Kenya

Here I go again… the past year has abounded with travel opportunities that I found too good to pass up. My aunt Evelyn is currently teaching at Rosslyn Christian academy, a private Christian school in Nairobi, Kenya. And I must say, there is no better opportunity to visit another country than when you know someone living there. Ev has been there long enough that we were able to profit from her experiences, discoveries and great connections. She showed us an amazing time, so much so that I feel it was the best vacation I’ve ever had. I wasn’t the only one that went—there was a whole North American contingent...including my parents, my uncle Al and aunt Julie from Nova Scotia, along with Julie’s sister Paula and husband Nick from the States.

Off We Go!

February 14-15, 2006

Mom, Dad and I flew out of Toronto on February 14. Our flight was delayed but we still managed (barely) to make our connection in Amsterdam, although our luggage did not. It arrived a day later. We arrived in Nairobi on February 15 around 8:30 p.m. after some 15 hours of flying. While in Nairobi we stayed at the Mennonite Guesthouse, which is operated by Eastern Mennonite Missions in Kenya. It’s a great place to stay if you don’t mind sharing (bathrooms) and if you like to save money! The grounds were beautiful, meals were great, and the hosts very friendly.

Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre

Thurs February 16, 2006
Ev lined up some great day trips in Nairobi for us, the first one being The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (a wildlife orphanage). The orphanage takes in elephants and other wildlife that are orphans (usually as a result of poaching). Elephants mirror humans in terms of emotion, so they are discouraged from becoming too attached to one person, but are handled by a team of dedicated “Keepers” who represent a family and who replace an orphan’s lost elephant family. The “family”, along with their milk formula, are essential components to success in rearing the elephants. By 2004 the Trust had successfully saved and hand-reared over 55 infant African Elephant calves. Currently, over a dozen of the Trust’s hand-reared elephants are fully established and living free amongst their wild peers in Tsavo National Park, some returning with wild born young to show their former human family.

We then went to the Nairobi Giraffe Centre where we saw giraffes up close and personal. And I mean close…there were buckets of pellets to feed them and a pellet between the lips got you a big, sloppy kiss from Daisy! Daisy wasn’t all lovey-dovey all the time, however, if you were a bit negligent in the feeding area, she’d give you a good head butt. The Giraffe Centre exists to educate Kenyan school children about their country’s wildlife and environment, and to give visitors an opportunity to come into close contact with giraffes. Another reason it was created was to help rescue the endangered Rothschild giraffe (in 1979 there were 120—now there are 300). Our last stop was the Kitengela Glass Factory. This seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Our driver got lost so we experienced our first dose of very rough Kenyan terrain. The Glass Factory was very unique. They make decorative and funky stuff out of recycled glass. We were given a tour of the place and watched them make wine goblets. For supper, we dined at Ev’s friends and co-workers, Werner and Adelia’s. We enjoyed an excellent Kenya meal complete with the traditional dish, ugali (a starchy, bland foodstuff that wasn’t particularly appetizing).

Kiambethu Tea Farm

Fri February 17, 2006

Our second day trip was to the Kiambethu Tea Farm. There we met Fiona Vernon who, with her husband Marcus, live and operate the farm. The farm dates back to 1910—Fiona’s family (originally from Britain) was one of the earliest tea growers in Kenya. The house is beautifully situated among colourful gardens, indigenous forest and acres of tea. Fiona shared her family history and the process of making tea while we sampled the good stuff. We were then given a tour of the grounds and served a delectable 4-course lunch. We enjoyed the Colobus monkeys that got just close enough to snatch the bananas out of our hands. After that we went to Village Market which holds a Masai Market on Fridays. We enjoyed Rosslyn Academy’s Spaghetti Bash in the evening (a spaghetti “cook off” where we had to vote on the best tasting sauce).

The Masai Mara

Sat, February 18 to Sun February 19, 2006

Ahhh, at long last…safari time! Our safari to Kenya wouldn’t be complete without a safari to a game reserve. We left at 8:30 a.m. to begin the 5-hour trek to the Mara Simba Lodge in the Masai Mara National Reserve. This is on the northern tip of the Serengeti—African savanna country. Our lodge was great. Nice rooms that backed onto a small river full of snorting hippos and a crocodile or two (the crocodile was scary). There was a pool to cool off in, and the meals were fabulous. We stayed at this lodge for 2 nights and went on 3 game drives. What an experience! Sammy, our talented driver/guide, had the uncanny ability to find just what we wanted to see (“Let’s see, we haven’t seen male lions yet…omigosh, there they are!”). And that’s not very much of an exaggeration either! Here’s the list…we saw: zebras, giraffes, elephants, African buffaloes, baboons, a leopards, cheetahs, jackals, warthogs, lions, hyenas, Marabout stork, Tawny eagle, vultures, a buzzard, ostriches (these were playfully chasing each other at incredible speeds, then they’d stop by extending their feathers and spinning around), Topi, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, hartebeest, a Blue wildebeest, impala, and Kirk’s dik-diks. Gosh, did I miss any? There were mongooses (or is that mongeese?) and Vervet monkeys in abundance at the lodge. On Sunday night we enjoyed Masai dancers which features jumping. Also the staff gave Ev a cake for being such a regular customer (it was her third time there)!

Lake Nakuru National Park

Mon, February 20 to Tues, February 21, 2006

Left early to go to our second safari destination—Lake Nakuru National Park. This was actually a pretty rough day. We traveled 5 hours to get to Lake Nakuru, did a 2 hour safari drive that circled the lake, then drove to Lake Naivasha Lodge where we spent the night. A lot of time on bumpy roads! However, Lake Nakuru was a sight to behold. It is a shallow soda lake with more than 400 bird species, including a huge flamingo population. This park also boasts a small number of white rhino. We saw one close up, albeit mostly hidden by brush and others quite a distance away. Other exciting sightings included baboons, zebra, Colobus monkeys, giraffes, buffaloes, waterbucks and the funny warthogs that dine on bended knee and run with upright tails. Our stay at Lake Naivasha Lodge was most delectable—it seemed too nice to afford! Accommodations were top-notch (Ev and I shared a room that featured an outdoor shower, the food was scrumptious, and the grounds and pool were wonderful. It was here that Al and Nick got security all riled up when they ventured too close to a hippo (who had reportedly already killed 2 boys).

The Indian Ocean

Wed February 22 to Sun February 27, 2006

Dad, Mom, Al, Julie and I left early Wednesday morning for the coast (Paula and Nick opted to do another safari in Amboseli National Park). We flew into Malindi then drove to Watamu to Turtle Bay Beach Resort, an all-inclusive hotel on the Indian Ocean. It was lovely. The weather here was very hot and humid unlike Nairobi, which is higher in elevation. Nairobi has a dry heat and was considerably cooler in the morning and evening (still didn’t warrant the warm clothes that some Kenyans donned —I even spotted someone in a parka in late afternoon). We enjoyed lots of swimming. The Indian Ocean is incredibly warm. There was scheduled beach volleyball every day which Dad, Al and I took part in. We tried out their kayaks, paddleboats and catamarans.

We saw some Giant tortoises that were rescued from the nets of fishermen—they were released into the ocean and swam away extremely fast. The highlight for me was swimming with dolphins. Dad arranged a tour on Captain John’s boat. We left at 8 a.m. to begin the search for the dolphins that swim into shallower areas each morning to feed. When we spotted a bunch, we were given a mask and snorkel and told to get in quietly and swim towards them. I was swimming away when all at once I saw about 8 or 10 of them right below me. They weren’t swimming overly fast so I was able to get quite close, but not close enough to touch them. It was amazing! After a while more boats came so we headed over to another area to snorkel. This was a neat experience as well. We swam in an enclosed area that was just loaded with fish—I wish I knew the names of them all! Our guide threw bits of bread in the water to attract them. The whole tour was so nice I decided to do it again. The second time, the dolphins were swimming faster, so we had to keep getting in the boat and driving ahead of them for a chance to swim close. The snorkeling was better, however—our guide allowed us to jump out about half a mile from the enclosed area so we could explore the reefs along the way at a leisurely pace. Mom’s not into water too much, so she opted for a camel ride along the beach. Her ride was a huge Somali camel named George. Speaking of camels, Dad tells me that he was made an offer of 51 camels in exchange for my hand in marriage. He told the guy that it would be cheaper for him to feed one daughter than 51 camels.

Maasai Ostrich Ranch and Resort

Mon February 27, 2006
Back once again in Nairobi, we went to the Maasai Ostrich Ranch and Resort in Kitengala. This place boasted luxury tents, a pool and bar/restaurant facilities. We were given a brief tour where we were shown ostriches from little on up. After that, we rode an ostrich with the help of two “riders”—two fast running Kenyans who held us on the poor bird as he ran. An interesting experience, but I felt very sorry for the poor bird. After riding an ostrich, we ate one (it seemed to be the only thing that was available from their extensive menu). That evening, we went with Ev and some of her co-workers to Diamond Plaza where we feasted on wonderful Indian food.

Ten Thousand Villages Projects and Amani

Tues February 28, 2006
Ev arranged for us to go along with Beth Ropp who works for Ten Thousand Villages as a buyer for TTV US and for MCC Income Generation Project (helping small businesses with ideas, bookkeeping, etc.). She took us to a ceramic project called African Clay & Arts and Jacaranda, a place where disabled people make beaded and brass-wire jewelry. Our last stop was to Amani ya Jun (means “higher peace”), a training project in sewing and marketing for African refugees. Their products were beautiful. We enjoyed a delicious lunch there after lots of shopping.

Climbing Mount Longonot and a Kenyan Orphanage

Wed March 1, 2006
Al, Dad and I decided to get ourselves on higher ground, and so we hired a driver to take us to Mount Longonot in Longonot National Park (a hour and a half drive from Nairobi). We climbed the mountain, which is a 2777 meter-high dormant volcano. The views were excellent, albeit the leopard track we saw was a bit worrisome since we didn’t get ranger assistance as recommended! Luckily we didn’t see the owner of that paw print, but we did see a couple of hartebeest quite close to us. On our descent, there were a number of zebra that crossed our path and scampered over a hill. So we went off the beaten track to see where they went…and saw gazelles, zebra and even giraffes in the far distance (I wouldn't have noticed these, but my dad's sharp eyes see everything). It was amazing—a safari on foot!

Mom and Julie didn't feel up to the climb, so they did a little shopping, then Mom spent the afternoon at an orphanage, where the kids absolutely loved having a new visitor and vied for her attention. The children were told that Mom was from Canada. Later, when asked if anyone remembered her name, a child piped up, "Canada!"

Amsterdam

Thurs March 2 to Sat March 4, 2006
Ahh, the time to say goodbye always comes too quickly. Mom, Dad and I caught our flight out Thursday morning and arrived in Amsterdam that same evening.


Our hotel rooms were extremely small, and the non-smoking rooms were ones that guests had smoked in but were quickly sprayed with deodorizer! Oh well, we were in an excellent downtown location. On Friday, we opted for the Canal Bus as our mode of transport for the day. We toured the Anne Frank House, a Boat House Museum and outdoor flower market.

On Saturday, we signed up for a bus tour that stopped at a wooden shoe factory, a cheese factory, and the quaint town of Volendam. Despite the cold weather, we enjoyed ourselves immensely…however, I just couldn’t convince my mom to catch a glimpse of the Red Light District!

And that, my friends, is a taste of our trip to Kenya. It was wonderful. I highly recommend a visit!!!