 2002
was a busy year. Safaris were memorable
with some old friends revisiting Kenya and new friends
being made. Favourite destinations were revisited, new
destinations discovered and the highest peak in Africa
conquered once more. On the personal front it was busy
as well. Fiona and I were married in April and now we
are expecting our first child. In addition Kenya's presidential
elections in December and transfer of power to the winning
opposition party have been hailed as remarkable and
a shining example to the rest of the continent. |
 January.
From Houston came the Wilde brothers, family and friends.
They traveled to Kenya for a memorable safari. Shaba
was fabulous in its remoteness and beauty. At Loisaba
and Deloraine we were looked after in traditional style
- treated like royalty. We witnessed extraordinary rainfall
in the Mara causing flooding of rivers that succeeded
in washing 2 other camps away. We survived intact and
had a memorable adventure with fabulous wildlife viewing.
Elephant in Shaba, leopard on Loisaba, flamingoes in
Nakuru and lions in the Mara were certain highlights |
February.
The Cox family from Surrey revisited Kenya. We camped
at Kitani in Tsavo West National Park, not far from
the world famous Mzima Springs and ended on the beach
at Watamu. Conditions were dry so the wildlife near
the permanent water around Kitani was plentiful. Hippos
in camp and lions just outside kept us all alert! Relaxing
on the remote beach at Watamu is certainly an ideal
way to end if you are after a bit of sun and sand, peace
and quiet.
|
 March/April. Fiona's extended family
visited from U.K. and Switzerland. In advance of our
wedding we all traveled to the Mara for a few days of
concentrated wildlife viewing and family get together.
We did have an unfortunate fall by one of our party
that required the Flying Doctor to be summoned. They
were fantastic. The Flying Doctor was in the air within
10 minutes of being notified and Aunt Helga was in their
capable hands within 1hr. For the grand event of our
wedding Fiona and I chose Deloraine as the location.
Anyone
who has visited Deloraine knows why we chose it! April
6th was a fabulous day for us and the 250 guests who
were there as well. General celebrations went on until
the early hours of the morning, and were picked up again
in the later hours of the morning! A few days were allowed
to recover from this before we set off to the Seychelles
for two weeks honeymoon. The Seychelles are an extraordinary
group of islands - the ideal location for any holiday
as well as a honeymoon. Beaches are fabulous, and other
experiences such as cycling, hiking, boating, snorkeling,
bird watching, bone fishing and general island hopping
were memorable.
|
 May/June. A
new flagship for safaris with Onsafari was added with
the purchase of a new Toyota Land Cruiser. This new
vehicle has been custom designed and equipped for all
safari needs. The vehicle has superior comfort levels
for a 4wheel drive safari vehicle and has also proved
to be supremely durable.
Michigan State University then returned for three weeks
of study in the Mara. There were 18 students under the
leadership of Professor Kay Holekamp for the course
in Behavioral Ecology in African Mammals. This was a
fabulous opportunity for students to learn about mammal
behavior in the wild. There was also hands-on experience
for the students in darting of Hyenas with the Mara
Hyena research team, followed up by detailed blood work
and instruction on aspects of wildlife research in the
field |
| July,
Big news - Fiona is expecting! We are going to have
some changes in our life come the middle of March
with a new baby Cheffings. An old friend, Hamish Grant,
asked if I would assist him with some safari work
as he had more than he could handle at the time. This
safari was memorable for the magical balloon ride
in the Mara. We drifted past vultures nests in the
tree tops, skimmed the backs of hippos in the Mara
River, soared high into the early morning skies and
had large concentrations of the wildebeest and zebra
migration scattering as we came in to land. Truly
awesome! |
 August. Veteran safari traveler,
Colonel Dennis Behrens, visited in August with a group
gathered from different parts of the United States.
The itinerary took in Shaba, Mount Kenya, Nakuru, the
Mara, Naivasha and Amboseli. Shaba was wild and wonderful
once again. The croquet match at Mount Kenya Safari
Club was conclusively won by Kenya - the Washington
/ Virginia challenge not measuring up! Flamingo concentrations
at Lake Nakuru were spectacular, also great viewing
of Rhinos and other wildlife in the surrounding woodland.
In the Mara the wildebeest migration was in full swing.
Wildebeest and zebra swimming the Mara River were in
serious danger from enormous crocodiles, but it was
several Thompson's gazelles that we saw fall prey to
these huge reptiles. Lake Naivasha was beautifully peaceful
as a rest stop and then the Masai in Amboseli provided
fabulous cultural insights. |
 Aug/September.
Debbie Koenemann returned with friends from St Louis
for another memorable adventure. As well as visiting
Shaba and Lewa Downs Conservancy, we visited Selous
Game Reserve and Mahale Mountains in southern and western
Tanzania. The Selous with the magnificent Rufiji River
was spectacular in its remoteness, the boat rides passing
concentrations of crocodiles and hippos can only be
experienced to be believed. The Chimpanzee viewing in
the Mahale Mountains to finish off the safari was then
outstanding. Exciting behaviour associated with rival
male coalitions took place right around us; we witnessed
individuals fishing for termites using twigs and we
found ourselves caught up in the middle of a hunt where
at least 3 colobus monkeys were killed and eaten by
these great apes. It was truly an extraordinary wildlife
experience. |
October.
The legendary Robin Page traveled to Kenya once more
from UK with a gathering of friends. This group was
determined to conquer Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain
in Africa, as well as enjoy the safari experience and
some beach time as well! Amboseli, even with its minivans
was outstanding with its wildlife. We also had the opportunity
to gaze up at the great mountain in awe, and marvel
at our stupidity in planning on getting to the top of
it. The ascent on Kilimanjaro was an extraordinary expedition
with the international travelers numbering 16, 3 guides
from Kenya, and a team of 40 porters to carry our food
and equipment. I felt like Roosevelt at the head of
such a column! The Mountain was duly conquered by most
members of the group - 19 individuals attempting, 5
turned back by altitude sickness, 14 reaching Gilman's
Point (the crater rim) at which 3 more decided they
had had enough and the other 11 reaching Uhuru Peak
(the highest point in Africa at 19,340 feet - with myself
bringing up the rear). On returning to a normal elevation
we camped at Kitani once again in Tsavo West. We had
some fabulous wildlife experiences here in our three
days and capped off the whole adventure with a couple
of days at sea level on the beach at the Driftwood Club
in Malindi. |
| November.
Fiona and I traveled to the United States to catch up
with old acquaintances and to make new ones. It was
a wonderful trip and we were treated like royalty at
every turn. We would have loved to spend longer and
there were many friends who we missed out on visiting
with, but time is always limited. During this period
our house extensions started - have to start making
room for the expected arrival of baby Cheffings. |
| December.
Our home is a building
site as renovations are up to full speed. The Kenyan
presidential and parliamentary elections took place
at the end of the month and were remarkable. After 24
years of rule by President Moi, the people of Kenya
were ready for a change, and change happened. The opposition
had finally matured and a new president, Mwai Kibaki
was elected. The elections were a model in the democratic
process anywhere in the world and certainly set a benchmark
on the African continent. It was an extraordinary event
and can only mean a wonderful opportunity for Kenya
and her people to progress into the future alongside
the rest of the world. |
| 
|
| |
Top
| 