As recently hired RA, I came to the field with glorious notions of what to expect from
my upcoming year of hyena research. What I didn’t expect was the extent to
which life in Fisi Camp revolves around camp upkeep and maintenance of our
primary research tools: the vehicles. We spend about 6 hours in the cars each
day following hyenas and recording their behavior. Days where we have to go
collect drinking water from a lodge or pick up camp supplies from nearby Talek
Town or distant Nairobi add to that baseline. Finally, the inevitable occasions
when we get stuck in some sticky black cotton soil gives us researchers even
more quality bonding time with the cars.
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| KAS 830D, one of the Talek Camp Land Cruisers, in action. |
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| The insides of our vehicles are stripped down to the basics. |
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The Land Cruisers are tough enough to cross rivers…
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…and gentle enough for hyena cubs.
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As with any piece of equipment that receives heavy use, the
cars in the Mara develop their own personalities. This blog post is dedicated
to these vehicles that alternately delight and dismay us, but are absolutely
essential to our work. So, without further adieu, the lineup:
In Serena Camp:
KAL 220V
Beverage of choice:
Diesel
KAL is the oldest car in the Fisi Camp fleet. You can tell
she isn’t as spritely as some of her sisters but she is more formidable. The
mechanics at Serena tell us that she is “the oldest Cruiser in the Mara
Triangle” and praise the superior power of the older Land Cruisers. She can be
a bit grumpy however, often expressing her distaste with your driving by
dropping the glove box door open onto your knees and refusing to let you latch
it again. She’s adorned with the
remnants of experimental contraptions from days gone by, reminding us all of
the time she’s put in with the project. You have to be careful driving her
though! While she can pull the Maruti out without any trouble, there is no car
in the Serena fleet that can pull KAL out if she gets stuck in the mud!
The Peanut Gallery
Molly – “I think it's clear
that Serena camp is the unloved subordinate cub of the litter and gets all of
Talek's reject cars. Sometimes, when the windshield wipers
don't quite work, and the headlights won't turn on, and the car doesn't start
in the morning, and the rear axle falls out of the hub, I get angry at KAL.
Immediately after going on obs in the Maruti, I deeply regret this anger, and
feel the need to apologize to KAL, because at least in KAL I've never had to
hold a goat head on a stake out the window on the drive back to camp because it
didn't fit in the car.”
Heidi – “I'm optimistic about
KAL...as it is the car I'm learning to drive in the Mara with! However, I do
NOT enjoy jamming my thumb every time to lock the vehicle. Shouldn't NEW
door locks lock without having to pull the handle up at the same time? Bah!”
Kenna – “This car was here when I was a bright-eyed and
bushy tailed RA, but it was old and decrepit even then. My scariest car
adventure took place with KAL and my visiting boyfriend, Hasan. I was already
nervous having him along. I wanted to avoid all the unavoidable disasters and
make this the best trip he had ever and would ever go on. I told Hasan that the
drive from Nairobi to the Mara "would take 6 hours, as long as nothing goes
wrong." Of course, we ended up with a flat tire and then BOTH of
our spares ended up being flat as well. Shenanigans ensued and our six
hour trip turned into a sixteen hour trip.”
Wilson – “My favorite old car in Fisi
Camp. It acts like a lorry. I like it because it is hard to get stuck in this
car.”
The Maruti
Beverage of choice:
Petrol
The Maruti is the smallest car in either of the camps. Her
tiny little windshield wipers leave something to be desired, the wiring to the
reverse lights have been pulled out by hyena cubs many times over, and her
finicky clutch can make a three point turn a harrowing experience. Still, she
is small and light, making it less likely for her to get stuck in the mud and
easier to push her out if she does. Unfortunately, being small has its
drawbacks during the wet season when the grass can scrape your elbows if they
are hanging out the car window. Add a
lack of power steering and a backseat that isn’t friendly to passengers and you
get a car that both inspires love and hate. You will get some very different
opinions about this car depending on who you ask.
The Peanut Gallery
Molly – “Going on obs in the
Maruti makes me want to throw things. Specifically, to throw things out the
window of the Maruti. Two people, recording equipment, ID books, cans of milk
powder, and bags of meat, do not fit comfortably in this car. It just gets more
uncomfortable the more people you have to add to this equation.”
Eli – “While it may not be the most
practical car we have, I am quite the fan of the Maruti. Its refreshing to hope
into this spritely little machine after driving the tank-like land cruisers.
Just don’t ever try and drive this car with more than two people.”
Tracy – “I love the Maruti because it brings you to the
level of the hyenas. In the Land
Cruisers you are always sitting above their heads, but in the Maruti you can
look hyenas straight in the eye and really get a feel for how large and
powerful they are.”
In Talek Camp:
KAS 830D
Beverage of choice:
Diesel
KAS is the oldest car in the Talek fleet and the one that
I’ve spent most of my time working in over the years. Like KAL, she is stronger
than the newer cars. Unlike KAL, it is hard to find anything bad to say about
KAS (but I’m certainly biased!). She is beginning to show her years but is
still as dependable as ever.
The Peanut Gallery
Kenna – “This cruiser was also
around back in my good ole days when I was an innocent RA, without a care in
the world. Kassy was the newest car we had in camp and she was always there
for us, through thick (mud) and thin (mud). Four years later, she has had
some interesting struggles (like oil spewing from the radiator), but she's
still going strong and no one crosses waterways better than her!”
Chase – "She
drives like a dream...in that sometimes she is a total mess
and explodes oil in the middle of an obs session
while other times you
fly across muddy slides called lugga crossings
with grace and ease in
her powerful body. She's easy to stall but
strong in a fix. Basically,
she's a fickle lady."
Tracy – “KAS served me
reliably during my year as an RA, and she is still strong as ever. My relationship with her started when her
alternator broke during an evening den session during my second month
here. I had to crawl out of the car in
the dark (with hyenas staring at me!) to try to figure out what was the
problem, and ever since then we have had a special bond. Now that I am back, she is my favorite car to
drive around the Mara.”
Benson – “My happiness is when this car is doing alright. KAS 830D or
kasi its name”
KBR 223P
Beverage of choice:
Diesel
KBR is the second newest of the land cruisers and runs as
smooth as any car of her age should. She came outfitted with an extra awesome
metal pole for attaching the tracking. Unfortunately her modifications left
some spaces in the body so it leaks when the rain gets in.
The Peanut Gallery
Eli – “When I left the Mara last, KBR was a brand new pickup
truck. After modification she has become the hulking twin of KAS. Together
these two beastly green land cruisers get the job done!”
Wilson – “KBR is a very good car, my favorite car in Fisi
Camp. But one day, I got stuck in 15 Year Crossing. First I thought KBR was
strong enough not to get stuck but I’ve come to realize that it sometimes acts
silly.”
KBY 665X
Beverage of choice:
Diesel
KBY is the newest of all the vehicles – so new it has not
even been modified yet! All Land Cruisers come originally as a pickup truck and
then undergo a modification process to become a station wagon with a covered
back and two sets of seats. Although the
car runs smoothly, the weight is heavily biased towards the front making for a
pretty bumpy ride over the rough Mara roads. On top of all that, the new car is
Kay’s baby. Extra precaution is required when driving this vehicle!!
The Peanut Gallery
Agathe – “It’s our newest car
but.... For now I strongly dislike it.
It is lighter than the other two Cruisers (KAS is the
best!!) meaning it is REALLY bumpy and that hurts (believe me ladies). I
still have time to learn to like KBY, and I'm willing to give it another
chance. Time will tell!”
Eli – “KBY is the only
car in camp that can carry a stuffed lion, which means Kenna, Tracy and I have
logged quite a few hours crammed into this tiny cab.”
Wilson – “I like KBY
but it is the bumpiest car ever!”
KAH 325F– The Land Rover
Beverage of choice:
Petrol
The Rover is the current town car. It spends most of its
days in Nairobi and is super helpful for us when we need to run errands in town
while the field car is being fixed. This car was originally used by Andy Gersick
during his research in Serena camp. The windshield wipers and turn signals are
on opposite levers from the other cars, which makes for some pretty funny
accidental windshield wiper action while you are driving around town. In fact,
all the dashboard functions are in different locations (Unsurprising – it’s a
British make).
The Peanut Gallery
Ashlei – “Driving through Nariboi is a nerve-wracking
experience for anyone. Add breaking down midway through the roundabout near Crossroads
Shopping Center and you’ve created the perfect formula for a full-on panic
attack. KAH is cherished by some and despised by others. For now I have a
love/hate relationship with this car. It’s far easier to drive in Nairobi than
our Cruisers but be prepared for all the interesting and character-building
situations this car will put you in.”
Kenna – “I love/hate this
car. When it is working, it is a joy to drive (except when you have a
hard time shifting in and out of 4WD). It's also big enough to do a huge
grocery shop yet still small enough to make parking somewhat easier (although
the lack of power steering makes that more difficult). Problem (one of
them) is that it's completely unreliable. My first day in Nairobi this
past June, I had to have a mechanic adjust something under the hood to get it
to start on my very first errand. It is also almost always leaking some
sort of unknown fluid and because it sits in Nairobi a lot, it's always
difficult to know if that puddle under the car developed gradually, one tiny
drip a day for the past month, or if it suddenly dropped that puddle in one
fell swoop two days before we arrived. Actually, the more I think about
it, the more I hate this car.”
Finally, for all the ex-hyena researchers out there, please share your stories or opinions about the cars in the comments. We would love to hear them!
