Initially "posted" on June 5th

Of Bush mechanics, Civilization and Tiny Elephants



Dear All,

As I started writing this, I was in one of the largest faux leather armchairs I have ever had the dubious pleasure of sitting in, waiting for my flight to Nairobi. In mere hours, I would be enjoying the first really hot shower since May 9th, and shortly after that, the biggest steak I could find! As it turned out, I ended up having fish for dinner on Friday. Nevertheless, my first dinner without the company of 100 SPLA soldiers who have only a passing acquaintance with the concept of fork and knife, was wonderful! And don’t even get me started on taking a shower without having to wear sandals because the floor is to damn nasty to ponder standing on. All in all, coming back to civilization is actually quite nice.

The week up to leaving was busy as ever with business, but there is one incident that stands out: I recently took delivery of 9 vehicles, destined for use by a Chinese construction company. Part of our service is an inspection of the vehicle before handing it over to our client. Basically, we make sure alle the parts are in the right places, that the right pedals to the right things, and that the vehicle won’t spontaneously fling you off a cliff… At the end of the inspection we clean each vehicle, in the process removing the myriad stickers placed throughout the vehicle by everyone from the manufacturer to the shipper to the customs authorities in all the countries through which the vehicle has passed on its way to the end user. Now, generally, when pulling off a sticker, it comes as no surprise when there is a little of the “stick” left on the surface from which you have pulled it. It takes nothing more than a rag, maybe some gasoline, and a little elbow grease to remove it. Common sense, right? Wrong. One of the local “mechanics” (and I use the term very loosely) had removed a sticker, and upon failing to remove the residue decided alternate means were called for. What alternate means, you ask? Kerosene? A rag? Maybe some soapy water? Sandpaper, that’s what. Let’s dwell on that or a moment. He tried to remove something from the inside of a windshield, with sandpaper… He succeeded, I’ll give him that.

It just goes to show the virtue of supervising your mechanic…

Anyway, civilization (well almost civilization, if you can call a city in which moving anywhere outdoors past 6 PM is potentially lethal unless you’re in a car civilized) is really nice. By virtue of my employer doing a lot of business in Nairobi, the company keeps an apartment in Nairobi. A really nice apartment, actually. 24 hour concierge service, gym, pool, business center, housekeeping, laundry. The Works.

I went on Safari with my Boss and his family (who have been vacationing in Mombasa for the past week, and were in Nairobi, waiting to fly home to DK), which was ok, but not amazing, as we went to Nairobi National Park which is surrounded on 3 sides by Nairobi. Not conducive to the whole “natural feel” of things required for the game to develop. Also, the park isn’t quite big enough to sustain the great elephants, or several of the other species found in the larger parks. It did offer one surreal picture: A giraffe looking right at me, with the skyline of Nairobi not 10 miles distant in the background. That alone made the trip worth while.

The very best part came later, however, when we went to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an elephant orphanage, were the children of elephants poached or otherwise deceased are raised until the can be released into the wild. There are 12 orphans at the moment, ranging from 8 – 23 months of age. Over the course of an hour we saw them fed and playing in a little mudhole. It was fascinating, and an awesome exercise in marketing. I doubt anyone left without leaving a donation for the trust, to allow them to carry on their work. I know I did. If you ever find yourself in Nairobi, these babies are truly worth a visit.

I think I shall end my weekly correspondence here. Wherever you are, remember this: Sandpaper is not the answer.

Much love,