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Gedi is an abandoned city in Kenya that had a stone palace, several stone homes, and a mosque, with features such as a water system that put medieval Europe to shame. Relics from Europe and Asia have been found there, indicating global trade. The city had a population as high as 3,000 people at its height in the 13th century. But for some reason, the residents left and no one has lived there for hundreds of years. See lots more pictures of Gedi at Kuriositas. Link -via the Presurfer
(Image credit: Flickr user Viaggi Spensierati)
These cool metal sculptures, of celebrities like John Lennon and Andy Warhol, have such soft edges and fine detail that I was surprised to find out they’re made out of chicken wire. Kenyan artist Ivan Lovatt uses skills he learned from working in construction to create these metal masterpieces, and like a good builder he’s built sculptures which are durable enough to weather any storm!
Hit the link to see more of Ivan’s creations, including his amazing renditions of wildlife in wire.
Wildlife photographer Jean-Francois Largot took a fascinating sequence of photographs of a lion cub rescue in Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve. The cub apparently slid part of the way down a cliff face.
Clinging on for dear life to the side of a vertical cliff, the tiny lion cub cries out pitifully for help.
His mother arrives at the edge of the precipice with three other lionesses and a male. The females start to clamber down together but turn back daunted by the sheer drop.
Eventually one single factor determines which of them will risk her life to save the youngster – motherly love.
See the whole thing at the Mail Online. Link -via Buzzfeed
(Image credit: Jean-Francois Largot)
Brothers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas were on a trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya where they spotted an unusually pink baby hippo sunning along the riverbanks!
The hippo was clearly a young one since it was much smaller than the others in the group. It was also very shy and tended to stick close to its mother. To avoid frightening it off, we used a long 600mm lens to photograph it from a distance. Nevertheless, it only stayed ashore for few minutes before returning to the safety of the river. Thereafter we caught fleeting glimpses of it as it came up to breathe.
Take a look at more photos on their blog: Link – via NatGeo Daily News, Thanks Evan!
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It’s a simple and elegant concept: saw a coconut in two, then reattach the halves with a zipper. The result is an instant handbag. These are popular crafts for sale to tourists on Lamu Island off the coast of Kenya.
Link via Make | Photo: AfricaGadget
The Kenyan honeyguide bird has an unusual and very remarkable behavior: it engages in an interspecies collaboration with humans to locate African bee colonies. In exchange for their guide service, the birds then share the harvest of the recovered honey.
Sir David Attenborough explains in this very interesting BBC clip titled Talking to Strangers.
– via presurfer
From the Upcoming 
ueue, submitted by Minnesotastan.
For years, medical supplies have been sent into remote areas of Kenya on the backs of camels for the needs of the rural population. But seeing this system as inefficient, the Nomadic Communities Trust of Kenya is partnering with an American university and an art school to develop a modern medical laboratory and dispensary that can be mounted on a camel:
A multifunctional system was developed made from bamboo to provide a lightweight, durable ergonomic saddle along with a saddleback structure that holds a compartmented refrigerated unit and solar power generator. The saddles improve the efficiency of the loads carried over rugged terrain. The crystalline solar panels can also be deployed by the mobile clinics for lighting and refrigeration in the field.
[Cellular News story via MobileCrunch blog]
