Masai Mara - Day 1

A lot of the group hardly slept at all, but I slept great! I decided to skip the shower (it was only cold water and the door didn't close properly), so just packed up the tent and had breakfast. After we finished cleaning up, we went back to the cow corral for the warrior dance - of course, since the cows had spent all night in there, there was plenty of fresh manure to step in!

It was really neat to see them dancing and jumping and to hear their singing. Apparently the guy who jumps the highest is the most attractive to the women of the village. They pulled our guys in for a jumping competition, the got the women to join in - we weren't allowed to jump, only dance.

We had time to take pictures with the warriors, then went to check out the stalls set up by the women of the village. (I bought a stripped blanket that I'll use in my guest bedroom - I decided to make it my "Africa room".)

Back in the truck, we drove a few hours to the Masai Mara. The "road" to our campground was pretty rough! After setting up and having lunch, we headed into the reserve for our first game drive. I added topi, wildebeasts (it was the end of the migration back to the Serengeti), lions (sleeping, of course) and a lepord (look closely to find it in the picture) to my list of animals.

After supper and a nice hot (wood fire heated) shower, it was off to sleep listening to the hyenas.

Loita Hills

After eating breakfast and packing up our tents (which didn't take anywhere near as long as the first time we did it), we got back in the truck and headed for Loita Hills. We made a quick stop in Narok to buy groceries, then stopped again along the road at a picnic spot for lunch. There were some tables and benches under a tree, but it was filled with starlings so we had to watch where we sat so we (and our food) didn't get pooped on! We also drove past a colourful market where we waited to meet our guide for the next two days. The road into Loita hills was pretty rough, but we were the only ones at the campground ... just us, the village over the hill, and our two Masai guards who would be staying at the fire and keeping the animals away all night! After setting up camp and relaxing for a while, we were given a quick tour of the village. We were brought into the cattle corral where we were welcomed by the women who had all the women join them in dancing around in a large circle - it's supposed to bring luck to the village, but what it definitely brought was hiking boots full of cow manure!After watching the sunset over the hills and the herd of cows coming in for the night, our guide brought us into one of the houses - they are small mud, dung, and thatch buildings, with only one or two small windows to let light in and smoke out, and keep animals out. Our guide also told us a bit about Masai culture, joking with us about how he wants six wives (one for Monday, one for Tuesday, one for Wednesday, etc., and a rest on Sunday). Each wife has their own house, and it costs about 10 cows to marry a girl. Their traditional food is meat, blood, and milk. I'm not sure how the conversation happened, but pretty soon after he told us that he was looking for his fourth wife, he offered a hundred cows for me! Hmm ... let me think about that for a bit. No.

We had supper in the hut at the campground, complete with cake for desert since it was one lady's birthday. We then sat around the fire with our Masai guide, learning the history of the Masai: They believe that the Spirit God put the Masai, cows, goats, and sheep on the earth at the same time, and therefore, all cows, goats, and sheep on the earth belong to them! We went to bed fairly early and only heard baboons during the night - no lions, elephants or hyenas.

The road to Lake Naivasha

It was a cold night and I was glad for my nice warm sleeping bag - I had felt a bit dumb bringing my -7 C rated bag with me (I didn't want to buy another for the trip), but it was needed! We packed up out tents, and after eating breakfast and cleaning dishes, we went for a guided walk to the village next to where we stayed. They showed us how they spun wool and knitted various items and how they made beads from old magazines ... then tried to get us to buy it, of course! While we were walking we also met a boy with a bird with a string tied around its leg. I guess that's what kids do for fun around there - catch birds and make them their pet for a while. He even stuffed it in his pocket as he walked behind us!

After a "brunch" (beef stew for brunch?) at 10:30, we drove into the town of Nakuru to buy groceries. I bought a few snacks at the supermarket, then sat with some of the others in a cute restaurant that served awesome smoothies. Then it was back on the bus to Lake Naivasha. As we drove, we went through a massive rain storm - the truck was pretty old so there were a few leaks and the sound of the hail hitting the roof was deafening!

The rain let up before we got to our campground but not for long. We quickly set up our tents (about half the group paid to upgrade to cabins) and went to the bar where we waited out another thunderstorm. We played a few games of pool before walking back to our campsites, and after played the longest game of Uno ever - 1 1/2 hours! (I don't think we were using the right rules ... we changed them after this epic game) I had a nice warm shower (water heated by a wood fire!) before climbing into bed around 10.

Lake Nakuru

Day one of a two week overland adventure! We were up early to shower (yay, warm water!) and eat breakfast, then it was off to load up the truck with luggage. In the trip notes, it had recommended duffle bags (not backpacks) that were 30cm x 30cm x 66cm so that they would easily fit in the space provided ... I think I was the only one that followed that piece of advise! So after a lot of squishing of bags and reorganization, the truck was finally loaded and we headed out of Nairobi. We were on one of the older trucks, so it rattled a lot, but because we were on two benches facing into the centre aisle, it was great for conversations, even if we did have to yell at each other :P The first stop was at the New Hope Orphanage. Coming from Juba, this place seemed awesome - well equipped, clean, colourful - though I'm sure I would have had a much different impression had I come straight from home. We were shown all around the place, but what struck me was how much of the talk seemed to be about who had given money and who had volunteered and ended with him basically asking us to come volunteer and give them stuff. Stop number two was at a lookout at the edge of the Rift Valley. Along with the view, we also got to experience our first bit of "local interaction" - i.e. dealing with locals trying to sell us stuff! We got to our campsite outside Lake Nakuru just before lunch (no-one camps in the park any more because of some lions that apparently ate some rangers a few years ago). We set up out tents, had lunch, and played a round of Uno (which I won!) before going into the park for our first game drive. Lake Nakuru was beautiful and full of animals. We saw rhinos, water buffalo, warthogs, dik diks, zebras, giraffes, flamingos, impala, Thompson gazelles, rock hyraxes, a black-backed jackal, pelicans, baboons, and an eland! Our old truck worked really well for looking at the animals - we put the seat cushions up on the back on the bench against the windows and sat up good an high! It also worked really well for shifting from one side to the other, since the animals are never on both sides at the same time.

After supper, we sat around a campfire for a while before going to bed. A few people took showers, but after one girl got stung by a wasp while washing her hair, I decided to just stay dirty!

Hemlock Bluff

After eating breakfast and packing up the tent, we decided to do one last, short hike before driving home. We did the Hemlock Bluff loop - 3.5 km without too much climbing. It had a couple nice views, but nothing as spectacular as the ones from the Tower or Centennial Ridges. The drive home was uneventful (which is a good thing) and after cleaning up at my parents' place, we all went out for supper.

Track and Tower

We got an earlier start this morning - must be getting better organized or something. Today's hike was the Track and Tower hike. From the trail description, it looked like the last few kilometers of the 8 km hike would be flat and boring, so we decided to do the loop in the opposite direction. It was another hot day ... so again, we spent a lot of time relaxing, looking at the view, and trying to cool down a bit!

We returned to camp, had a swim, and then went to the Algonquin Logging Museum. There is a small exhibit inside the building, but most of the exhibits are placed outside along a 1 km walk. We started to get bored near the end and picked up the pace back to the museum, which was lucky, because we didn't notice a small storm coming our way - he downpour started just after we entered the museum!

After supper we headed to the amphitheatre because I though there was a wolf howl - I didn't read the notice saying that it had been cancelled (no wolves). We listened to an interesting lecture on the history of wolves in Algonquin and learned a bit more about the animals, but left during the question and answer period. (Random interesting fact that we learned - deer eat birds!)

Back at the campground, we took our chairs down to the beach and looked at the stars for a while, got bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes, then headed off to bed.

Centennial Ridges

We didn't start too early this morning (it was after 9 by the time we left the campsite) and it was already hot! Today's goal was to hike Centennial Ridges - a 10 km trail with great views of Algonquin. It was a great hike with awesome views over the granite cliffs, but HOT (30+ degrees and very humid)! We had dad's GPS with us to record our hikes and according to it, we spent just as much time standing (or sitting) still as we did hiking ... probably all those times we rested and tried to cool down a bit! Driving back to the campground, we saw a small family of moose - a cow and two calves. A bit unusual for that time of the day, but they were cooperating nicely and letting all the tourists take pictures! Back at the campsite, we jumped in the lake for a swim - nice and refreshing! Then it was off to the showers. Supper was sausages heated over the fire (mmmmm), baked beans (which my dad refuses to eat but my mom loves), and cut up raw veggies. We spend the rest of the evening relaxing by the fire until we ran out of wood.

Off to Algonquin!

I had 4 days off work and wanted to go camping and hiking this summer, so booked a campsite in Algonquin Provincial Park, packed up my car, picked up my mom (she likes camping, but my dad doesn't), and drove up north!

We got to the campsite just after 2, set up the tent, made some tea, then raced into the car as it started to rain ... hard! After finishing our tea, it was still raining, so we drove to the visitor information centre. We took our time looking at the exhibits and by the time we finished watching the movie on the history of the park, the rain had basically stopped. It was very misty and the clouds were low, but there was still a great view from the back of the visitor centre.

It was too early for supper, so we hiked around the Spruce Bog Boardwalk - a flat gravel trail and boardwalk through and around a marsh. We got a few drips of rain near the end of the loop, but nothing worth putting on a jacket for.

After supper, we hiked the Lookout Trail. The view was great, but since it was so hazy and we were looking into the sun, the pictures didn't turn out too well. Back at the campsite, we sat by the fire, made some popcorn, and then climbed into our sleeping bags, hoping the bear who had been breaking into cars wouldn't bother us!

Port Burwell

I spent the weekend camping with a large group from the church at Port Burwell Provincial Park. Except for a few minutes of rain on Saturday morning, the weather was perfect.

I had a site with my friend L, who picked me up Friday afternoon. We were one of the first to get there - a lot of people stopped for supper along the way and had to set up in the dark. Friday evening we just walked around after supper, saying hi to people as they showed up.

Saturday morning I helped L mark a few exams, then went off on my bike to explore Port Burwell. There isn't much to the town - a few stores and a lighthouse - but it was nice to get out on the bike for a while. After lunch, everyone went down to the beach. The water was pretty rough (3 ft waves), but it was great for fooling around in and it wasn't too cold. Supper was hosted by a few of the families - steak, potatoes, chili, salad, and veggie sticks - then it was off to the next campsite for birthday cake! We ended at a third campsite for a fire which went until well past midnight ... with the park wardens telling us off a few times.

Sunday was pretty relaxed. We got together for coffee in the morning, then back to the beach in the afternoon. The water was a lot calmer, but it wasn't as hot out, so not as many people went swimming. But we did find a giant moth on the back of one of our chairs and he didn't seem to mind L picking him up and showing him to everyone.

It was a fun weekend and neat to spend time with people I don't normally see or talk to, and the weather cooperated really well. I think next year I might have to go again ... but maybe drag along M's family!

Camping at Valens and African Lion Safari

My sister M and I had decided in the spring that we should take her two oldest kids (her daughter H, 4 1/2, and son N, 3) camping sometime this fall. The original plan was to head up to Algonquin for a few nights, but M didn't want to drive that far, so after tossing around some ideas, we decided on Valens Conservation area. We didn't bother booking a site because seriously, who camps in the middle of the week at the end of September? And anyway, there were only five other occupied campsites the night we where there.

M picked me up with the kids just after lunch on Wednesday afternoon and after filling the cooler (I was in charge of food for the trip), we were off. There were a few sprinkles of rain as we drove, but nothing major - it was actually the last rain we would see until we left! After setting up M's massive tent (it sleeps 8) and giving the kids a snack, we dragged them around the campground on a hike. It was a challenge to keep N out of the mud puddles, they're like magnets to 3 year old boys! I was the only one who stayed clean - H tripped and got mud on her knees, and while M was carrying N around a giant mud puddle, she tripped and poor N got a face full of mud. The kids seemed to like the boardwalk the best - playing with the reeds, looking in the water. It was work for M and I though, trying to make sure they didn't fall in.

Back at the campground, we collected wood from some other campsites and started a fire (another thing we had to keep N away from, he kept wanting to touch sparks!). For supper, we made sloppy joes, or "woppy woes" as N calls them, and tried to make s'mores for desert. I gave N a roasted marshmellow, but he didn't like getting his fingers sticky, so spit out what was in his mouth (which then went down his chin and jacket) and started smearing the marshmallow goo from his hands onto his pants. Neither kid wanted to try a s'more, so M and I finished off the chocolate (which didn't melt - it was too cold!) and graham crackers.

After treking to the washrooms, we got into the tent, put the kids in as many layers of clothes as we could, and bundled them up in their sleeping bags. M and I told the kids a few stories, then read by our flashlights while they slept.

Everyone managed to sleep until 8 am (so the kids got about 11 hours ... not quiet enough, but not too disasterous either). M got the kids showered (and used up all the hot water!) while I made the batter for the poffertjes. The first batch of poffertjes got a bit too crispy, but once I figured out what size flame I needed on the stove, the rest worked great. The kids ate some poffertjes, but mostly jsut the peach slices. After cleaning up the sticky mess that kids always make, we made sandwiches for our lunches and drove to the African Lion Safari.

We had a great time at the park - feeding the llamas and the goats (and being jumped on by them), riding the boat and train, taking the bus around the reserve, watching the shows, and playing in the balls! It was funny how H would be studying the animals while N was more interested in the vehicles - boys! Sigh.

Back at the campground, I was put in charge of roasting the hot dogs over the fire in the "popcorn cage" (not sure what it's actually called), but the kids didn't want to eat the cooked ones, only raw hot dogs. They must get that from their dad! We made the meal a bit healthier with some carrot sticks.

Around sunset, we drove to the "fishing bridge" to take a short walk along the lake ... well, mostly just over the bridge and back again. Both M and I had forgotten to take our cameras out of the van and the view with the setting sun was awesome, but H didn't want to let us go back and get a camera for a picture. Even after M told her that we needed a picture for daddy, her response was, "Daddy doesn't need a picture. He's seen lots of sunsets".

There was an old man fishing of the bridge - we watched him a bit and then went to check out the other side of the lake. As we were coming back, he finally caught a fish, so called us over and let the kids pet it before releasing it. H and N were walking a bit ahead of us when he said something else to us, we turned back to the kids 2 seconds later, and there was N, 2/3 of the way through the railing with H hanging on to him. We have to keep an eye on that brother of her's!

Back at the campsite, we made some popcorn and watched the raccoon keep tying to get close to us - while M was putting the kids in bed, he even jumped up on the table behind me! It was another cold night, but we all slept well.

Our last morning, we made French toast for breakfast, then packed up the tent while N tormented his sister with a large stick he kept swinging around. Everything was in the car and we were dropping of our garbage when it began to rain again - and it didn't stop for a week!