Showing posts with label Nairobi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nairobi. Show all posts

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Hello

Hi friends,

I'm back in this space for a short while.

I've recently been on travels and so I hope to share some of that along with photos in the coming weeks.

I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to those who have continued to pop by here and leave me a kind word or two. It means a lot.

My laptop stayed home while I was away and though I did borrow one I didn't have time to actively visit blogs or to post here though from time to time I tried.

I know Valentine's Day has passed but I wanted to share the beautiful bouquet I received which was a lovely surprise.  I had a spa appointment that day at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi and was gifted with a few more red roses and a lovely chocolate. Later on when having dinner at the Java House, in Nairobi's Westlands area, I was also treated to a delicious surprise of pistachio and hazelnut ice cream compliments of the restaurant.  All in all it was a lovely day.


I have lots to share but for now I leave you with these beautiful flowers.


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Lions on the Loose


 Credits:  This story and photos are from today's AFP story, "Lion on the loose in Kenyan capital's urban jungle"



When Danish author Karen Blixen penned her autobiography "Out of Africa", she wrote of the fierce leopards and lions that prowled the coffee estate she farmed at the foot of Kenya's Ngong hills.

Today, that farm is a leafy upmarket suburb of the rapidly growing capital Nairobi, swallowed up by breakneck urbanisation that has turned a century-old colonial railway yard into a traffic-clogged major city.

But the sharp toothed big cats have remained, finding themselves under growing pressure as one of Africa's fastest growing cities creeps onto ancient migration routes and hunting grounds.

This notice outside the main entrance of residential houses in Nairobi's Karen suburb, was put up after a lioness was spotted near the area. Wildlife officials have issued warnings to residents near the park to call them "should they see another lion in their area as it is possible more than one lion had strayed from the park." (AFP Photo/Simon Maina)
This notice outside the main entrance of residential houses in Nairobi's Karen suburb 

"There have been no attacks on humans -- only dogs -- but as the encroachment increases the probability of attacks grows," said Francis Gakuya, chief vet for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), as captured lion cubs growled in the background.

Pacing in a cage at the KWS headquarters in Nairobi, four orphaned cubs hiss and snarl at vets taking care of them -- then give a surprisingly powerful roar for a two-month-old baby already the size of a small dog.

Wildlife rangers were forced to shoot dead the cubs' mother after it was spotted in Nairobi's Karen suburb and it charged before it could be darted. The cubs are now being looked after.
But it is not the only recent case. Conservationists warn of the growing likelihood of closer interaction between wildlife and humans if development is not managed in a sustainable manner.

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers Juma Baraka (L) and Samuel Induare examine a two-month-old lion cub at the KWS headquarters in Nairobi. The cats are finding themselves under growing pressure as one of Africa's fastest growing cities creeps onto ancient migration routes and hunting grounds. (AFP Photo/Simon Maina)
Kenya Wildlife Service rangers Juma Baraka (L) and Samuel Induare examine a two-month-old 
Another lioness captured last month later escaped back into the park, a 117 square kilometre (45 square mile) wilderness where buffalo and rhino roam just seven kilometres (four miles) from the bustling high-rise city centre.

Wildlife officials have issued warnings to residents near the park to call them "should they see another lion in their area as it is possible more than one lion had strayed from the park."
Traps are set out when a big cat is reported but the wily lions have so far avoided the baited cages - sparking concern in residents, fearful at night when guard dogs howl that a lion could be hunting in the back yard.

"Lions can hide invisible in the long grass so it's frightening they could be around waiting to pounce," said Mary Okello, who lives close to where recent lions were caught.
Visit the park and one is rewarded by the bizarre sight of long-necked giraffes running through wide plains of yellow grass with the gleaming skyscrapers of Nairobi's business district rising in the distance.

These two-month-old lion cubs, in quarantine at the Kenya Wildlife Service, were rescued after wildlife rangers were forced to shoot dead the cubs' mother after it was spotted in Nairobi's Karen suburb and it charged before it could be darted. (AFP Photo/Simon Maina)
These two-month-old lion cubs, in quarantine at the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Although fenced in on the city side -- some bars even have terraces where one can view animals over a cold drink -- the park is open-sided elsewhere else to allow the annual wildlife migration in search of grazing.

Zebra and wildebeest in the park migrate from the protected Nairobi national park through informal wildlife corridors, areas where pastoralist herders graze their cattle. But Kenya's population is quickly growing.

The land is under threat from increasing urbanisation and more intensive agriculture, and the routes used by migrating herds in search of fresh grass -- and the carnivores that follow for fresh meat -- are growing narrower.

"Some can't find their way through, and they get stranded," said Nicholas Oguge, President of the Ecological Society for Eastern Africa.

"There is an urgent need for an effective land policy...without establishing formal wildlife corridors, Nairobi National Park will become like an island, a large contained zoo," added Oguge, a professor at the University of Nairobi.

The situation has changed dramatically in recent decades. In the 1970s residents used to report roaming herds of wildebeest several hundred thousand strong. Today, in comparison, there are just a relative handful of wildebeest left.

Conservationists say wildlife protection is a low priority for city officials struggling with multiple challenges in a grossly unequal capital of some 3.5 million people with overstretched basic services and infrastructure.

In Nairobi, lavish villas rub shoulders with squalid slums and cramped high rise apartments.
"Nairobi National Park is a microcosm of what is happening elsewhere," said Luke Hunter, president of the wild cat conservation group Panthera, noting that lions have lost over 80 percent of their historic lands across Africa.

"In protected areas lions do well... but outside they are getting hammered."
Kenyan wildlife officials and other conservation groups are working to support the establishment of a wildlife corridor, including mapping the key routes, but it is no easy matter, said Paul Mbugua, KWS assistant director.

"It would be good to have corridors in place, but we have a challenge as all the land to the south of Nairobi is owned by somebody," Mbugua said.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

My Stay in Nairobi, Kenya ~ Part Two

 Welcome to my newest follower Candace.
I hope you will find many interesting things on my blog.

On my first night in Nairobi I stayed at the United Kenya Club.  It is very near the University of Nairobi and adjacent to the YWCA which is initially why I booked a room here. I thought I would be swimming and also using the fitness room at the club. The Club is a bit quaint and rustic which some might say adds character, but for me I found it just a little too far me to walk comfortably to the downtown core.   I opted to stay at the 680 Hotel which you can read about here. This hotel is downtown and across the street from nightclubs so I made sure to ask for a room on the quiet side and thankfully the room was quiet and restful. I also found the hotel management to be very friendly and welcoming, greeting me and talking to me in the lobby and in the dining room.


Before deciding where to stay I did look at several hotel properties however I found most of them over priced and too far from where I wanted to be. It is important when travelling to a place such as Nairobi not to be so far from where you wish to walk as it is not good to walk anywhere as a tourist after dark.  Always take a trusted taxi. Let the hotel book it for you rather than book it for yourself unless you have a Kenyan friend who can help you.

While in Nairobi I did many fun things which I have never done before. First up was a visit to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.  The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a small charity established in 1977 to honour the famous Naturalist of the same name.

I took some film footage of the baby elephants frolicking in the mud and the elephant trainers giving their presentations. Unfortunately this was one of the videos I lost when I lost a memory card (more about that in another blog).  The babies were having such fun and I never would have believed their playful antics. They were much like little children as they wallowed in the mud and pulled each other back in as one tried to get out of the slippery hole.  These were priceless and touching moments.

All the baby elephants bond with their trainers who even sleep at night with their charges to assist the psychological development of the baby elephants who will one day be reintegrated into the wild. If the elephants are not emotionally stable when they are reintegrated they will not be accepted. The trainers rotate their charges on a regular basis so that the baby elephants do not become overly dependent on one trainer. Each baby elephant is fed a special formula concocted by Dame Daphne Sheldrick, the first human in the world to hand rear milk dependent newborn African elephants.  It took her 28 years of trial and error to succeed.

The tiniest elephants wear these blankets. I didn't quite get the reason for it but I think it is to make them feel comfortable and secure or at the very least, to keep them warm.  There were many tourists there that day from Australia.  One Aussie woman told me that she considered Kenya to be her second home as she had been visiting the country for 14 years.


There is a wonderful 3D Imax movie which will be out in Spring 2011 called Born To Be Wild. It will feature the wonderful work of Dr. Birute Galdikas and Dr. Daphne Sheldrick, amongst the orangutans of Borneo and the baby elephants and rhinos in Kenya, respectively. I'mposting the official trailer for the movie here for your easy viewing.



Another interesting place I visited was the Wilson Airport. This airport is very close to downtown and is often used for domestic flights or flights to neighbouring countries. It is also the place where tourists take off for various safaris to points all over the country if they have opted to fly to their destination rather than take a road journey. It is a very busy airport.

It was a very hot day the day that I was at the airport but I sat and watched many planes full of safari passengers leaving on their exciting safari adventures.  I did get a bit of a sunburn from sitting in the open rather than in the shade. After that experience I made sure not to sit in the intense open sun again!


Planes of various sizes depart from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, Kenya.
Now one experience which many tourists absolutely must have is a dining experience at the Carnivore Restaurant on the outskirts of the city.  Here you are fed slabs of meat by the kilo and you can eat all you like. Kenyans love their meat and call it nyama choma (which means roasted meat), though this restaurant appears to be frequented mainly by tourists for the novelty of the place.  Good nayama choma can be found in many places for much cheaper so wise Kenyans know how to stretch the budget. You can see some of the skewers of meat in the background.  The restaurant is huge and there are outdoor patios as well as areas for shows and entertainment.

One of the local comedians who goes by the moniker "Churchill" (real name Daniel Ndambuki) broadcasts a live show from this restaurant venue every Thursday night. You can see one of his shows here youtube.com Churchill is wearing the black blazer and jeans at about 1 minute 15 seconds into the video. I did not take in a live show but I did watch him on television quite a lot. The crowd goes wild for him every week.

The chefs at the Carnivore are ready at the barbecue grills with all kinds of meat for your eating pleasure.  Don't you love the zebra patterned aprons?

Stay tuned for more on Nairobi and Kenya.
You can read part 1 of my journey here.

It Was a Spectacular Day! ~ Skywatch

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