Swimming With The Whale Sharks

Due to a lull in the mission schedule, signed up for a snorkling trip to in the Gulf of Tadjourah on the eastern coast of Djibouti.  Whale Sharks migrate to Djibouti in November and stay until the end of January.  The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean and truly a gentle giant. 

Whale sharks are filter feeders and eat plankton.  Although whale sharks can grow up to 40 feet and weigh 79,000 pounds, the migration pattern around Djibouti typically brings in adolescent whale sharks that vary from 14 to 18 feet in length.  Since my pictures turned out blurry or lacked brilliance, I obtained the underwater pictures from a military brother...awesome job!

After swimming with the whale sharks, we returned to the boat and had the opportunity to snorkel around the bay which contained a corral reef.  The reef contained a variety of colorful fish and a couple schools of barracuda...visibilty was approximately 25 feet and the guide stated the water temperature was 78 degrees.

Thanks to Dolphin Excursions for a great day...next goal is to knock the dust off that PADI Scuba card.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro sits on the northern border of Tanzania, overlooking Kenya, and just over 200 miles south of the Equator.  Kilimanjaro is an inactive volcano and the highest mountain in Africa...it is the fourth highest of the Seven Summits. 

The following pictures were taken on a cloudless flight from Nairobi, Kenya to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  Flying southbound at 23,000 feet, the two primary peaks were visible, Mawenzi (left) and Kibo (right). 

Our flight route had us passing 22 miles to the east of the mountain range.  The highest point is on the southern lip of Kibo, called Uhuru Peak, at 19,341 feet above sea level.

 The pictures were taken with a Nikon D50 digital camera with a 18-270 mm zoom lens.

Safari Walk

An early morning flight provided the opportunity for an afternoon adventure.  We decided to visit the Nairobi National Park for late afternoon stroll through the Safari Walk exhibit.   We figured visiting a "zoo" would be better than hanging around the hotel...so off we went with low expectations.

Since it was late in the day, the park was virtually empty.  We paid our $20 fee and entered the park, only to immediately be met by a "tour guide".  The guide starts leading us toward the Hippo attraction and the whole time he is rattling off animal facts---I must to confess to half-listening---until I heard, "You wanna get a closer look".  I didn't even have time to finish saying "your kidding right" before our guide was climbing over the exhibit fence.  Turns out our "guide" was actually responsible for feeding the animals...from that point forward, it was a safari fantasy!

This picture is of a 3-ton (6,000 pound) White Rhino.  The rhino skin is two inches thick and feels very much like a quality leather sofa---not like sand paper---which is what I was expecting.

 

Next is a Bongo, a beautiful animal that really enjoyed playing tug-a-war with my leafy plants.  If you have ever played the bongo drums, then you have touched this animals hide.

So we set off, plowing through the brush behind the exhibits, to get within 5 feet of this female Lion.  When she growled you could not help but freeze in your tracks!

After picking our way through another tree line (I knew I should have worn long pants), we came upon this playful Leopard;

The guide was able to draw several Hyena from their under ground dens by jingling car keys and grunting.  These animals were much bigger than I expected, with massive necks and powerful jaws...they run in packs of 10-20 and are known to force a lion of it's prey.

The Ostrich is not only the biggest bird in the world, but also the fastest, with the ability to run up to 50 miles per hour...the long, flexible neck allows the ostrich quickly to pluck leaves from tree branches;

The Cheetah, the fastest recorded mammal on land, purred & lounged around looking for rubs...but I could never totally forget about their massive fangs

We also saw albino Zebra, Crocodile and Wildebeest...along with animals, whose names I can't even remember.  It turned out to be the ultimate trip to the zoo.

Southern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, with over 85 million people.  It is alo one of the oldest sites of human existence..."Ardi" is currently considered to be the oldest skelton ever discovered.  After we landed, this curious primate ran out from the bush for a visit...we quickly lost interest

 

Although the country is land locked, it is truly beautiful, with mountainous terrain and spectacular views.

Throughout Africa, we have seen buildings constructed with wood stick supports...one of our pilots is contemplating a post-deployment entrepreneurial venture...purchasing a level and traveling the continent.

Nairobi & Beyond

This mission took us into Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.  In Africa, you hear the phrase "The Big Five".  It is a phrase used in casual conversation and seen in tourist guides for safari trips.  The term was coined by white hunters, who were referring to the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot...the Lion, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceras.

The southwest portion of Nairobi is bordered by the Nairobi Nationl Park, with only a fence seperating the wildlife from the city.  The park is an area of grassy plains (savannah) covering 44 square miles and home to over 400 species of wildlife.  Our hotel overlooked the park---although my eyes were constantly scanning for the Big 5---all I saw were ostrich.

The next day, the mission took us toward the coast line of Kenya...on the way we passed Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in north-eastern Tanzania, and the highest mountain on the continent of Africa.  This picture was taken from the aircraft at 21,000 feet...Mount Kilimanjaro stands 19,341 feet above sea level...the mountain peak was over 60 miles away...but still visible above the haze.

Upon reaching the Kenyan coast, we had our first safari experience.  With a few hours idle time, we asked some soldiers to drive us out to a nearby lake in thier 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We had seen this lake from the air on previous missions.  After a 30-minute drive down a bumpy trail, we arrived at a secluded area we refer to as Hippo Lake......it was amazing to think that tourists pay thousands of dollars to have a similar experience.

When we drove up, a troop of approximately 15 baboons was hanging out on the shore line.    When we approached for a closer look, the baboons filed out into the tall grass, circled back to our rear, and continued to watch us from afar.  We stayed alert...we did not want the baboons to assume a position between us and our vehicle...we were on thier turf.

Hippo Lake contained a variety of birds and at least 17 hippopotamus lounging in the water...I never knew it, but hippos do alot of grunting & groaning.

Thanks to the Kansas National Guard infantry, we had a memorable afternoon in the wild.

A New Year

The New Year provided a day off and chance to leave Camp Lemonnier and venture into the city of Djibouti. To date, our job has resulted in travel within Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda…but my only exposure to Djibouti had been from the air. Before arriving, I had been told that the living conditions outside of Djibouti city would be as challenging as any we would encounter in Africa.

Back in 2000, the Camp Lemonnier facilities had not been in use for several years and were in a state of considerable disrepair…although that is no longer the case, the area surrounding the installation still reflects hardship. During the drive into the city, it is common to see camels roaming and even goats wandering city streets.

Since we were rookies to navigating the city, we took the scenic route and somehow stumbled upon our destination…a local restaurant named, The Melting Pot, to partake in a sushi dinner. Based on the exterior of the building, you would never have guessed it was a restaurant…once inside, you were seated in a nicely decorated outdoor patio. The food was excellent, although expensive, with the bill being based on the currency for the French Franc, which caught us a little off guard...and $120 U.S. dollars lighter.

Here is a shot of the Commander enjoying dinner with his pilot friends…if you zoom in, you would see he has befriended at least 15 flies…truly a unique dining experience!