Western Sahara 2016

Western Sahara 2016

Monday 22 April 2013

Rainy season

Well, the photos I've just posted of the horses were taken a couple of months ago before the rains. The grass on Lewa is now a beautiful emerald green after a massive deluge of rain just over a week ago. It literally rained for four days and nights which is very unusual. Roads were impassable and previously dry rivers were in full flow. The mud was something else and I was not out of wellington boots for about a week! It reminded me somewhat of living in Britain except here no one complains about the rain.

Back to normality now and sunshine and blue skies. We had a very naughty elephant come into camp a couple of nights ago. He decided to take a walk through the stable yard taking down fences en route and then destroying a large yellow fever acacia tree that overlooks the yard! He tried to come back last night but after a few rounds of gunfire (not at him obviously - just into the sky to scare him off), he thought better of it and has hopefully learnt he is not welcome.

Went for a lovely walk the other morning, along the river and then up into the hills. Saw a crocodile basking on the river bank. Having seen signs of a buffalo, we were then tentatively walking up the hill through scrubby bushland when Rakita (the guide) grabs my arm and beckons me to follow him quickly. My heart stopped for a moment as I feared we had happened upon the buffalo - probably the most aggressive and dangerous animal on Lewa. To my relief, I did not need to scramble up a tree, Rakita's excitement was due to him having spotted two bushpigs which are incredibly elusive and hard to spot. Fortunately, we never did see the buffalo, but had an amazing time watching elephant and rhino, especially a mother and three month old white rhino lazing in the sunshine below us as we sat on a rock above them.

Sad times as horse numbers have now been reduced by one. 27 year old Lester reached the end of the road after many years of service as a fantastic guest horse. He has been slowly retiring for sometime, only coming out to provide much pleasure to small children as he takes them safely through the bush in the number two spot right behind the lead guide horse. Even some of the syces were sad to see him go. It was the only kind thing to do though as old age and arthritis were getting the better of him and he could no longer keep up with the herd. Lester was affectionately known as "mzee" which literally means old man in Swahili but is very much a term of respect. What was most endearing was that Finn (another mzee of the yard) always stayed with Lester close to home whilst the rest of the herd went further afield. I hope he is not missing his old friend too much.

Happy horses

The herd grazing contentedly on Lewa with Mount Kenya in the background
Being let out of the stables in the morning

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Peaceful times on Lewa

For the first time ever, I am spending the rainy season on Lewa. The last guests left on 4th April – after a thankfully rain free couple of days. The rain started with a vengeance before the end of March so some of the last guests of the season had their holidays somewhat interrupted by the rain. Probably a bit annoying when you can’t even fly into Lewa because of the weather. I quite like the rain here. It doesn’t do that British thing of raining all day every day. It usually rains very heavily for a couple of hours and then stops and the sun comes out. I’m less keen on the muddy stable yard and leaking stables but at least they too dry out quickly.

Now that the lodge has closed and the family are away, I have moved into the main house. I admit it – I don’t fancy the dark walk to my normal home at the end of the garden. Too much game comes wondering through the grounds when the lodge is closed and quiet, and the generator isn’t on as often. I don’t want to meet a lion en route to my room! Also, my house has a lot of leaks which isn’t great in a rainstorm. I have to strategically position all items so that they are not underneath one of the leaks. More to the point, I have the novelty of TV to watch each evening if I live in the main house – a luxury indeed…

So my current day goes something like this. Rise at 6.30am, head straight to stables, check and treat any sick horses, ride the polo ponies (which is equivalent to a morning workout in itself now that they’ve started canter work). Organise what jobs need doing at the stables that morning and then have a lovely peaceful leisurely breakfast on the verandah about 9am. No requirement for polite conversation with any guests – it’s just me and the dogs and a stunning vista to enjoy – may be with some giraffes or elephants to watch on the hillside.

Post breakfast, check the syces are actually doing the tasks they’ve been set, update any horse records, spend some time on the internet, read, swim, sunbathe – it’s a hard life… Then lunch (enjoyed in a similar vein to breakfast), followed by a siesta before afternoon stables at 4pm. Horses safely tucked up in their stables, happy, groomed and fed, it’s time for a bath and dinner in front of the TV. Although a lot of the staff go on leave during the closed season, there is still a cook, waitress, room steward, gardeners, maintenance teams, mechanics, night guard, etc. I am getting so used to being looked after, I sometimes wonder if I will actually be able to remember how to cook and clean for myself….

And finally, just a little snake story. I was sat in the office yesterday (as indeed I am now) when a snake falls out of the roof and lands on the floor next to me. I almost had a heart attack – it narrowly missed me!! It was a revolting, small, thin, bright green snake – yuck. I had to enlist the help of others to remove it. Even if it isn’t poisonous (which it wasn’t), I do not wish to share my office with it.