Did you know that chimpanzees are about 96% genetically the same as we are?  On Earth Day Walt Disney Films released the documentary film Chimpanzee.  I have not had the time to see it yet, but I am eager to experience the story of Oscar, a young chimp who is orphaned, but is taken in and nurtured by an adult male chimp.

While I did not get to witness that story in the bush (thankfully or I would have wanted to bring Oscar home) I did get to see an amazing sight that proves that the urge to take care of our children is common to all of us primates.  When Diane and I tracked chimps in the Mahale Mountains on Lake Tanganyika  in Tanzania, we got to learn about and be introduced to Gwekula.

Gwekula is a spinster with a bad hip and cannot have babies.  But the fact is that she loves children, so she found herself the perfect job: Chimpanzee nanny.  For the troupe of chimps we followed, she was Mary Poppins, only hairy and without the umbrella.  When the moms are off gossiping and grooming each other Gwekula is all too happy to babysit.  Watching her play with another’s baby chimp, turning him upside down while he squealed with joy, proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that these guys are our cousins!

You can read more about our experience in a Los Angeles Times Article that Diane wrote and I did photos of.  Click here

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An Old Friend of Mine - My Passport

An old friend of mine is expiring and I am very sad about it.  I am frustrated because there is nothing I can do to prevent it.  I have known this friend for almost 10 years.  This friend has been with me on every one of my adventures and has helped me each step of the way.  One time my friend got too thin and I had to fatten my friend up so that it could continue to travel with me.

My friend has been touched by many people and has helped me collect memories along the way.  As I sit here on a quiet Sunday with my old friend we reminisce together about the times we have shared.  From that glorious time of kayaking in North Vietnam and realizing that I was in a beautiful place that many decades before I came close to having to go absurdly fight against and to West Africa where I witnessed voodoo ceremonies that few had seen.  We also reminisced about that fateful trip to Tanzania with my amazing children that set me down a life path to follow a dream to start Infinite Safari Adventures and share with people my love of Africa, its wildlife and its people.  My friend was always there with me.

Sadly, soon I will have to send my friend away to be replaced by a new friend.  It will be thinner, emptier and not as worn and warm as my old friend – but I know that will soon change.  And I can take comfort in the fact that my old friend will arrive back to me accompanied with my new friend, where I can keep it safe and every so often we can visit and reminisce about those wonderful adventures of 10 years that we shared together. I wish they would make passports that were good for your entire life.

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The Fowler Museum of Cultural History is one of my favorite places to visit in Los Angeles. First I am a UCLA grad. It’s nice to get a chance to see what’s up at the old campus. Second, as a member of the Los Angeles Adventurers Club and as Southern California chapter chair for the international Explorers Club, it’s wonderful to have a place where I can experience the culture of many lands without going far from home (I’m a big fan of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Orange County for the same reason).

And now, two local arts patrons have made the Fowler Museum even more attractive to me: Deborah and Jay Last of Beverly Hills have pledged $2 million to endow a position of curator of African arts.

I just can’t get enough of Africa, and now I’ll have even more to enjoy nearby. Jay Last is a collector of art from West and Central Africa. I had the pleasure of exploring West Africa in 2009 when I explored voodoo ceremonies in remote villages. The Lasts’ major collection of works by the Lega peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was donated to the Fowler and became the centerpiece of the Fowler’s 2001 exhibition Art of the Lega. These beautiful photos from the Last collection are ivory artifacts from the Lega, circa the 18-19th century.

We at Infinite Kayak Adventures would like to applaud the Lasts for sharing their collection and their love of Africa with Los Angeles. And the best part about the Fowler Museum is – admission is free!

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Alan of Infinite Safari Adventures with Maasai Friends wearing Maasai beads

While Maasai are historically polygamous, Patrick has one wife and 3 amazing children.  Patrick has a son Leyian, a daughter Sein and a baby boy Soipei.  His wife Agnes is a beautiful talented woman who is an incredible bead artist.  In fact Agnes and Patrick have been to New Mexico to display her artistry at the internationally known Santa Fe International Folk Art Market.

So many things impressed me Patrick, his family and village.  I could go on and on but here are a few.

First, Patrick borrowed a car to drive us the 25 kilometers to his village (it was that or walk with all my luggage – something I had just done in the rains in Tanzania and did not want to do again.  Check out (Read Meet my Maasai Rafiki of Kenya – Patrick Papatiti).  In the little town where our bus stopped there were several members of his village who caught a ride.  All the way back there was laughing, talking and joking.  I had no idea of what was being said but everyone was enjoying themselves. When we arrived at the village I gave gifts to Patrick’s children.  I was expecting, as children do here to be possessive of their new gifts.  Instead everyone shares.  A soccer game started immediately with all the kids and Sein let a little girl wrap her doll and carry it like a baby –just as the women do.  Everyone was so friendly.  Every single person who came by stopped by to say hellow with a smile on their face.  And while they may not have the possessions we have they are very generous as the beaded gifts they gave me.

We can learn a lot about how to live a happy life from the Maasai.  I know I certainly did!

My Maasai Rafiki Patrick & His Family

Happy Maasai Children at their village

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Maasai Barbecue

When I arrived in Patrick’s village I had no idea what I would eat.  Would I drink blood and milk as is traditional of the Maasai?  Would I eat corn? Would I eat something that was hunted?

It turns out that I would be honored by the butchering of one of their goats that would be cooked in my honor.  Living in the U.S. my experience is going to the market and buying some meat.  Here a goat was led away from the herd.  Laying it down on a pile of greens and covering its eyes and mouth it was quickly and humanely killed.  While I was given a lesson on butchering a barbecue was prepared and the meats were stuck on sticks cut from a local acacia tree.

After the meat was thoroughly cooked I was informed that different parts of the goat are given to different parts of the community depending on gender and age.  As I was one of the “elders” I was given some liver as well as some of the ribs.  It was delicious!

However, what I did not know is that I would have that goat for breakfast and dinner for 2 straight days.  Now I know why the Maasai are so trim and fit!

A Maasai Barbecue

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Patrick in his comfortable Maasai dress

In 2000 my wife Diane and I made our first trip to Africa.  We are an example of what happens to people who go to Africa – it gets under your skin. While the African wildlife and wilderness is magical, it is your bond with the people you meet that will last a lifetime.  There we have made friends with people who have nothing by American standards, yet are the richest people in the world.  Like so many others, we wanted to do something to give back for the wonderful experiences we have in operating our safari company.

When we returned from Africa it was time to go holiday shopping.  In addition to my kids the most important person to shop for is our dog Heidi (who like my wife is a journalist in her own right  and rights a column. In searching on the web we found an organization called Beads For Education a group that raises money to send Maasai girls to school.  One of the ways they do that is to sell Maasai beaded dog collars, which we promptly purchased for Heidi and some of her friends.

From that we came to know Debby Rooney, the amazing founder of BEADS.  While many of BEADS supporters were women Debby asked me if I would be interested in supporting the education of a Maasai warrior who wanted to go to college. She introduced me to Patrick Papatiti, an amazing Maasai warrior.  Patrick is going to the United States International University in Nairobi and is scheduled to graduate this year.

Patrick is an incredible person – comfortable in his Maasai ways as well as one who also lives part of the time in Nairobi.  While he may dress differently depending on where he is the one thing that amused me was that he and his fellow warriors were never without one important thing – no not a spear, or walking stick, but a cell phone!  It is amazing to me that I can email with Patrick from his phone.  He has wonderful ideas for his village and himself including possibly running for office, starting a business (we are working on an exciting project together that will involve beads and dogs – stay tuned) and finding ways to fund the education of the children of his village (stay tuned for that too). We had the chance to meet in person a couple of times and recently I went and stayed with him at is village (more to come about that incredible experience).

But most importantly I am proud to call Patrick my “rafiki” – my friend.

Alan and Patrick in Nairobi

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Alan Feldstein On Adventure in Tanzania

The old phrase “The best laid plans of mice & men often go askew” is from a Robert Burns poem and became the title of John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice & Men.” Well our last day in Tanzania certainly fit the bill!

Every day during my time in Tanzania the skies were filled with beautiful white clouds and every night it rained. It was wonderful to fall asleep to the rain falling on your tent. But on the last night it poured! It rained so hard that the dry riverbeds running through the park became swollen rivers. While we were able to cross the first river with our bags across our head (we did not want to ride in the car as it was at risk of getting swept away) when we got to the second river there was no way anyone was crossing. And we had a plane landing on an airstrip to pick us up in a couple of hours.

Our first idea was to call all the lodges on the other side to meet us on the other side of the river, but they could not get out of their camps either. We then called TANAPA, the Tanzanian National Park Authority, and asked for them to help us. They could not get a car to us either. What were we to do? Then to complicate matters our driver decided to move the car to the side of the road where it became hopelessly mired in the mud. Now there was only one option left – an option vehemently vetoed by TANAPA. That was to walk 6 miles (with our heavy luggage) through the park to a place where we could get picked up.

Safari Vehicle Stuck in Mud in Tanzania

After several phone calls TANAPA finally relented. So off we went with our Maasai drivers helping carry our luggage. Now the reason TANAPA did not want us to walk was because there were lions, elephants and other wild animals in the park and the animals did not know we had permission from TANAPA. So, when we got to areas of heavy brush we clapped our hands, and sang loudly and badly. Fortunately all we saw were giraffe, impala and some hyena tracks.

After several river crossings and walking through muddy roads we got to our last river. There was a TANAPA truck waiting for us. They were very helpful bringing us to their headquarters, giving us a place to change and feeding us a delicious home cooked lunch. Steve got on the phone and was able to convince a plane to make a detour to pick us up for a flight back to Dar Es Salaam. Who knows we may have had another first. The first to be allowed to walk through Ruaha National Park!

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Explorers Club Exotic Food: Cricket Atop a Stuffed Tomato with Crab Salad, Python in a Pepper Sauce and Grubs in a Mushroom Cap

I am a member of the Explorers Club (www.explorersclub.org) I am proud to be a member as we have an illustrious history. Explorer Club expeditions have taken place on both poles, Mt. Everest, the moon and just recently our Academy Award-winning member Jim Cameron arrived at the deepest part of the ocean.

Every year an annual dinner is held near the club’s headquarters in New York. It has been traditional to serve “exotic” foods at the event. Last year they didn’t because someone did not strip the tarantula legs well and some people got heart palpitations from the digitalis like contained in the hairs. But this year was different.

At the reception we were treated to some real delicacies – cricket atop a stuffed tomato with crab salad, python in a pepper sauce and grubs in a mushroom cap. The cricket was crunchy and the python a little peppery but all very tasty. You can get the Los Angeles Times take on it by reading food writer Rene Lynch’s article; N.Y. chef promotes roaches, other insects as food of the future

This is not just food to test the bravery of us explorers. Instead much of this is to highlight alternatives for sustainable foods. Chef Burt Rurka also served cockroaches which he says are similar to lobster. Sadly I missed those.

I can’t wait to see what they are serving next year!

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Weaver Bird on Safari in Tanzania

Everyone who goes on a wildlife safari wants to see the Big 5. That is Elephants, Lions, Buffalo, Leopards and Rhino. They are called the Big 5 because they were at a time the 5 most difficult animals to hunt on foot. Now they are the ones that everyone wants to see on the game drives. It is breathtaking to see these animals in the wild. But after seeing the Big 5 (though rhinos are rare) as well as Giraffes, Zebras, Impala and all other sorts of mammals (and reptiles) you begin to focus on the incredible variety of birds that are found in the parks.

I admit I am not a “birder” but I have learned a lot about the birds of East Africa and the unique ways they adapt to the environment. They range from the beautifully blue Malachite Roller, to the Saddle-Billed Stork and the clever weaver birds who build their ball-shaped nests hanging from trees with the entrance at the bottom to prevent predators from getting to their young.

They are fascinating to watch and beautiful to see. So when you go on a wildlife safari don’t forget your binoculars or zoom lens to see the wide variety of feathered residents of the wilds of Africa.

Malachite Roller, Selous Tanzania

Saddle Billed Stork in Tanzania

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I thought I would interrupt my travelogue about my latest trip to Africa to tell you about a really neat exhibit I saw this past week. Whenever I talk to people about coming to Africa the first question I get asked is “is it safe?” As stated in a previous blog post here Is it Safe to Travel to Tanzania, the answer is – yes, it is very safe.

Some of the more popular other questions include what is the food like? Or will I really get to see lions up close? But somehow potential travelers are more worried about encountering snakes than any other single thing.

Popular media has made people think that when you go to Africa you are going to be walking around a snake infested area à la Indiana Jones and that you will get bit, take one step, collapse dramatically and then It’s goodbye, Cleopatra. But that is not the case. In fact in my 12 years of going to Africa I have seen a total of 3 snakes and never in any area where I have stayed in a camp or lodge. I saw one on the side of the road, one squished in the middle of the road and one in the mouth of a bird.

But if you are in Southern California and you want to see snakes (and lizards, frogs, alligators and all sorts of amphibians) in a nice safe way then go to the Los Angeles Zoo and check out the brand new LAIR exhibit. LAIR stands for Living Amphibians Invertebrates Reptiles, and My wife Diane and I were lucky enough to be invited on the beautiful opening day in early March. It was fun, with a ribbon cutting ceremony by one of our local politicians (I won’t start in with the politician-snake jokes as our L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge is a good guy).

With the help of animal lover and champion Betty White and contributions from other generous LA Zoo donors, the $14. 1 million LAIR’s principal building is beautifully designed with a green roof – that is, covered with plant life to keep things cool inside — and cool-looking tile patterned to look like a giant snake skin. There are snakes and other reptiles and amphibians from all over the world including some green mambas, an arboreal venomous snake from Africa. And being able to see them up close you can really experience how beautiful they are – especially when on the other side of a thick piece of glass. Named after Betty White, America’s funniest senior citizen and animal lover, “Betty’s Squeeze Room” also includes the Chinese Mangshan viper and the bushmaster, the largest venomous snake of the Americas.

So if you want to see snakes come to the LA Zoo, because in Africa you won’t see them up close — if at all.

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