The dome effect….

Game Drive on Saturday - Buffalo 

There is something about sitting outside as the sun goes down, and a reticulated giraffe walking towards your camp ground.   I was told that this was his normal routine.  Walk to the fence, eat, and then wander away.  True to the story, this is exactly what he did.

Hagen, a researcher from Germany, his girlfriend Susan, and Sammy, a researcher and security detail from Kenya, are here visiting our mutual friend Ruwy , so we decided to have a fire Friday  night.  We pulled the outside couches and chairs around the fire.  Everyone was relaxing with their alcohol of choice; whiskey, beer, but it was Drosty Hoff wine for me!  Even with the flames of the fire, you can see more stars than you thought existed.  There is a dome effect to the sky.  You can see the curve of the sky above.  

Saturday I decided to head into Isiolo with some friend to get a few supplies.  On the road we were constantly seeing vehicles for the Rhino Charge which was happening on Sunday.  This is a huge rally in Kenya….basically massive trucks that go on an off roaring rally.  Massive trucks that you wouldn't expect to see in Kenya.  

After visiting Isiolo, we headed to Camp David.  Not the Camp David that you probably think about.  This is a lovely restaurant about 2km from Lewa's front gates.  We went for a quick drink, which in true Kenyan style, turned into a fantastic meal.  Nyama Choma Goat, a tomato sauce similar to pico de gallo, and ugali.  Ugali is a cornflour mash basically.  You mush it around in your hands and then use it to pick up your other foods.  So naturally, after our order was delivered, there was a server with a pot of hot water to pour over our hands.  I gladly took him up on this.  It was a soothing feeling wiping the grime away from the day.  I glanced in the bowl catching the run off water, and was so shocked to see how dirty my hands were.  

Driving the car back to camp from Camp David

Speaking of dirt.  It is everywhere.  I get filthy.  Seriously, in a matter of one hour, I am covered in dust.  By the end of the day, I can use water to paint tribal stripes on my face.  My hair always feels like I have just come out of the ocean or chlorine filled pool; dry, dusty and in need of a huge conditioning treatment.  I did my weekly laundry today.  All by hand of course.  I have access to two large buckets.  One for soapy water, one for rinsing water.  By the end of my wash, I completely understood the phrase "Don't throw the baby out in the bath water".  I did a double check to make sure that I had retrieved all of my socks from the water before dumping it.  The whole time doing my washing, vervet monkeys were watching me, sneaking up to steal a drink of water from the hose, running off when I let out a hiss.  They are quite fun to watch, as long as they aren't defecating on your furniture or trying to steal your food.  

That leads to today.  A few people went to the Rhino Charge.  However I decided to stay back.  So Hagen and Susan and I stayed back at Lewa.  We enjoyed the most delicious coriander tomato pasta for lunch.  We were trying to identify birds that were hanging out around us.  There are so many different species of birds, that we gave up and had a Tusker.  We split for a quick bit of quiet time after lunch.  No sooner than we left the front porch and I had sat on my bed, I heard this horrible commotion out on the porch.  I opened the door, not entirely ready to meet the 20 vervet monkeys playing on my furniture.  I loudly hissed at them, and they all went running.