Living in the equator (2): sunscreens and sunblocks

"Huh? You mean it's cool/chilly in Nairobi? But I thought it's HOT in Kenya/Africa!" Thus go my friends and family whenever I tell them that I hardly ever sweat here.

Well, Kenya might straddle the equator but a sizeable portion of Kenya lies about 5,000 ft above sea level, including capital city Nairobi. Which makes for very nice temperate weather all year round...

But, there's the rub - it may feel like it's not hot at all but it doesn't mean one can't get sunburned here in Nairobi. Equator and high altitude make for dangerous sunburn.

Since Nairobi lies slightly south of the equator, we are now approaching our "summer." It's a little warmer than usual - 14 - 27 deg C and lots of people have taken to abandoning jackets, pashminas, and shawls during the day. Recipe for sunburn! I have made it a point never to go out without putting on sun protection.

So, I have learned to distinguish between sunscreen and sunblock. Both of them protect against the sun of course. But sunscreens are chemical barriers while sunblocks are physical barriers. (Huh?)

Sunscreens actually absorb ultraviolet rays so these do not hit the skin. All my sunscreens target both UVA or the "aging ray" which weakens the skin's immune system and UVB or the "burning rays" which cause changes in the DNA which in turn can cause abnormal skin cell growth such as cancer. I make sure that Parsol is in the list of ingredients since it's the only chemical that blocks UVA. Or so they say.

Sunblocks, on the other hand, physically block both UVA and UVB radiation on the skin. Apparently, true sunblocks include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

But suncreens and sunblocks's effectiveness depend on their SPF (sun protection factor). I'm sure you all know that the higher the SPF, the better the protection. So when it says SPF 15, it means I can stay under the sun 15 times longer before burning than if I hadn't used sun protection.

So what do I use? I have Neutrogena Age Shield Sunblock "superior anti-aging protection," SPF 45, Eau Thermale Avène Emulsion "ultra haute protection," SPF 50+ and Boots Soltan Moisturising Suncare Lotion "advanced triple protection against long term skin damage," SPF 50+ ultra. These are all hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic but I only use the first two on my face while reserving the Boots Soltan for arms and legs. When I'm just indoors, I use Olay complete care daily UV fluid "everything skin needs most to look noticeable healthy," SPF 15 + vitamins. I guess I'm reasonably protected with all that!

By the way, my sweetie, being of the "mad dogs and Englishmen" type, used to be so stubborn about not using any sun protection. He prefers to sit out in the midday sun and.....burn.... (silly old goat!) ;-p But he has learned to be more careful now.

My fine feathered friends.... (1)

I've always loved birds. When I was a little kid, I remember my uncle Dan
catching a sparrow for me. My mommy put it in her rattan market basket for me and I covered the top with cardboard from my school pad paper. I remember feeding the little bird with some rice grains and then bringing it to my room so I can gaze at it before going to sleep. I was so sad when I saw the poor bird stone cold dead the following morning.

The next time Onka Donka (my mom's nickname for Uncle Dan) managed to catch another sparrow for me, I decided to put little sparrow in market basket behind the refrigerator where it's warm and comfy. (Remember how we used to hang damp clothes behind the refrigerator during rainy days so these would dry quickly?)

Well that sparrow, being the wild bird that it was, lived for only two days. I'm sure it died of heartache at not being able to fly free with the other sparrows...
But I did manage to have another bird for a pet (when it was still more politically correct to keep them). I had Pikoy, my blue naped parrot I got as a present from my then Dutch boyfriend Peter once upon a long time ago. Pikoy, who used to be one of a pair (the other one managed to escape its cage in the old KMP office in Maningning), stayed with us for many many many years, bringing joy and companionship to my parents in Los Banos.

So being an avid birder and photographer, I am excited by the variety of birds here in Kenya (more than 1,000 species according to "Birds of East Africa" by C.A.W. Guggisberg, 1985). I do not have to go on safari (Kiswahili for journey) to watch and take photographs of these beauties. These birds are just in the garden, on the deck of the house, and just about everywhere here in Nairobi and Kenya.

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu © Marlene C. Francia 2007

Now, this dashing gentleman is Mr. Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu.
He's very cute. He's about 9 cm long and he loves millet seeds.
He always travels with the missus.
If you see him, his mate will not be far behind.

This graceful bird on the other hand is the Scarlet-chested Sunbird. I chanced upon him outside the office window feeding on the nectar of aloe blossoms. Brilliant, huh?

The metallic blue speckles on his scarlet chest is diagnostic for this little sweetheart.









I have started putting out millet seeds, bananas, papayas (also called pawpaws here in Kenya), suet, and sugar water to entice more birds in the deck at home. Already I have managed to attract Ring-necked Doves, Baglafecht Weavers, Northern Olive Thrushes, Sunbirds, Buntings, Seedeaters and of course, the ubiquitous squirrels......

Baglafecht Weaver,  © Marlene C. Francia 2007

This brightly colored chap is Mr. Baglafecht Weaver.  Its mate sports a black forehead. I always know they're around because their calls sound like they're playing computer games.

Safari! (1) - Lake Nakuru National Park

July in Kenya is a good time to go on safari. The Great Animal Migration ("greatest animal show on earth") would have already started with millions of animals making their way from the Serengeti plains of Tanzania to the Masai Mara of Kenya.

But first, we made our way to the Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its flocks upon flocks of pink flamingoes. The Lesser Flamingoes (Phoeniconaias minor) are the smallest among the flamingoes of the world. With their pink feathers, boomerang-shaped bills, red long legs and long necks, I was suitably awestruck by these beauties.

We got off our van to go to the water's edge for a closer look while our driver kept a careful anxious eye out for the nearby rhinos and buffaloes. Lesser Flamingoes feed by holding their bills upside down in the water and using their tongues to suck in water and mud. Filters in their beaks (much like that of baleen whales) trap algae, small insects, and crustaceans like brine shrimps and so on. It is their algae diet which gives them their rich pink color. As we watched them feed, I noticed how efficient (and noisy!) they were in finding food. Imagine thousands of birds feeding - a real cacophony!

We also had our first up close look at white rhinos, olive baboons, black and white striped zebras, black and white colobus monkeys and grey and white vervet monkenys. (So much color, huh!) ;)

There are two kinds of rhinos in Kenya - the rarer black rhino known for its high-strung temperament and the much calmer White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). White rhinos can be found at the Lake Nakuru National Park. Our first sighting had us grabbing for our cameras. He (or she) was quite shy and quickly disappeared into the bush. According to Wikipedia, rhinos are one of the few megafauna species left in the world. Behind the elephant, it is probably the most massive land creature existing in the world today along with the hippo of which it compares in size. This rhino we saw is probably around 2,700 kilograms. Hmmmmm...!


A little further on, we saw a troop of olive baboons (Papio cynocephalus anubis). Particularly endearing was this mother and child....













And this Papa Baboon, Mama Baboon, and Baby Baboon!













These baboons may look cute and cuddly but they can be aggressive. They like to eat everything they can find from up the trees to the ground - from leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, roots, lichens, moss to mushrooms, corms, tubers, etc. Baboons will even hunt for small animal! Baboons have been known to hunt for and eat gazelles.
All photos by Marlene C. Francia

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Living in the equator (1): sunrise, sunset

Funny how, at 6 a.m., no matter what month of the year, it is still dark here in Kenya. And the natural "low-cool to high-cool aircon" temperature of Nairobi makes it so tempting to snooze some more, huddled under duvet, way past the 6:30 sunrise.

Sunrise at Shompole

And so, it is not surprising too, to find dusk descending rapidly at 6:30 in the evening. One moment, sunshine, and before you know it, darkness.
Twelve hours daytime, twelve hours nighttime. No more, no less.