sale.

During the descent we saw many Wildebeest, Zebra, and Grant's Gazelle. As we were approaching Lake Magadi, and the first junction at the base of the descent road, Sufuni spotted a large male Lion walking through the grass over towards the Mounds. Quickly, we were off to see the king of beasts. He was about 75 m distant walking in six inch grass towards a patch of 3-4 ft tall grass. On the other side of him were a small herd of Wildebeest, and we originally thought he was setting up a stalk, but he stopped just short of the taller grass, looked over his shoulder and snickered at us, and then he disappeared into the grass. We would seem him again later in the day. The Wildebeest took notice of the king and kept warily grazing.

The animals in Ngorongoro appeared calm and relaxed. At Amboseli the animals were up and moving - almost skittish, the Ngorongoro critters lay in the grass basking in sunshine - even in full view of the local predators. There were few carcases about, which is an indication that the two year drought that severely impacted Amboseli had not impacted Ngorongoro as much. As noted in the Amboseli report, Amboseli was littered with carcases.

Backtracking to the junction, we started around Lake Magadi. Cape Buffalo, Zebra, lazy Hyena's, Warthog, and Ostrich were common. Not so common was the Jackal and the Common Eland. A big hit with Alli, Jessie and Pam were the baby Zebra's nuzzling and hiding under mom's protection. We encountered a few of these pairs quite close to the road, and the girls just "clicked" it up. Well, I guess, baby anything, because we saw a number of babies that day including warthog and rhino; although, not as close as the zebras.

As we rounded the lake, we looked out into the lake at the massive flocks of Flamingo that exist in the lake. A band of pink that looked to be a couple of hundred meters deep traversed the entire width of the lake, and another band was on the other side of the lake. At one point about 1/3 of this population of Flamingo was airborne as they repositioned themselves - "as seen on TV", and what a sight to witness in real time.

Eastern Africa has several large (flying) birds walking about, and we encountered our first - the Kori Bustard. We were to see several over the course of the trip. The Kori is a rather ungainly looking bird, and it puffs up its neck feathers when trying to attract females.

Continuing on to the far side of the lake towards Ilturot Lorkereyan we found many elephant, and several Black Rhino. The rhino were about 200m out, and again we discussed the need for a bigger and badder lens for the camera. Sufuni spotted a number of vehicles by the Gorigor Swamp; so, we went over to investigate what everyone was excited about. It was a pride of Lions - several females and cubs, no males. They were doing what cats do in the presence of sunlight, basking.

Lunch time approached and bladders needed relief, so we left the lions behind and headed for the Ngoitokitok Springs Picnic Site. En route, we passed an old tusker looking as though it might not be around much longer. A couple of other elephant skulls in the grass were noticed, raising the myth of this might be an elephant burial ground. However, lunch, or rather the need for a loo, was more pressing, so we pressed on.

The picnic site is on the edge of a pool of water with several hippo in it. So, while we ate, they surfaced and sank. As a lot of humans eat at this site, several rather insistent Guinea fowl inhabited the area scavenging a life from the invariably errant leftover. A bit more brave were the yellow Speke's Weaver birds that would fly right into the truck and pick up whatever they could before beating a hasty retreat. We were treated to a downpour while at lunch, which brings up the subject of soils. The soil in this part of Africa, from Ambosoli to the Serengeti, is clay and sand, more clay than sand, and when it gets wet, it is very very slippery. So, after the rain stopped, trying to get the vehicle moving again was a challenge.

We left the picnic area, and headed back around the lake on the high road hoping to see more big cats. We did find a large male / female laying in the grass looking very contented. We suspect it was a honeymoon, but do not actually know. A hard rain prevented us from getting good pictures; so, we continued on around the crater. Since it was raining, not a lot was going on and viewing was limited as we had to put the vehicle roof down.

On Sufuni's instinct, he headed up a road to the right. A lady lion walking down a high spot being very carefully watched by some wary zebras. While watching the lioness, we spotted a Cheetah crouched in the grass. The lion was about 125 meters away, and the cheetah was about 80 meters away. Again, we commented on the need for a new camera lens. Lions and cheetah's do not like each other, so the cheetah was staying out of the lion's path and awareness. Just as we were leaving this scene, Jessie caught a glimpse of a male lion that was the object of the female's intent. It was a day for lust in the dust, or I could say a.. in the grass, but that might be too crass.

Leaving the cheetah, we were tiring of the bounce and jumble, so we started towards the ascent road on the other side of the Lerai Forest. Passing through the same junction at the base of the descent road, we headed towards the Mounds where we saw the big male lion that morning. He was now sitting in the open, looking back towards the road, watching. A large male elephant close to the road, and we stopped to watch it for a bit while keeping an eye on the lion.

We then noticed three lions (male and two females) approaching the scene from the opposite side of the road - coming out of the scrub in the Mounds. Sufuni quickly repositioned the vehicle, and we got very close to the three lions as they crossed the road. Initially, they looked like they were stalking the elephant, but just when we thought they would attack, the two females playfully bumped and fell to the ground. The male continued on towards the lake, and the females followed after a few more romps in the grass.

Leaving the lions, we made our way through the Lerai Forest to the ascent road. Ascending is more tedious than descending, which I suppose, when one ponders that relationship, is the way of things. After a number of switchbacks, and Sufuni trying 2nd gear only to discover that it was not a good choice, we again crested the rim and headed for the Serena, cold beer, and hot food.

Day 6 - Dec 30 - Ngorongoro / Lake Manyara (MapMyRide)

We were supposed to have another half day down in the crater. However, after a number of very early mornings, everyone wanted to have a slow morning, so we changed the program to getting up late, having breakfast, checking out, and moseying down to Lake Manyara.

Lake Manyara is a large lake in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. We only had one night there, and the stop was a backup to the original proposed but not booked itinerary, as the lodge at Ngorongoro was full (when the booking was actually made). Hakuna Matata! We stayed at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, which is up on the cliff overlooking the valley, not next the lake as its website picture would have you believe. It was a fairly short trip from the crater, and we were there in time for hot lunch, a swim, and a lazy afternoon including naps. The rim of the Great rift surrounding Lake Manyara is Baobob country, and these magnificent trees are quite different from anything we have ever seen before - like giant Jade Plants. Short and stocky, spreading their arms out and inviting life to come into its protection. No wonder the Baobob is used quite frequently as an metaphor for the tree of life.

Alli and Larrie went for a bike ride down through villages and banana groves. (MapMyRide)

Leaving the lodge area, we bounced along the road connecting the highway to the lodge, coasted down the highway to an overlook looking out over Lake Manyara NP, continued coasting down through a couple of troops of roadside baboons (think that out), and into the roadside village of Mto Wa Mbu. Turning left, we headed into the groves and did a little single track through the banana. They grow seven varieties of banana in Tanzania, and all were present in the groves we rode through. Alli has not ridden with Larrie in India, so this was all new experience for her.

While in the groves, the guide led us to a group of wood carvers living under tarps in the grove. They carved teak, ebony, and rosewood into a number of salad tongs, bowls, statues, and whatnot. They were from Mozambique, refugees mostly as they could not return to their home country. They settled here, and began the business of carving. After a nice presentation of wood types and carving, the real sell started, which we expected. We were told that their superior quality and price was way better that you get along side the highway. They were a nice lot, and we purchased a teak salad spoon set.

Emerging from the groves, we followed a country road back to the highway. Along the way, we met a number of folks out doing whatever it was needed doing, and they all gave us a big grin and a hearty Jambo. Glad to find the vehicle to return us up the hill to the lodge, as our butts were sore from the seats on the bikes, we clambered into the open topped safari vehicle and were off back to the lodge for dinner.

We would definitely return to the Ngorongoro area. On our next visit we plan to continue West into the Olduvai Gorge and the Serengeti, but only after spending a day or two witnessing the splendor of the Ngorngoro.

Jambo! Amboseli Safari

Amboseli - Baboons in the Back Yard!

We arrived late in the afternoon. We had a quick, and very late, lunch, got checked into the lodge, and readied ourselves for our first real safari. Although tired from the day long trip, we were pumped to see more of the area and the wild life it offers.

We stayed at the Serena Lodge in Amboseli; it is a beautiful place. The lodge is within the Amboseli NP (Wikipedia) (Kenyan Wildlife Service). The surrounding area is quite flat, and it resembles a dry lake bed; however, John assured us it was not, even though during times of great rains it turns into one. I guess it's all in the one's definition of the word lake. The park is on the Kenyan side of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which was the main attraction for going to Amboseli. As luck would have it, clouds obscured the mountain for much of our visit. Only once did the peak peek out of the morning haze for viewing.

Our visit was during the "short rain" season. As some rain had arrived previous to our visit, the countryside was greening, and the animal population was disbursing into the newly greened plains, grazing, and rounding the gaps between their ribs. Lucky for us that we were able to see such variety without the horror of drought plaguing our African experience.

The backside of the main Serena Lodge building is a huge patio over looking the nearby forest and the savanna beyond. Elephants, baboons, wildebeest, and various other animals were within view, including some rather bold and pesky black vervet monkeys that were in residence. One could sit in the cushy chairs of the patio for quite awhile slupping beers and soaking in a natural world while the resident Maasai chased the vervets away with their sling shots. The night prior to our arrival, lions had attacked and killed a waterbuck just outside the protected area of the patio. Maintenance personnel had to remove the remains the day we arrived to assure the lions did not return. We spotted three lions doing just that later in the day.

Off the reception area is the eating area where we were assigned a table, and all meals were at the same table for the remainder of our stay. Food was presented buffet style (given how the predators eat in the bush, buffet style is an interesting delivery metaphor). We expected to see a spread of Kenyan food (whatever that is, as we did not know), but what we found instead was that about half of the food was the same stuff we eat in India - rice, curry, steamed vegetables, masala potatoes. Maybe Indian food is not Indian food, but rather the food of humans living in similar environments - the Indians must have laid claim to the brand naming rights early on. The food was quite good, and they served beef, ham and a couple of other things not readily available in India, which I suppose is the Kenyan food.

One general note about doing a safari like this - you stay in the vehicle. You cannot get out of the vehicle, unless you are at a designated rest area. The roof of the vehicle raises, and you drive around all day with the roof up. With the roof raised, one can stand up and clearly see 360 degrees, and it is an absolutely exhilarating to travel through the bush holding on to whatever you can, standing with the wind in your face constantly scanning the horizon for the next new promise of adventure. Our vehicle for this segment of the trip was a rather large Toyota van - two wheel drive, which did not trouble us in Amboseli, but would prove to be a hindrance when we got to Masai Mara.

The area we were touring was about two degrees South of the Equator. Our day was pretty close to a 12 hour day, and by 6pm it started to get dusky, which is the reason that the parks closed their gates and the lodges wanted folks within the protective electric fences - stuff happens in the dark in Africa. Stuff you really don't want to personally experience, unless you're well armed.

Day 2 - Dec 26 - Evening Safari (MapMyRide)

We loaded up and headed out about 4pm, and we needed to be back on property by 6pm. John wanted to orient us to the types of animals we would see throughout the week. Being typical tourists, the first 50 Thompson's Gazelle were exciting and fun to watch, but after that they just became "Tommie's", and we paid little further attention to them. Of course, being the favorite food of Cheetah's, if we would have witnessed a kill, that would have demanded attention.

As noted before, the two years previous had been drought years. A lot of carcases in various stages of decay littered the savanna as hyenas and vultures will only eat fresh kill. Once it lays a bit stinking up the place, decomposition is left to the beetles, who take a bit to do their work. Well fed beetles don't work too hard, and the carcases pile up.

Several African Elephants loitered the plain. Some alone, some in small groups - nothing that you could call a herd. Mothers, babies, teenagers, tweenies, and the occasional big bull. Grazing gently with trunks in constant motion. Babies scampering about their groups being kids. In the morning the elephants come out of the foothills of Kilimanjaro and head into the Amboseli swamp. In the evening, they work their way back to the foothills as to stay on the plain at night time is to predation of the young by lions and hyenas.

Cape Buffalo, Thompson's Gazelle, Grant's

Gazelle, Warthogs, a Hippo, one lone wet and dejected Spotted Hyena sleeping in the mud, and Crowned Cranes were the beasties of this first sojourn. It is interesting to view the animals in their home environs as compared to the concocted world of a zoo. For example, zoo hippos are blubberpusses, and wild hippos on the plains are buff - I mean buff as in they just worked out at Gold's Gym. Bush hippos are blue collar; they work for a living, and it's a jungle out there.

Heading back towards the lodge as the sun was getting lower on the horizon, John spotted a bunch of vehicles in an odd place; so, we went to see what was up with that. A lioness was lounging against the edge of the palms with her two cubs. She was about 60m away from us, which started the conversation that we needed a bigger and badder zoom lens for the camera - a conversation that persisted and grew in crescendo throughout the trip. We watched the lioness and her cubs for 10-15 minutes before she disappeared into the bush. She looked gaunt, and with such little ones around, she was protecting them, but it was clear that she needed to eat soon.

Retreating towards the lodge, we spotted another lioness and three cubs about 1km down the road, moving from left to right in front of us, likewise heading towards the lodge - presumably to feed on the waterbuck kill by the lodge. The group of lions crossed the road in front of the car ahead of us affording us fantastic visibility.

Needless to say, upon our return to the lodge, we were very excited to have seen such a large variety of animals in such short a period of time, and lions - oh, my! Babes in bush, we were; it was only to get better.

Day 3 - Dec 27 - Morning Safari (MapMyRide)

This was the day that we caught a glimpse of Kilimanjaro. Our outing circumvented the swamp, which is a persistently wet area. We again saw the same species as the night before; although, the animals were much closer to the vehicle for better reviewing. Species added to the list included a few Wildebeest, more Hippo, Ostrich, several active Hyena, Marabu Storks, Pelican, Fish Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Ibis, Goliath Heron, countless Plovers and Weaver birds, Baboons, and a couple of Zebra. We kept a diligent eye towards the mountain in case it peeked out, which it briefly did in mid-morning.

Our initial track of the day took us through an abandoned lodge. At some point in the past persistent rains flooded out the place (water 4-6 feet deep) and ruined it. So, sunken ships on reefs, it decays in the middle of no where while various species make a home of it. We encountered a troop of baboons hanging out by the side of the road. One mother with a very tiny baby worked pretty hard to make sure that we could not view the baby.

At one point we rounded a corner, and there was this dead tree full of vultures. Larrie's immediate thoughts harken back to a scene in Disney's The Jungle Book. It was quite surreal. The morning out lasted for about 3 hours, and we returned to the lodge for lunch and a nap before heading out again in the afternoon. Jessie took advantage of this time to try out the pool, which was quite coolish. Several vervet monkeys were around the pool hoping to snatch whatever the humans had not nailed down.

Upon returning to our room for an attire change, Jessie and Larrie witnessed a mature male baboon outside the glass door to our room tearing the bark off the tree with its teeth. Baboons have impressive teeth. They ignore humans, but it would be foolish to provoke one.

Day 3 - Dec 27 - Evening Safari (MapMyRide)

The highlight (for some) of the evening safari was traveling to the Hyena den. Five of our adventurers found the baby hyena to be "cute"; however, one brave and solitary soul witnessed the event with stoic objectiveness and declared that with Hyena's ugly is pervasive - nose to tail and all the way to the bone. They are just not a graceful nor pleasant to look at. We spent quite a while watching the various families of the den interact. Newly arriving females had to pay ritualistic submission to the leader before they would regurgitate the days food for their young (GROSS!), not unlike a number of cultures we have experienced during our tenure on the opposite side of the globe. One would hope that humans could rise above hyenas, but then, we are all in the cycle of life, eh?

Jambo! East Africa Tour

Jambo! (Hello in Swahili) For the winter holidays 2009 the Thorne's in India went on African safari in Kenya and Tanzania along with Alli's parents from Butte, MT and Pam Georgeson, who is a co-worker of Alli's. The six adventurers left Bengaluru on December 25, 2009, returning January 5, 2010. The flight to and from Africa was via Emirates to Dubai and then onto Nairobi, Kenya. During the trip we spent two nights in Kenya's Amboseli NP, two nights in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater CA, one night in Tanznia's Lake Manyara area, and four nights in Kenya's Masai Mara NR.

The safari itinerary was provided and managed by Discover Kenya and it's sister Discover Tanzania. The fine folks at DK did an excellent job to assure our safari experience was top notch. DK folks met us at the airport in Nairobi, provided all transportation, guide services, and handled all the hotels, park fees, and whatnot. All we had to do was enjoy and take pictures. DK even threw in some no charge extras such as a flat tire on the rim of Ngorongoro, flash flood and the bridge is not-passable leaving Amboseli, almost getting stuck in the mud in Masai Mara, and a Nairobi traffic jam to assure our visit to Africa was realistic and exemplary. Truly, we thank DK for the quality of their staff and their service.

In Eastern Africa Swahili is the spoken language and the official language of both Kenya and Tanzania. Our guides taught us the rudiments of how to communicate with them - all in fun spirit of course as both guides spoke English quite well. As we moved about the countryside, it was interesting at how many folks, who had nothing to do with our visit, would give us a big smile and a hearty Jambo. Both Kenya and Tanzania are ex-British colonies; therefore, there is a high use of English. Although, as in India, when they really don't want you to know something, they go native on you.

Also, Southern Kenya / Northern Tanzania is the land of the Maasai people. Wherever we went, the Maasai were herding their cattle. It was interesting to discover the frequency of coincidence that their cattle were crossing the road we were traveling on - who needs speed bumps when you've got cattle on the road? They live on the plain in patriarchal family groups of mud huts surrounded by stick fencing, eking out a living with cattle and hunting. They have adapted well to the tourist, and can be quite pesky with the vehicle stops trying to sell you a trinket you cannot live without, which I suppose is why they move the cattle onto the road whenever the scout spots a tourist vehicle. The Maasai are always dressed in ethnic clothing and sporting elongated ear lobs. Women carry babies on their backs, and men carry their knife and spear holding vigilance to ways of old - truly tribal.

Immigration was a major issue during the entire trip. Alli's folks have a one-year, multiple entry, tourist visa to India, which on the surface means they can come and go. Due to some issues related to terrorist activities, India is revising the regulations governing the use of tourist visas. Alli's folks entered India Dec 3, and we all went to Nepal on Dec 11. Re-entering India on Dec 14 only to leave again on Dec 25. Somewhere between Dec 14 and Dec 22, India clamped down on holders of tourist visas, and we did not know if her parents could re-enter India at the end of our Africa trip. On Dec 24, India implemented new rules relaxing their position, and upon our exit from India to go to Africa, we had to plead our case to the exit Immigration official, complete with supporting documentation, that there was need for Alli's folks to return to India on Jan 5. Bengaluru has an excellent Immigration staff who did the right thing, both when we left India, and when we returned.

Getting into and out of Kenya is like going to Jamaica - hakuna matata (no problem). However, Tanzania takes its Immigration responsibilities very seriously, and we spent a lot of time at the Namanga border station getting into Tanzania. No forms, the wrong forms, no guidance, in the wrong line, in the right line to be told to get in another line to be told that was the wrong line, and then a bus load of other tourists showed up along with throngs of local traffic. Another exacerbating factor was the Tanzanian government implemented a rule Nov 15, 2009 that caught us all off guard. It costs $100 USD for a visa if you are a holder of a USA passport. NP, we had lots of USD with us, but the new rule only allowed for bills dated 2004 and above. Most of our money was 2003 and lower leaving us to scramble to scrape up enough USD to pay for the visas. We did, but it left a serious cash flow problem as most of our money for the trip was invalidated. Luckily, Tanzania accepted Kenya money in it's shops. So, lesson learned - do more research about changes in Immigration policy when traveling. The whole experience set us back by 2.5 hours, and we were late getting to the hotel that night, but were we ever glad to be there. More about that later.

We were extremely fortunate to find Eastern Africa green, as the previous two years had been drought years, and this season was starting off wet. Seeing the country green, and seeing animals grazing paints an entirely different experience than seeing animal withering due to drought. Fortunate, indeed.

A couple of technical notes about this report: Larrie remembered to take the GPS to track the trip in segments (he forgot it in North India and Nepal). The GPS data is presented via MapMyRide:
1) - For those adventurous souls that require close inspection of the trip with Google Earth, the

GPS data can be downloaded by trip segment in KML thus allowing upload of the KML to Google Earth to review the terrain in greater detail. [Google Earth is a way cool tool, and if you don't have it, consider getting it at Google Earth.] To download a segment: click on the MapMyRide tag embedded within the various reports. The link will take you to the specific MapMyRide entry for that segment. Look for a drop down with a green check mark on it labeled "Route" (upper left hand corner of the actual map) and then click on the "Open in Google Earth" link. A dialog box opens allowing you to save the Google Earth KML to your local machine. Then start Google Earth and do File Open, open the file just saved and use the power of Google Earth to wander around Africa.
2) - For those less adventurous (from a computer standpoint, but still wanting to visualize Africa), the GPS routes can be reviewed within the MapMyRide site; although, it doesn't provide the level of satellite detail Google Earth does.
3) - And for those big picture folks who really don't like messing in the details, a good generic map of our adventure is at the DK site.

Also, the pictures posted in the Picasa albums and embedded in these posts are from all the cameras on the trip. I think Alli's mom was the only person not to take a picture. Alli's dad and Pam's pictures will also be shown. Each photographer was interested in different topics and scenery; so, we have a mix of perspectives of the important. We all hope you enjoy the show.

Day 1 - Bengaluru to Nairobi

The flight from Bengaluru left at the humane hour of 10:30 am, and when flying from the international side of BLR, you get to eat at Pizza Hut - always a hit with Jessie, so pepperoni pizza for breakfast, it was. Emirates is a first class airline, and we were quickly on our way to Dubai. Upon landing in Dubai International, where we had a two hour layover, Alli, Pam, and Jessie went in search of a beef Big Mac - the first beef hamburger Alli has had in 16 months. She exclaimed it was the best Christmas dinner ever. Sated, we were off to Nairobi and the grand adventure. Dubai has a wonderful airport, full of shopping opportunities, McDonalds, Burger King, Star Bucks, and a host of other possibles. Upon our return from Africa, we had more time in Dubai (5 hours) to explore; although, that was from 10pm to 3 am. The Dubai airport is like a Las Vegas Casio though, so you really didn't feel like it was the middle of the night.

Each flying segment of the trip was a little over four hours long, which was easily managed given the lay over to walk around and stretch. We landed in Nairobi in the evening, and immediately got stuck in yet another Immigration jam. Kudos to Kenyan Immigration as they actually had people there to manage the queue, and we were sent down the hall to a different queue with virtually no one in it. As I said above, Kenyan Immigration is hakuna matata. Having found our baggage, and collecting the group, we went in search of DK. We were quickly whisked off to the Nairobi Hilton as a layover. Our first day went quite well, and we were ever so happy to be on vacation!

Day 2 - Trip to Amboseli NP (MapMyRide)
John, our guide from DK picked us up early in the AM. First we met another DK staffer for a tour briefing and to make final payment. Interesting note: you can write a personal check in Nairobi, Kenya, and it will clear your USA bank account within 10 days, but you have a devil of a time passing a check in Minneapolis. After visiting an ATM to get some Kenyan Schillings, and a store to get snacks, wine, and gin - we were very surprised and envious to find the store so well stocked, contrary to our experience in India. Across the street from the store were trees full of marabu storks standing a sentinel vigilance awaiting someone exiting the store to drop a bag of goodies cum stork rations. Fully provisioned, we headed South out of Nairobi towards Amboseli.

Our goal was to be at the lodge in time for lunch, but serious road construction diversions hindered our average speed, and we were late arriving at the lodge. The road from Namanga to Amboseli has to be one of the roughest, toughest, bumpy, potholed roads in the world, and John wasted no

time covering the 60 km to the lodge. Beastie sitings along the road were Maasai Giraffe. John indicated that it was rare to see them in the Amboseli region, and we saw 10 or so. Beautiful and graceful, they were. Shaken, rattled, but not rolled, we arrived and checked into the Amboseli Serena and late lunch. The rest of our Amboseli report is filed in Jambo! Amboseli Safari.

Day 4 - Day trip to Ngorongoro Crater (MapMyRide)
After a couple of wonderful days in Amboseli it was time for the big road trip to Ngorongoro. We were up early for breakfast, checked out, loaded up, and began the big bounce back across the Amboseli to Namanga road. Again, we were shaken and rattled across this SOB of a road, but not so badly that we would miss noticing giraffe's in the vicinity including one very big male that towered above all others and the trees.

After about 45 minutes we crested a rise, John slowed down and exclaimed, which brought our attention forward. Where two days prior a bridge across a trickle stood, only mud and debris was now evident. From our perspective, we were not sure an intact bridge remained. Pulling up to the proximal end of bridge, we observed that, in fact, the bridge was intact, but was covered in six inches of mud, three full trees of around 16" diameter, and a lot of other debris. The river was roiling and about as brown as water can get - liquid mud. New debris was constantly piling up on the bridge. We were the first vehicle stranded by the bridge. John and Larrie went out onto the bridge to survey the situation and to plot a crossing strategy. Larrie's first thought was "Maybe I should not have worn my Montana Mud Shirt today".

The reason DK is split into DK and DT is that some law prevents the driver / guides / vehicles from spending too much time in either country. It has to do with legal definition of employment and payment of taxes - pretty much same-same in all countries. Needless to say, our itinerary called for us to walk across the border and get into a different vehicle; so, we knew we had a vehicle change in our future. John, upon recon of the bridge called the office in Nairobi for advice, and the plan was our Tanzania driver and guide, Sufuni, was to come into Kenya, meet us on the other side of the bridge, we would carry our baggage across the bridge, and we would continue on while John waited for the bridge to be cleared. Once the plan was in place, and Sufuni started his trip towards us, a number of other vehicles arrived on our end of the bridge, each bearing tourists in need of crossing the bridge.

Many hands make short work. With the help of all the drivers, and a few Maasai tribesmen needing to get cattle across the bridge, we cleared enough of the big debris away for vehicles to pass. First to cross was a Toyota Land Cruiser (4wd) to create ruts in the mud, then the vans followed. Larrie walked across behind our van in case John needed a push. However, once on the other side, John continued to drive away. Alli asked John if he was going to wait for Larrie to get back into the van, John looked shocked and realizing his mistake, stopped. All persons accounted for and loaded into the van, including a pretty muddy Larrie, we continued on and found Sufuni a couple of km down the road. We quickly transferred people and baggage into the Toyota Land Cruiser, and were off to Tanzania!

In Namanga, we had to cross into Tanzania, and the Immigration woes are described above. Once on the the road again, we again ran into significant road construction diversions all the way to Arusha. Major traffic slow downs at Arusha significantly delayed progress through town. The days delays become significant when you tabulate them. The parks in Africa have strict rules - the gates are locked at 6pm, and where you sleep depends upon which side of the gate you're on at 6pm. So, up against a deadline, and with time slipping by, we quickly headed West. Once out of Arusha the road quality improved, and we made good time to the Ngorongoro gate.

Sufuni had to get us registered and pay the fees to enter the CA, so all of us went into the information center, enjoyed a cold Coke, and watched a downpour wash away the mud from Larrie's legs - left over from the morning bridge crossing. Leaving the gate, we proceeded up the wall of the crater and on to the Ngorongoro Serena through lush forest. (MapMyRide) The rest of our report is filed in Jambo! Ngorongoro Crater.

Day 7 - Lake Manyara to Masai Mara via Kilimanjaro and Nairobi
Two GPS files for this day, first is Lake Manyara to Kilimanjaro airport (MapMyRide), and second is the airplane ride from Nairobi to Masai Mara (MapMyRide). Interesting note about using a GPS programmed for bicycle riding on a plane - we were cruising about 300kmph, and when calculating calories burned, you burn a lot of calories at that speed.

The ride to the airport was uneventful, with the exception of stopping at an Indian / Italian restaurant in Arusha where we had the best pizza and some cold beer. The plane to take us back to Kenya was late arriving, and we left quite late. The plane was a twin engined Otter, and it was a hoot to ride in. Cruising at about 10,000 ft, we passed over the bridge (above) - it was not yet cleared. Landing at Nairobi Wilson airport, clearing Kenyan Immigration again, we re-boarded the same plane for the flight to Masai Mara. Apparently, four bush air strips are serviced by this plane, and ours was the last stop - Keekorok. So between the other three air strips, we enjoyed low altitude bush piloting. Although, I have to admit that once the awareness of not landing on air strips with standing animals sunk in, landing took on new significance.

Last stop, Keekorok, and John was there to greet us. Ever glad to see him again, we loading up and proceeded on a short evening safari towards the Sopa Lodge. The rest of our report is filed in Jambo! Masai Mara.

Day 11 - Back to Nairobi from Masai Mara (MapMyRide)
Another long drive ahead of us, we left early. We were in the bush, and the roads in the bush are pretty iffy, and it had been raining quite a bit, and we needed to be at the airport by 2pm. So, we got to it, taking some rain caused diversions due to washouts. John wanted to get fuel before we left the area, but the pump was dry. He mentioned that we had enough fuel to get to the next town with a pump [not all towns in Kenya have a gas pump in them, it turns out], and when Larrie sneaked a peek at the gas gauge it read empty. Not commenting to the group about this state, Larrie wondered if we were going to be treated to an "empty in the bush" experience. But, hey, hakuna matata, we got fuel where John said we would, and continued onto Nairobi.

One of the villages we passed through had been hit bad by a flash flood the night before, and buildings were buried in 2-3 ft of mud. A tour bus (think Greyhound in size) was buried up to it's windows in mud at the side of the road. Once we got to paved road, it was a fairly nice road all the way to Nairobi.

Arriving into the Nairobi area we ran into a monster of a traffic jam. We were worried about making the airport on time. We had hoped to stop by a book store to get some books on the animals and birds we witnessed on safari, but that idea was quickly abandoned as the traffic was especially thick by the bookstore. Needless to say, John maneuvered through the city, and we arrived at the airport exactly at 2pm. Whew!

Flight back to Bengaluru
Regular followers of the Tabbies will note our report of airport security practices during our Nepal trip. As mentioned before, Kenya is hakuna matata as we only endured a quick scan at the door of the terminal, with another at the gate. Neither of which was conspicuously sensitive to anything with the exception to Alli's dad, who seems to attract trouble at airport security checkpoints. Security personnel finally gave up on him and let him into the airport.

Flights home were uneventful. We had a five hour layover in Dubai in the middle of the night. Going to Africa, we hit Dubai at midday, but on the return trip, midnight. It would seem that the whole world visits Dubai in the middle of the night as the volume of persons increased dramatically.

Arriving at Bengaluru, breezing through Immigration, bagging duty free gin, and clearing customs, we walked out of the airport to meet Imtiaz - always a welcome sight at the end of a trip. Everyone was tired from being up for over 24 hours, and Alli needed to go to work that afternoon. Traffic was busy en route to Palm Meadows, and Imtiaz got us home in reasonably good time. It's a good thing that the horse knows his way home, as we were not much for talk, and I'm pretty sure most slept in the car during the hour and a half ride to the house.

With the first click of the key in the door, two tabbies greeted the missing with a warm home coming of purring and gentle bumps. Getting Alli into the shower in preparation for going to work, Larrie headed out on his bike to Domino's for pizza. Returning to the house with pizza in hand, Alli's folks were sound asleep, Jessie was fading, and Alli was going to work. So, pizza and a beer alone with the memories of days past.

Vacations are hard on you, but hey, the Thorne's in India would not have traded our African experience for anything. Astounding Africa!

Jambo! Masai Mara

Day 7 - Dec 31 - Arrival to Masai Mara

After a long day of travel out of Tanzania and back into Kenya, John met us at the Keekorok air strip in the Masai Mara. It was about 12 km to the Sopa Lodge where were to spend the rest of our adventure, and John turned the drive into a mini safari - complete with cheetah viewing.

During the drive to Sopa we passed a Sausage Tree (Kigelia). The fruit, or "sausages" of the tree are used by local tribesmen to make an alcoholic drink rumored to be potent. Since this tree was at a central and pivotal point in the weeks travels, we would see it quite frequently.

We arrived at the Sopa in early evening, got checked into the hotel, and rested a bit before the evenings festivities. It was New Years Eve, and lodge personnel were attempting to get haggard safarians into a party mood (a parody of Manilow's "Copa" jumps to mind). It was completely lost on our group as were were tired from the days travels, and I'm pretty sure that we were all in bed by 10pm. The Sopa Lodge was quite nice, and had a Maasai village inspired ambiance; although, it was not one of the Serena's and we noticed (from the standpoint of service delivery). Never-the-less, we enjoyed our visit there. The pool was pretty cool, and Jess did go swimming one of the days we were at the Sopa, but she could not coax dad into getting into the water.

The Masai Mara is the Kenyan side of the Serengeti, and it is comprised of hills separated by savanna. The hills are covered in brush and larger trees - good leopard coverage. The lodge was on the side of one of the hills, and you had to drive through a number of Maasai cattle herds to get there. Also, it is fascinating that in Africa, India, and Nepal (those countries we have visited while we are on our Indian adventure), that the road that connects the lodge or hotel to the nearest public thoroughfare is the most rough and tumble bit of earth, bumps, and potholes to be found in those parts, and the road to the Sopa lodge was no different. Each day we were in the Mara, we had some rain, and during the night, sometimes that rain was quite significant. Soil moves around in Africa - erosion is a huge problem from what we could see, and this road up to the lodge moved around daily.

Day 8 - Jan 1 - Mara Morning Safari (MapMyRide)

Since it was New Years Day, we convinced John that leaving at 8am and returning for lunch would be much more civilized than leaving at 7 am and returning for breakfast. Our futures are determined by the choices we make, and that choice turned out to be rather prescient as we shall see.

Heading down the road from the Sopa towards the main road, if we dare call it such a thing, we spotted some Kirk'sDik-Dik, which are kinda rare to actually see. The next attraction was to witness two male Impala dueling for the ladies. We watched the impala for about 10 minutes while they locked horns and tore up the earth. We were introduced to Hartebeest and Topi, which we would see frequently during the next three days. Also, we encountered a family of Warthog grazing in the sweet grasses. The little ones where prancing about doing what children do while their parents are engaged in boring stuff.

Around the corner found a small herd of Waterbuck. The male was herding up females and giving them a good sniff to check the "timing". There had been a report on driver-net (shortwave radios used by all the drivers) of a waterbuck kill in a tree, which implies that we might be able to see a leopard. So, we left the rutting buck and headed up the hill towards the tree with the kill in it.

Arriving at the leopard kill in the tree, we noticed that it was a fresh kill. No other drivers were in the area at the moment, but the leopard had already been spooked and was gone. We would re-visit the tree on our way back to the lodge for lunch - only to find that some Tawny Eagles were enjoying a free meal.

The birds we discovered during the morning excursion were the Secretary Bird, the Ground Hornbill, Bare Faced Go-Away Bird (Turaco), Lilac Breasted Roller, and we encountered previously viewed Vulture, Tawney Eagle, Marabu Stork, and a host of DLBB (drab little brown birds). While everyone else was studying the Ground Hornbills walking around with captured food in their mouths (lizards, snakes, frogs), Larrie was scanning with the binoculars to see what else was interesting. A close by flying raptor was spotted and tracked. The bird appeared to be a Tawny Eagle, and Larrie thought it might point to where on the starboard side of the vehicle the leopard kill tree was. Continuing to watch, it appeared as though the bird was losing altitude a bit too quickly, when the bird flew headlong into a bush in a rocky outcropping. The bush exploded with rabbits going every which direction. Presumably, the eagle was in the bush with a rabbit, but it was not seen again.

We continued on down to the air strip for a potty break, and then we headed up into the hills on the West side of the road. John spotted a lioness lounging in the grass at the edge of the trees about 75 m to our left. Always on the lookout for the next thing, Larrie again scouted around for other species of interest, and spotting a Black Rhino moving through the trees behind the lioness, he pointed the rhino out to John. Quickly, we were off tracking the animal to see if we could get some close up viewing. We back tracked around the trees to encircle the trees. Sure enough, the rhino was moving out of the trees onto the plain on the other side. John stayed with him, and we got some excellent pictures of this most endangered beast.

As we left the rhino, we spotted a giraffe in the trees, and John continued on his cross country track, where after seeing quite a number of common animals we encountered a large male and female lion honeymooning in the grass close to the road. Other vehicles had gathered, so we took turns getting good close up pictures. Leaving the love lorn, and just a short distance down the road, John had spotted a water bottle at the side, and he was stopping to pick it up when we noticed another lioness lounging under a bush within 5 m of the bottle. We casually mentioned to John that he might want to re-think getting out of the vehicle to pick up the trash so close to a lion. He was completely surprised by his gaff. As we were all enjoying a good laugh, we noticed the wildebeest carcase under the bush just in front of the lioness. Double jeopardy trying to pick up the trash - some days, it just has be let alone.

Ok, by this time we were getting hungry. The three hour tour was now four, and we were ready to hang on the feed bags. So, John turned towards the lodge. We were about 35 km out into the bush, so we knew it would take a bit to get back. When we were within 10 km John spotted a spiraling column of vultures. As he pointed this out to us, he commented that it generally meant a fresh kill on the ground, and he left the road to go investigate. Arriving at the scene, all that was left of the impala was horns, skull, and a bit of spine. Several vultures were on the ground cleaning up the nasty bits. John then began to drive around, and he finally commented that he was looking for cats lounging under a bush. He further explained that well fed cats lie down close to the kill. Within minutes he spotted what he was looking for - two, very well fed and cleaned up, cheetahs were enjoying the canopy of two interlocking bushes. Laying there, sated, they allowed us to within 10m for pictures. We circled around to the other side of the bushes for a different angle of the cats.

Needless to say, seeing the cheetahs was the highlight of the morning. Forgetting our hunger we all enjoyed the sight. Alli and Pam were fervently clicking away when Alli's camera chip filled up. In her haste to change it out, she bent a pin that the CF card seats into. The camera was now disabled, and while we tried to straighten out the pin to get the card seated, we were unsuccessful. The lessons learned from this experience are 1) do not purchase a camera with CF card technology, 2) having said technology, take your time changing the chip, 3) buy a really big chip so you don't ever have to change it.

The highs and lows of life hit equally hard. We proceeded back to the lodge for lunch, beers, and reliving the morning.

Day 8 - Jan 1 - Mara Evening Safari (MapMyRide)

It was drizzly, which generally signals bad safari conditions. Ignoring general wisdom, we headed out. However, we quickly realized our enthusiasm did outweigh reality, and we returned to the lodge. We had a big trip the following day, and everyone wanted to get some rest and hot food.

Day 9 - Jan 2 - Mara River Safari (MapMyRide)

Oh, what a day! This day just could not be topped, and it just kept getting better until it culminated in our National Geographic moment that we have talked about since our return home with whomever will listen. Astounding!

The day was a full day excursion to the Mara River and back. The Mara is the river where wildebeests have to cross a river during their annual migration, and the crocodiles get fed - "as seen on TV". We set out early replete with lunch boxes traveling the now familiar track taking us towards Keekorok air strip - pausing only shortly to get pictures of the skittish and elusive Dik-Diks. Since this was familiar ground, we traveled quickly. The sky was broken clouds, and the lodge area got significant rain while we seemed to stay just out of the rain all day and enjoyed some of the most wonderful weather of the trip. Gentle breezes blew the fresh air though us.

About a third of the way to the river, John spotted a couple of vehicles off the road to the right. It took us a bit to find an access over the berm at that side of the road before we could go investigate. Bouncing over the berm we continued down through the grass to see a whole pride of lions basking in the sunshine. There were 18 of them, males, females, and cubs - what a treat. For those of our readers who have cats, you can imagine the scene as they languidly lounged and as reported in Alli's previous post to the Tabbies. Since we were truly off road, we had to obey the rules of the range - off road travel only allows for 5 minute stops. So, we had to leave the lions before anyone was ready, but we would see them again that day on our return trip to the lodge.

Continuing on toward the Mara we spotted a herd of elephants very close to the road. There were three young ones - of which was only about a month old; what fun to watch a family of jumbos interact in a family situation.

Arriving at the Mara, we stopped for a potty break at the river ranger station where John negotiated the price of an armed guard to walk us around the rim of the river. Also, the ranger station demarcates a jurisdiction change withing the reserve - one of the oversight tribes ends and another tribe begins. So, John had to get a different pass allowing us to cross into the other side of the reserve.

Two bridges across the Mara - a higher, and older steel structure, and a lower concrete structure. The steel bridge has some load limits. We entered the ranger station area across the steel bridge, and we backtracked across it to do the river rim walk. We returned to the ranger area across the concrete bridge. Now, while you're wondering why I spending all these words describing this scene, permit me to explain. When we crossed the concrete bridge the water level of the bridge was two feet below the surface of the bridge. As we were leaving the area to return to the lodge at the end of the day, the water level had risen and was now crested the concrete bridge with one foot of water - the river had risen four feet in 2 hours, and it was roiling and boiling brown liquid earth. Somewhere, some significant rain had fallen, and since most of us were from Minnesota, we were glad to be on the lodge side of the old steel bridge.

The armed guard walked us around the rim of the river to see the hippos and Nile Crocodiles in the river. Both of these species are very unpredictable, hence the need for an armed guard. We never felt threatened, but you never know, not to mention the lion paw prints in the mud. It was nice to get to stretch our legs, and Jessie enjoyed the opportunity to bounce around. The hippos slept on the sand bars at rivers edge, surfaced and submerged in the river, and the crocs were working on their tans in the sun; so, all was peaceful on the Mara that day. One note about river hippos - In the Amboseli report we reported that wild hippos are buff. Well, it might be that savanna hippos are buff, but river hippos are like zoo hippos - blubber butts!

Leaving the river, crossing back to the ranger station, we passed through the gate into the other section of the reserve. John had arranged for us to go up the hill a few Km, and to eat our lunch under a tree. A most beautiful place! Larrie indicated that if Alli wanted to, she could dispose of his remains here. It was peaceful, a full and big sky vis-a-vis Montana. Clouds scudded through the sunlight, and a gentle breeze kept our olfactory's cleansed and the grasses swaying. Off in the distance elephant gently grazed. Lunchtime was too short that day! John had sprung for beers (Thanks. John!), and so we ate, experienced, and washed it all down with a cold Tusker. Life is truly too short.

Lunch was the distal point of the Mara trip, so we loaded up and headed back on the same track to the lodge. We stopped at the Mara river ranger station for a potty break, which is when we noticed how the river had risen. Again, we loaded up and pressed onward.

The elephant herd had moved a bit, and the lion pride had crossed the road and was now occupying some high ground. It was later in the day, and they were hungry - 22 lions (four more were visible) is a lot of mouths to feed. Most of them lounged, and a couple of lionesses, sitting on top of termite mounds, were actively scanning the lowlands for prey. As we approached the air strip area, we noticed some vehicles on the other side of some trees. John decided we should see what was up. Oh, my!

Arriving on the scene where several vehicles occupied the road, we noticed the object of their attention - a leopard in the grass. Leopards are pretty elusive cats, and we had been unsuccessfully stalking them for several days. The leopard was 30 m in front of us in the grass. Its back was to us, and it laid down in the grass seemingly to take a nap. We decided to wait a bit to see if we could get better pictures, including a face shot. While we were waiting, Larrie noticed a baboon up in a tree close to us, and that there was something very big violently shaking branches in a huge big tree about 100m in front of us. John indicated baboons were in the far tree. However, it must have a really big baboon as that branch was rocking and rolling. We were about to find out just how big.

Continuing to watch the leopard as it raised up to look around, we noticed some male baboons moving towards the leopard out of the trees. The leopard likewise noticed them and repositioned itself into deeper grass at the base of a close-by bush. The baboons moved to flank the cat on both sides, and the point baboon, a rather large male, turned and looked directly at the cat not 5m in front of it. In a swift action, out of nowhere, a really big baboon - "Bubba", jumped out of our viewing range and pounced right on the cat! The cat sprung up out of the grass, and began to run for its life with the baboons hot on its tail. Apparently, leopards and baboons really don't like each other, and if the baboons would have caught the cat, they would have pulled it apart. Pam captured the action on film, and Alli has created a slideshow of Pam's pictures showing the mobbing in her Leopard High Tailing post to the Tabbies. It was a bit after the excitement passed as Pam was reviewing her pictures, that she discovered she had captured the most amazing picture of the trip. Thanks, Pam for sharing your pictures with us!

I don't know how one could have topped the leopard / baboon experience, and we returned to the lodge like winning fans from the Super Bowl. Beers that night were exceptional as we regaled the days events to anyone listening.

Day 10 - Jan 3 - Mara Evening Safari (MapMyRide)

Editor note: There was a morning safari on Jan 3, and Jessie and Larrie decided to assume the state of lodge lizards. So, there is no GPS track for the morning. Alli reported an another amazing encounter with cheetahs and sighting of fifty or so giraffes on the morning safari.

For the last safari outing of the whole adventure, John headed out on a new track. Turning right at the bottom of the driveway instead of left, which we had done all week long. We snaked through the foothills not really finding much, but it was an interesting road as there was more evidence of human footing in an animal reserve.

Critters viewed were the Ground Hornbill and Elephant. John got wind of another leopard spotting, so we were off to see what we could see. We arrived at the scene of a gathering of vehicles - 20-30, a lot. Spotting the leopard sitting on a termite mound that was consuming a bush, John positioned the vehicle for us and turned off the engine. The cat sat quietly, given the shyness of leopards and all the human comotion surrounding it. It rose, and began to walk towards the small shrubby / woody area to our left. Walking up to the vehicles that were on that section of the road, the cat passed between them, continued up the knoll, and into the bush.

John continued down the road a bit when Larrie spotted another gathering of vehicles off in the distance. John said they must have found the black rhino we had seen two days previous, and we went to see what was up. When we arrived you could not see through all the vehicles to see what was going on. Then a vehicle repositioned itself, and we could see - a mother lion and a brand new cub. The cub was nursing, and it did not look like it had its eyes open yet, which made us wonder if it was just hours old and the mother appeard to still be in labor. Not wanting to add to the commotion, we quickly vacated and left momma to her baby, while we hoped that her pride was close by. Baby lions suffer a very high mortality rate due to hyenas, and there were a lot of hyenas around the area.

It was time to head back, and we wandered down to a creek crossing we had used two days prior. It was now a mud hole, and John was very hesitant to cross as our vehicle was only two wheel drive. Another vehicle came by, and John knew the drive. The vehicle was four wheel drive, and the driver crossed easily. He told John to try it, and if he got stuck, the other vehicle would pull us out. Jessi shouted out from the back of the bus "Go for it, John"while the rest of us were saying it wasn't worth the risk, and we were off. We did get stuck, and John had to make two attempts to climb out of the mess before we were finally out of it. A fitting end to 10 days in Africa where we had been trapped by a flash flood covering a bridge, slowed by flat tires and countless cattle herds, to be almost stuck in the mud in the bush with leopards and lions in the near vicinity.

How much adventure is that, eh?

Nepali Nuptials

The weekend beginning Dec 11 we traveled to Kathmandu Nepal with a number of people from Alli's company to attend the marriage of another of Allison's coworkers who was marrying a Nepali heritage woman in a traditional Hindu wedding. The groom was William Stanton [Will's pictures], and the bride was Pratima Upadhyay. The ceremonies took place at the Park Village Hotel, which is where the bride's clan was housed. We stayed at the Yak and Yeti Hotel, which is where the groom's clan was housed. Traveling with us were Jessie and Alli's folks who were visiting from Butte, Montana.

First some notes about the travel experience. Since there are no direct flights to Nepal from Bengaluru, we had to connect through Delhi. Getting to Delhi was a domestic flight, and then we had to claim our luggage for transfer to the international terminal, which was a 45 minute bus ride through the Delhi airport property. What a PITA! Then we had to re-check our baggage and go through Indian Immigration, which is more rigorous than Bengaluru International (which has exceptional Immigration services, BTW). The flight to Kathmandu was interesting once we got sight of the Himalayas. However that glow quickly faded at the Kathmandu airport and Nepali Immigration. Kathmandu is a one runway city - beware, there are Vogons here. There were only two Immigration officers for a planeload of people, and there was no clear guidance as to which or how many forms required completion - another PITA moment. However, we endured the process and got on the bus provided for the arriving Will's Clan to take to the hotel. There were about 16 members of Will's clan arriving on the flight from India, and two of the lot got separated requiring a quick reconnaissance of the arrival area to collect them.

And before I get into wedding activity narrative, some discussion of what we saw in Nepal is in order. Like India, Nepal has a large portion of it's population living below poverty levels, and you can see decay in the buildings. There is a pro communist group called the Maoists, which were causing some trouble in other states of Nepal. The week prior to the trip, the Maoists had stopped all flow of all fuel into Kathmandu. Another political group, the Naxals are likewise pro communist. India, too, has serious problems with Naxels in its Northern states as the Naxels cross the Nepali border fluidly. This was interesting to us as one of pictures Alli captured from the bus while going to the hotel from the airport was of a Naxel sign on a building. While touring the Darjeeling area in September, we had to deal with India Border Security Force checkpoints who were specifically in place to control the flow of Maoists and Naxels between the two countries

Our first wedding activity was the groom's dinner, which was held the day of arrival at Krishnarpan. It was an 16 course meal laced with multiple toasts of a local drink called white lightning. The seating was traditional and close to the ground, which took a bit of compromise for us longer legged Americans. Alli and Larrie did not comlete the full 16 courses as we just did not have the space for all the food, even though the traditional dress we wore that evening allows for rapid expansion of the waist line. The restaurant, and the surrounding grounds of the Dwarika Hotel, are very pretty, and the place has a fantastic ambiance. Due to 16 courses, many toasts of white lightening , and exploring the grounds around us we were late returning to the hotel, but even so, some of Will's clan had the energy to go to a disco and dance the night away. Alli and Larrie retrieved Jessie and went to bed.

Saturday was the day of the wedding. Hindu weddings are traditionally spread out over 3-4 days, but due to logistics Will and Pratima collapsed all the various activities into a single day. [A link to a description of the wedding

ceremony is above, it is too much to attempt to describe in your own words.] Will's clan departed the Yak and Yeti escorted by about a 11 piece marching band at 8 am. We went through the narrow streets connecting the hotel to the nearest main thoroughfare - only to encounter a marathon in progress, which delayed us quite a bit having to pass through the runner stream to reach the traffic stream. Will was in a separate car in front of the bus. Being more nimble, his vehicle got into the traffic stream quickly. The whole entourage stopped just short of the main road to get the band into a van for transport to the Park Garden on the other side of Kathmandu.

The bus we were using for the weekend developed mechanical problems during the trip to the Park Garden. We stopped once, and the driver opened up the engine compartment, fiddled with something, and then we got moving again. But, I don't think he ever got past 2nd gear after that. While the wedding was going on, a new bus was brought in to take us back to the Yak and Yeti while the original bus was being repaired. By the end of our visit, we were back to the old bus.

Upon our arrival to the Park Garden area, we stopped about 100m short of the driveway on the main road, the band got out of the van, we got out of the bus, and the whole procession was led by the band up to the site of the wedding on the grounds of the hotel. Keep in mind that the Park Garden is the "home" of the bride's clan, so we were noisily announcing arrival of the suitor.

The bride was not yet on premise of the ceremony area, and we had to wait for some time before we heard the clamor of her procession making its way to the site of the ceremony. The bride's band led her procession, and it was a more traditional group with a couple of rather Susical horns that would bleat out randomly throughout the day.

[Note: I am not embedding too many pictures into this report as I think that by viewing the pictures by themselves and reading the material on Hindu Weddings in Wikipedia provides a better understanding of the event. The pictures in our web album on Picasa are in time sequence.]

First was the engagement ceremony for the groom to announce his interest and for the bride to accept or reject his proposal. Upon acceptance, Will's clan (including the band) had to vacate back to the main road and re-enter the property for the wedding ceremony - to simulate that a different day. All-the-while, the members of the bride's entourage were in a tented area to simulate that they were visibly invisible to the members of the groom's entourage.

The wedding ceremony was quite interesting involving many ceremonial and spiritual activities, and one has to wonder how many years occurred to evolve all the various elements of the wedding. The whole process was facilitated by a Hindu spiritual guru who consecrated both the engagement and wedding ceremonial spaces. Once all ceremonies were concluded and we were fed multiple times, we returned to the Yak and Yeti between 5 and 6 in the evening with Will and Pratima (the bride) riding in the car. Again, we stopped short of the hotel for the band to get out and lead us into the Yak and Yeti with the noise of announcement of success - the suitor returns with a bride!

We had planned that during the time we were off to the wedding, Jessie and Alli's parents were to have gone on a Kathmandu city tour, but somewhere some communication had failed, and they spent the day at the hotel. Jessie was glad to have mom-n-dad back, and grandma was glad to get some quick quiet time before we were off again to dinner. On Sunday a city tour for Will's clan was planned, and Alli's parents went on that - so, all was not lost for their efforts to visit another cultural experience.

It had been a long day; however, a quick change of clothes, and we were off again to another dinner at the Radisson, where there was an Olive Garden restaurant. We were amazed, an Olive Garden in Kathmandu - whoda thunk it! Upon return to the hotel well fed and tired, all retired to a quiet evening of their own with exception to the disco crowd who again went dancing until the wee hours of Sunday. Young people!

While the rest of the wedding gang went on the Sunday tour, Jessie Alli and Larrie went to the local market area, Thamel, to do some shopping. However, the true hit of the day (for Jessie) was to discover a Pizza Hut just across on the main road from the hotel. Jessie required a before and after shopping pizza. Alli continued to purchase local gem stones for necklaces, and we got Jessie some safari pants and some baggy dancing togs; although, we were unable to talk her into a very colorful shirt to go with the dancing bloomers.

We enjoyed our day in Thamel very much. It was an easy walk from the Yak and Yeti, and we felt safe the entire day. The shopkeepers were very happy to have customers, and they were not invasive (as some can be on Commercial St. in Bengaluru). One shopkeeper, who we bought several jewelery items from was very happy to have us as her first sale of the day - even though it was late in the afternoon.

Prevalent in this area for women's fashion is the use of a Pashmina shawl, which a generally rectangular in shape. Alli had noticed that a number of the women in the bride's clan had round shawls, and she wanted to find one. So, the search for the round shawl was on in Thamel. We never did find one, and again it is a testimonial to the shopkeeper that all genuinely tried to help us and indicated which of the other shops we might actually find one.

Sunday night was the wedding reception hosted by the parents of the bride, and it culminated with some (non-traditional) disco dancing. We discovered that Jessie really likes to dance as long as she can do it her way - free style as she describes it.

Monday brought a air trip to see the Himalayas

for Alli and Larrie, and the return trip home. Our compatriot, Shae McCowen, posted some great pictures of the mountains on the McCowen family Picasa site. Flying out of Kathmandu is to encounter physical security application. We were searched and patted down (more of a grope)no less that 5 times for the domestic flight. AND, this was the day that the Nepali PM chose to fly to Copenhagen to attend the world green house gas(bag) meeting, which meant that the airspace over the Kathmandu airport [remember, single runway] was clear. So, we sat, and sat some more, and sat some more in the plane awaiting a window to take off. Once airborne, and the grandeur of the Himalaya laid out off the port side, all thoughts of delay evaporated from our minds.

The Himalaya are truly an inspiration and unique to the earth, and they should be seen by all at least once in a lifetime. We headed northeast along the range, and then turned north directly at Everest. You really cannot get too close to Everest as it is on the Nepali border with China. One by one, the stewardess had each of us go up to the cockpit for a look at Everest through the pilots windows - like that'll ever happen in North America, eh? Absolutely amazing! What was even more surprising to note the lack of snow and the evidence of glacial retreat. We flew over the Himalaya on Dec 14, and the vast majority of the "foothills" were brown. Terminal moraines and other visual evidence indicated that the glaciers were not growing. Impactful evidence of global warming, I presume.

We returned to the airport, late due to all the delays, and got on the bus to drive over to the International side of the airport - remember, it's a one runway town, and had to clear 7 layers of security and pat downs and carry on searches [the last being at the steps to get into the plane] to get on the flight to Delhi, which was very late due to you know how having to go to Copenhagen.

Needless to say, after enduring the bus ride in Delhi between international and domestic terminals again, we missed our scheduled flight to Bengaluru. Unknown to us was that India, and specifically the Delhi airport, was under heightened security that night, which only slowed our progress through the process. One security person on the bus indicated to Larrie that the bus might travel faster if we paid the driver a little money, which we did not do. However, the airline parent, Jet Air, booked us into another flight that was leaving within 20 minutes. We were very surprised that our luggage arrived with us in Bengaluru. That is the second occurrence where we have had excellent service from Jet Airlines. Their on the ground teams do the needful to assure you and your stuff get to where you need to be.

We arrived at the house at 1 am 4 hours later than expected, and it was a very rough morning for Jessie to get up and go to school the next day, and Alli to go to work. Weddings take a lot out of you.