reserves has set up shop...in a slightly tamer neighbourhood.

Shadrack Osewe is married to Bermudian Tanya Bascome Osewe, whose East African art collection is now on display at the National Gallery -- (see below).

Since returning to Bermuda with his wife last September, Mr. Osewe has begun to explore the options that his new home has to offer, and is currently arranging a tour of his homeland in partnership with Meyer Travel.

Mr. Osewe, who has travelled throughout most of Africa, India, Australia, Nepal, China and Europe, says his trips are extraordinary "because of the depth of learning about local culture and tradition'' that takes place.

"We take you off the beaten track while still allowing a bit of leisure. I do these tours for the love of travel and for the anthropological study, including natural history, which I like to share with people.'' Although he grew up in Nairobi, Mr. Osewe is a member of the Luo people centred around Lake Victoria -- the second largest tribe in Kenya.

Mr. Osewe said the Luo are a tribe of fishermen who have been in that region of Kenya since the tenth Century -- many were originally from the southern part of Egypt and the northern part of the Sudan, and as fishermen, followed the Nile all the way to its source and settled there.

Growing up in metropolitan Nairobi, however, afforded Mr. Osewe more exposure to the technological, rather than pastoral, aspects of life.

Upon finishing school, he worked for a film house with 20th Century Fox -- and as a result, he developed an early interest in the film industry.

Mr. Osewe said he had the opportunity to work on a number of documentaries and films while living in Kenya, including Out of Africa, Ashanti, starring Michael Caine, and a documentary on African music featuring Sting.

He attempted to break into the film industry in the US, but ran into the brick wall of California's film union and eventually returned to Kenya.

While debating his next course of action, Mr. Osewe was offered a position as a "naturalist'' and travel director by a major tour operator in Kenya.

During his career as a travel director, Mr. Osewe has led tours for actors such as John Hurt who starred in `The Elephant Man', Jim Fowler who was presenter for the Wild Kingdom programmes and British athletic champ Daley Thompson.

Mr. Osewe has also organised trips for such notables as Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, former US president Jimmy Carter and British Royal Prince Charles.

His familiarity with Kenyan terrain and wildlife was fine-tuned during the three years he spent living in the Masai Mara -- an extension of the infamous Serengeti where he led walking safaris and assisted film crews for ABC and the BBC.

Mr. Osewe said he explores five major factors before determining the viability of a tour: attractions, cuisine, accommodations, transportation and security.

"I look to see if there are enough attractions to satisfy interests, I check the available cuisine because the worst thing is if people starve because they can't relate to the food,'' he said.

"Accommodations are important because I know even though I'm taking you to China or Africa to enjoy the scenic beauty, you have to be comfortable. And transportation also has to be comfortable and reliable.

"But security is crucial -- and if it's not up to scratch, we call off the trip,'' he added.

As one might expect, conducting wildlife tours has not been without its fair share of a few hairy moments.

"I've been chased by a lion, a lioness, a hippo and I've had three encounters with leopards,'' said Mr. Osewe.

"When you're being chased by a lion, the first thing you do is choose a religion -- then run like hell,'' he laughed.

"When the lioness chased me, I ran into a swamp and that saved me, despite the fact there could've been crocodiles -- luckily, the safaris I do now are in buses or jeeps, so the chance of being chased are slim to nil.'' Mr. Osewe said adjusting to life in this corner of paradise is relatively easy, except for occasional touches of claustrophobia -- Kenya is about 558,000 square miles compared to Bermuda's mere 22 square miles.

But being an international tour organiser offers many opportunities to get off `the Rock' for a few days to avoid `Island fever'.

And Mr. Osewe did not rule out the possibility of adding his new home Bermuda as a destination to tour packages.

But he said the standard of service on the Island needed to be improved to justify high costs.

"I think Bermuda tourism has reached that curve where it needs to reinvent itself. The Island is sold as a quiet, well-manicured place where everyone is in bed by 9 p.m. -- but tourists are much younger today, they want to get a feel for the Island, and unless you know someone here it can be very frustrating,'' he added.

Mr. Osewe will be giving a lecture and tour overview on February 16 at the Anglican Cathedral from 5 to 7.30 p.m.

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