A Safari through Kenya

Hi Readers,

We are currently on the way back to Nairobi from our 6-day long safari.  I had never really done my research about the safari beforehand, so I had no idea that the animals would be so far away from the car. Therefore, I was ill equipped with a camera with bad zoom capabilities. However, my partner in crime GS had a nice camera, so I outsourced most of the phototaking to him. In return, he gets my underwater pictures from our snorkeling trip, so I guess its a fair enough trade?

We had planned a 6 day long safari, to ensure that we see as many animals and parks as possible. Most people do a 3 or 4 day safari, and their destination is usually the parks of Lake Nakuru, and Masai Mara, both of which are relatively near Nairobi. However, as we were starting the safari in Mombasa city, on the coast, we decided on adding in 2 more parks near Mombasa, which are Tsavo East and Amboseli. We split up the trip into one day in each park, and 3 days in Masai Mara.

We were initially unsure what exactly the lodging would be. It turned out that every single park has lodges or eco-camps inside, where we would be based while exploring that park. The amenities were generally very nice, though there were so many mosquitoes everywhere that I was glad for my anti-malarial medicine. Every meal was a buffet, and I can never resist stuffing my face when faced with a buffet. It is a habit that I must change one day...

The safari van that we have is a simple minivan, like the ones that are used for the matatus everywhere here. You are able to undo a latch and push the entire roof up about 2 feet, allowing you to stand up and look outside. Our driver was a guy called Lucky, who is very strict about following rules in the parks. We never went off-road, even though a lot of other cars did, because it was illegal and the punishment is severe.

Each park has its own distinct personality and animal group. Tsavo East is a wet grassland, and has tons and tons of zebras, elephants, and giraffes, though we also saw a lion napping. Amboseli is a desert grassland with many water holes, so we saw many birds and elephants taking baths. Lake Nakuru, my favorite, is known for its large flock of flamingos. We also saw both white and black rhinos, as well non-napping lions this time! Masai Mara, the name of the world-famous Serengeti on the Kenya side, had a plethora of landscape and wildlife that encompassed everything we had seen in Tsavo East and Amboseli.

On a safari, people like to talk about the "big five" animals: elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion, and leopard/cheetah. Out of all wild animals, these 5 animals kill the most humans in East Africa, but the list has also become something of a checklist for safari-goers. We successfully saw all five, except not the cheetah. I was most impressed by the lions, because they were just so damn cute! The small ones were super playful and jumping around everywhere. The large ones would look around as if bored, and then flop their heads down (as if they had suddenly lost their neck muscles) to take a nap.

This was certainly a super cool experience! If I go again, I will be sure to bring a better camera!

Cheers,
FCDH

Mombasa and the Hobbit

Hi Readers,

I have spent the past 4 days here in Mombasa. It was certainly the laziest and most relaxing 4 days that I've spent here in Africa. There's not much to do in Mombasa other than just to chill on the beach, so that's what I did. And then when the vendors got annoying, I chilled at the pool instead.

We did go snorkeling one of the days, and it was really fun! It was my first time, so it was slightly challenging to adapt to the air tube and the fact that you can't breathe from your nose. We saw lots of starfish, sea urchins, fish, and coral.

We also took a tuk-tuk, which is the name of the motorbike taxi ubiquitous to Mombasa, to the movie theater to watch The Hobbit in 3D. The movie was pretty good, but I did remark to GS that the entire Hobbit storyline is a parody of the quintessential modern startup dream; the only difference is that it's set in Middle Earth.

You are approached by a group of strangers, who pitch a fantastic-sounding  proposal fraught with risks and dangers. They promise you a cut of the payout at the end of the journey, if you will only drop whatever you are doing and join them. In the group, there's a genius whiz, and a guy who always believe you aren't pulling your weight. Some people are in for the riches, and others are in for the idea itself. You quickly rid yourself of unnecessary luxuries (such as free time), and along the way you prove yourself to the team.

After watching a movie, usually I think, "gee I wish I was that movie character." Funnily enough, in the case of the Hobbit, it's actually possible!

Off to safari!

Cheers,
FCDH

Mombasa and the Hobbit

Hi Readers,

I have spent the past 4 days here in Mombasa. It was certainly the laziest and most relaxing 4 days that I've spent here in Africa. There's not much to do in Mombasa other than just to chill on the beach, so that's what I did. And then when the vendors got annoying, I chilled at the pool instead.

We did go snorkeling one of the days, and it was really fun! It was my first time, so it was slightly challenging to adapt to the air tube and the fact that you can't breathe from your nose. We saw lots of starfish, sea urchins, fish, and coral.

We also took a tuk-tuk, which is the name of the motorbike taxi ubiquitous to Mombasa, to the movie theater to watch The Hobbit in 3D. The movie was pretty good, but I did remark to GS that the entire Hobbit storyline is a parody of the quintessential modern startup dream; the only difference is that it's set in Middle Earth.

You are approached by a group of strangers, who pitch a fantastic-sounding  proposal fraught with risks and dangers. They promise you a cut of the payout at the end of the journey, if you will only drop whatever you are doing and join them. In the group, there's a genius whiz, and a guy who always believe you aren't pulling your weight. Some people are in for the riches, and others are in for the idea itself. You quickly rid yourself of unnecessary luxuries (such as free time), and along the way you prove yourself to the team.

After watching a movie, usually I think, "gee I wish I was that movie character." Funnily enough, in the case of the Hobbit, it's actually possible!

Off to safari!

Cheers,
FCDH

Walking the Knife Edge

Hi Readers,

Today I read a BBC news story. Just 2 weeks after we came back safely from Kilimanjaro, an Irish climber was killed by lightning on the exact same path that we took. This is an experienced climber who has done Mt. Everest before, yet his experience couldn't protect him from an unpredictable danger. It is an ever present reminder of the fragility of life, especially balanced on the knife edge between excitement and prudence.

I consider myself supremely lucky to have survived all that I have tried in life without any serious physical injuries. I have learned to silence that nagging voice in the back of my head when I'm planning something, because I know that if I really think it over, I will most likely not follow through with the plan. However, oftentimes, I fully realize the dangerous situation that I put myself into when I'm actually there and doing it. Kilimanjaro was an example, but perhaps the worst example in recent memory is actually Pico de Orizaba, in Mexico. We had no guide there, no support, and little experience. Something really bad could've happened to us there.

I have felt uncomfortable with traveling with GS sometimes, because we tend to be over confident in our abilities, and underestimate the dangers that may be present. In order to 'live the life', I've often had to silence my common sense and instinctive reaction to a suggestion. I am normally a very pragmatic person, prone to overthinking things (my parents says it is a family trait). This new way of approaching opportunities had led me to explore spontaneity, and opened more of the world to me than I ever thought I would see. But I must always remember to keep a reserve force of caution in order to truly evaluate the choices that are in front of me.

When I tell people this, they often resort to the "well people can die from anything at anytime" argument. While true, the situational risk is not an insignificant part of it. Though one could probably be struck my lightning at anytime anywhere, walking through thick rain clouds on Kilimanjaro probably increases the risk by quite a bit. My parents have always been worriers, so slowly I've had to start hiding the full story from them. But I can definitely feel myself growing reckless in the past year. Booking spontaneous trips to foreign countries, attempting to summit mountains without proper knowledge of the routes or obstacles which might lie ahead for us, are both not smart decisions.

I need to be more careful of what I take on. I can't let my parent's contributions and sacrifices for me go to waste. I can't lose my future just for some adrenaline rush. 

Off to the safari tomorrow! Can't believe I'm returning to the states in a week. Freaking unbelievable.

Cheers,
FCDH

Emotional Souvenirs

Hi Readers,

I will start off by saying that I love to travel. Whenever I am trapped in an environment for a long time, I just want to leave and find a new place to be, people to meet, and things to discover. But I often find this a dangerous game to play for one's long term mental well being. Let me explain.

People always think other people live better lives than they themselves do. I do all the time as well. Usually when I feel this, it is a feeling which quickly passes, because everyone around me had the same value system as I do. When that is the case, it is easy to reason out why I am living life the way I do.

But when you are traveling, this assumption of equal value system gets thrown out the door. You meet people who have been traveling for years non-stop; people who have given up on jobs, families, or even the idea of a home; people who I would normally call 'directionless in life'. But these people are happy, and they are really living the life. Especially as a person who espouses the desire to experience new experiences, I can't really fault their point of view. In fact, it is during times like this that I begin to wonder if maybe one day I will end up like them.

I met a person the other day in Nairobi called WH. He had quit his job a year ago and traveled around the world non stop for a year and a half now. He let me read some of his journals, and I was shocked and fascinated to find that we both believe in pretty much the same beliefs when it comes to experiences. He believed that, when it comes down to it, we must take action of our own life instead of just talking about it, which I wholeheartedly agree with. To hear about his experiences around the world was amazing. He even spent time in Taiwan!

After he and his friend left to go climb the 3 big mountains of East Africa, I sat there at the hostel in a semi stupor, just thinking about my own life and where it is heading. Nobody has definitive answers to these types of questions, but traveling tends to clear up my mind as well as confuse me even more at the same time. It is quite a paradox. As he said to me, when you are traveling,  you tend to hit bigger highs, but you also crash into deeper lows too. Along with the physical souvenirs that you buy, you also collect emotional souvenirs as you go.

If life is a roller coaster, then traveling is like an amusement park full of roller coasters (maybe Cedar Point or Six Flags?). During this journey, I have often felt like I am living someone else's life. It really makes you question all that you have taken for granted or dismissed about life. But that is perhaps the most significant and lasting impact that can result from travels. Which is why I will continue to travel for the rest of my life.

Cheers,
FCDH