Camp galagos

 

I have mentioned their presence in our Rufiji camp in previous blog posts but I absolutely love the Brown Greater Galagos that inhabit our camp. It's pretty cool because they are the largest galago in their taxonomic family and they have a very large diagnostic bushy tail. They are a nightly staple and although they are initially pretty annoying, one eventually gets used to their sounds and calls throughout the night. However, once in a while a desperate galago cries right outside of your tent and this can make it very difficult to sleep. They are highly territorial and thus their vocalizations serve a purpose and if there is a territory war occurring, my sleep pays the price!

The other night I had this very incident occur and I had to sleepily exit my tent and run them off. In the video clip below you can hear their vocalization in the background (trust me, it's much more alarming when close up) and the galago eventually moved on but not before I got a decent pic. 

Laundry in the dry season

 

It might sound ridiculous but doing laundry in the dry season is a real treat. The actual washing of the clothes is not necessarily enjoyable but the speed at which the clothes dry is phenomenal. I also like that if I do my laundry in the evening, maybe around 5pm, with a combination of the wind and dry environment, my clothes are often dry by 9pm and do not need to be beaten by the UV of the sun. I never thought much about the UV impact on clothes until I moved to the tropics but clothes get enough wear and tear in normal use so subjecting them to the blasting sun all day adds to the harshness.

Stoplights in Iringa town

 

Main crosswalk

 

The humble stoplight, a benchmark of development indicating the need to control traffic for both vehicles and pedestrians. For the longest time I enjoyed describing Iringa as a rural town, sizeable and significant for the area, but more of a big village than a small city. I always liked to highlight the fact that we did not even have a stoplight, unlike town like Morogoro, Mbeya, and Arusha. Well, that has changed with the recent installation of two stoplights in town.

The installations have not gone without issue. When I first passed through I noticed that the entire system was out of sync with both the traffic (in both directions) and the pedestrians, so instead of meeting an automated system that everyone trusts, I met the typical frantic eye contact between drivers and pedestrians to help us navigate right of way. I am sure they will get the system corrected in due time and hopefully it will be helpful for pedestrians. I am not sure Iringa has the volume of vehicle traffic to necessitate a stoplight but perhaps it's some urban planning foresight?

An ode to Maji (the dog)

 

Elegant pose, died on July 27, 2024

I have written about the challenges of keeping dogs in this environment and I have written a goodbye to Poppy and now I am sadly writing a goodbye to Maji. We had a flurry of issues with both our dogs and I was unfortunately in Kenya at the time of his death. I had a report that in the night time he was wandering around camp looking for water and the next day was walking unsteadily. We transported him to town and within a few hours he was dead upon arrival. 

Maji was definitely not the best behaved dog and had he not been taken in by camp he was surely the runt of the litter and would not have survived long. His food drive was extremely high and he would often misbehave or put himself at risk for the sake of food.

However, Maji had a fun personality and was unequivocally goofy. One of our favorites was Maji laying next to the couch and looking up at us with textbook puppy eyes looking to be pet. He also had this fruity little trot he would engage when it was near to meal time and we were talking to the kitchen. His legs were a little too long for his body so he had a unique gait, especially when galloping like a horse. His long legs led to him often contorting himself in uncomfortable looking positions while laying down. 

This can't be comfortable...

I also loved that Maji liked to roughhouse a bit. This contrasts with his extremely jump nature which improved as he got older. When he was younger if he was startled he would jump in the air like a literal cartoon. Perhaps some of this is coming from when he was neutered at a young age and he recoiled into a ball when the vet approached him. Or when he fell off the stairs at the ghorofa after spending days working up the courage to climb them. 

Maji also learned a lot from the Anatlion Shephard, Hodari. I didn't realize the extent at which dogs did this but Maji learned how to wag her head and emit a low growl when he was happy to see you. Maji had an unrequited love of Hodari, something that was really fun to see when Maji was a puppy and Hodari was an old dog. The spirit of the dogs will live on!

For anyone that has lost a dog, I encourage you to read this poem from Rudyard Kipling, it's a little outdated but the sentiment remains.

https://poets.org/poem/power-dog

Happy to see me!

Ah the good times when we'd bring a hueso de jamon for them after our annual leave

With his brother

At a young age

With Hodari

Ruaha National Park in November

Leopard

Ruaha National Park can truly be hit or miss. The low densities of wildlife, expansive landscape, and relatively limited road access combine for long days of seeing relatively little or amazingly intimate wildlife sightings. The dry season compounds this with the chances of wildlife congregating around limited water sources being higher but the lack of water means there is little else happening in the landscape like flowering shrubs and trees. I had a great weekend trip but it was truly the tale of two days, summing up the Ruaha experience perfectly. 

The first day I planned to visit an area of the park that I rarely visit. It's far away from water sources, full of tsetse flies, and has very little wildlife. But I love the feeling of exploration and one of Ruaha's defining features is the massive open space. I traveled far and had some great sightings of buffalo and elephant though all the wildlife was very skittish. I did not find a river crossing that I was attempting and since I was alone I did not want to push my luck. 

The next day I had a more relaxed day and lo and behold, the wildlife came to me. I had an intimate sighting of a leopard and then I found a buffalo kill with some lions and vultures. I spent a few hours with the lions and enjoyed the solitude of the sighting with no one else around. The lions were satiated and very tame so I could get very close to them. I enjoyed watching vultures slowly come to the carcass and the lions half-heartedly chasing them away every so often. 

I love the aesthetic of Baobab trees

Always pleased to see elephants

So full he can't be bothered by the camera in his face

Almost finished off that buffalo

Restaurant Review Iringa: Mama Iringa

 

Dining area

Mama Iringa is an Iringa establishment, a cozy location just outside of town with delicious Italian food and a few rooms that serve as a guesthouse as well. Iringa is blessed with many large and diverse farms that produce a variety of high quality vegetables, meats, cheeses and other food items. The region punches far above it's weight when it comes to quality of food and Mama Iringa takes full advantage of the availability. The restaurant has been around for about 15 years and is run by an Italian woman. The restaurant is small but capable of hosting large groups and an indoor courtyard is an excellent place to have an afternoon coffee. 

While the ambiance and food are great, the most notable food item is the pizza, which I find to be world class. High quality ingredients with a brick oven results in several tasty combinations. I am partial to the Diavola with its spicy sausage but you really can't go wrong.

Kisolanza Farmhouse in September

 

Miombo trees putting out their leaves by the dam

 

A home away from home, even a night at Kisolanza Farmhouse can be rejuvenating (previous trips). I always look forward to the varied farm fresh menu, as well as the network of walking trails to enjoy in the cool climate. This time of year it is dry and cool with some miombo trees just starting to put their leaves out. We saw our first Barn Swallows of the year and there were plenty of birds around. When the sun was shining the weather was comfortable enough to only wear a t-shirt while strolling. 

There were two or three groups of overlanders and we were happy to see them using patronizing the location. Although southern highlands residents enjoy frequenting Kisolanza it is truly built for overlanders. Even though they are usually found in large groups they tend to be a respectful and interesting bunch of folks. There has been a change from these groups being dominated by under 30s to being more frequently composed of over 50s. They have massive converted bus-like vehicles that plod through a few African countries mixing camping with other types of accommodation. Average trips are four weeks long and I assume they have different themes like culture, wildlife, etc.

A weekend trip was just what we needed. It wasn't too cold at night but I couldn't help myself and still enjoyed a fire after a delicious roast beef dinner. 

I love the style of the cabins, a perfect mix between rustic and natural while also having a high standard

Breakfast is a favorite for sure, the don't usually wax poetic about yogurt, but in this case it is a real highlight along with the homemade strawberry jam