Random things happen to me sometimes. This week a monkey stole my bikini bottom. I was very upset. It was a really nice bikini, and the only bikini I brought. I had to buy another one, and I think I bought the only wearable bikini in Diani, as they all seem to be super 80s style here, ultra high-cut. But anyway, these cheeky sykes monkeys have been seen stealing food and grabbing clothes before and I’m very mad at them. I’ve been trying to blow my whistle at them but they always run off before I can get to it.

Nala the cat has also been very cheeky lately, biting hard and trying to eat my toes when I sleep. She uses her legs to get a better grip and really try to pull chunks off. When she’s not doing that, she still thinks she’s a kitten and tries to suckle on elbows.

We also have a baby vervet on quarantine at the moment called Merlin who will be introduced to the rest of the group in a bit. It’s just so cute to see this super tiny but very human-like little hands hold on to your fingers as if they were tree trunks. Then there are the colobus babies -- on a colobus check this week there were 4 infants! They are even cuter than Merlin. Colobus babies are very elusive, especially the white ones, they are all white until about 3 months old, then they turn black. I saw white babies. They were fantastically cute.

Last week we had an injured colobus call and it was my first time going on a call where the monkey was still alive. She had been electrocuted and was down for a while, but seemed well enough that we didn't have to bring her back. Since I arrived there have been a few electrocutions and also dog attack deaths, so it was good to see at least one actually survive.

Orit unfortunately left the Trust this morning, but will spend a few days in Mombasa, which means we’ll go out in Mombasa one of these nights. Right now I am about to start on my colobridges assessment project and trying to figure out the logistics of it. There seems to be, as was the case with the education project, lots and lots of information and material on the computer that is just sitting there unsorted and unused. As I started looking through the files today I realized that a lot of the work I was going to do had already been done and no one seemed to know about it. So that's the job I'm giving myself today, and thank goodness the office is air conditioned.

Last weekend we went to Tsavo East National Park and stayed at a lodge overlooking a water hole. Loads of animals would just come by like elephants and lions and buffalo. We saw oodles of amazing birds, and ginormous beetles which I I.D.ed as giant dung beetles. I am in love with them, they are so beautiful and shiny and gigantic, and they have furry bellies which are nice and soft but probably covered in poo and mites but I liked picking them up anyway.

On safari we saw a million billion amazing animals like cheetahs and oryx. One of the guys must have a list of species somewhere, I may post them later. Then on the last day we drove slightly off the beaten path and saw a car all decayed and rusted up that was stuck on a muddy swampy bit forever. It was very picturesque, which is why I took a picture. As soon as the shutter clicked, our car got stuck in the mud. We tried everything including elephant dung for traction but were still stuck. After a while Gwili and Tori walked off to look for help, and Orit and Shiv and I stayed behind in the car.

I was sure we'd be there at least overnight and wished I knew more survival skills, and I was also hoping that Tori and Gwili wouldn't get killed by leopards or elephants. But then we were super lucky and a few hours later help came and we got out. Then some time later when we were already out of the park we got stuck in the mud again. And again very very luckily, this happened as a truckload of beefy gents was driving by, so we got immediate help and got out of the mud again.

It was all great fun, and giraffes are awesome.

Labels: diani, kenya

tortoise portrait
Originally uploaded by IzzyNomad

I made a set for this trip on Flickr here.

Regarding malaria prophylaxis, I gave up on Lariam and invested some serious cash on Malarone. I can't imagine what my face looked like when the pharma guy told me the price, since I came out looking SO shocked and surprised in my passport photos after finding out how much they would cost, which was still about 10 times less than the Malarone.

I also took the cholera vaccine, with side effects. It seems like I am, in general, just getting side effects from everything I take. Any side effects, all side effects. I am side effect-prone. And I don't even read labels anymore. Damn you, human body!

This is my last entry before leaving for Mombasa tomorrow. I'll write when I can. Bye!

Labels: brazil, recife

Jane Goodall holds Mr. H
Originally uploaded by IzzyNomad

I've been meaning to write an entry about seeing Jane Goodall speak for a while. I saw her last Saturday, for her talk "Gombe and beyond", and she was her usual amazing self. It was the second time that I saw her at Con Hall in Toronto, but no less inspiring -- I can't think of another word to describe her. Especially because her talk related so much to my Africa trip, I left very much wanting to DO stuff, participate, get involved. I even got a little teary-eyed. How terribly soppy.

But that didn't last very long... This week was nerve-racking and I feel anything but inspired. After watching an episode of Big Love I feel like I'm "married" to my three tasks right now and I'm not giving any of them enough attention. I should be taking care of the Africa trip arrangements, doing all the paperwork for Steve to come to Canada, and applying for grad school. Instead I'm reacting like a metaphorical ostrich. Grad school is what I'm most worried about at the moment, because I only have a week left in Canada and I don't have a supervisor yet, which means I can't complete my application. The more I get into it the more I realize I shouldn't have left this for so late. I could have started this earlier and bought myself an extra couple of weeks. I don't know how much good that would have done, but in any case, I'm pressed for time now (though I guess I always knew I would be, because I only ever had 6 weeks to do all this). I need more time, need more time.

Jane Goodall began her PhD without ever having been to university, and I can't even find a supervisor.

In other news, I went back for my Hep B shot no. 2 this morning. It may be some sort of placebo effect, but I do feel quite confused right now. I also got the promised handout about zoonoses (because animals carry diseases and I should be very careful!), and for malaria a prescription for Lariam, after my insistence. I think I made a pretty good case against Doxycycline.

Lariam is such a stupid name. It's like naming a flu medication "Luf", or "Erpesh" for a herpes cream. The doc had to make sure that my mental health was ok first (um sure), since Lariam can make people go crazy, among other mental symptoms like nightmares.

That means I will, of course, have nightmares. About contracting monkeypox, or simian herpes. Thanks for that handout, doc!

So, Chris is in Bangkok right now! He is supposed to have a travel blog but hasn't sent me the link yet, the bastard. Now that he's suddenly become a rich photographer I only hear news from him through his models...

And that's all I have to say.

1- Water hydration system.

• 2 pairs quickdry cargo pants
• 2 pairs midcalf skirts (great for heat and Islamic countries)
• 1 pair bermuda shorts
• 1 pair capris
• 1 fleece hoodie
• 1 heavy duty rain jacket
  
• 3 long sleeve shirts for work & sun
• 4 t-shirts
• 4 tank tops
• 2 multi-purpose sarongs (can be used as a head cover, arms cover, beach wrap, a skirt, to wrap around your pants where pants are inappropriate, and as an impromptu blanket. but yes, I am considering taking just 1)
• 2 bikini/swimsuit (yes, I am considering taking just 1)
• 1 wide-brim hat and 1 baseball cap. Yes, one of them. Maybe.
• oodles of bandanas. Maybe a bit less than oodles.
  
• a reasonable amount of underwear/sleepwear/socks
  

• 1 pair rubber boots/wellies
• 1 pair trail runners
• 1 pair birkenstocks
• 1 pair rubber flip flops

• 1 mosquito net
• 1 flashlight/torch
• 1 sleeping bag
  
• 1 pair binoculars
• 1 pair swim goggles
  
• 1 inflatable neck pillow
• 1 padlock
  
• 1 camera & waterproof case
• toiletries, enough for ~2 months
• meds incl. 1st aid, water purification tablets, malaria meds, multivitamins, $30 worth of Imodium, and $20 worth of Sea Legs. I should be safe.
• lots of suncreen
  
• 1 travel towel
• 1 travel-size Rummi & pack of cards
• 2 lonely planet books
• recharger & batteries
• mini mp3 player
• wristwatch with alarm
  
• oodles of 30% DEET spray
• water hydration system
• shewee & other girly stuff
• 1 pocket knife/ fork & spoon toolkit
  
• notebook/planner
• daypack
• 1 whistle
  
• BEAR SPRAY (If Andrew hooks me up like he said he would!)
• all this inside the 60L backpack, of course