Gablam: A last hurrah in Kenya!

Every quarter, our team in Africa meets to discuss the operational workplan and common issues across our sites on the continent. Since I’ll be leaving IAVI in just a few weeks, I wanted to take the opportunity to inform people about my work over the last 1.5 years, and how I think my HPV project should be carried forward. Kody and I decided to do some sightseeing before and after, since it’s our last chance to visit Kenya.

We planned to go the Masai Mara to try to see the great wildebeest migration. We left for Nairobi the night before in order to catch our flight out to the Mara. We booked a hotel near the airport which had an interesting idea of what constitutes tasteful, luxurious décor.

Elevator lobby near our room.

We headed out the next morning to Nairobi Wilson airport for our flight. It’s a little like a strip mall of airlines.

Kody in waiting area.

While we waited, we looked at the tiny planes taking off and landing and wondered just how small ours would be. Smaller than any I’d ever been on before, it turned out! But at about 30 seats, it wasn’t too scary. We landed at the first airstrip and were a little horried to see the deplaning passengers being handed hot towels before they proceeded to the bush bar staffed by Masai. I guess that’s what they’re paying $800/night for. Thankfully, our welcome was much more low key.

Our plane at the Olkiombo airstrip

The game viewing started right away – we were lucky enough to spot a cheetah on our way to the lodge.

Crested Cranes

Kody and Gab on a game drive

Elephants having lunch

Giraffes on the savannah

We stayed at the Fig Tree Camp site – a lovely and comfortable tented lodge. Although we were sleeping in tents, we were hardly roughing it. (The tents had tiled bathrooms attached, and very nice four-poster beds.) Vervet monkeys and baboons are all around, so the first thing we were told was to always zip your tent shut. Our neighbor ignored that advice, and we came back to find his tent full of monkeys enjoying popcorn. Kody saved the day, chasing the stragglers out.

Don’t feed the wildlife

Watching giraffes

We came across a stranded van out on the game drive, and made our second rescue of the day. They’d tried to drive up a deeply rutted track and got stuck in the thick mud. Our driver had to pull them out with a chain. The man in red is our guide.

If you want to blow $425 in an hour, take a balloon ride over the Masai Mara

We drove up right next to a pride of lions – two females, one male and seven cubs. Scary close!

Hippos

Mongooses (or is it Mongeese?)

The wildebeest migration is the big attraction at this time of year. We managed to catch the beginning of this massive movement. The wildebeest seem spectacularly dumb, so it’s a miracle that so many of the 1.6M actually make it. Of course, a lot get eaten. We saw lions, vultures, and Malibu stork all munching on wildebeest. I'll be uploading videos to my flickr page soon, so check back!

Wildebeest on the move

Our plane back to Nairobi was even smaller. The plane landed, the pilot hopped out with a clipboard calling for Kodiak Starr x2. There were a mere 14 seats, with a passenger seated next to the pilot. Must have been an amazing view!

The landscape over the countryside to the capital was spectacular. This photo shows a village. Note that there is a double boundary. First, one around the house. And second, an interior one which is a livestock corral. Must be to protect the animals from raiders.