Tonight is the last night we’ll be clean. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be setting out for a six day expedition to Tsavo National Park, rubbing elbows with the local wildlife. We’ll be camping out in the middle of the national park, since no fences exist within Tsavo itself. So for six days, there will be no internet, no solar power, no electricity, no plumbing systems, and no showers. However, we will have tents, cars, a full set kitchen, outdoor bathroom (hole in the grounds), armed guards (our own and also Kenya Wildlife Service guards), wildlife galore, and intense bonding opportunities. I'm intenselt excited for this experience, we will be seeing such diverse wildlife and new habitats. At this point so far, I've already visited Amboseli National Park 4 times and seen 16 lions, too many zebras and wildebeests, handful of giraffes and elephants, and so much biodiversity! I've visited the hotels and lodges nestled strangely in the center of the park, and tasted french fries in the middle of the savannas. I've also learned more about these tourist sites, and seen the negative consequences that they have left on Amboseli.
I've also learned that ornithology is not my field. At all. We had to a transect walk/exercise for our wildlife ecology class where we had to trample around the savanna trying to identify birds. It was the most difficult thing ever. Not only did I realize that I am quite unlearned in the field of birds, but I found out that its even harder trying to look at a bird, since they twitch and spazz often. However, I did manage to see a herd of giraffes with babies! And on foot. I must have been about 10 feet away from them! Some of the other students saw elephants and other animals on their walks. Very exciting.
In addition, I've become more concerned with the issue of freshwater availability in Africa. After meeting all of the local Maasai farmers, cattle owners, and townspeople, I've come to see that this problem is constantly growing and will only get worse if action isn't taken. Today, I was the MOD (monafunzi of the day/ student of the day) and presented an article on possible solutions for this pending issue. Check it out: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=facing-the-freshwater-crisis.
I'm truly excited for Tsavo. We're visiting a volcanic landscape and then the Mzima springs tomorrow, and I know we'll be seeing some new wildlife there. Specifically, the hippos (the lifeline of the springs) and the Klippspringer. And then we'll arrive in Tsavo in the afternoon and set up camp. I'll be transitioning from a 4 person semi spacious banda to a 5 person cramped tent. We were warned that we would all be living extremely close to one another, almost in an invasive way. However, I aam still excited and hope to make the best of this trip!
