Kwaheri Kenya. G'day Australia.

Dear blog...we haven’t forgotten you, promise! 

Our last month in Kenya flew by! Saying goodbye to little Betsy, the colobus we have spent a great amount of time with over the past 3 months, was hard! we was also sad to leave the colobus trust in Diani, and the extra special people we have met during our stay (you know who you are!) :-) but we was also equally as excited about embarking on the next leg of our trip!

Betsy relaxing on her last full day with us

To mark the end of our stay at the colobus trust, we did something that is a must for anyone visiting Kenya, and that is to experience a safari of course! The safari took place in Tsavo national park, which is one of the oldest national parks in Kenya! As the park is so vast and huge it is split into Tsavo east and Tsavo west. So the first day of our safari was spent in the jeep with our driver travelling to Tsavo east, which from Mombasa took almost 4 hours. 

At one of the entrance gates to Tsavo eats national park!

The park was very flat, and dry which worked in our favour as within the first 10 minutes or so we already spotted one of the big five- elephants! After that animals seemed to pop up everywhere, from zebra to eagles to buffalo (another one of the big five) and different types of antelope! An hour into the drive we spotted a leopard (which we was told we only had a 40-50% chance of finding!) high up resting in the tree with his dinner (a big warthog)- so that’s three out of the big five within the hour! 

A male elephant wandering past our jeep- wow!

Arriving at our lodge in Tsavo east for lunch after a lucky morning of wildlife spotting, we was already looking forward to the evening drive which would follow as we was told the chance of seeing lions was higher...although this didn’t quite go as plan! Unfortunately as we set off for the evening drive, we managed to drive about 200 metres away from the lodge and the jeep cut out. Luckily the battery died as we was viewing some gazelle, rather than a pride of hungry lions! So basically we were stranded until we could call for help, so the driver had to run back to the lodge to ask for assistance... After an hour or so of failing to jump start the engine, the only option was to push the 2 tonne jeep back to the lodge (best watch out for them hungry lions...). It was unfortunate that we missed out on an evening drive, but we still got to see lots of elephants and giraffes in the horizon as the sun set whilst sat on top of the jeep waiting for it to be fixed...

Observing the jeep being fixed...

 The 2^nd day of safari was spent driving through Tsavo east in the direction of Tsavo west! The second day was probably our luckiest day as during the morning we finally got to see a pride of lions, which was made up of 2 females and 3 males. The driver nicely pointed out a pair “making honeymoon” in the bush, and let us use his binoculars so we could get a better view... Next we spotted cheetah, a mother and her two juvenile cubs, which was pretty amazing!

A not so clear photo of the cheetah family we spotted in Tsavo east!

 As we were leaving Tsavo east a large herd of elephants were drinking by the waterhole, which was also occupied by buffalo, zebra and a little family of warthogs! Arriving in Tsavo west midday it was very hot and the surroundings are alot more dense than east, with more bushes, trees, hills and lots of large rocks which makes searching for wildlife more of a challenge! But as we neared our lodge, a huge male elephant stepped out onto the road, looked at us, and carried on walking until he disappeared into the dense bushes. 

Watching a family of elephants drink at the manmade waterhol as we ate dinner

We were also lucky to spot our second Leopard of the trip, but this is most likely due to the big juicy piece of meat that the staff at the lodge left out for the leopard each night, so tourists would have a chance to take photos...not quite sure what we thought to this, it’s much better seeing them in more natural situations. 

On our final day in Tsavo we visited Mzima springs, which is home to resident hippos and nile crocodiles- both of which we saw from a distance!  Going on safari in Kenya was great experience and we felt so lucky at the amount of wildlife we got to see- so make sure you put safari on your list of things to do before you die!! 

"Catch up mum!" an excited little zebra foal and it's mum :-)

 

We didn't find any rhino, but we did spot something it had left behind!

It wasn’t long after our return to Diani that we were packing our backpacks and saying our goodbyes! We have gained some invaluable experience and memories whilst volunteering at the colobus trust, and also enjoyed living in the Mombasa area. 

Kenya has a real charm to it, and although we both felt slightly unsure and out of our comfort zone when we arrived, we quickly fell in love with the place! 

What will we miss the most? The crazy matatus, the friendly locals, haggling in the markets, buying a meal and a drink for less than £1, and of course the wildlife (incl. Betsy of course!!).

Things we will miss not so much? The constant humidity induced sweating, ugali [Abi] and the mosquitoes/ sleeping under a mozzi net!! 

Volunteer's weekly sunday dinner at the sundowner cafe in Diani!

So our last few days in Kenya were spent in the place where we started our adventure, in Mombasa at nirvana backpackers! It felt odd to be back, as though we had never left! From there we got the night train to Nairobi, which took 8 hours... As for Nairobi, don’t listen to all the bad press about this city, it seemed liked a really cool place, with very genuine and honest people. 

Our time there was short and sweet, visiting the local giraffe orphanage, observing a dog being trained for a dettol advert and inviting ourselves to a private meeting with the Kenyan wildlife service’s (KWS) assistant director of conservation and education!

Feeding time for the hippo (along with ducks and vervet monkeys!) in Mombasa

So thats it. Our Kenyan adventure is over! For now anyway... we will be back! Asante sana Kenya :-)

So now we are “down under” in Perth, western Australia! Australia’s sunniest capital, and so far it is living up to its expectations as its very sunny, warm and has a very nice summary feeling to it!  We plan to spend the first weeks exploring Perth and adjusting to the ozzie way of life, before we proceed onto our next line of voluntary work -this time with horses!

We shall keep you update on our Australian adventures... Hooroo for now!

Seafood, 24/7 Betsy, Tuk tuks and other plans!

Another week, another update!

Last week we left the mainland for the day in search of a little Island called, Wasini. Wasini Island is an extremely small Island which is only 5 square kilometres, situated a few hundred metres from Shimoni which is a is a port in south eastern Kenya near to the border with Tanzania! So, off we sailed to the little Island by a traditional arabian dhow boat! 

We were firstly greeted by the friendly Charlie claw crew, who kept us topped up with tea and the tastiest Kenyan coffee we have come accross so far, as well as lots of fresh fruit! 

Though it looked seemingly calm out at sea, the hour and a half ride to the spot where we would begin our snorkeling adventure was not as smooth as expected- sea legs were required! 

On route to the snorkeling site we were lucky enough to spot some dolphins diving and swimming amongst the waves- amazing! 

Snorkeling max!

Once we arrived at our snorkeling spot, the sea was calmer and looked more inviting. Max took to it straight away, and was one of the first people to leave the boat! I on the other hand was quite hesitant and found it abit strange swimming with the flippers and adapting to breathing through the snorkel tube, so In the end I removed the flippers and the snorkel and just stuck with the goggles...not quite snorkeling but it worked for me! We managed to see lots of different types of tropical fish, particulaly parrot fish, amongst the unspoilt coral reef :-)

After a couple of hours of snorkeling around the reef, the dhow boat took us to Wasini Island for a seafood lunch! The restaurant is the only one on the Island open to tourists, which is owned by the company we went with (http://www.wasini.com/). The food was great and they didn’t hold back on the portions either, so after feasting on endless amounts of crab, fish and Kenyan side dishes we lazed in the lagoon style pool until it was time to head back to mainland. 

Charlie Claw's restaurant seafood feast, yum yum!

A great day out which is definitely worth doing if you’re near the south coast of Kenya and a good company to go with too as Charlie claws practice sustainable eco tourism.

A pretty view of the sea from Wasini island

Chameleon we found relaxing by the lagoon at Wasini Island

On friday, the colobus trust's manager left Kenya for a well earned break back to the UK, leaving me and max responsible for the care, 24 hour care that is, of Betsy the cheekiest but cutest colobus in Diani :-) 

The week leading up to their leave involved lots of running over Betsy's routine. Although we spend the whole working day (8am-5pm) at the trust with Betsy, and the occasional evenings when we have babysat, there was still alot of other day to day information we needed to take into account. Such as what her morning routine is and what not to feed her (pretty much everything other than wild leaves, the occasional itsy bitsy piece of banana and small portion on sweet potatoe) as well as lists of people to contact if, god forbid, she took a bad turn and needed specialist assistance.

So far it has gone rather smoothly, apart from the initial crying (without the tears!) when her mum and dad got the taxi to the airport, Betsy has been somewhat behaved. So far we have taken her into the trust each day, as this are familiar surroundings for her, with familiar people too, which will make everything seem more "normal" for her, and therefore less stressful whilst her "parents" are away. She has been spending more and more time high up in the trees foraging and eating leaves, which is great, as this is exactly what a colobus of her age should be doing, but this also does involve alot of standing around for us...but for the right reasons, as it shows that the rehabilitation process is going to plan! and because a large percentage of her diet (80-90%) is now wild leaves, it also means she has become that little bit lazier and relaxed, as to digest all these leaves she requires alot more rest and sleep- it’s tough life being a colobus monkey you know!

Finger sucking Betsy

Max has also had to get to grips with learning how to drive the tuk tuk, which is pretty much a 3 wheeled scooter with a roof! We use it to get to and from the trust, on the very bumpy and gravelly roads, with me and Betsy squeezed on the back seat...it’s different to the usual car and the crumple zone is your face!!

The colobus trust tuk tuk :-)

A large proportion of the volunteers (3 out of 7!) left the trust this week, and with another volunteer leaving next week, and with no more arriving until the manager has returned in 3 weeks time means the trust is very quiet at the moment! But still there is lots of monkey related work and research to be done!

As well as this travel blog, I have also been participating to the collection of colobus trust's blogs and produced a blog about my volunteer experience at the trust with Betsy, the "Betsy blog". It has been published on the wildlife direct's website, which is an American and Kenyan registered charitable organization that provides support to conservationists throughout Africa! So, if you google Abi Walker, I should come up 6th on the Google list- that makes me nearly famous right!? Take a look... http://colobus.wildlifedirect.org/2012/01/16/my-volunteer-experience-at-the-colobus-trust-with-baby-betsy-abi-walker/

Max and I are hoping to do more voluntary work when we arrive in Australia next month. We are currently in touch with a stud farm who specialise in breeding and training Australian warm blooded horses, in Mt. Helena, Perth. Here we will be undertaking the general day to day care of the horses, as well as assisting in training, exercise and grooming for the shows! We plan to start work here during the first week of March, after we have adapted to our transition from Africa to Australia :-)

We now just a little under 4 weeks left in Kenya, with 3 of those weeks being the sole carers of Betsy, we look forward to spending our last week doing something you can't leave Kenya without doing...A Safari! We finally got round to booking a 3 day Safari, which will be spent in Tsavo east and west national park- Can't wait!

The latest arrival to the local baboon troop!

Already 12 days into 2012...

Happy new year!!

Christmas came by and passed so quickly, as it always does I suppose! Christmas in Diani was very hot, very humid but also very relaxed! Christmas back home can often get quite hectic and stressful, so it made a nice change to take it easy and enjoy the day with the rest of the volunteers , along with the managers at Luciana’s (one of the founding members of the trust) lovely beach house :-)

Preparing the captive monkeys christmas feed!

One of the captive vervet enjoying christmas lunch!

 

Betsy didn’t join us for the Christmas meal, which was a mixture of Italian treats, fresh fish, and lots of tasty veg, as she may of attempted to feast on all the festive food before we had the chance to...and it’s probably wise that a colobus monkey doesn’t eat panatone cake or cauliflower cheese! Though we was joined by Luciana’s suini antelope, which are the smallest species of antelope, and her two dogs Lycka and Tatum!

Suni the suini antelope trying to steal some christmas dinner!

Following Christmas, during the week running up to new years eve, Betsy, the colobus monkey in our care took a bad turn and was rushed to the local hospital for x-rays. She caused a great amount of worry amongst everyone at the trust, especially as x-rays were not able to confirm what was causing her discomfort.

Her stomach was severely bloated, and she was extremely lethargic and disorientated...which is not really normal behavior for any colobus monkey, especially the usually mischievous little Betsy! After the hospital were not able to assist with Betsy’s condition, it was decided that Betsy would be driven the 35 km journey from Diani to Mombasa to see a reputable vet whom was luckily in Kenya at the time of need as he is known to be one of the top wildlife vets in East Africa.

Meanwhile back at the trust ourselves and the other volunteers continued to worry, thinking that she would have to be put under aneasthetic and operated on, which is a great risk to colobus monkeys as they are so sensitive! Bloat is quite a common digestive disorder which occurs in ruminants. Unlike other primate species the colobus have a digestive system very similar to that of a ruminant species such as a cow or sheep. As the risk of operating on Betsy was so high, the vet recommended that we tried Betsy on coal tablets, to help aid her digestion and get rid of any nasty toxins in her gut. So after drinking a sloppy drink of coal mixed with water, over the course of a few days her bloat reduced and she started to turn back to her normal, cheeky and energetic self! We knew all was well when in the morning she greeted me and max with a big hug and then a slap on the head, as she then proceeded to pull down the remaining Christmas decorations!

 

New years eve was partly spent at a local Kenyan restaurant witnessing Max and two of the colobus crew, Osher and Tony feasting on the all you can eat meat barbeque like modern day cavemen, whilst I gorged on salad...the best salad in Kenya, possibly even in East Africa!? We then spent the rest of the evening monkey sitting. Luckily by new years eve Betsy was finally getting back to full health, so she was able to enter 2012 a healthy little colobus! Meanwhile I seemed to be taking an opposite turn! Which meant a very sober new years eve, but equaled no hangover on new year’s day :-)

New years day was spent relaxing on the beach, having drinks with the other staff and volunteers, and having a spontaneous camel ride on the beach courtesy of the colobus trust’s vet Gabriel! Being used to riding horses we didn’t think a camel ride would be too different! You have to climb on the camel whilst it is sat on the floor, and as the camel stands up you jolt forward nearly tipping over its neck and then backwards nearly toppling down its back! It was a random, but amusing experience...

New years day camel ride on the beach...

After not feeling much better later in the week, Max suggested I should take a trip to the hospital (the same hospital Betsy had earlier had her x-rays!). 3 hours later after being prodded and poked lots by the doctor, having what seemed like a large amount of blood taken from my arm, and declining the doctors order that I should be hooked up to an IV drip (eeek!) and an overnight stay for observations, I left the hospital with a much lighter purse and a week’s supply of antibiotics and probiotic! Finally after a week of being on the meds I am finally starting to feel healthy again- hurray for Abi and Betsy!

And what a better way to celebrate the new year, then with a much deserved shopping spree! When it comes to shopping in Mombasa you can have a near to hassle free time and pay +100% of the actual price, OR, you can be brave, put your haggling hat on and barter and negotiate a price that suits you more, and still allows the shop keeper to make some sort of profit (though perhaps not the 100% they get away with adding with most tourists!). We also found out if you want a real bargain, then you also have to be adventurous, leave your comfort zone and venture away from the main high street and touristy markets and brave the back alleys of this chaotic yet charming city and head to where the locals shop! After trawling the high street stalls and getting slightly lost we came across a small yet busy market, down some random little alleys. Single file we traipsed through the market and discovered endless fabric stalls, handicrafts and traditional dressmakers- it was like another world... After an hour of discovering this hidden market we were laden with lots of fabric- Kikois, khangas, kitenge and katenga!. These are traditional kenyan fabrics which are most often used to make dresses, shirts, shorts, suits, cushion covers, bed spreads, bags- anything really, you ask the local tailor to make it and they will...at a small charge of course! By the end of the day we had more than what we came for and more- a very successful shopping trip indeed!

Taking a well deserved break from shopping in a local cafe!

It is still hard to believe that we have been in Kenya almost 2 months now, time really has flown, it only seems a moment ago we was frantically packing and unpacking then repacking our backpacks! 

The manager returns to England this week for almost a month, which means that Max and I will be the sole carers of Betsy- a 24/7 job, 7 days a week, for 3.5 weeks! So fingers crossed it all goes well...as during this time we don’t expect to get much freedom. In fact to “celebrate” our last day of freedom before we take on this role we are visiting a nearby Island just off the coast called, Wasini. Here we will spend the day taking it easy, visiting a marine park for snorkeling and dolphin spotting, exploring the area, trying lots of seafood and experiencing the local communities that live on this remote Island. But we are still looking forward to the following weeks with Betsy, it will definitely be an experience, and we get to stay in a Kenyan style Makuti house!  We have promised to keep the manager updated daily via skype or phone about Betsy (and Badabing, the jack russel will also be in our care too whilst we are staying at their house!).

A now healthy Betsy, enjoying a stolen apple core!

Until next time! Asante sana!

tis' the season to be jolly!

Just over 2 weeks have passed by since the last blog entry, so much has happened but it seems hard to put it all across (We blame the heat, and 80% humidity!) Aside from a green mamba dropping out of a tree nearly onto our heads, a HUGE spider trying to crawl into the bedroom, a sykes monkey stealing our coconuts as we relaxed by the pool on our day off and a grumpy vervet monkey initiating a fight with Abi, life at the colobus trust is going well!

The trespassing spider...

One of the highlights so far has definitely got to be when a troop of 45 yellow baboons came wandering onto the trust’s premises...at the time Me (Abi), Max and Andrea (the trust manager) were introducing Betsy to a small troop of wild colobus when all of a sudden we were surrounded by all of these huge baboons!! So it was a slightly intimidating experience, but quite amazing to watch too! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures, as no one had a camera with them :-( but hopefully they will return soon!

Diani in December...Brrrrr!

Being a part time parent is exhausting! Especially when you're a parent to a child that can climb trees, jump between trees, out run a human, has no shame of going to the toilet anywhere, likes to roll in dirt or ants and then jump on your head! But it's all part of the experience, and being "Parents" to a 11 month old colobus monkey is anything but boring :-)

Since we have started working with Betsy, there has been a great progression and she has been acting more like a colobus monkey! She forages in the tree that the wild troops feed from, which is an improvement because it also means she doesn't try to sneak into the volunteers kitchen as often for a cheeky slice of pizza or a fresh cooked japatti! Though it could be another year yet until she is ready to be released into the wild, especially as the main threat to her at the age she is now is the risk of her being killed by the dominant adult male of the troop- “infanticide!”

Betsy sucking her finger, as angolan colobus don't have thumbs!

Max is now also a proud parent to a little bushbaby called bibi. Bibi came to the trust towards the end of October this year as a baby weighing around 50grams. Until recently he has been cared for by another volunteer who helped him reach a more suitable weight and introduced him to a more varied diet which would replicate what he would forage for in the wild. Now that his previous carer has returned home, it is now max filling in the role as the new carer, and so far it is going very well! Bibi has still yet to learn that he should be saving his energy during the day and sleeping, and be active at night, but at the moment he likes to do the opposite! But we are working on this by only interacting with him during the dark hours of the day.

Bibi :-)

6 days until Christmas!! It’s still abit strange getting our head around the fact that it is so hot so close to christmas...we miss the snow and being able to drink mulled wine, as well as family and friends :-( But we do have Betsy and Bibi to spend Christmas eve with, which is somewhat different to the norm! 
Christmas decorations have been put up at the trust to help the volunteers and staff feel slightly more festive, despite the 40 degree heat! plans for Christmas day haven’t been properly made yet... but it will most probably involve feeding the resident monkeys, calling home and eating lots of somosas (not quite the same as turkey with all the trimmings!)

Kuwa na Krismasi njema! – God jul! – Merry Christmas!

Monkey business in Diani!

Jambo! We have now been in Kenya for 2 weeks, it feels so long ago since we arrived in Mombasa. We have moved further south of Mombasa and are now situated in Diani until February. Diani is said to be a popular tourists spot, especially around this time of the year, but at the moment its very quiet on the tourist front! 

Diani beach

So in Diani we are both volunteering at the colobus trust, which is a specialised primate centre whose role it is to rescue, rehabilitate and release any sick or injured monkeys, and other native wildlife, as well as carry out scientific research and educate the local community. It's in a really nice setting too, in untouched coastal forest right by the beach! Our primary role whilst we are here is to be "rehabilitation and release coordinators", for one of the first hand raised angolan black and white colobus monkeys. The monkey is called Betsy, and she is coming up to 10 months old, and it is our duty to prepare her for her release into the wild! I'm sure its going to be an interesting challenge for the both of us, especially as this has never occurred with this species of colobus before :-)

Introducing Betsy to one of the local colobus troops

 

 

 

Betsy during one of her climbing sessions in the forest

On arriving at the trust we were greeted by even hotter and more humid weather than in Mombasa!! But after a week at the Trust we have (nearly) got used to being sweaty all day and not really caring... constantly dripping in sweat here is just the norm!

As well as working with betsy in the day and on occasion babysitting her at night, we have taken part in a wide range work activities! We have been de-snaring a local woodland, animal care of the rescued animals here and carrying out bridge surveys (counting how many monkeys use the bridge which pass over the main roads). 

We are now starting to settle in and in the coming week we will be starting a behavioural studies on two of the local Colobus troops.  

Handy Joe the resident vervet monkey!

On a more random note I [Max] have found that male to male handshakes are quite different here in Kenya compared to Sweden and the UK! It’s a mix of all sorts of low high and knuckle to knuckle. Interestingly when Abi shakes hand with someone there is nothing special going on just a straightforward handshake. This will have to be further investigated in the coming weeks...  

Diani beach sunrise :-)

Our first blog: kuwakaribisha kwa kenya

kuwakaribisha kwa kenya, swahili for welcome to kenya!

The "tusks" in central Mombasa

So we set off on our travels exactly a week ago from London Heathrow and arrived in Mombasa last saturday. It already seems so long ago since we left!
This is our first time to Kenya, well our first time to Africa, and so far so good...despite the horror stories we may of heard or seen on the news before leaving, we have found it to be an extremely friendly and welcoming country, with an even more relaxing and laid back vibe about it. Unlike us Europeans, the Kenyans are never in a rush or a hurry; hakuna matata is literally their motto, and they suit it very well!
Our first week has mainly involved being a typical tourist for the week; sightseeing, getting sunburnt and becoming familiar with the local area and culture.
We were really lucky to have found an ideal backpackers in Mombasa, which too has a really relaxed atmosphere to it, aswell as a Kenyan woman, Esther, who makes the best breakfast omlettes ever! The owner, Lesley, runs the hostel and originally comes from the north of England (Newcastle!). She has been really helpful for our first week here and has gave us great advice for the rest of our stay in Kenya :)

Nirvana backpackers

One of the most interesting activities of the week has definately been mastering the "matatus", which are privately owned minibuses that are used as a reasonably cheap mode of transport in the local area. They are usually equipped with flashing neon lights, loud "pumping" tunes (pretty much like a disco on wheels!!) and a driver who isn't afraid to exceed the speed limit, aswell as the conductor who will let the driver know when to stop or when to go by banging on anything metalic within the car. They also have luxorious padded roofs, to prevent head damage when flying over the speed bumps at 90kph...so the matatus are defintaley an experience, but probably not for the faint hearted!
The only downside so far has been the mosquitos; they don't seem too bothered about feasting on max's flesh, whilst with me it is a different story...to date I have 30 bites and counting, ouch!

The beach in Nyali is really nice and picturesque...

... and it has a few resident camels :)

We are now looking forward to starting our voluntary work with the colobus trust in Diani, especially as we have not seen one monkey yet...just lots of lizards!

One of the house geckos taking it easy at Nirvana backpackers