Good Times

Remembering a time of warm weather, “living” in a car, and wildlife right outside the window.

Elephants in Samburu, Kenya.

It’s been 6 months already, since I went on a safari in Kenya. I look back at it with a smile on my face and lots of good memories to pick from.

A female lion amusing some tourists in Maasai Mara, Kenya.

I remember in particularly the big pride of lions (22 of them) in Maasai Mara, the Maasai warriors wonderful performances, the elephant families in Samburu, the beautiful Buffalo Weavers performing their special little dance.

Male Lion, Maasai Mara, Kenya

Buffalo Weavers in Samburu

I also remember the wild dogs in Samburu and Ol Pejeta, the Northern White Rhinos at Ol Pejeta, the beautiful zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, flamingos at Lake Nakuru and much, much more.

Wild Dog in Samburu, Kenya

Northern White Rhino at Ol Pejeta, Kenya

Being on safari was one of the best things I have ever done, and I hope I get to do it again in the future.

Cheetahs at Maasai Mara, Kenya

Flamingos at Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Have you ever been on a safari? Where did you go and what did you like the most about it?

Zebra at Ol Pejeta, Kenya

Reticulated Giraffes at Ol Pejeta

Preparations for Africa

Already in the beginning of 2008, my partner and I discussed whither we should go to Africa in the end of 2009. After some discussions about Madagascar and other places we decided to go to Mali in west Africa. In the beginning, our main goal for the trip to Mali was the desert Festival (Festival au desert). It’s a big music festival in the desert, two hours from Timbuktu. Mali is well known for its many great musicians. Among them, Salif Keita and Toumani Diabaté, whom will both be performing at the desert festival in January 2010.

As the time went by and the planning became more precise, we decided to travel from Mali’s capital city Bamako, up to Timbuktu, Essakane and then back down to the capital city again. We also extended the trip to Kenya and a 2 week safari.

This is roughly our route in Mali. We will be visiting lots of smaller villages on our way and the final route may change while traveling. (the red line is our route. The black line shows the border of Mali.)

Even though our trip is well planned, it feels like it’s sneaking up on me. There are still things to figure out, there are still gear to get, bags to pack, medicines to buy and destinations to read up on. I also want to read more about the animals we might be seeing on our trips, such as elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras, different kinds of birds, reptiles, insects etc. I’ve been so busy this year that the reality of a big trip like this haven’t caught up on me yet. And we’re leaving in a week!

I have a new camera and I feel like I need much more practice with it before a great trip like this. I feel like I need to get to know all my gear better and… well, I just feel unprepared in general. It’s not like me. I’m usually a good planner and I like to know things in details about where I am going, where we’re staying and things we’ll be doing.

This upcoming weekend and the week leading up to our trip, I’ll be reading a lot about Mali and Kenya and the different villages, people, music, musicians, traditions, animals, buildings and culture that we will encounter. As well as going out to shoot wildlife, birds etc every day, to get used to some lenses and the camera itself. I know…it is a bit late. But better late than never! =o)

I will be filming through the whole trip and taking photos. Since I won’t be bringing a laptop on the trip, I cannot edit any footage while traveling. I will however upload photos as often as I can and update you all on our trip here on my blog.

Seeing new countries, experience other cultures, meeting with different people, hearing new sounds, watching the wildlife and ending our days with African sunsets… That’s what this trip is about. And hopefully my partner and I will have an exhibition in 2010 where we can share our experiences with all of you who can come see the exhibition here in New Zealand. Otherwise you can see my videos on my vimeo page and my photos on my Flickr page.

I hope you will be following me and please comment as well. =o)