27 November 2011
Samburu, Kenya
A multitude of birds are chirping outside in the trees overlooking the river that snakes through this duo of national reserves in Kenya. Samburu and Buffalo Springs sit almost squarely in the middle of Kenya. The landscape consists of low thorn bush, acacia trees, and a few grasses along the water’s edge. Strange multi-branched “doum palms” line the riverbanks, looking a bit like coconut trees trying to evolve into something else in a hurry (see my friend Andreas Gros’ beautiful photo here). Faint blue outlines of hills rise in the distance.
Peek-a-boo!
Sukau is a sleepy little town on the eastern side of Sabah, tucked along the Kinabatangan river. What brought me here is an unlikely acquaintance made via Facebook. A few years ago I got a message from one Nurzhafarina Othman saying she was studying the social organization of Bornean elephants, and she had come across my thesis – could I answer some questions for her? Of course, I said, and so began a little exchange of emails about studying elephants. I grew curious to meet Farina, who seems an unlikely candidate to be traipsing around the forest given her otherwise conservative Malay Muslim background. Since I too come from the Sri Lankan Malay community, it seemed we had a lot in common. Little did I know. 
Maximus 