Utwtu Adventure- Zebras and Caves

On Monday, we met a man named William in town to talk about his interest in purchasing the Better Water Maker for his eco tourism grounds. Utwtu Eco Tourism is actually on the way to Ndogo. He plans to make it a school and community information center, where visitors can see some wildlife and learn more about the different tribes in the region. While still under development, William invited us to visit and take a tour, so John, Paul, and I took the trip to Utwtu on Tuesday. The grounds are fairly large and they have the building foundations for a restaurant, store, presentation area, etc. They are waiting for their permit for about a dozen African snakes, and they also have African tortoises and African quail.

The most interesting part for me was the traditional Masai huts. Built of mud and sticks, they are very small, and even someone my height (5’3”) has to duck into them. They have also built traditional furniture made of sticks, including a very uncomfortable looking bed!  The Masai traditionally had several wives, so the Utwtu Eco Tourism group has had the man’s hut as well as the wives’ huts built.

The Utwtu staff told us about some caves nearby, so we decided to go explore a bit. On the way to the caves, there happened to be a heard of zebra just off the road in front of us. Finally, a closer look for me! I stepped a bit closer to take a few photographs, but got a bit nervous after the head of the herd looked directly at me.  They really are beautiful creatures, though a bit more dirty brown and black than we usually see photographs of them! (Apparently, Utwtu also has a zonkey, which is the result of a zebra and a donkey mating. I didn’t get to see it, but they told me the legs are striped and the rest looks like a regular donkey.)

We continued on our way to find the cave, and while I expected a cave in a mountain, the staff member told me to turn right and all I could see was underbrush. John and I followed him through the bush down and into a rock cave underground. Magnificent! We didn’t have a very good flashlight, so we couldn’t go too deep, but it was interesting to have a look. The staff member kept saying it was used by the Freedom Fighters, so I’ll have to learn more about them. There were hundreds of bats hanging from the ceiling of the cave, and with the constant sounds of them, I was ready to get out pretty quickly! 

Looking out from the cave...

Hundreds of Bats!

Ndogo Continued...

A note about my last post…

On the drive home from Ndogo School, the Ardingly students were crying in the bus. Throughout the week, they had worked hard building a better school for the students and building strong connections with the Ndogo children, and this was the moment that it all came together for them. The Ardingly students had come together as a group at their own school to raise funds for their trip and donations for the school, and the impact of Ardingly on Ndogo School over the years is truly making a difference for the lives of children in both places. The long-term commitment Ardingly has made to Ndgogo School is what I think has made this project such a good one. All of the schools I have visited are grateful for any type of support or relationship with a school from the US or England, but it’s committing to a long-term relationship that will be most beneficial for both schools and all of the students.