Monthly Archives: January 2016

Safari First Class – How do you know?

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From a recent conversation discussing differences in Safari firms; just what are the differences? It is dismaying to read itineraries for reported five star outfitters and see the three or four star lodges included in the program for an extremely expensive safari. If you have never been to Africa, most travelers trust a big name firm and assume they are staying in a luxurious five star lodge.

Guides – all guides in Africa have various levels of training and years of experience. An uninitiated traveler might not know the difference between an exceptional guide. An example from my recent Kenyan Safari…we came upon the dangling legs of a wildebeest in a tree – sadly, for  Mr. Wildebeest, he was Mr. Cheetah’s lunch. Several safari vehicles sat directly under the tree waiting for Mr. Cheetah to return…we sat at a distance, out waited the other vehicles and as soon as they departed, Mr. Cheetah leaped on the limb to his lavish lunch…our guide and tracker knew distance was important for the skittish cat to return. We pulled closer to observe the cheetah banquet. Sadly the two other vehicles didn’t view a cheetah that day. Calculating wise guides are as wily as the wild animals.

One of our favorite Safari vehicles

Another important point…look at the vehicles at bottom of post. I snapped these while we rolled through the Masai Mara in a custom stretch Land Rover Defender with luxurious comfy leather seats. Side sheets rolled up for viewing, a very comfortable six passenger vehicle. Racks on top for sitting above or holding on for photos. Built in chargers between the seats to charge camera batteries, the amenity list is long.

Our Safari by Appointment Camp Land Rover

The photos below have vehicles with three seats across – the middle person will be viewing/photographing over the arms of his mates on each side, the windows don’t fully open, and you can be certain there isn’t air conditioning!

You don’t want to be in the middle seat here with windows that don’t open completely on a hot muggy day.

Again- Cramped quarters, small windows, no fresh air, your photos are shot through a window.

There are differences! Our Safari by Appointment team lives in Kenya, they visit the lodges, know the managers, know the terrain.

Experts, Of Course!

Weaving Peace – Joy Ndungutse

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During my brief visit to Kigali, Rwanda, I stopped in at the Gahaya Links Studio to meet the founder of the enriching program for young women of Rwanda. Not just art enrichment, the program has brought financial independence and stability to a large number of women in Rwanda. The years following the genocide left millions of people in exile and in a long transition period to regain a sense of their former lives in Rwanda.

I found Joy Ndungutse at work in her studio in Kigali, following is her bio and a look at a  number of women designing beaded jewelry during my visit.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABIO: Born in Rwanda’s Eastern Province, Joy Ndungutse spent her childhood and early adult years in exile due to political instability in her country. She grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, continuously exposed to the tremendous hardships that women endured with a lot of patience and empathy. Dreaming that one day she would be able to give back to these strong and compassionate women teaching her how to live a humble life, Ndungutse saw an immense opportunity in the art of basket weaving. As both her mother and oldest sister were weavers, her parents were able to cover the costs of school fees with the income generated by the sales of baskets combined with her father’s salary. After graduating from high school, Ndungutse moved to Arusha where she was trained as a secretary. She then worked in a couple of countries, including the USA, for 15 years, where she took her designing classes in the evenings and getting involved in humanitarian projects.

Driven by ambition, Ndungutse’s strong desire to work towards empowerment of women translated into a weaving initiative when she moved back to Rwanda after the genocide. While running a hotel and the country’s first furniture store, she trained local women in rural areas and designed baskets, modern in style and shape, that these women could make using traditional weaving skills and techniques. Before she knew it, Ndungutse was embarking on a long journey that would give birth to Gahaya Links. Today, Ndungutse is a single mother of three, living in Kigali.  She is Vice-chair/Country Director New Faces New Voice Rwanda Chapter, Founding Member of Alliance for Artisan Enterprise and Adviser to Girl Hub Rwanda.  She is delighted to see that the number of women achieving financial independence in Rwanda is increasing over the years and that the local culture is alive and vibrant.

Baskets and beaded jewelry account for much of the merchandise available at the studio or in shops in the U.S. Including Macy’s and the new boutique St. Franks on Sacramento Street in San Francisco.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAEvery basket made by a Rwandan weaver 30,000 stitches. The steps that go into making a basket are complex and intricate. Every single thread you see on these beautiful hand-woven baskets is a stitch. Janet Nkubana of Gahaya Links describes the steps that go into weaving the baskets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tWXSEOhVwU

The Agaseke is Rwanda’s oldest traditional basket, now called the “Peace Basket” as a symbol of unity. Gahaya Links’ success is based on traditional weaving techniques to empower the women of Rwanda and the country’s socioeconomic development.

“If everyone owned a Rwandan Peace Basket it would mean a lot to the people of Rwanda.”

– President Bill ClintonOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAhttp://gahayalinks.com/

We would be happy to introduce you to Joy and her dedicated team if you visit Kigali, Rwanda. Otherwise, please consider supporting this worthy endeavor.