MOMBASA

Mombasa. We made it. In fact, we've been here for a week. Here is a jumble of words, un-proof-read:

hot, humid, tropical
gorgeous! exploding, luxuriant, rampant, outrageous growth
a thousand shades of petals, a thousand sweet/spicy/strange tropical smells,
from maidenly frangipani in our pool
to elusive spices in the rainforest,
and all the thick mingled fragrances tangled in the humid air, unidentifiable
this is a congregation of delights,
a meeting place for all the paradises,
the buoyant, bathwater Indian Ocean - green blue ending in a seashell palace,
filigreed white apartments perched on a cliff that overflows with green,
and sailboats off in the distance.
or Haller Park, where we spend every day -
the haze of early morning,
the vervets and the Aldabran tortoises, past their first centennary,
the odd fruits and hanging roots, and birds -
african paradise flycatcher, golden palm weaver, great egret, malachite kingfisher...

More coherently, we work in Haller Park, part of Bamburi Cement's Mombasa property - they have 3 limestone quarries there. Bamburi is part of the Lafarge Group, the largest supplier of construction materials IN THE WORLD. Paula, our main teacher for this course, is in charge of Lafarge Ecosystems, their restoration and rehabilitation unit. So, we figure out how to bring a devastated limestone quarry back to its original, healthy ecosystem. (It involves, just as a teaser, about a zillion casuarina trees - their chosen pioneer species, a naturalized Australian tree as a matter of fact.) Haller Park is in a former quarry area, but has been under rehabilitation for 30 years and is now a sort of eco-theme-park, where you can see crocodiles being fed or walk among 150-year-old tortoises, or saunter through gorgeous - though landscaped - tropical forest, view the tilapia farm, watch the many lovely species of mammals, birds, and reptiles that wander the park, or visit Owen and Mzee... Have you heard of Owen and Mzee? They're a strange pair, a juvenile hippo that was washed ashore due to the tsunami and was brought to Haller Park as a refugee. Owen, the hippo, immediately attached himself to Mzee, an ancient Aldabran tortoise... And after much persistence, Mzee became as bonded to Owen as Owen was to Mzee, and the two are presently inseparable. It's a hilarious sight.

We do our lectures in the morning, when the school groups come through - Haller Park, and its ecological rehabilitation efforts, are a part of the national school curriculum, and so countless school groups come for field trips to Haller Park. In the afternoon, when the tourists come in, we go and do field work. (Which is debilitating. Let me tell you. We all fall limply into the pool at the end of the day.)

Okay, internet time running out, gotta go!

Will post jealousy-inspiring Baywatch pictures soon, no worries.

Going to Shimba Hills - tropical rainforest nature reserve + elephant sanctuary - this weekend, to stay in the "treetop hotel" which was built AROUND GIANT TREES. Amazing.

Cheers,

Jenn