Borehole issues

SO! Now our borehole has collapsed. Amazing how the shit just keeps on piling up.


Our water started running out a few days ago and we have cleaned the pump and yet still there was not enough water. We had to get our tractor to bring water from our bottom reservoir to our top camp reservoir so we and the guests (full camp still) could have water. I was going home at 4:30PM and saw our tractor reversing it's loaded trailer carrying the 5000l water tank where we would decanter into the 30,000l tanks above the camp.

First load of about 9000L took us 2hrs round trip to complete. As the tractor was reversing it tippled over and the 5000l water drum fell into the reservoir smashing itself into pieces and breaking the pipes and taps joining tank 2 &3 in the reservoir. So we had to add pipe and bi-pass one 10,000l tank

Long story short – after 2hrs of blood sweat and (almost) tears, in the rain I might add, we  managed to salvage some water and  are using only 2 tanks now at the top.

We have now had to borrow a water tanker from one of our neighbours, which is doing 3 round trips a day to Bologonja and it is still not enough water. 

The drilling rig is only coming later in the week, so we are in a bit of trouble here and it is going to cost around US$40,000. I need to go on leave, especially since on top of all this and previous crap mentioned in earlier blogs, I have been accused of using non-villagers to patrol our land for cows. 

Its so funny (not really) how I am being dictated to by a few greedy Maasai who want it all, how I am allowed to run my operation here.

Financial month-end, then holiday for a month in SA. It cannot come fast enough!

The Migration Arrives

Amber and Ant arrived to visit us and arrive just in time they did. Yesterday the migration was in full flow through the concession. Below is a video taken from our house this morning.


Last year the wildebeest arrived on 24 August and were two months early. This year they arrived on 20 August. We believe it is because we have had some winter rains and now some of the wildebeest instead of crossing the Mara River are heading East to us for some good grazing.

My clever little Golfer

Jackie playing golf in our bedroom. I must add that I get a shot for every 30 of his :)

And still, it continues...

Guests that are more suited to a hotel have been very demanding for the last 3 days. They want impossible things, like closed vehicles, slippers (still on their way from SA after a delay, and couldn't get any on the circuit),a sit down lunch in the Serengeti on the Mara River - a 3hr drive away - with a full compliment of butlers and chefs. Logistically impossible at such short notice, not to mention the lack of Tanapa sense of humour at seeing something like that setup along "their" river. Also they didn't want any guest delights or bush banquets that we offered. 


Hectic winter rains have caused the Grumeti River to flood and block off our access to the airstrip and couldn't pick up freight yesterday. 


Large rainfalls and cloudy weather have hindered our solar heated water geysers and we've have had to run our geysers directly on the generator, causing blackouts and other major logistical issues in the office. Our generator is on its way to Arusha to get an overhaul and now need to plan for a rental to come up as the spare that was so recently fixed in Arusha is not working - obviously.


Massive cow problems continue still, with areas being completely over grazed by Maasai cows. I have now employed 15 Mgambos (local Patrol) to help keep the cows out of the concession. They are on a 1 month contract and will be transported, housed and fed by us. This is the second last resort before my final plan to eradicate cows once and for all. They are a pest to predators and to the land.


Looks like more rain coming, but we are still able to do fantastic game drives for the guests both in the concession and to the Mara River to see the migration every day.

Another day in.......um.....Africa

This is an email I wrote to my regional managers and director.
The names of the Govt. officials have been changed to protect the innocent and the dumb.

Hi Wayne

If you have a spare minute - A delightful short story:

Yesterday, we pulled in the Wildlife Department’s Game Control Officer, Mr. Braaivleis (my big mate) yesterday to come advise on how we should deal with a buffalo that has been hanging around and which chased guests and askaris 2 days ago. As a draw card, we obviously had to pay for their diesel to get here and give them lunch at 4PM.

Anyhow Mr. Braaivleis, our esteemed comrade, and HIS esteemed comrades, carrying an assortment of different calibre rifles (even a shotgun) decided that shooting the buffalo was the best option. These guys managed to take about 7+ shots to bring the animal down. However there were 3 of them, so 2  got away with haste. All this havoc and mayhem only to find 5 buffalo taking refuge in my carport this morning. Probably making their way down to RM 10 as we speak. Brilliant!!

Anyhow they chopped the thing to bits with pangas and loaded a variety of ‘cuts’ into their pickup. As you can imagine there was nothing left for the hyenas. A guest saw blood on one of the WD guy’s pants (where & how I don’t know) and mentioned to Karen that it must have been killed. This all happened around 5pm, when guests were meant to be out on drive but came back early due to some rainfall. The story we told the guests was – they were chasing a rogue buffalo bull away from the lodge with gun shots. And after the guest mentioned the blood to Karen she added - it must have turned on them and threatened their lives so they had to unfortunately shoot it.

These guys are such cowboys, they bashed their vehicle up the steep hill to get to the carcass on very wet ground (no idea about conservation). They took out their spare wheel to make space for the meat and rolled it down the hill towards the open plane. On the way it almost hit our vehicle parked on the road (not allowed on the wet ground), which it would’ve smashed up as it was going at a serious pace. It rolled over trees and bushes and halfway towards the open area with a couple of WD guys chasing after it laughing and screaming, which I am sure our guests did see and definitely heard.

So long story short, if we get any complaints you now know why J

It doesn’t end there though. Obviously! Mr Braaivleis has given me letter asking for a donation to put him through wildlife college for a year. The cost of his tuition is $6,860. As much as it pains me (and it seriously pains me), I think we should make a contribution, if not all of it, then possibly half. I am not sure what budget you have for this sort of thing. He is an important and influential dude and can make our lives easy or difficult depending on his mood. He will be a good oke to have on our side. Let me know your thoughts.

Oh BTW, the tuition fees is for a Professional Hunter’s Course – Hilarious!!

And yes, just to confirm, it is still the Wild Wild West out here.

Cheers

Matt

Lions Roaring - Our morning Alarm clock

A crappy July 2011

July has been a terrible month!!!

• Had a meeting with the Maasai village council, where they accused me of practising witchcraft. This is due to the fact that we started removing cow bells from the cows illegally grazing on our land.
• I was charged at the local police station for practising witchcraft - the charges were eventually dropped.
• I was expected to pay the Maasai who's cows were dying because I took their bells, but further proof showed they were just trying to extort money off me once a gain, as their cows were seen grazing the next day on our land - illegally.
• In the same breath they asked me for money too make improvements in their clinic.
• Cows continued to graze on our land every day for the whole month, most cows belonging to the village council members who we pay a lease to use the land and whereby they ensure it is free of cows - what a JOKE!! ........ There is one thing about a Maasai - they want everything and cannot honour an agreement. It is not within their capabilities.
• Both our washing machines broke. Our poor laundry okes are washing sheets and clothes etc. by hand. They are still broken, as we can't get the parts here in TZ.
• Room 6 flooded, due to a burst tap.
• Had one guest who was given a  private vehicle by the agent for 3 weeks, so had a shortage of rangers and vehicles for the whole month, in which we have had our highest occupancy ever. It was a complete logistical nightmare.
• This one guest got stranded in the Serengeti due a to the back diff's tube housing snapping on his way back from seeing the migration. Another logistical nightmare!
• Most staff had a brain fart at some point in the month and just couldn't remember how to do their jobs - very tiring!
• Spent 5 days in Arusha for the 4th round of wage negotiations, which were thankfully completed. I was exhausted, but did get to play 2 rounds of golf :-)
• To top off the month (before I had to deal with financial month end on the 31st). I was hosting bush dinner one night before the heavens opened. Myself and the staff got completely drenched packing up, and while Tiff and I were lying in bed at about 23h00 we heard a massive crack and a thump and our house was hit by lightning. We had 50mm of rain and we woke up to a flooded house. It took a week to get online, and the support team worked their butts off too.
• The following items were ruined by the lightning: - 
• Repeater radio station
• Telephones - burnt out our system in the office
• Satellite internet (router burnt)
• Therefore no communication with the outside world and considering we don't get cell phone signal except for the occasional SMS - we had a tough time trying to organise running the camp
• 5 wireless D-Link boxes
• 4 network switches
• 1 DSTV decoder and an LNB
• 2 TV's (including ours). Not sure when the company will buy us another one, so no CBeebies for Jackson for a while
• Mine and Tiff's Laptops - have gone to SA to get repaired
• 1 Desktop PC
• 1 credit card machine
• About 20 light bulbs
• 2 plug points
• Month End happened :-) as it does every month

 

The drive to Bilila

On the upside, Tiff, Jackie and I did get to spend 2 nights at Bilila Lodge in the central Serengeti for free, as I know the manager there, however all the extras were exhorbitant to say the least. However it was worth it. The short break was so needed and so appreciated by all of us and was a little blessing.

Our swimming pool in our junior suite at Bilila