Elephants? Now I’m intrigued as to know when it was that you lived with elephants? My dad is currently in Africa. Sounds like he saw some on safari. Lucky man. I do hope he’s enjoying himself. He called me via the hotel Wi-Fi on Thursday. I was amazed he worked out how to sort that out!
Actually, when I worked in east Africa, I spent quite a bit of time travelling to and from - and in to and out of - Nairobi; we weren't allowed to fly directly to Mogadishu, (unlike Kabul, where I used Turkish Airways), we were obliged - we were under instructions or under orders (for Turkish airlines also flew to Mogadishu, I could see the planes land and take off from our compound which was part of the extended airport complex), for safety and security reasons to use only either EU or UN flights from Nairobi to Mogadishu (and back).
Thus, for meetings, with fellow internationals and embassies and NGOs and local interlocutors - most of the international bodies and embassies accredited to Mogadishu had back offices in Nairobi, as did we (the EU, for whom I was working at the time) - and net-working, and just to be able to do anything (stuff as basic as haircuts, or purchasing stationary, - a Ugandan who worked for us managed to obtain glassware for me - ordinary water (and wine) glasses from his mother in Kampala - or
anything, for the shops were excellent in Nairobi - as were the universities and hospitals, while some of the restaurants were superb - and, unfortunately, you could get absolutely
nothing in Mogadishu), you needed to visit Nairobi.
I was well aware that it would be quite some time before I returned to that part of the world, thus, I got into the habit of scheduling an additional day or so of leave whenever I was in Nairobi for work or travel (which was most months, for arranging or attending meetings in Nairobi, - yes, we had Zoom, but face to face meetings were a lot better, and I preferred them, and also when travelling to and fro - and for when I was flying home on leave, or returning from leave).
In any case, the wildlife - and national parks - in Kenya are amazing; the museums are also very impressive, - the National Museum which has a large section dedicated to early hominids (such as the legendary "Lucy") is outstanding - and downtown Nairobi is home to quite a lot of wonderful Art Deco architecture - which I hadn't known about and which I viewed with undisguised delight.
Anyway, while there, I arranged to visit coffee and tea plantations (was given guided tours, and ate delicious meals there, incredible, and saw how tea leaves and coffee beans/cherries are grown and harvested) - I also managed to pay an arranged visit - it took several attempts - to see the only dairy farm in Kenya where cheese is made - and the astounding national parks, the Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha (with its hippos), and also, state funded giraffe and elephant sanctuaries, where animal orphans (their parents all too frequently the victims of - often violent - poachers) are tended and raised.
I visited both - astonishing - the giraffes approached and ate from the palm of your hand (all done under the close supervision of and with the permission of the staff) - but, in the latter, when I visited, I was brought to view lunch time activities.
Actually, I was astounded at the punctuality of the elephants; they seemed to live - their roaming area is pretty vast, - they seemed to live in age related groups, a group of calves, (orphaned, that was the point of the sanctuary - elephant society apparently is matriarchal), another of teens, and yet another of young (and some injured) adults, one was missing half a tusk, another one lacked an eye - these were poacher related injuries; one had been rescued from beneath its murdered mother, badly injured itself.
They knew - to the minute - when feeding time was, and each group would appear, punctually, exactly on time, trotting at speed, to receive outsize plastic milk containers - they looked like jerricans, but were full of milk, not petrol - which would be drained by the elephants (their trunks being very useful for such a task), and who would then wait around for a few minutes in the vain hope that someone might think to give them more milk before walking (quite slowly) back to where they had come from originally.
Another group would appear a few minutes later, - knowing that it was now their turn to receive milk.
They approached us (well, they knew their carers), - and under the supervision of one of the carers I was permitted to touch one of them that had approached.
Actually, I was astonished to learn that an elephant's hide feels rough - not unlike tree bark.
An incredible - and quite moving - experience.
