Everything runs slower on Kenya time

Sorry for the delay since my last post. I am trying to save my internet time and I think updating this uses up a lot of it.

So I had my first flat tire yesterday. It actually probably happened the evening before as I was driving home from the field. But I didn't have time to change it then because we were heading out to see the hyena den at dusk. We saw I think 5 adults and then a bunch of puppies popped their heads out of the den! Adult hyenas are not very cute... but hyena puppies are. By the time we got back from seeing them we were already late for dinner and it was almost dark.
So in the morning I changed the tire and put the spare on (yes I can do it by myself now!) and headed to Kamok to get the puncture repaired. Kamok, by the way, is the fuel/mechanic/butcher station in one corner of the Conservancy property... where you can have your car repaired, get more fuel, and buy steaks all in one convenient location. I had just been there 2 days before to get more fuel and have my oil topped off. And as I have learned by now, nothing goes quickly in Kenya. If you need something done, expect to wait. First, it takes 45 minutes to get to Kamok. Once I got there, I spent 45 minutes waiting for oil because the guy who had the key had gone out for a bit??? Then I spent another 15 minutes waiting for someone to come over and give me more fuel.

So yesterday I get to Kamok early in the morning and tell them my tire has a puncture that needs repaired. They do this a lot, so it shouldn't take too long. Well, it turns out that the puncture in my tire is not on any surface of the tube, but in the valve. They do a temporary repair job (which of course takes three times as long), but say it is not reliable and I will need to buy a new tube to really fix it. The only place to get a new tube is in town (Nanyuki). Going into town takes an hour and is always an ordeal, so I am not feeling too excited about this. Or, he says they can order one. Yes, please do that I say. Well I heard back today via a message through someone else that it appears they are not ordering a tube and I need to go buy one myself. Erg! At least we are planning to go to town Saturday anyway-- for lunch at this restaurant called Trout Tree... which gets its name because it is apparently a restaurant in a tree, like a big treehouse, and they farm their own trout. I don't really like fish, but I'm told they also have steak and chocolate cake! After that we will head to Mpala for Dr. Rubenstein's birthday party. He gets in just that afternoon and is turning 60, so it should be a good party.

Oh, and I almost forgot. After dinner last night we decided to go for a night game drive to try to find a leopard (Robin is desperate to see one). I don't think I have mentioned yet, but there is now a 5th person staying at the research center with us-- this guy Micheal who is a wildlife documentary filmmaker. He has some of the craziest stories... I will have to write them all down and post them sometime. Anyway, he has been here a lot before because he does a whole series on the running of this place showing how they manage a wildlife reserve. He seems to know lots of little spots we had not found yet and took us to places he has seen big game in the past. We did not see a leopard, sadly, but did see
1. a female lion eating a baby buffalo 2. about 20 or more hyenas in a den on a different plain 3. a mother lion and two young cubs 4. and finally, two big male lions just sitting in the grass right by our car.
It was dark, so I did not get any pictures, but it was a pretty good night of sightings.