You Go Sister!

Did you know that all the ants we see are females? Not only that, they are sisters!!

Would you like to be courted by someone who first offers you a delicious gourmet meal, then an extravagant wedding and THEN a beautiful home in which to raise a family? Then go find yourself a dung beetle!

How about standing above a termite mound and knowing that more than 2/3 of it is below ground and that down there, termites have air conditioning and water reservoirs?

Or... how about that wasp that hunts a spider and paralyses it. Then it digs a hole and puts the alive but immobile spider into it. Then it lays its eggs on top of the spider and then - beware oh the squimish - the wasp larvae hatch and - well - EAT the alive but paralysed spider bit by bit until it dies...

Alfred Hitchcock and Dario Argento must have been entomologists!

Our bug walks with Dino Martins this past weekend at the Suyian Yoga on Safari and Lifeshop Discovery Retreat were absolutely fascinating. Add to that a most heart racing display of elephant mating, observed from our lunch table under the Acacia tree and a leopard rasping just beside our spot for yoga on the rocks and yoga under a rainbow and we all must say that the recent weekend in Laikipia was a perfect combination of serenity, excitement and, good fun.

Yoga on Safari in a desert island paradise

Kiwayu Island sits before me as I madly race from my sunbed to my "banda" where I quickly throw both feet into an enormous, REAL, oyster shell filled with deliciously cool water. HOW can sand get so hot! This is the hottest time of year at Kiwayu and our yoga sessions in the morning and evening turned into "Hot Yoga" whether we meant them to or not!

Yoga on Kiwayu is the way to go. We took over one of the bandas where we could do inversions against the sisal matting on the walls and gaze out at sunsets over the Indian Ocean. We did yoga trance dance in a lone banda way down the beach and then had sundowners there. We did walking meditation on a wild beach as very surfable waves rolled in and we meditated on a platform underneath a giant Baobab tree. And that was just the yoga! Kiwayu is the desert island paradise that you are imagining and doing yoga there makes it all feel like a journey to another planet indeed.

A Retreat at Suyian, Special Suyian

            Anne Powys has grown up playing on the massive boulders of her family farm. She knows every piece of rock and every blade of grass and has become one Kenya’s top botanists.

Her new, four “banda” ecological lodge, Suyian, is Anne’s way of sharing her passion for Laikipia and for every indigenous plant in Laikipia with others. Suyian means Wild Dog in Maa, the language of the Maasai and Samburu. It is not uncommon to see the dogs hunting along the ridge, screaming past in a pack; the most efficient hunting animal in Africa and coming back now from the brink of extinction in Laikipia.

Many lodges and camps in Kenya call themselves “eco” – a great buzz term for marketers. When you see Suyian, the meaning takes on another form. Just as there is not a single plant on the ranch that is not indigenous to Laikipia, there is not a single element of construction at Suyian that does not come from the ranch. The “bandas” are private, thatch cottages open on three sides looking out over a natural salt deposit that draws in impala, zebra (both Burchell’s and Grevy’s), leopard, dik dik, hyena, lion and elephant. They are built of twisted olive wood and river stones. Bathrooms are adjacent to the rooms, outdoors in an enclosed area with a separate loo and shower. Loos and showers are in the true safari tradition: a long-drop loo with wooden seat and safari bucket showers filled with perfectly hot water and hoisted overhead by the staff. After a day in the bush, a shower in the twilight is heavenly.

I discovered Suyian after some friends suggested Anne and I meet. I flew myself in, with my little terrier-dachshund, Flora, and spent the night with Anne. I behaved slightly neurotically during our first encounter owing to Flora constantly running off in pursuit of interesting sounds and smells. I anxiously interrupted our conversation by yelling “Floooorrrraaaa!” while visions of a leopard having a delicious terrier snack danced in my head. When I continued on to my friend, Shelan’s, house in Timau the next day, I could not stop raving about this amazing new place I’d found.

            Yes, I was on a high from the flying as I always am. And yes, I was on a high from the fact that Flora had survived the night in the wilds of Laikipia. But it was more than that. It was Suyian. It was special.

            Thus the idea for a weekend retreat of yoga by me, a workshop about life by Shelan and guided botanical walks by Anne was born. It happened last weekend - and it was amazing.

 

            Friday, January 15th was the day Kenya experienced the partial eclipse. I flew myself and a friend coming on the weekend from Lake Naivasha to Nanyuki in the morning. As we took off the light was dim and the air was still and serene. While flying over the top of the Aberdare Mountains, I detoured to see the stunning waterfalls that plummet into the gully. We landed in Nanyuki to collect Shelan with enough time for a cappuccino and a bit of breakfast at Barney's, the airstrip café. The three of us then piled into the plane and prepared to fly on to Suyian. 

            In Kenya, pilots often say, "Time to spare? Go by air!" This certainly was the case on Friday. As I did my pre-flight power checks, I noticed a problem and had the owner of the charter company have a look. He got his mechanics on to the problem immediately, reassuring me that it seemed something small and I should be in the air in about an hour. Alas, I should have known that with aeroplanes dating back to the 1960s that hour is often two or three -- or four or five. Missing the first yoga class in a three-day event is not the end of the world, unless of course you are the one LEADING that yoga class! After endless back and forth-ing about the plane ready, not ready, ready, not ready, I reluctantly tucked my plane to bed and jumped in a friend’s car. We rolled into Suyian just in time to see the others strolling back from an evening bush walk. We all joined together for sunset yoga. As we concluded our practice with meditation in the fading light of the Equatorial sun, it felt we were honouring the day of the eclipse.

            After our showers, as we sat around the roaring campfire under a blanket of stars that literally stopped you in your tracks. I knew that the weekend was going to be very special.

The sound of trumpeting elephants echoed throughout camp that night and upon opening my eyes the next morning, I saw a family of elephants browsing through the trees just beyond camp with the peaks of Mt. Kenya making a resplendent backdrop. Ahhhh. A big exhale as I sunk deeper into the peaceful energy of Suyian.

            It’s slightly a misnomer to call what Anne does a bush “walk” for we really amble along so slowly that we only get a few hundred meters from camp. You can see her mind working as she passes a nondescript little bush and then gives in and decides to talk about this one too: “That’s ipomea spatulata, it’s great for pregnant women suffering from spotting. A Samburu man I know gave it to his wife because the doctor was a day’s walk away. Her bleeding stopped and the baby was fine.” Anne could easily talk about every plant we pass but she makes an effort to go gentle on us. Euphorbia heterospina (toxic but in the exactly perfect amount great for chest congestion and cough); Acacia brevispica (favourite of the elies all the time); Acacia melifora (favourite for elies when they have a tummy ache or need help digesting). She repeats the Latin a million times if necessary, explaining the most interesting indigenous uses for the plants and engaging everyone in the fun of tasting and smelling.

On that Saturday morning’s bush amble we collected wild lettuce for a salad, saw natural eye drops ooze out of a plant, tasted bitter and sweet, examined tiny ants at work by looking through our binoculars backwards and generally had loads of fun. … Needless to say, it’s now impossible to simply ‘go for a walk’ in the bush!

            After a delicious breakfast featuring an array of delicious tropical fruit, homemade granola with yogurt or camel’s milk and the “full-English” for some,  we sat down for Shelan’s Lifeshop Discovery.

            Let me begin by saying that what Shelan does is not woo woo foo foo in any way. This is not therapy. It is not cultish. It is not linked to needing to sign up for more – although you can work with her individually if you wish. This is not a self-help movement that borders on a “you’re with us or you’re against us” mentality. This is real stuff about real, every day life. I think I speak for everyone in saying that there was nothing threatening or scary about it, no pressure to bare the soul. What we did do is explore the areas of doing and being in our daily lives, carving out ways to have a bit more time for ourselves, to finally tackle that desire to play the guitar or let go of the guilt or just be more present to ourselves when we are doing

 something nice for ourselves. We even got to eat chocolate! Three times! The time flew by and before we knew it were having lunch under a big shady tree feeling very good indeed and ready to create positive things in our lives more and more.

The yoga session that afternoon was a blast. We chanted, meditated, did sun salutations, flowed from pose to pose, let go into balancing and even did some yoga trance dance to great music with lots of drumming. The Samburu tribesmen in camp were quite impressed with our rhythm it turns out.

Some elephant came browsing through camp just as we were having dinner under the stars. I saw the conflict in Anne as she worried for her trees. “I don’t want them to knock the new ones down!” If forced to choose, I’d say elephant are probably my favourite African animal. I could see that it wasn’t so for Anne. Elephants tend not to grow out of the toddler stage and if they want to munch on a leaf, it’s just as easy to knock the whole tree down as to reach to the top. As long as elies have enough room to roam freely – and that means thousands of acres mind you – then there is a balance of elie damage in nature. If these toddler-minded powerhouses are forced to limit their range then the damage can be devastating. Yet another reason to be grateful for the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and the private ranches who are extremely dedicated to conservation in this area.

That night I felt that Anne had scared off every animal in the vicinity, as I didn’t hear a single sound. Shelan informed me otherwise in the morning: “There were hyena and elephant trumpeting everywhere! I could hardly sleep.” Seems I’d just had too good of a sleep after our wonderful day.

We did a beautiful game drive on the roofs of Land Rovers that Sunday morning to park below a massive outcrop of boulders. We walked to the top for our yoga class overlooking the entire Laikipia plateau. Two Verreaux Eagles and a family of hyrax watched us from the rocks. I found it hard to balance perched up there on the rocks and enjoyed that vulnerable sensation. It’s so nice not to be the all-powerful human race all the time!

It was clear that we were all energized by our weekend as we had breakfast on the rocks in the shade and chatted away happily. We were all on top of the world, literally and figuratively.

Anne then took us to a cave with some prehistoric art. As usual, archeology boggles my mind. This cave had been home to prehistoric man. Bodies had been found, excavations done. Then members of nomadic Nilotic tribes had used it. Now they still use it - as do the porcupine.

We had our wild lettuces, fresh foccaccia, salads and cheese for lunch before we all reluctantly jumped into cars and went our separate ways back to Nanyuki, Nairobi, Gil Gil and Naivasha. We all vowed to come back soon. I know we will. Suyian is now forever in our hearts.

 

 

Please write to nella@yogaonsafari.com if you’d like to know more about Yoga on Safari at Suyian.

The magic of water and wood: Selous and Ruaha in Southern Tanzania

In the Selous Game Reserve, it's all about the water and the life in and around it. If crocodiles give you the heebie geebies, maaaaybe, you'd better not… but if you think looking at wall-to-wall crocs on the sandy banks of lake after lake of fresh water is quite a sight, then by all means, visit Selous! If you like the idea of stepping into a boat for an afternoon on the lake looking at these crocs, endless hippos, elephant coming to drink and an absolute birding paradise, then by all means, visit Selous. And if a chilled bottle of wine on a deserted beach at sunset sounds like bliss and harmony, then by all means, visit Selous.

In Ruaha National Park, it's all about the rough, dry landscape teeming with animals resting in the shade of giant Baobab trees. Oh, the Baobab - Adansonia digitata: the upside-down tree that looks like its roots are reaching to the sky to drink in the heavens! If you have read Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince and felt inspired by the magical baobab tree, then by all means, visit Ruaha. If you like watching herd after herd of elephant gathering to drink in the riverbed, then by all means, visit Ruaha. If you don't mind taking a walk along the Ruaha river and coming across a pride of lion in the distance, eating a recent kill, then by all means visit Ruaha. If you are at all keen to see the elusive and rare Sable antelope or to sit with the most unafraid Kudu on the planet, then by all means, visit Ruaha. You will feel like you've entered Saint- Exupéry's magical kingdom.

Now, mind you, this was a BUSINESS trip. I was on a serious trek through these two remarkable lands to find the best way to experience them for Africa with Nella guests! (Aren't I self-less?).  I saw 9 camps in 10 days and have come away feeling very good about bringing guests to some of them. Criteria, such as the position of the camp, the aesthetics of it, the comfort and safety of it, the efficiency and hospitality of the management, the quality of the guides, the surrounding areas, the activities offered were all scrutinized in a friendly and easy way. But mostly, I come away from a place with a feel. Is there a philosophy in this camp that goes beyond a money-making enterprise in the tourist industry? Is there a passion for the surroundings? Are the guides extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic? Is the management giving off the right "vibe"? Is the room or tent nice? Is the food very good? In order to come away with a feeling for all of this, I always spend at least one night in camp so that I can pick up on the "energy" of the place.

Selous is to Ruaha as water is to wood; they both have fantastic energy.

Evening boat rides in the Selous, with skilled boatmen seamlessly navigating us past crocodiles and hippo pods to gorgeous and secluded spots to watch the sun set were surely a highlight. A journey down the Rufigi river with a picnic breakfast in the early light, watching animals come to drink along the sandy banks was another.

 Walking to a hot springs where you can soak in extremely hot, very hot or just plain hot pools flowing downstream and a game drive to see a pack of wild dogs with adolescent pups wasn't too bad either!

The light and landscape in East Africa is as much a protagonist for me as the animals. I thought I had seen some of my best sunsets ever in Selous and then I got to Ruaha. Upon arrival, we made our way over the dry landscape, seeing lion, elephant everywhere, and even a leopard crossing the road - all under the shadows of the most amazing African twilight. We saw prides of 20 lion; buffalo herds of 1000; antelope everywhere; herd after herd of elephant. With luck you can time a visit to the river when some elusive Sable antelope come to drink. 

And, wow, the kudu! The male has the most beautiful horns of any antelope in my opinion and in Ruaha, he wants to show them off. The typically skittish and shy kudu are here as relaxed as can be. Three male kudu walking by in a line, each with horns more impressive than the other. No wonder great artists like Mike Ghaui and Rob Glen base themselves here.

Here is a list of some of my more exciting sightings:

Wild Dog! (First time for me and the end of a very unlucky streak of being oh so near but oh so far!)

Kudu (as above, absolutely unafraid)

Eland (big herds with babies)

Impala (October is foaling season and we saw hundreds and hundreds of baby impala. Some born within the hour!)

Lion (whiter colour and not the big black manes of the Serengeti and Mara lions.)

Zebra (a sub-species of the Burchell's or Common that actually looks like a combination of a Common and a Grevy's).

Elephant (digging holes in riverbeds to find water in Ruaha. Thus providing water for everyone else too.)

Bushbuck (usually very shy and in Ruaha not so shy)

Crocodiles (those of the Selous make up for quantity what they lack in size!)

Hippos (much more relaxed than those here at home in Naivasha…thankfully!)

Waterbuck (not the Defassa as we have here mostly but the Common. Very beautiful ones down there)

Giraffe (an AMAZING amount of Maasai giraffe that I think has something to do with it being the national animal of Tanzania and therefore not hunted at all.)

Wildebeest (lots and lots although much lighter and prettier than our Blu Gnus up here. Another sub-species.)

Oh, yes, and the birds…

Loads of:

            Eagles, hawks, falcons, guineafowl, pelicans, storks, herons, egrets, kingfishers, bee-eaters, hornbills, turacos, parrots, rollers, shrikes, weavers, sunbirds, and waxbills.

And some firsts for me:

            African Open-Billed Stork; Yellow-Billed Egret; Black Egret; Three-Banded Plover; Crested Guineafowl; Immature Palm-Nut Vulture; Dickinson's Kestrel; Yellow-Collared Lovebird; Grey Go-Away Bird; Purple Crested Turaco; Bohm's Bee-Eater; Spot-Flanked Barbet; Ashey Starling; Retz's Helmet Shrike; Arrow-Marked Babbler; Crested Barbet…

Not a birder? Come to East Africa and you will be!

All the best,

Nella

 

 

Internal Transformation through Oustanding Travel: Africa with Nella Ltd.

 

Yoga Safari May 2010

The next exciting yoga safari is scheduled for May 22 - 27. A week in the wild bush of Laikipia in Kenya's northern wilderness. The camp has the perfect feel. Simple but safe. Understated but detailed. And when we talk of eco-lodges in Kenya the term, alas, is very loose indeed. This IS the business: only materials from the land, community involvement over three generations, absolutely minimal impact on the environment. There aren't even any non-indigenous plants around here! Shower under the stars, sleep in luxurious beds in your own thatch-roofed hut, learn the medicinal uses of local plants and herbs. Interact with Kenya's foremost botanist, meet members of the Samburu tribe and practice yoga daily in the most inspiring settings you can imagine. A week that will feel like a month. Cost: $5,850 per person. All inclusive of accommodation, food, all drinks (including alcohol), transportation within Kenya, all guiding, bush walks, game drives, all yoga, all gratuity. Please confirm by December 15th, 2009. www.yogaonsafari.com. nella@yogaonsafari.com

Cuddly Toys for our local school children

  

I had the pleasure of helping a friend distribute toys to the smallest children at the Greenpark community school recently. Every child in the school was given a stuffed animal. It was a beautiful and joyous moment shared between us all and it reminded me that sometimes, a gift from the heart, for the heart, with no practical purpose whatsoever is the most valuable kind.

The children were shy at first but as you can see, they quickly got excited about their new toys. Each was called individually by the teacher and handed a toy by Lel Cartwright, who organised this donation. They shook her hand with wide-eyes and looked SOOO serious - until they turned back to the other students in the classroom, toy in hand, and absolutely BEAMED. 

These children live in the Greenpark community. Their parents work for the Great Rift Valley Lodge just down the road from me.  These children have their needs met. They have food, clothing, schooling, parents, family and community nearby. When they are older, they will begin walking many miles to go to school and after they turn 14 they may stop going to school altogether as that is when school is no longer free. 

We cannot secure the future for these children. We can only do our best to give them a reason to smile in the present. And what smiles we got that day!

Yoga on Safari Gets Press! Tatler & Drum...

The June issue of East Africa's DRUM magazine has a profile feature about me and my yoga safaris. So tell anyone you think might be interested in trying a yoga retreat to check it out.

Also, the June issue of TATLER Magazine is advertising my Bush and Beach Yoga Safari this September in collaboration with Borana Lodge and Manda Bay. This is an ideal way to experience an African safari with a bit of yoga everyday.  

Namaste!

Nella