Tsavo Continued

Sorry about the sloppiness of my last post! I was in a bit of a rush. So more about the camping trip...

We left Saturday the 6th, early in the morning for Tsavo. The first place we stopped in the park once we got there was at a section of the "Shetani Lava Flows". We walked around on sharp, dark black rocks that were made from solidified lava. The lava flows are considered young because the eruption was only around one hundred years ago. The rocks looked really cool because random trees and bushes were growing out of the black rocks. The bright green on top of the black landscape was really pretty. The rocks were also very strange because they sounded like glass if you stepped on the them or dropped them on the ground.

Our next stop was at Mzima Springs. We had to fight off monkeys to eat our food in peace, but I obviously had a field day with that. They were so cute. We didn't feed them because people really are not supposed to do that. They were fun to watch though. After we ate we walked along the river and saw some hippos and crocadiles. They were all huge. It was pretty intimidating. The springs were a nice environment change, and I was pretty excited about the crocs! From Mzima Springs we drove the rest of the way to camp and set everything up before dinner. I shared a tent with three girls, Chelsea, Amanda and Jordan. The girls all had huge four person tents, and the boys had tiny three person tents. It was very funny seeing them all set up next to each other. The boys didn't look too thrilled, to say the least.

Night one was the night of the huge thunderstorm I wrote in the post below this one. In the morning we left for the Chyulu hills around 7:30. The drive was basically a mini rollercoaster ride, because it was a lot of serious off roading to get to the hills. The last picture two posts below is of the hills. They were gorgeous. On the way home from Chyulu we stopped in town before we returned to camp and everyone got to buy some candy and food and ice cream. I bought a chapati, which is basically like a thick, warm tortilla, and are my favvvvorite things to eat here. They are delicious, and Aurther is going to teach me how to make them before I leave Kenya : )

Night two was again rainy but with a smaller thunderstorm. We were not as flooded as the first time, but still got pretty wet. The second full day started with a class from 7:30-9:00. In the afternoon we had a guest lecture talk to us about the park, and later on we had group presentations about what we have learned in all of our classes so far about the Tsavo-Amboseli ecosystem. It was basically an academic day.

Day three we woke up and had a game drive from 7:00-12:00. We were separated into groups and given different regions of the park to drive through, and every group recorded the animals they saw and what kinds of habitats they were in. Later on we completed a lab based on all the data collected which examined habitat preference for specific animal species. The afternoon of the count we hiked up another big hill in the park and had lunch up there. It was again very scenic and so pretty. The rest of the afternoon was spent out on game drive. By the end of the day everyone was exhausted, and I slept verrry well that night.

On day four we went to a Rhinoceros sanctuary. The sanctuary is a fenced off area of Tsavo that monitors and protects Black Rhinos because they are so highly endangered. The sanctuary covers about 90 square kilometers, and provides a home for 65-70 Black Rhinos. While at the sactuary we didnt see any of them, but later on we went to a lodge that had a great observation deck. We saw three of the rhinos with binoculars. What made the sightings even better was that we were poolside and enjoying a couple drinks each. It was a relaxing, and greatly appreciated afternoon : ) We have only had the chance to spend time at different lodges to eat and relax a couple times, so whenever we get to go it is a lot of fun. After the lodge we headed back to camp for our fifth and last night.

When we woke up on Thursday we had breakfast and packed up. We were on the way back to KBC by 8:30. We got back around 12, and after lunch we finished up the volleyball tourney that has been playing out for the past couple weeks. The only game left was the final. My team was one of the two finalists, and we won 2 games to 1, so we are the new KBC volleyball champions. The tourney was a lot of fun, but it was mostly just to practice for the olympics that will be here next week....

Next thursday, all of the students who are in Tanzania now will be here in Kenya for the day with us. We are holding a Kenya vs. Tanzania olympics. At the moment I am signed up for volleyball, soccer, and ultimate frisbee. Some of the other events include a watermelon seed spitting contest, a mosquito net tucking contest, a spear throwing contest, and a bunch of others. I'm really looking forward it. We ordered jerseys and everything, so its going to be pretty serious!! After the olympics on thursday our time in Kenya is up!! On friday we travel down to Tanzania for the rest of the semester. I can't believe it's already time to swap. I'm sad to leave Kenya, but I'm excited to get to Tanzania, and I'm glad I get to stay with all the friends I have here. Everyone has gotten so close, and the entire group gets along.

So the next few days I will need to study a good amount, but hopefully I have an update again before the trip to Tanzania. If not, I'll let everyone know how it is once I get there! TTYS! Hope all is well at home : )

xoxo,
Jen