More Mara Pics

We were in the car on safari (meaning journey in kiswahili) all day long.  We would get up and have breakfast then be in the car by 7a, and we would not return for dinner until around 7p.  The thing I was worried about was...where the hell am I going to pee inside the Masai Mara?!  The answer: right outside the car or hold it until we can find a toilet at a lodge (which are few and far between).  I was pretty proud of myself because I only had to pee in the bush once.  My preference was a nice wide open savannah where I could see anything coming from a mile away.  If you expect to have cover, you run the risk of a deadly animal hiding in the bushes ready to pounce your bare ass the second you are not looking.  I think I'll pass thank you.  I'd like to keep this ass in rare form.  You never know when you are going to need to be booty bumpin at the club....I plan on it this Saturday!

 

 Here is my favorite guy...Tom

Dance party in the middle of the Mara?  I think so!

Smores!  Apparently they do not make them here in Kenya :(

Pride of lions feasting

Buffalo

We thought we may get to see him hunt, but he was too lazy

On a different note, tomorrow is my last day on the wards.  I am not sure how I fell about it.  I have become comfortable and capable of doing a good job.  I know I talk about how frustrated I am with the work on the wards, but the reality is that if we pharmacy students are not there to make sure the patients are getting meds, who will?  My team, if they put up the effort, would be completely capable of filling in for me, but they have the mind set that they have a specific job and cant do anything else.  I have definately stepped out of my Rx box and taken on many roles here in Kenya.  I have been a friend, an advocate, a messenger owl, a checks and balances of sorts, and of course a pharmacist.  I am happy to go above and beyond for my patients.  I will fight for meds, for fluids, for care, anything they need to reassure myself that I am making a difference.  I am saving a life.  The wards here have taught me ALOT, and I will bring the lessons back to the US with me. 

1 week everyone, and I will be home!!

Finally....Masai Mara

As I said... Awesome trip!!

We started off the trip leaving at 5:30a on Friday morning.  We took the day off of work on Friday so we could have enough time to safari the Mara properly.  We went with a new driver who we call 'Taxi Max'.  He has this nickname because he is the go to guy for taxi transportation in Eldoret.  We have become friends with him, and he got us a great deal for the trip.  The drive from Eldoret to Masai Mara took about 7-8 hours total.  The last 2 hours of the drive are hellacious.  The road looks like it was paved in 1857, meaning there are crater sized pot holes.  I made a video of the ride in to show just how bumpy it is, but I am not sure if it will do it justice.  I ended up taking meclazine/caffeine combo called Naus-ease to settle my stomach for the wild ride.

On Safari in Africa!

When we arrived at the gate to get into the park, our van was swarmed by Masai women trying to sell jewelery and souvenirs.  It was neat to see them all in their traditional dress.  Their ears are the most interesting part because they have huge holes cut into their cartilage and then make elaborate beaded earings to fill in.  They are VERY persistant women and will stop at nothing to make a sale.  They are pretty good business women, not taking no for an answer.

 

 

Impala

 

Riding through the park was amazing.  There were animals EVERYWHERE.  I was lucky enough to be here for the great wildebeast migration.  There are wildebeast as far as the eye can see.  Speckled dots in the distance, and a crazy baby beast right next to the car.  We were able to spot 4 of the 'Big 5' on our trip: buffalo, lion, elephant, rhino, and leopeard (which we missed out on).  The leopard is the most difficult one to find, but we did get to see a cheetah up close and personal.  There were many many other animals that we got to see.  My favorite little guy was the Thompson's gazelle.  They are small and often eaten by cheetah (meal of choice).  The reason why I like them so much is because they do this tail swishing thing that is adorable.  They have white kind quarters with a black tail so it is really noticable, and they swish super fast.  I can demonstrate when I return to the States.

 

 

 

Our tented camp

 

Mufasa

 

 

Swapping cars.....Van --> Land Cruiser

 

I thought giraffes slept standing up?....

Picnic lunch in the middle of the Mara

Kenya and Tanzania border

Masai Mara Safari

Well, I went on safari this weekend!!  And when I say safari (meaning journey in Kiswahili) I mean the coolest thing I have EVER seen!

We went with a different driver this time.  His name is Max (we call him Taxi Max because he is the go to taxi business in Eldoret) and he got us a great deal.  There were 7 of us who went on safari together: the usual 5 pharm students, Sarah, and Stephanie.  Stephanie is the new pharmacy resident here.  She graduated from Purdue in May, and not she is here to do a lot of research.  We all had an awesome time together.

I plan on going into more detail, but I got side tracked watching the new Harry Potter.  I am tired now, so the blog and exciting pics will have to wait until tomorrow.  Lazy I know, but necessary.

Baringo again...I guess you could say I had a good time :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Baringo

 

 

 

 

Lake Baringo

This weekend we took a trip to Lake Baringo.  To get there we had to travel down into and back out of the Rift Valley.  It is by far the most beautiful drive we have taken so far.  Everywhere you look there are amazing views.  Looking down into the valley below is pretty cool because it is so deep and we are so high, that the clouds are below us.  I wonder if the people who get to live here appreciate its beauty as much as someone who sees it as a rareity?  I am so thankful that I get to have this once in a lifetime experience.  Maybe one day some of you will get to experience this as well.

We added 2 to our group trip.  One girl is from England, Amy, and the other girl is a resident at Mount Sanai in NYC, Noffar.  They are both very nice and fun.  I told Amy that whenever she is around, I will probably be talking like I am from England as well.  And I did.  I mean what do you expect, when you hear someone call the bathroom a loo you just have to repeat it.

 

 

The drive there got very interesting.  Because it is rainy season here, the water is high.  We ended up having to ford a transient river.  It was about 2.5-3 feet deep and our van took it like a champ!  When nearing Baringo, we saw a group of ostriches.  One looked like he had a sunburn because his neck and legs were pink.  The other ostriches were brown.  Another thing I saw on the way there were termite nests.  They were disgusting!  They look like dirt chimneys coming out of the ground, and they are everywhere.  Once we got to Lake Baringo, we stayed at a place called Island Camp.  From the name I dont think you will be suprised to find out that we had to take a boat to get to our accomodations.  It was about a 20 minute ride and gorgeous.  Our tents at Island Camp were not what I was expecting.  You walked in and there were 2 beds and 2 tablets.  Then there was a bathroom with shower, toilet, and closet.  So the front of the tent looked like a tent, and the back looked like part of a house.  We had amazing views of the lake for the sunrise in the morning.

During the day Saturday, we layed out and swam in the pool.  The weather was not so nice, but we managed to avoid rain.  It was just cool and overcast, which is not how Baringo is usually.  Bad luck.  Saturday night we decided to go for the sun down boat ride.  On the ride, we saw tons and tons of birds.  We also saw a hippo and a fishing eagle.  For the sunset, we hiked a rock named Gilbralter.  At the top we had great views from all angles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dinner there was yama choma, roasted meat, and a plethera of other foods.  We had chicken, beef filet, ribs, pork, veggies, potatoes, fried zucchini, cream of spinich soup, rolls, and garlic bread.  For dessert we had banoffey pie (banana and toffey), coconut cake, fresh fruit and chocolate mousse.  Along with dinner we had some pretty good wine.  I am missing drinking wine with my parents and friends.  I think there should be a chilled bottle ready when I get home. :)

 

 

Sunday morning we were woken up by the staff with tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits to watch the sunrise.  We had chairs right outside of our tents.  We ended up seeing 2 crocodiles swimming by our tents while waiting for the sunrise.  Myra also thought that she needed a better view, so she decided to climb the tree out front of our tent.  So in a way, you could say that I saw a monkey that morning as well.  After the beautiful sunrise, we went back to sleep until about 9a, then we woke up and Myra and Amy went skiing on the lake...with the hippos and crocs!  They said that they stay away from the boats, but how sure can they be.  I rode safely on the boat to take pictures while those crazy girls were skiing.  I think I am the smart one.