The Explorer
May 2007
News from the Bush!
With all that’s gone on this season its difficult to know where to start this news from the bush!
Heralding the wet season was an onslaught of rain surpassing even the last El Ninio. Rainstorms came and went, devastating crops and replenishing dams in urgent need of restoring the countries then close to critical electrical supply.
Our rain gauge in the garden at Olerai often filled, and then filled again after downpours of just several hours produced rainfall exceeding 7 inches.
In our camps miraculously, the rains seemed to come at relatively convenient times if one can believe that, although, we did suffer occasional flooding and stressful crossings of the short grass plains from Naabi to the Alamana.
In stark contrast to the previous year, when wildebeest and buffalo alike, walked on skeletal frames in search of decreasing succulence, the plains erupted into production and replenished fat supplies on every herbivore.
The wildflowers, tricked into thinking that May had arrived, blossomed across meadows and brought into stark relief, the predators that gorged themselves on plentiful prey.
For myself, I marveled at the sheer beauty the rains had brought, and in particular, the Alamana, our private utopia on the Serengeti edge, glowed like never before.
Glistening atop a kopje crown, the camp shone, like the jewel it is, in an acacia setting. Drives brought forth an abundance of game and the walks were simply stunning.
Migration Location
Following several large burns across the Serengeti plains, there is a flush of new growth from the Seronera valley reaching the soda lake in front of Moru Kopjes covered now with zebra, wildebeest, gazelles and their predators.
The march toward the western corridor has been halted for the time being whilst the large herds devour the fresh grasslands, presenting a wonderful chorus for game drives.
Further to the north, from Lobo to Bologonja, splinter groups of Zebra have journeyed forward, opening the way for the wildebeest rear guard that will follow once the Crocodiles of the Grumeti river have had their annual feed.
Another award for Sebastian?
Sebastian Chuwa, well known naturalist, conservationist, exclusive guide to Wildlife Explorer and of course Tanzania’s leading botanist, has yet again received accolade for his on going conservation work in northern Tanzania.
The Arbor Day Society has bestowed the J Sterling Morton Award on Sebastian for his work here in Tanzania. Past winners of the award include the Nobel Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, the Mayor of Chicago and several US government officials.
Need less to say, we are all extremely proud of Sebastian and his achievements to further protect and improve the Tanzanian natural resources.
http://www.blackwoodconservation.org/arbordayaward/index.html
Tanzania 2007
By Diane Josephy Peavey
(An extract from Diane’s poem)
Tanzania spills across space
And memory….
It is sounds that startle you
From sleep.
Filling early morning silence
With urgency and song,
Melodies, crackles, tappings and cries
That demand you abandon
What is expected
And begin again.
Tanzania is endless landscapes
That crowd the eyes,
Fill the soul
A place of vast plains
Grasslands
Woods
Kopjes
Faraway hills that stretch
Into forever
Then sink into distant horizons.
Tanzania is a place of wildlife migrations
Trees heavy with birds
A place of lists
Of numbers you recite-
Six elephants, twenty impala, eleven giraffe-
As if this attempt at order
Will capture the enormity,
Imprint the scene
No camera lens can capture.
Tanzania is a place of intense sun and heat
That traps you
Between earth and sky,
Breathless
It is a place of laughing
Gentle warriors, guides, new friends
Who leave you wishing
You spoke
Kiswahili
To tell them they have opened
Your eyes
To tell them they have opened
Your heart
Tanzania is a place of surprising
Intimacies
Within the space
Is the moment
The bewitching gloriousa superba
The intriguing whistling thorn
The secrets of the olpul
A single sleek impala buck
The alluring lilac breasted roller
A lion cub
With head cocked
Studying his reflection
In a quiet pool at dusk.
Read the full poem
News from Olerai
The past half year has been a whirlwind of experiences for the entire Strand family.
Hannah has been off traveling the globe, spending time in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii finishing up in the USA with a short jaunt with Jo and I to the Galapagos Islands, which, if any of you are planning a trip or thinking about it, the experience is extremely exciting. Highly recommended is the Wilderness Travels ‘Enchanted Isles’ journey for sheer professionalism, itinerary design and quality of boats, crews and naturalists.
Hannah managed to beat me to the bungy jumping so I have of course disinherited her for that! She also managed a ski dive, glacier work and her advanced diving certification whilst at the Barrier Reef and an awful lot of partying and fun during her time away.
Jamie has just recorded her first album, 11 original tracks, written, arranged and performed by her, with contrasting styles, including acoustic ballads to harder core numbers. The recording was arranged at a local studio, here in Arusha with Jamie playing guitar of course and friends, Stephen, David and Darsh, backing her up on lead, bass and drums. The album title is ‘Initial Images’.
Hunter, now at the age of 6, has been pestering me to take him out to the bush for a camping trip in a small tent or sleeping on a bedroll under the wing of the plane! I guess the bush spirit is alive and well in the youngest Strand!
We have managed time away over Christmas with our UK family and friends, New year in Cornwall at South Corner on the north coast, with battering weather and great coastal walks.
Shortly followed by our first ever family ski vacation in Austria. The snow behaved, we all skied brilliantly! Well, as good as can be imagined and had a splendid time.
Since then, other than the break for the Galapagos, it’s been safari, school, teaching and just a little bit of fun!
With warm wishes,
Gary & Jo
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