Author name: larryblau

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I hope you enjoy my photos from my recent trip. See galleries below: Amboseli Lewa Bwindi Kibale Love, Larry

Hi Everyone I am writing this final  blog on my way home from an adventure that is so full of memories and experiences. Where do I start? We started in Amboseli, so that’s a good place to begin. The beauty of the flamingoes and the tracking of a lone cheetah are my highlights. I should also mention the beautiful birds and elephants.  Amboseli was full of life and her sunsets will be remembered.  Lewa and the rhinos. I had never seen so many rhinos anywhere in Africa. They were all so healthy and happy that it made me beam with happiness knowing that these rhinos are safe from the horrors of poaching. Wandering off with our driver to a remote area and seeing black rhinos in the tall grass of the savanna. Then watching the sun set. The watering hole we stumbled on and the parade of zebras, elephants, antelopes and buffalo walking by us. I could have stayed there all day watching the action. Seeing a Gerenuk for the first time. Getting up close with a rhino and watching an Oxpecker clean a buffalo. Lewa is alive with life.  Onto Uganda and Bwindi. Watching my porters carry me over hills and through tea pastures. Then being helped by them through the thick and inhospitable jungle. How they carried for me is a memory I will never forget. Then getting up close with the Mountain Gorillas. This trip was mainly about them and I knew that this would be my only chance to experience such a unique creature. Following one family and always being observed by the leader or Silverback. His presence was always front and center and his protection of his family was so strong. Now the chimps. I will always remember watching wild chimps swing from the branches, communicate amongst each other and the memory of watching a chimp charge into a trunk to make a loud drum noise. Getting another chimp to turn around by trying to imitate their sounds.  All my adventures always come back to the people. I tend to associate places by my experiences with the people. The Kenyan people cared for me in such a unique way. They would do anything for my safety and well being.  When I got sick, in Lewa, and how the owners of the Camp, Collum and Sophie, cared for me. When I was taken to the Clinic, how the staff helped me heal.  Then the Ugandan people. The hordes of little children waving to us from the side of a dirt road and their smiling faces. The staff of the two Camps extending their help due to my physical condition. I could go on and on, but now it is time to rest my exhausted body and work on my pictures.I needed to heal from within and Africa was there when I needed her. She will always have a special place in my heart.  Hope you enjoyed our journey Love Larry 

Hi Everyone The chimp trek started out early in the morning. We met our porters and they had my African Helicopter to help me through the dense jungle. Today we are spending four hours with a group of chimps that have not been fully oriented towards being around humans. This should be interesting. I was looking forward to observing their behavior. My porters carried me through a dense jungle that was intertwined with large trees, branches, twigs and vines. A porter was in front of us with a large machete trying to clear the path as best as possible. My glasses began to fog up and I could only imagine what the humidity was doing to my lens.  Masks are required to protect the chimps from any diseases we might be carrying.  Our party was led by a Ranger and we finally arrived at an area where the chimps were in the trees foraging. Then the show started. Forget great photography. It wasn’t going to happen. If I can get one good image today then I would be happy. This is all about seeing and observing a wild creature in its natural habitat. We were able to spot some of the chimps through small openings in the branches and leaves. I adjusted my camera for shutter priority and set my focal  point to be flexible and small.  By reducing the size of my focal point I was able to focus on the chimps through small openings in the branches and trees. The chimps were jumping from branches and then they started to make noise. It seemed like they were communicating with each other. One large chimp jumped down to the ground and hurled himself into a large truck creating a big drum like sound. I walked around the area and was held by two porters, one of each side of me.  There were times when my feet got tangled up in vines and I was hoping that I would not dislocate my new hip.  Some of the chimps came down to lower branches and started to jump from branch to branch. We tried following them, but I couldn’t keep up with the others. My clothes became more drenched and my shirt and pants started to be covered with mud. How special this experience was. I was a stranger in their world and given a rare opportunity to observe and be part of such a wild and natural setting.  Our four hours were up and my porters carried me back to our vehicles. They were constantly rotating and stoping to catch their breath and take short rests. After about one hour, we finally walked out of the jungle and I was let down.  When we arrived back at Primate Lodge, I slowly walked back to my hut and could only think of the cold and long shower that awaited me. After lunch, I drank a cold Nile and rested in a huge chair around the bar. My exhaustion finally took over and I dosed off looking into the trees surrounding the Lodge.  The second chimp trek also started early, but it was limited to one hour and we would be observing a group that were much more conditioned to humans and less active. My porters and African Helicopter arrived and off we went, back into the jungle. After spotting one chimp, we were able to get closer and the chimp quickly accepted our presence. The photography was much better, but I sort of missed the wild nature of yesterdays chimps. We then formed a line with me at the rear. The others were walking at a much faster pace and we finally lost sight of them. The Ranger at the back of the line, or with me and my porters, then advised me that we should turn around and see what we could find by ourselves. The Ranger spotted a young chimp sitting on one of the lower branches. My porters led me to a place that where the vision seemed to be the most direct,  but the chimp was not facing us. His back was visible and then I decided how I would try to fix the problem. I started to make sounds like the ones I had heard yesterday and the chimp slowly turned around to face me.  We made eye contact and I clicked away. An experience that will last a lifetime. We then spotted two chimps eating some fruits high up in the branches. I stood on a hill and was able to capture them with my lens.  Our time was up and we all gladly were driven back to the Lodge for lunch and another cold and slow shower. Our game plan was to go out for a nature walk at three.  The nature walk was quite interesting. We were able to capture some nice images of different monkeys birds. Towards the end of our hike, the group decided to extend the walk a little bit further, but I decided to stay back and wait for the vehicles to arrive. A young boy was selling some small wood carvings that he had made himself and he brought them up to me to try and sell me one. We had a long conversation about his village and what crops they grow. He was very interested in the crops that are grown in America.  He finally got around to showing me his carvings. I bought one and know that whenever I see it, I will remember my brief experience with this poor local boy and how fortunate many of us are.  Tomorrow is my return home and my final day of this long adventure.  Love Larry 

Hi Everyone What a travel day. The bush flight was only about thirty minutes. Short and quick, at least I thought. We boarded our vehicles for a ninety minute drive to Primate Lodge.  The countryside and seeing the way the people lived and went about their day was an eye opener. The landscape was mostly agricultural and we passed by large fields of tea, coffee, beans and banana trees. When we drove over local rivers and streams, I noticed that there were women washing their clothes and many people and children were carrying large rubber water containers. Our driver, Marc, told us that almost all the people had no running water in their homes and they had to go to the closest water supply to fill up. He also informed me that we were in a high malaria zone. The government has given out mosquito nets, but people tend to not use them.  After driving over some of harshest dirt roads I had ever driven on, we finally entered a Park.  It seemed like every half mile, there were large groups of baboons watching us from the side of the road.  We finally arrived at our Lodge and it was appropriately named “Primate Lodge.”  We were met by the staff with refreshments and moist towels.   My permanent hut was a short distance from the bar and dining area. Consisted of a large bed with a mosquito net and private bathroom.  After lunch was a time for resting and doing some photo editing. I do not do much post editing in the field and know that the harder the photography, such as the Mountain Gorillas, normally requires much more editing than I normally would do. It also requires me to experiment with various post editing tools. This sort of work is very tedious and requires much more time.  I already know that I will spend lots of time, on my IMAC desktop, studying and working on some of these pictures.  Love Larry 

Hi Everyone The last two days of Gorilla trekking have been an amazing journey of ups and downs.  Day 1 started with such excitement and anticipation. We all met for breakfast at 6:45, left the Lodge at 7:30 and arrived at the Bwindi Wilderness Orientation Center shortly thereafter. Ourselves and others were entertained by women performing local dancing. After that we were shown a short orientation video and then each small group was assigned a Gorilla family with a Ranger and two armed guards. The trackers for each family had left early in the morning to track that family and radio back to the Ranger when they find the family. We all got back in our vehicles for a twenty minute drive, over some horrible dirt roads, to the start of a trail and where met by a large group of porters and my “African Helicopter.”  I was then strapped in the helicopter, lifted up and off we went.  About twelve porters were assigned to my helicopter and they constantly rotated with six lifting and walking at one time. We traveled up some large hills and into a valley of tea leaves. The porters carried me through the leaves and up and down some more hills until we finally met the rest of the group and the trackers.  I would have never made it this far under my correct condition.  I was then lifted out of the helicopter and two porters came with me. One carried my camera and gear and they other helped me along. The group followed the trackers who were using large machetes to cut a path for us in the dense jungle. The ground was soaked and covered with vines and roots. I fell twice and my clothing became covered with mud and dirt. Finally we had come upon the family. Twines, branches and leaves were constantly blocking our view and it was almost impossible to move closer. I started to take pictures,  but was disappointed by my results and was constantly adjusting my settings to try and come up with the right combination. We walked for two hours, through the densest jungle I had ever been in.  I took some pictures and only hoped that I was able to get one that I was happy with. Besides being the hardest photography I had ever tried, due to the conditions and place, I was unhappy with my results.  When we returned back to the Lodge, the first thing I did was take a long cold shower and strip off my muddy clothing to be washed by the Lodge.  They also took all of our hiking boots and cleaned them for us. It was then time to download and look at what I had. Reality struck. My standards are high, but I was only able to have captured two images that I was happy with. After all that work, and walking through a jungle that was difficult to describe, I only got two images that I was happy with. I focused on the experience I had and how many memories this experience gave me.  I was so tired last night, that when I woke up, thoughts ran through my mind that I should not go on this trek and just rest my exhausted body. That’s not me. Photography always presents challenges to you and comes up with surprises when you least expect it.   We arrived at the orientation center at 7:30, sat through the dancing and then assigned a different Gorilla family. The porters came with my helicopter, I took my seat and off we went. No driving today. We were led down a trail behind the Orientation Center and hiked down to a river and then I was carried over a small old looking wood bridge. On the other side, we were met by the trackers and I was able to get out of the helicopter. The terrain was dense at times, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. Eventually the trackers stopped us and we were able to see a Silverback sitting eating a bamboo stick. The scene started to get better and the family were foraging around us. I was given my camera and decided to be laid back and loose and try a different way of setting my camera and it worked. I started to capture some great shots and this was only the beginning.  We followed the family as they foraged. They even got out of the jungle into a field of tea leaves. This was why I wanted to see the Gorillas. The day was getting better and better. I was able to observe the Silverback being very protective of the family. There were two females or mothers and four young members. By the time our hour was up, I had taken about 2500 pictures and knew that there were some great ones. Imagine if I had given into myself and not gone on this trek? The Ranger told us that about one in ten treks are this good. A big smile spread over my face as I was being carried up to the parking lot. I had seen and accomplished what I wanted to and the gods gave me a present by rewarding my persistence.  Tomorrow is a travel day to our last Camp. This Camp is devoted to chimpanzees and I love taking pictures of them. Not nearly as hard as gorillas.  Love Larry 

Hi Everyone  I did not sleep much as I wondered about the coming days. We ate breakfast at 5:30 and left at 6 for our morning flight to Bwindi. As the one engine plane flew over Lake Victoria, I spotted morning fishermen laying their nets and the world seemed so at peace. When we left Lake Victoria behind, lush vegetation seemed all around. Small villages dotted the landscape and after an hour we landed. On all my previous safari’s, when you land, you can spot some wildlife near the runway or in the short distance. I have previously seen lions, zebras, buffalo and antelopes on my other safari arrivals.  Not this time. We landed in a sort of lush agricultural area and small houses surrounded the runway. Our drivers were waiting for us and we boarded for a ninety minute drive. The road went through small villages where people had opened their stores and lots of locals were milling around. We passed some coffee and tea plantations and the road finally gave way to dirt and rock. Then it got rough. We bounced up and down, through some more villages and past some schools. The driver told me that school is not mandatory and school costs the parents $100 for every three months of schooling. Many people cannot afford it, so their children remain home and eventually do manual labor.  We finally arrived at our camp. It is called “Mahogany Springs”. Lunch and refreshments were waiting for us. We were then given our room keys. My room is spacious, but basic. Mosquito nets are required. I have a nice small veranda overlooking a lush mountain. We are almost on the border with the Congo and during the drive, the driver pointed out the border.  The lodge is situated about a mile from the Bwindi Wilderness or where the gorillas are.  At 3:30 we gathered for an afternoon bird walk. Everyone brought their cameras and our guide began to point out species. The problem was that all the birds he pointed out were tiny and with so much vegetation, it was hard to spot them. I decided to let the group keep on walking and I waited at an area and hoped for the best. Some birds arrived and I was able to get some good pictures. I then decided to go back to my veranda and sit with my camera. Had much more success doing this.  Before dinner, we went over what is going to happen tomorrow and the recommended camera settings. Wake up is at six, breakfast at 6:45 and then onto why I came on this trip and why I decided to not go home early.  Love Larry

Hi Everyone Today s a travel day. I slept in and did not go on the morning game drive. Have not taken a picture in three days and am ready to go. We left Lewa House at 9:30 for a ten o’clock flight to Nairobi and then a two o’clock flight to Entebbe Uganda. I was so tired that I immediately fell asleep on the bush flight and woke up as we were landing in Nairobi. My body has not fully recovered from my stomach issues and the warmer weather seems to have me in a constant dehydrated state. Our walk from the runway to the airport was long and we finally arrived at the entrance to the airport. Everyone had too show proof of a negative Covid test before being admitted into the airport. When we entered, we then had to go through security and then onto checkin. I saw some Oriental people wearing hazmat suits and it certainly looked out of place. If they were so worried of getting Covid, why did they travel? It was then through passport control and finally we were able to sit down, rest and have lunch. I was not very hungry, so I ordered a coffee shake. It was one of the best drinks I ever had and knew full well that I might pay for it later. Andy knew a good massage parlor and I went over there for a thirty minute head and shoulder massage. The Kenyan woman almost put me to sleep as she worked me over. Onto the gate for the final leg. As we were approaching Entebbe, I began to notice how lush and green everything was and we were landing next to a huge lake.  This was Lake Victoria or the second largest fresh water lake in the world. We landed and departed onto a runway and the temperature felt cool without any humidity. The airport scene was chaotic, but Andy hired a company to meet us and guide us through the procedure. We gave them our passports, negative Covid tests and yellow fever vaccinations and they sped us through the process. Once we left the building, I spotted quite a few armed policemen with machine guns observing the scene. The driver loaded us and our luggage into two vans and away we went to our one night hotel.  On the way to the hotel, we passed by a large billboard with the Presidents face on it and asked the driver about him. He told me that the President is 77 and has been in office since 1986. On the last election, he put his opponent under house arrest until the election was over and traveled all around the country handing out money to buy votes. This opponent received 35% of the vote under house arrest. The average age is fifteen. No old people here. We finally arrived at our hotel and I immediately stood under a cold shower to cool down and regain some energy. We wake up at 5 and leave at 6 for a one hour bush flight to our first gorilla camp. My excitement and wonder is starting to peak.  Love Larry

Hi everyone  Lewa is awesome. It is so beautiful, but the sun catches up to you. You do not sweat since it is so high up. On Day 10, we had an awesome game drive. Our driver, Rufus, took us to a part of Lewa that we had never seen. We were able to go off road and got some amazing pictures of rhinos and zebras in the tall grass as the light was changing. The grass turns a golden glow as the sun comes down the horizon. I so love taking pictures in Africa at this time and love how the grass creates a picture of natural beauty.  Did not have a good start to Day 11. Woke up all night and felt that there was a volcano erupting in my stomach. Spent the night in the bathroom and that morning, I was transported to a local clinic. They immediately took my blood pressure and told me it was very low so they put me on an IV to hydrate.  I was so tired that I slept most of the time. The clinic then tested me for parasites and turned out negative. It as then time for my Covid test. Swabbed both my nose and throat. Need this to enter Uganda. I feel fortunate that this was the first time I had ever been sick in Africa and after eight times, consider it fortunate. I cannot say enough about the clinic. They were very attentive and caring. I was considering cutting my trip early and flying home, but one thought has kept me here. Would I resent myself if I do not see the Gorillas and the answer is a resounding YES.  So we move on to Uganda to see and experience something that is unique and scare in the world.  Love Larry 

Hi Everyone Yesterday was a travel day. We first woke up early for our final game drive at Amboseli. Amboseli was unique. I will never forget the Lesser Flamingoes and the other creatures that make Amboseli their home. Also, seeing how the Masai live and joining them at their Olympics was such an amazing experience. How happy and content they seemed with so little. How hard their life is and I was fortunate to be able to see their world.  We boarded our bush plane for a one hour trip to Nairobi. Our plane first landed in the international airport so that four people from the group could fly home. Karen, Andy and myself then stayed in the plane for a short five minute hop to the smaller bush plane airport. We checked into the same hotel we had spent our first night. It felt so comfortable to feel the A/C and unfortunately catch up with the horrible news around our world.  That night four new people joined our group and the following morning we took another bush plane to Lewa in Northern Kenya. I slept through most of the flight and was awoken as we landed on the dirt runway. Michael, a local Masai, was there to greet us. The first thing I noticed was how cool and crisp it was. We were 6000 feet up and felt no humidity. Andy immediately told us to take out our cameras and that we would have a small game drive before going to Camp. We immediately ran into some different looking zebras and giraffes. The zebras had thinner stripes and the giraffes had a deeper and darker color pattern. I was told that these sub species only lives here in the higher elevation. Some Ostrich came over. The males are quite striking and then we saw them. The Rhinos of Lewa made an appearance. There are over 200 here and I sort of felt happy and sad at the same time. Happy because Kenya cares about their survival and sad because of the situation that mankind has put them in. The wildlife seemed to be all over and my heart started to pound knowing that we would be here for four nights.  Our Camp is named “Lewa House” and it is owned and managed by a Scottish couple who were both raised in Kenya. Their two children go to a boarding school in the Rift Valley or southern Kenya. Sophie, the wife, is a pilot, and she flies the children to school on Monday morning and picks them up on Friday afternoon. My living quarters is large with a beautiful veranda, my own bathroom and shower and an outdoor bathtub. My huge bed is draped with a mosquito net and I am looking forward to using it tonight.  At four o’clock we went out for our afternoon game drive. To call it memorable is an understatement. I saw some creatures I had never seen before. One animal that struck me was a “Giraffe Neck Antelope”. I captured a picture of one standing on his hind legs and eating some fruit off of a bush. The Elephants were majestic and there were so many babies. I even saw some birds that I had never seen before, but the stars were the rhinos. There were babies and all seemed so happy. It warmed my heart.  We even got some pictures of lions resting in the tall grass.  My excitement is peaking and I can’t wait for the morning game drive. The wildlife life is abundant and no one is around. We are the only guests at the Camp and the situation is just as I like it. Love Larry