Tag Archives: Wildlife

Byron Bay and Brisbane

Our hostel in Byron Bay was awesome and by far my favourite that we stayed in. It was called the Arts Factory and had been renovated into a hostel from the actual arts factory it was in the 70’s and the rock and roll venue of the 80’s. It was completely open air with a pool, hot tub and hugee tee-pees instead of rooms. It even had a didgeridoo pit where you could take a lesson.

This was ours! ^

We dropped our stuff and then joined in on the free yoga being offered a little Japanese guy who looked a little like Yoda. We hadn’t known before, but we had stumbled on Blues Fest eve and the whole place was buzzing with hippies who had traveled from far and wide to attend the 5 day music festival. Everyone seemed to have dreads, guitars or both. The entire hostel was full of smoke and being there on 4/20 probably didn’t help the matter…no one seemed to mind much despite the hostel’s posters discouraging it and telling us it was still illegal. They even offered an “alternative” tour of the nearby town, Nimbin, which is apparently known for it.

We headed down to the beach as the clouds rolled in. I rented my surfboard and wetsuit for three days and was told, when I asked about the likelihood of being eaten by a shark, that I “would see two metre tiger sharks, but probably not a great white”. Comforting.

The weather grew steadily worse but the water was still really warm so I stayed at the beach for a while Meg and Morgan headed for shelter. That night the rain hadn’t eased up so we just hung out at the local bar watching live music and then followed a couple new friends from our tee-pee to a campsite party. One of our new friends had thought ahead and had Krispy Kremes, “for bartering purposes” as he said. We were strangely divided into a table of Canadians and Americans and another table of purely Eastern Europeans. It was cool to hear everyone’s stories of how they ended up in Byron.

The hut area we had our campsite party in ^

I got up really early the next morning which dawned hot with blue skies and headed to another smaller surf beach called Tallows with a Canadian surfer I’d met. It was absolutely worth getting up early. The waves were great and the beach was completely untouched white sand, strewn with coconuts. Whenever I stood up on my board, I could see shoals of fish swimming beneath me in the crystal water. Amazing.

Sunset over Tallows later that day ^

We spent the rest of the day lying on the beach and Meg and I decided to go sea kayaking. Getting out onto the calmer water was the majority of the challenge as you had to keep paddling as hard as you could towards the breaking waves when you really wanted to throw up your arms and shield your face. We were one of the few kayaks who made it out without flipping over! Once out there, we saw a couple dolphins swimming around while our guides pointed out the other wildlife. We weren’t so lucky when we tried to being our kayak in. Our guides told us that the only thing to remember was “lean into the wave”. We were paddling really hard towards the shore when we caught a wave and began to surf. I was really excited and keep paddling while Meg screamed “LEAN BACK”. We flipped pretty hard in front of everyone who had already landed. Whoops.

That evening we went out to a club called the Cheeky Monkey which was…interesting…but definitely a good time. There didn’t seem to be a single local there, mostly Brits. We would have stayed out longer but all bars were charging a five dollar cover and we decided we’d rather have milkshakes because we’re old and would rather drink milk than alcohol. No luck on the milkshakes since the hostel’s caf� (with the best shakes ever) had long since closed and the pizza place we walked into was not a likely bet. We ended up with ice cream/chocolate milk and chatted to some British guys on the street who had been living in Byron for a few months looking for work.

Sadly the next day was our bus to Brisbane. Meg and I headed to the beach really early again to surf and got some good pictures.

6:45am ^

We were sad to leave right when Blues Fest was just gearing up, but that’ll have to be saved for another time. Two hours on the road and we arrived at Chill Backpackers in Brisbane city. Definitely one of the nicer hostels we stayed in but not as funky as Arts Factory. We still needed to see the Australian wildlife so it was off to Lone Pine Koala sanctuary. We were able to cuddle and stroke the koalas and they were SO CUTE but had really sharp claws so you had to stand really still like a tree. Apparently koala cuddling is banned in New South Wales which is where Sydney is, but since we were just over the border in Queensland when we were in Brisbane, we were able to hold them. Win!

We also were let loose in a field of hundreds of kangaroos. Most were completely unfased by all the tourists trying the feed them and just sat around being lazy, but it was really funny when one did start bouncing around. We also saw wombats and dingos which looked just like regular dogs! Later that night we wandered around the city centre which was full of life and ate a really strange but delicious meal. We shared a pizza, shrimp pasta and Thai egg noodles which didn’t really go together but we were so hungry we didn’t care. Back at the hostel we played pool with some more Brits, rugby players this time, before getting an early night. We said goodbye to Aussie the next morning as we boarded our plane back to New Zealand.

Location: Byron Bay and Brisbane, Australia

Rottness Island and River Cruise

Wow! What a week! I saw the sun rise and set down under. River cruise at night around Perth and Rottness Island. Rottness was all it was hyped up to be for sure as eight of us from Tommy More went from Saturday to Sunday. The island is about half and hour from shore, and about 10 miles around.

To get there the ferries are not your typical ferries but luxury cruisers, that could be mistaken for the inside of an aircraft. Once on the island we rented bikes and went to our campsite where we pitched our tent, which we wouldn’t actually use. The island doesn’t have any cars so you can either walk or ride your bike. We biked about 7-8 miles stopping along the way to look at the beautiful scenery.

At night animals called quokkas come out all over the island, all over the roads, everywhere. They seem to like water and can be aggressive if they want to get food. These are only native to Rottnest Island, so you won’t see them out in the wild anywhere else in the world.

That night we decided to sleep under the stars out on the beach. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life, as you are really secluded and you can see the Milky Way Galaxy. The sand is actually pretty comfortable to sleep on while listening to the Indian Ocean. Sunday we drove our bikes around the island and went snorkeling.

It’s less than 1 month until our Australian Safari up north to the Ningaloo Reef!

(Perth at Night from the River Cruise)

Location: Rottnest Island, Swan River

The Aussie Way

Wow! I’ve been in Perth for almost a week, and what a week it was. It’s been fun meeting students from all over the world: Italy, Netherlands, UK, Canada, Singapore, and of course the Aussies. Everyone here has been so friendly and outgoing, it doesn’t seem that nationality matters.

I was able to go into the city a few times just to get a few basic items. Its interesting that some items like tissues, soap, shampoo are priced about the same as in the States but food is much much more expensive. It’s a good that I have all my meals provided by Tommy More. I learned that the minimum wage here is $15, so that’s about double of the United States so it all evens out I suppose. Downtown area is very pristine and very laid back like much of Australia.

On Tuesday we had to go to an international student orientation put on by the university that lasted all day. Wednesday the college put on a program called a day by the river, which allowed the international students to take part in Australian sporting events. I got to row in a dragon boat, which is a large boat that can fit about 20 people who row, kinda similar to crew. It was a lot of fun and we were out on the water about an hour. That night we had a taste of Australia Dinner, where I ate Kangaroo, Emu, and Crocodile. The kangaroo was the most tender the croc was really hard and tasted kind of like rubber.

Thursday, we were able to go to a wildlife park and I was able to pet a Kangaroo and Koala. That was definitely one of the highlights of my week! The downside has been how hot it has been here on Thursday it was 103! Friday was enrollment day, so I got my student ID and registered for classes. Its time for the start of another busy week, they call it O-week, which is orientation week for all Aussie freshmen and international students, its going to busy but it should be a lot of fun!

Location: Perth, WA, Caversham Wildlife Park

Finally, updates. And Tsavo!

So my blog posts that have been missing since September finally seem to be working. I have not posted nearly enough, but it was hard knowing no one could see them. Anyways, what’s been going on with me lately?

Most recently, a whole lot of work. For the last two days we have been preparing to start out big research projects. Tomorrow we will finally go out in the field to start collecting data. My group is looking at the ecological integrity of wildlife sanctuaries. Earlier in the week we had our big final exam (my last exam ever as an undergraduate student!) and before that we had a couple of essay assignments due. Right before all of that we went on our four day expedition to Tsavo West National Park. So yea, its been pretty hectic.

But, to talk about Tsavo. Out of all of the parks we’ve been to in East Africa, I think that Tsavo might be the most beautiful. We didn’t see the most animals or have the most eventful game drives, but the landscape was simply breathtaking and everywhere we went seemed so perfect and picturesque. We saw Mzima Springs which was like a jungle paradise where clear water came flowing up out of the ground and rushed down into a river. There were hippos and crocodiles there and vervet monkeys that tried to steal our lunches. We got to walk on the Shetani Lava Flow, black shattered crags of rock from an eruption only 500 years ago. We spent a day in the Chyulu Hills which is probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life. The steep remains of old volcanoes are now covered in lush green grass and red flowering trees. We climbed to the top of two different hills, one for a lecture on land use changes and one just for fun. From up there we could see everything, the whole Tsavo ecosystem. We also got a really cool tour of the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary during one of the days at Tsavo. We didn’t see any rhinos, but we weren’t disappointed because we saw something even more rare – a pack of African painted wolves. We were so unbelievably lucky to see them, about 30, just hanging out in the road, playing or resting. Some of our African staff members told us that they had never even seen one before. So that was definitely the highlight of the expedition.

Location: Kimana, Kenya

SERENGETI!

Sorry its been so long since my last post. Last week we had exams for a few days and then went on expedition to Serengeti National Park. We spent 5 days and 4 nights in the park, camping out in tents. Since we’ve been back, I’ve had a lot of assignments due for all of my classes. This is the last week of class here and then we head of to Kenya (already?!?) so we have a bunch of stuff to finish up. Anyways, let me write about my time in Serengeti…

It was a pretty far drive to get to the park. After a couple hours we reached Uldupai Gorge, the “birthplace of humanity.” This is where Louis and Mary Leaky discovered the skulls of Homo erectus and Australopithecus. Then a few more hours and we were in Serengeti. Once we got in the park, we opened up the hatches of the land cruisers and stood up to look around. Serengeti comes from a Maasai word meaning endless plains, and it was clear to see why they called it that. The land just goes on and on in all directions, more vast and impressive than any park we had been to before. There were all kinds of animals, but they often seemed tiny surrounded by the immense landscape. As we drove through the park to get to our camp, a few lone rainclouds decided to let out some drops. It was little preview of the storm we would see the next day. When we arrived at camp, we all got out tents set up and helped to unload all the kitchen equipment and prepare the fire circle and everything that needed done. The campsite wasn’t anything too official; it was just a marked area in the middle of the Serengeti with a bathroom off to one side and a small building to cook in and keep food safe from animals. Anyways, the next morning we got up super early to go on our first game drive. Then we got a lecture from a park vet about wildlife diseases. Back at camp, rainclouds were rolling in as we ate lunch. A little while later it started raining pretty good and we put on our raincoats. Some people headed for the tents right away, but others including myself stayed outside for a bit. We stood in the rain until the wind was freezing cold and a small river began to run though camp. It didn’t take long for the rain to become a storm and we ran into a car for shelter. We waited it out there, playing cards for a while and enjoying the break. But more than anything, I enjoyed the rain. It was amazing to feel the hot sun one moment and the cold rain the next, to be drenched in the water that is truly the lifeblood of the Serengeti.

The next day we woke early again; we had a bird counting assignment. Each car was designated a certain habitat area and transect to drive along. We stopped every so often to identify and count any birds we saw around us. The data we collected is now being used for one of the assignments I have due this week, about the species richness and feeding guilds and stuff. Might not sound that exciting, but I actually liked the bird count a lot despite the fact that I’m not really a bird person. After that count, we started another on ungulates (gazelle, zebra, hartebeest, topi, etc.) with a similar assignment to go along with it. Over the next few days, we didn’t have any other assignments to complete. We did have two more lectures though, one on plant/herbivore interactions and one on tourism in the Serengeti. Other than that, our time was mostly spent game driving. I saw a cheetah and its three cubs drinking from a puddle, countless elephants seeming to amass from all directions around us, a mother hippo running around with her baby, crocodiles hiding in the muddy river, and finally… leopards! On two separate occasions I saw one relaxing on the branch of a tree and one time we were practically right underneath it. It looked down at us, all dignified yet lazy – a most gorgeous creature for sure.

On the last day of expedition, we got to visit Serena Safari Lodge. Quite simply it can be described in three words: heaven on earth. After 4 days of being crammed together in little tents, crammed together in little cars, driving through red dust all day, and sitting in campfire smoke all night, the openness and cleanliness of the lodge was extremely welcomed by everyone. We got to shower and swim in a beautiful pool, order food at the bar, and lay out on comfy couches and lounge chairs. It was like a little oasis in the middle of the Serengeti and I definitely lived it up, loving every second of it. On our drive back to camp, one girl realized she forgot her hat at the lodge. Our Student Affairs Manager decided to go back for it even though it was a long drive and there was a chance we wouldn’t get to camp until after dark. The girl wasn’t in our car but we were the closest to the lodge so we went back. It added at least an hour to our drive, but I’m really glad we did it. We got to watch some pretty intense storm clouds roll by in the distance and see the sunset over the plains which we couldn’t see from camp because of the trees. Seeing elephants silhouetted by the pink sky with lightening flashing in the clouds was a sight I will never forget. It was dark by the time we got back and it was really cool to have the chance to ride in the land cruiser at night, the eyes of zebras reflecting in our headlights as they leapt off the road in front of us. And that night was the best night I have had in Africa yet. After dinner, a few of us decided to stay up as long as we could to look and listen for animals. I lay by our campfire for hours, watching stars shoot across the sky and bats fly above me as lions called in the distance and hyenas walked through our camp. It was beautiful and exciting and I couldn’t have hoped for a more perfect way to end my Serengeti expedition.

Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Ngorongoro and Goat Roast

Today was spent in the largest caldera in the world, Ngorongoro Crater! Our day started early around 5:30. It took awhile to actually get to the crater because it is surrounded by a large conservation area that you have to drive through first. Also, we were having a guest lecture at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Administration Headquarters where we learned a little about the area and the crater. It used to be part of Serengeti NP until 1959. Its different from the park because people (Maasai) are allowed to live in the conservation area and not in the NP. The crater is home to Tanzania’s remaining viable black rhino population. We spent most of the time learning about the main problems facing Ngorongoro today:

-fast human population growth (8,000 people in 1959, 70,000 today)

-spreading of livestock diseases

-tourist and vehicle congregation in the crater

-environmental pollution

-resource overutilization

-modernization of the human inhabitants’ lifestyle

-climate change

-spread of invasive species, particularly plants

Okay, enough about the lecture; more about the adventure!

So, we didn’t have any assignments for the day. Just driving around and taking in all of the awesome-ness. The crater is different from the other parks we’ve visited thus far. Its mostly flat, savannah land. There are small patches of woodland, though, and little lush green watering holes, streams, and hills spread throughout. The animals seemed to be more spread out here, harder to find. I did see three species today for the first time though–hartebeest, hyena, and lion! The lions were definitely the coolest part. And the very first one was the most exciting. Someone just caught sight of it in the corner of their eye as we were driving by. It was actually hunting and was crouched down in the grass, creeping up on a group of zebra and wildebeest. The wind was not favoring the lion though and the group caught scent of her. When she realized she was out of luck, she just stood up and walked away from the group. Which happened to be right in our direction! She crossed the road only a couple feet from our land cruiser. After that, we saw 2 females and a male laying around by a stream with 3 little cubs. As we drove away from that group of lions, we actually got a flat tire. So our driver and councilor/leader had to change the tire just meters away from them! We just watched to make sure the lions didn’t get close.

Two days ago we had a day off of classes. We have one day off each week and we always have something fun planned to do. This day we had a goat roast. We got to watch them kill the two goats and help to skin them. Then we had a mini bio lesson with its insides. (You didn’t have to do any of this if you didn’t want to) It was a little gruesome but interesting to see. Then we cooked the meat, some on the grill and some on sticks by the fire. It was actually really good. Some of it was really tough but still tasty. It was nice to sit around the campfire with all our Tanzanian staff members and to learn how they do things.

Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Tarangire

Amazing day at Tarangire. We all broke into four groups and drove in different areas of the park. Each group ran a transect and counted all the large mammals they saw in order to calculate species density later on. That took all morning and then we went to the safari lodge for lunch. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Driving through the park was incredible. The landscape was totally different from Manyara National Park which is situated between the lake and a chain of steep hills. Tarangire is wide and vast, land stretching far out on all sides. Sometimes there were hills or wooded areas, but for the most part it was shrubland with baobabs and acacias scattered throughout. At one point there was a long row of tall palm trees lining a ridge near the mostly-dry river bed. Throughout the park I was continuously amazed by the beauty of the land, how wild it seemed, how ancient. But this spot in particular stands out in my mind as something unreal. It seemed prehistoric, an illusion of time. I half expected to see a brontosaurus walk out from behind the trees. Although we did not actually see any dinosaurs, we did see some pretty incredible things. Most noteworthy were three cheetahs relaxing in the shade of a bush – a very exciting and rare opportunity. So lunchtime came and we met up with the other groups at the lodge which was, in itself, breathtaking. An incredibly high wooden roof hung above a circle shaped porch which was full of chairs and couches with giant puffy cushions. There was a concrete deck to the porch and the view there was beyond words. I laid down on a soft bench and looked out for miles over Tarangire. The sky was white clouds with patches of clear blue showing through. The land was dry and golden with green and brown trees poking up everywhere. Off to one side the river zig zagged into the distance. There were elephants grazing between the trees and crossing gracefully over the river, tiny babies at the heels of their mothers. Gazelles and dik diks moved among them as well as warthogs and ostriches. I closed my eyes and soaked up the moment. At peace. In Africa 🙂

Location: Kararu, Tanzania

Lake Manyara

Today I experienced my first safari. We spent the day at Lake Manyara National Park. It was UNREAL. We saw monkeys, storks, pelicans, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, zebra, buffalos, wild pigs, mongooses, ostriches, and countless other species, including some I never knew existed. The most exciting part of the day was our encounter with the bull elephant. Driving down the winding dirt road in our land cruiser, standing up in the hatches, we turned a corner and there was this huge elephant standing in the road. He was protecting his herd of females and babies that were feeding in the brush and along the roadside. We stopped the land cruiser and he stared us down. Then he started walking straight towards us! He came very close and our driver and teacher, Kioko, continued ahead. I guess the elephant decided we were okay because he moved to the side to let us pass. But he was inches from us and he was not happy about it. Then he planted himself back in the middle of the road, waiting for the next car. We decided to wait too, so we pulled a little ahead to watch. Well, when the next car came around the bend a few moments later, he stood his ground. He kicked and threw dirt up into the air and wouldn’t let the car through. The female elephants were trumpeting and getting nervous. So the other car backed up and didn’t come past. It was crazy! The bull decided to let us by but not the next people. We were very lucky to have that amazing experience. Everything about the park was amazing actually. From the beginning we saw hornbills and baboons everywhere. Caught a glimpse of both species feeding their young. Soon we began to see small groups of impalas and giraffe. One of the greatest things about driving though the park was viewing all the amazing plants and learning to identify some trees. We saw the incredible baobab, many species of acacia, cordias, the African sausage tree, and something the Maasai call the “testicle tree” because of its paired seed pods. Sometimes these trees lined the road like a jungle, sometimes we could see them growing on the hills and mountains, and other times they were sparse, a savannah landscape. We crossed sandy trenches that will fill with water when the rains come. At times we were close to Lake Manyara itself seeing strips of flamingos in the water and wildebeests along the shore. We stopped at a place where a hot spring runs into the lake and I put the tips of my fingers in the steaming water. We also stopped at a pond where a huge group of hippos live. I saw some play-fighting as zebra, warthogs, and cranes wandered by the pond. It was truly unbelievable. The perfect first safari experience. It wasn’t all tourist-fun though. We were taking field notes throughout the day and now I have two reports due about animal behaviors I observed in the park. A third report is due about the Maasai culture. Tomorrow we will be visiting a boma to learn about their ways firsthand. Although the work is already taking up a lot of my time, I don’t mind it. It’s all worth it to see the things I am seeing.

Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Deer, Wolves, and Bears (Oh My!)

Recently I visited a central Europe’s only Bear Sanctuary which is in Veresegyhaz, a town on the outskirts of Budapest. I was able to see several species of bears that were, unfortunately not anymore, common in central Europe. Among them were the grizzly and brown bears. People were able to put honey on long wooden spoons and have the bears lick it clean. The sanctuary had 39 bears total of varying sizes, from fuzzy cubs to lumbering, furry behemoths.The Bear Sanctuary also had 2 smaller areas designated to Wolves and Deer, also once common animals from the thick, green forests of Europe. It was fascinating to see the ancient ancestor of the modern domesticated dog and observe how it lives. For example, they howled often and lived in burrow systems in the ground. Coming from Pennsylvania, where the deer population is outrageously high, seeing deer wasn’t new. But nonetheless they represent the animals of the European wild and were still cute. Overall, it was a visit full of “oohs”, “ahhs”, and “isnt that cute!” that gave me a good picture of the central European wildlife. bear park 047.AVIbear park 048.AVI

Location: 2112 Veresegyház, Patak utca 39

A Wild Dream: An Introduction

Days until arrival: 115.

So, this is really happening. I just keep telling myself, “this is really happening…”

It has taken a long time – over a year – and a lot of work and stress to make this dream come true. Sometime in the fall semester of my junior year I discovered SFS (The School for Field Studies) and after a bit of research, I was completely in love. The SFS Kenya program was everything I had ever hoped to find in a study abroad program and more. I applied, was interviewed, and was accepted for the fall semester 09. Not long after, I was crushed to find out that Penn State would not apply any of my financial aid to this program. So I could not afford to go.

Well, it’s just not in my nature to take ‘no’ for an answer. Over that year and into my senior year, I devoted myself to finding a way into SFS. I would need to get Penn State and SFS to officially affiliate with each other in order for Penn State to hand over my financial aid money. This meant working with the Study Abroad and International Programs offices at Penn State, my advisors and professors, and the director and staff at SFS, writing countless emails, making phone calls, and setting up meetings. It meant small accomplishments and big setbacks, hoping, crying, dreaming, pushing. And finally in the end… Success. Mine is a story of never giving up, of never letting go of a dream just because it was hard to achieve or because someone said it was impossible. Getting to Kenya will be proof of this. It will be everything to me.

So now, the program has changed a bit since I first applied. Now it is a two-part program with half the semester spent in Kenya and the other half in Tanzania. What was a Wildlife Management program is now a Comparative Wildlife Management program. It still encompasses the same main topics, we just get to experience more of Africa now, visit more parks/reserves, and learn from more people. Here are some of the highlights listed on the SFS site:

Learn about social organization, basic taxonomy, and conservation status of charismatic common large mammals in African savanna ecosystems.
Travel on field lectures to study changing land uses among pastoral communities and implications of these to wildlife management and rural livelihood.
Field research methods learned in this program include large mammal identification and behavioral observations, landscape mapping, game counting, rangeland condition assessment, and participatory rural appraisal.
Develop recommendations and potential solutions to conservation challenges in these ecosystems.
Presentations of research findings to community stakeholders.
Visits to local markets and a neighboring boma (Maasai homestead) for traditional Maasai celebrations, a lecture on culture and artifacts, jewelry making with Maasai mamas, and to conduct interviews for research work.
Community service work in local schools, hospitals, orphanages, and with a local women’s group.

And here is a cute video slideshow of the program:

So that’s about all I got for now. I’ll keep this thing updated as the weeks go by.

Enjoy sharing my dream and my journey,

— Jackie

Location: State College, PA

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Tag Archives: Wildlife

Byron Bay and Brisbane

Rottness Island and River Cruise

The Aussie Way

Finally, updates. And Tsavo!

SERENGETI!

Ngorongoro and Goat Roast

Tarangire

Lake Manyara

Deer, Wolves, and Bears (Oh My!)

A Wild Dream: An Introduction