arrival at mwaluganje

monday morning brings a 2.5hr bus trip to mwaluganje elephant sanctuary where we'll be spending the week. i'm quite content bumping around in the back seat, head in the wind and eyes all around. the landscape is beautiful.. the further we plunge into shimba hills the more verdurous it gets.. rolling hillsides dotted in green shrubs.. majestic baobabs flanking thin streams that wind their way down into dips and valleys.. it reminds me a little of KwaZulu-Natal and my stay in South Africa. the dirt track is awful and quite difficult to maneuver given the size of our truck but eventually we wind up onto a hill where a large thatched-roof gazebo is peeking over the bushes. karibu camp mwaluganje.

i'm quite happy to see we're staying in tents again and hurry to choose one with a nice view.. after dumping my bags inside i step outside and can see down into the valley below and to the faraway mountains. it's so lush and green.. there are two elephants lumbering around the baobab tree and i look forward to waking up in the morning and having this kind of greeting (:

after lunch we're run through our schedule. we're split up into two groups (1-monthers and us) and head out to our first activity. [to give you a brief background, the mwaluganje elephant sanctuary was originally a large, thriving community until the elephants migrated to the area. their numbers grew and grew until eventually the locals had no choice but to abandon the village and start over somewhere else as their crops were being destroyed and elephant/human conflict was increasing drastically.] our task for the day is to visit a few local houses and, with the translating help of a village elder, fill out some questionnaires regarding elephant/human interactions in the hope that a solution can be found to lessen the villagers' crop losses.

the first group of houses is quite remote - mud and stick constructions with thatched roofs amid maize fields with clothes spread over bushes to dry and a few scattered goats and chickens.. pulling up in the big truck, a dozen kids or so emerge to stare at us wide-eyed and a little wary. the leader of the household appears to be a grandmother and the interview gets underway (us asking questions that are then translated by the elder).. we learn that their maize plantations are being decimated by night-time elephant visits and other than banging pots and pans to make noise (which doesn't really work) there's not much they can do to stop them short of building an electric fence.. it's incredible, i never would've really considered the consequences of having elephants living in the area.

as the questions progress, the kids overcome their initial shy-ness and a few even tentatively try to speak english to us. they're so gorgeous.. and as we walk from house to house, our group of followers grow until we have a veritable posse of kenyan children chattering excitedly about our cameras and timidly holding our hands. at one of the homesteads, an adorable little boy is rolling about on his mother's knees. whilst the next pair interviews, i spend my time making faces at him and smiling until, reassured, he advances away from her and towards me, awkwardly wobbling on his little feet until his hand finds my fingers and he plops down onto my lap. i'm in heaven. the questionnaire is eventually filled out with similar findings and, after being offered some warm maize by the kind mamas, we move on.

after another walk through the fields, we arrive at our next destination. there are piles of gathered maize on the floor and a small army of little boys playing in the dirt. they leap excitedly at my big camera and sebastian somehow finds himself wheeling them around in a wheelbarrow overflowing with small limbs and smiles whilst their dad laughs in the doorway, evidently amused. i'm so content surrounded by this big, loud group of kids.. it's probably one of the nicest interactions we've had with kenyans since we've been here (:

after all our home visits are done we jump back into the truck and bump back up the hills to camp. dinner is amazing and the stars out here are stunning.. i'm looking forward to the next few days (: