Today we had an afternoon 'off', an excursion into the national park around the lake Navaisha here. To my surprise we WALKED through the area, in between the wild animals: zebra, giraffe, buffalo, monkeys, antilopes. a pity that it started raining, so we- and the animals ( see picture of the giraffes ) - went home.
Isn't it amazing?
On Sunday 19th, concluding our great 4 day holiday, Robert flew from Mombasa back to Addis Abeba. on his return home he found the house without guard and the dog very very happy to see him and very very hungry. it appeared that the guard was still there on Friday but somehow got a fit (depression? anger? epilepsia?) and disappeared. Luckily, Robert could call the guard's brother, who located him in Debre Zeit, in a hospital? For the time being the guard from our former house is now watching over house and garden and dog, but I feel really sorry about our guars as he is such a nice and responsible guy.
Anyway, on that same sunday I flew to Nairobi to meet up with colleagues from 11 different African countries, where indeed they have Agri-Hubs: Burundi, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Kenia, Mozambique, Uganda, Niger, Benin, Congo (DRC). Monday morning early we drive in two hours into the Rift Valley. Bautiful views!
Once down near lake Navaisha we saw the biggest rose grower farms ( vanden berg, Florensis, Oserian, Finlays) and the houses for the labourors.
Also I could take some money from an ATM in the smallest Barclays Bank I have ever seen. It must be the smallest in the world.
Our lodge is very isolated. Apart from work there is not much to do.... unless you like birdwatching! Although it is rather chilly, every morning at 06:15 I walk around with my binoculars, with some nice results! After that, around 07:0 I swim in the small pool. great!
Above some nice bee-eaters.
The ones on the cacti looks like Fischers' starling, also from their behaviour and the strane bleak colour, white beak and black patch near the eye.
And then.. the swallows (or martins?) are back from Europe; already now, half september?
For the second day of our 4 day outing Robert had reserved a very interesting tour.
We set out at 07:30, with our driver Omar. We went to the south and got some more impressions of the very Liberia-look-alike landscape. Along the road there were mango- plan- tations, scattered cashewnut trees, and coconut palm plantations.
We went to the village of Shimoni; formerly a place where slaves were being kept- in cold and wet caves, before they were shipped to Zanzibar, by Arab ( and some Portugese) slave traders.
From Shimoni we went by boat to see dolphins and after that to two different spots for snorkling and seeing the coral reef fishes- beautiful! (In the process we badly burnt the insides of our knees!)
After the trip we got a very very good sea-food lunch, with crab and fish and seaweed, just great. Then a short walk over the island, visit the school and a good view of the mangrove-area.
On the way back the crew made the greatest (jazzy) music ever on old oil drum, a chest and an empty bottle, singing along, amazing!
At home we spotted the golden Oriole...
and Jelleke also relaxed...
Since I will get a training in Nairobi next week, for my work, and since in Ethiopia they are celebrating the Ethiopian New Year on 11th and 12 september, and since the weather in Addis Abeba is still cold and wet, we decided to go to Mombasa for 4 days. Robert will fly back to Ethiopia on Sunday afternoon and I will go to Nairobi from here.
It is a treat to be here. As soon as we came out of Mombasa airport we were engulfed by warm and humid air; comparable to Hawaii, Liberia, Goa, all those places of which we have such good memories.
We are staying in a beautiful and somewhat touristic resort, which is more or less deserted, it being low season now and people being afraid of Ebola and Al Shebab.
So we have the beach to ourselves- together with the various traders that sell lappa's, keyhangers, and traditional things.
Like this beautiful man, whom I paid to get his photo taken. The beach sand is as white as the white sands in New Mexico
So... we relax, we have time to read and actually I am making a summary of the sign and the Seal, the book about Ethiopia by Grham Hancock. because it is very interesting, but there is so much information and it is so complex, that when you have finished the book (about 500 pages) you need to start anew because you forgot about the connections and happenings in the beginning.
And of course Robert is watching birds!
Not unsuccesfully - this is the woolly-necked stork!
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Just a few pictures of me conducting a workshop- you can see that I am getting older, but also that I really enjoy this work.
I also just started up an Innovation Community on Soil fertility Managemetn in Ethiopia. want to know more? Look at
http://apf-ethiopia.ning.com/group/soil-fertility-management
