Kenya Trip - Day 3 (pm)

Dated: August 6th, 2010 (pm)

Location: Ewaso Nyiro River Camp, Mpala Wildlife Conservancy, Laikipia Valley

So . . . we're here.

After several more hours in the LCs and several more mysterious stops at various tourist shops and grocery stores (apparently the drivers get a cut from the vendors for bringing us places), we've made it to Mpala. And it's gorgeous . . . and a little bit terrifying.

We saw oodles of wildlife on our way into the conservancy: giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, baboons, and dikdiks (small antelopes). And we're told that the conservancy is home to nearly a thousand elephants and--with the amount of elephant dung laying around--I believe it.

And then we got to our camp and realized that there are no fences so all that wildlife we saw out there will be in our camp every day. It's for this reason that we are required to have an escort to and from our tents and even the bathroom. The escort is called an "ascari" (pronounced ah-scar-ee). There are no guns allowed in Mpala, so the ascari carry forearm-lenth sticks with knobs on one end. They don't speak much English--they understand the word "tent" and numbers and we say "cho" for the bathroom. We haven't had to test it yet, but I'm hoping they understand the word "lion" too.

The professors are staying at the research center and Ranch House farther north of us. River camp is beautiful--we got the quick tour before the sun set. There's no electricity and the "bathroom" is hole in the ground--having been a frequent camper as a girl scout--this is nothing I'm not used to; however, the shower is definitely something different. The water is heated in an oil drum. An ascari will mix the hot water with some of the cold water from the river in a bucket to make sure it isn't scalding, then he takes the bucket into the shower tent and lets down a canvas bag, which he fills, then hoists back up. There is a little spigot on the bottom of the hanging canvas bag which you have to turn and let trickle out--you only have a couple of gallons to use and then you're left with whatever soap is left in your hair. I'm kind of worried because I think I have the most/thickest hair of the group. Would it be gross if I didn't shower the whole time? Itchy scalp is the worst.

We got an introduction by the research center director Margaret and the camp manager Tuni. Tuni went over again the importance of being alert and aware of the wildlife around us and reminded us of the safety precautions available to us, mainly the ascari. Then he warned us about the river; "If you are feeling like going for a swim, please let us know. So that we may say good-bye." Apparently the river is swift and full of hippos and crocodiles. Gulp.

We had dinner in the mess tent--which is basically a 3-sided structure with a thatched roof. There was some soup--we think it was a root of some kind, possibly potato--baked potato, some mystery "miama" (means "meat" in Swahili, but also "animal" interestingly enough), green beans, rice, kidney beans, and boiled cabbage.

Got back to my tent and there was an earwig in my bed. Other than that, the tents are really nice inside. I'm grateful that they're completely enclosing so that no critters can crawl in. My roommate Jody and I share tent #4.