Friday:
A terrific start to the day…we all had a half hour lie-in, a lazy start and porridge for breakfast. Several people have noticed how they have lost some weight…waistbands not so tight, wobbly bits not so wobbly, and feeling very pleased that it was simply down to the healthy diet giving them more energy too than they were used to in the UK. Yes dear reader, there are also those who feel unable to live without British snacks, and so don’t lose any weight…well…daily bags of crisps, choccy bars, coke and beer are not known as health foods.
Oh…and as an unreformed chocoholic, I must warn any similarly addicted reader considering coming on next year’s expedition, that chocolates for the African market are different to UK chocolates. They have extra ingredients such as an emulsifier and extra soya (lecithin) to prevent them from melting quickly. A straw poll of us choc-loving volunteers produced about half saying these bars (even Cadbury’s) tasted ok, and the other half (me included) saying…yuk.
The Education team: Ash used me for a voice-over for the instructions to their educational DVD to be given to the Ol Pejeta Education Department. He then continued with his animation work and shot more footage for the DVD.
Jenny had a very successful day, finishing her scripts for both the Poco the Chimp animation, and the deforestation presentation, and also recorded both.
Another aspect of the educational DVD is the bush meat trade, which all conservationists are trying to end, because it is both unnecessary and destructive of many species of animal – including chimpanzees. Kirsty worked on the script for this element of the DVD.
The Anthropology, Video and Geek teams all continued, heads down, working either in camp or out filming more footage in and around Ol Pejeta.
Over dinner, Gaynor and Steve announced that tomorrow we would be moving camp from our Nanyuki River Camel Camp to a camping enclosure inside the Ol Pejeta Reserve at a beautiful designated camp site. This is was a significant refinement to the original plan, allowing us better indoor facilities for the laptops and equipment and access to power; it would also increase our working hours by reducing travel/commuting times (some 3 hours each day), and allow improved security for the tents and equipment. Unfortunately we would be saying goodbye to Chris, Joe and his staff, the four dogs and two antisocial guard geese, all of whom have been looking after us so well for the last few days. Final souvenirs were negotiated and bought from Gregory at his stall, and from Joe the manager. Bar bills were also settled…mainly for Tusker beer, the local brew.
Saturday:
This was our last day at the Nanyuki River Camel Camp. Every one packed up their tents and possessions ready to move out after breakfast.
It’s the 4th July…US Independence Day; our two Americans were unable to celebrate in their traditional way, with fireworks…so Steve being a cosmopolitan Aussie, helped them with marshmallows to roast over the fire in the evening.
Today’s cook team was back to David, Rosie and me. For a change we decided to broaden the breakfast choice to include chapatis. David made the chapati mix from gram flour mixed with water, salt, mixed herbs and chilli powder. We fried these and they all went, fast.
After a stop in Nanyuki for fresh provisions and for people to draw some cash we drove out to Ol Pejeta and our new home for the next 5 days.
First stop was the Chimpanzee sanctuary to drop off the Anthropological and Education teams. The rest of the group went to our new camp site to set up camp.
Jocelyn interviewed in depth, one of the Rangers for her study. The Education team with me accompanying, split in to two groups, each with a Ranger and walked around the enclosed sanctuary area.
We were taken around by Ranger Richard Mukundi. By great fortune Poco was waiting for us and Ash and Jenny were able to film him; we all took stills. Poco is 29 years old and was rescued from the war in Burundi by the Jane Goodall Institute, and was transported to Sweetwaters to recover and retire in security. His first nine years were spent suspended in a street traders cage to attract customers. The cage was too small so he could only sit or stand up fully erect to exercise his limbs. As a result he developed unnaturally and even now at the age of 29 he mostly sits or stands. He has a gentle personality and is not an Alpha male type. He is intelligent and knows how to use a stick for many practical and feeding activities. He knows the electric fence will give him a little jolt, so uses the stick to bang it for fun, understanding that it won’t hurt him.
The public Information Centre was so interesting, fully validating the good work the Great Primate Handshake is doing. Valuable information about these wonderful primates, their habitats, their physical attributes, their feeding habits and their evolutionary relationship with Man. There was a gallery of each rescued chimp with a brief resume about its character and it’s life before the Sanctuary. There was information about the sanctuary and its founder, Jane Goodall. There were also horrific photographs of chimpanzees in all sorts of dreadful conditions around Africa, and even a gruesome photograph from a butchers shop selling fresh chimp bush meat with prices:
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- Beef steak – Ksh 1300
- Pork chop – Ksh 1300
- Chimp hand – Ksh 2500
- Smoked chimp meat – Ksh 2500
Additional to the information I blogged on 29th June, here are some more interesting facts about chimps:
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- Chimps have trichromatic vision, seeing colour and in 3-D (same as humans) unlike most other animals who see in dichromatic (black and white).
- Chimps can recognise themselves in a mirror; they are self aware.
- Chimps have very similar teeth to humans, but with longer canines which they use for fighting, protection and ripping food.
- The ridge above a chimps eyes is thought to protect their eyes in fights and other hazards. Humans have lost this ridge, though do have eyebrows.
- Some chimps can roll their tongue into a tube, like some humans can.
- Some chimps have ear lobes.
- Some chimps are born albino, just like some humans
Lunch was at our new camp site on a beautiful spot on the bend of a river. The advance party had set up the tents in a large semi circle, around a camp fire dug by Steve. For the first time, this site has given us a cohesive communal focus around Nox and the primeval human association with fire. The surrounding bush is indeed incredible.
After lunch we drove over to the Ol Pejeta centre where we’d worked earlier in the week. Nox developed a mechanical problem that Steve was able to fix with his usual skill and aplomb. Teams worked flat out for the next 3 hours to ensure they meet their Showcase deadline on Tuesday.
I had bought some camel milk with Lucie to see how it tastes. We shared it and most people were surprised that it was so rich and creamy, though there was a slightly different taste to cows milk – though not as pronounced at goat milk.
The finale of the day was an evening was a night safari, driving around the reserve with sides up, headlamps on, binoculars and unrealistically cameras out, with the hope that we would see lions or a leopard. We saw buffalo, antelope, zebras, and rabbits. Al says he saw a T Rex (only a little one)…too much tine watch his laptop screen perhaps.
After an hour and half, the cold began to get to everyone in the truck, as did dust and general weariness, and not seeing any of the big five made the safari less than perfect. TIA – This Is Africa…and animals do not reveal themselves on demand, but still a memorable experience for us all.
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