I'm still alive

Well, it's been forever, but I thought I would let you know that I'm still alive and surviving just fine in Kenya. And, Brandon and my parents wrote their own impressions down to help me get motivated to start blogging again. So, here they are....

The Circle of Life - Brandon's Blog
I hopped on a plane way back on December 12th to return to Kenya and spend some quality time with my lovely wife and her adventurous parents Jon and Carol. It’s always nice to spend a full month on vacation during the holidays, but this trip had a special meaning that I will disclose later. It didn’t take me long to re-acclimate myself to life in Kenya as the first few days were spent getting stocked up with good food and drink to get us ready for our safari. Kristin was still working for a few days and, in her usual form, provided a to-do list to keep us busy.

I (trying not to look like a tourist) walked with Jon and Carol (blatant tourists) in our single file formation down to the 24 hour grocery store to give them a chance to see what Nairobi was all about. We also headed downtown to run some errands, including a failed attempt to achieve resident status at the Nyayo house. It takes about 3 years to get anything processed in this country. When Kristin was done with her work we headed to the elephant orphanage and the Giraffe center to see some animals up close. It was amazing to feed the Giraffes with your hands and straight out of your mouth, I felt like a toddler at the zoo. We also spent a night caroling to get in the Christmas spirit, and went to a musical called Mo Faya, which should be coming to a theater near you within the next few years. I really enjoyed spending time with the fam and catching up before we headed off on our whirlwind tour of the Kenyan countryside.

I would have to say after spending 7 days in a safari van and touring the Mara, Crater Lake, Amboselli, and Tsavo, that everyone should experience the amazing scenery and wildlife that Kenya has to offer. The trip exceeded my expectations with the animals we were able to see and capture in some incredible pictures. I was happy that Jon brought a quality camera with a zoom lens, as we were able to get up close to Lions, Elephants, and Giraffes and come away with some great pics. I used my camera to take some videos of the trip which will be entertaining to watch when I get back home. The tented camps we stayed in were amazing and I ate entirely too much with all of the buffets and multi-course dinners. We were happy to get back home on Christmas eve to relax and recount the events of the past week.

After resting for a few days we were ready for another trip out of the city. We spend a few days and nights freezing our butts off at Mt. Kenya. It was a very peaceful place to stay with amazing scenery and cozy little bungalows complete with fireplaces. Rather than pay for a driver, Kristin rented a car from a friend and I quickly volunteered to drive to the lodge. How could I turn down an opportunity to drive on the wrong side of the road? Driving in Kenya is crazy with mutatus pulling out in front of you, livestock crossing and sometimes sleeping in the road, bikes, motorcycles, and people moving in all directions. For those of you that know me, I was in my element as an aggressive driver, and made sure to stick my nose in whenever the opportunity presented itself. Kristin also did a great job of navigating so I would make the right turns from the correct lane. Fortunately there were no mishaps or fender benders during the week we had the car and we reluctantly returned to foot patrol.

We had a few days back at the apartment in Nairobi before Jon and Carol had to return back to the real world. Kristin signed us up for an amazing hotel room at the Fairmont near the University of Nairobi for New Years Eve where we re-discovered television. Ann and Damian dropped into our room for some champagne before we headed to a house party at an MTV Cribs style mansion complete with man eating guard dogs, a waterfall into the pool surrounded by palm trees, and a guest house complete with a walk up bar. It was fun meeting some new people and bringing in the new year Nairobi style and I’m happy that we ventured out of our hotel room.

After two weeks of madness Kristin and I decided to kick back at the apartment and recuperate. Before I left the states I ordered the first 5 seasons of the TV series “LOST”, so we vegged out completely, only leaving the room for bathroom breaks and snacks. After a few non-productive days we both started catching up on dreaded work, but it was nice to get some things done and get ready to head back. Damian and I also had a crazy adventure getting up at 3:30 AM and going to “Sherlock’s Den” ,a local 24 hour sports bar, to watch the college football national championship game. We started off our morning with Tusker Malts, cappuccinos, and a big 400 schilling ($5) breakfast. It was great to watch some football, no matter what time it was or who was playing.

And now for some life changing news that I hinted at earlier. Kristin and I obviously had a very successful visit when I was in Kenya back in September, because we are expecting a new addition to the family in mid June! We are both very excited for this and are trying to think of some names before I come home. I had to go and get her pregnant so she would come home earlier; I guess I missed her too much. It was exciting for me to go to her doctor’s visit on the 7th and see an ultrasound of our child. We really wanted to find out the sex of the baby, but the kid is hyperactive and would not stop moving long enough for us to find out. Kristin will go back to the doctor for her 20th week, so we should know very soon. I can’t wait for Kristin to come home so we can get everything set up!

The Parents Visit
It’s December 30 and our last overnight in Africa. We’ve packed quite a few activities into our two and half weeks here.

Our first days were spent in Nairobi. We got acclimated to our new time zone and life in this big city. Since Nairobi is close to the equator, the length of the days is pretty constant. The sun rises between 6 and 7 AM and sets between 6 and 7 PM. The days are warm if it’s sunny, but it cools off at night. It can also rain very hard at times. During the weekdays, many people are walking along the streets while others are packed onto buses and small vans called matatus. Traffic congestion is ever present, and diesel exhaust fumes are often overpowering. Walking a couple of miles to the Nakumat (shopping center) one day and to downtown another day immersed us in this activity.

Before Christmas, we went to a candle light carol sing and service outside at the Karen Blixen museum. We just knew it was at the museum, not that it was outside. It was a beautiful service (on a cool evening) with candles dripping all over in our Styrofoam cups. Then, getting into the taxi after the service, there was a slight candle wax incident as Jon enthusiastically entered the car right after Carol to avoid getting hit by some car driving on the wrong side of the road (but they are all on the wrong side of the road here).

We also went to a theatrical production called Mo Faya, They Call It a Slum, We Call It Home. It had been in New York last fall. The author is a Kenyan and the group is hoping to raise funds to put it on Broadway for a regular run. Although we had tickets, seats are first-come, first-served, so we arrived long before the doors opened. The theater was located in a warehouse area of town. There was photographic display of the post-election violence from the beginning of 2008. The pictures were quite graphic. The theater seating was green plastic patio chairs on risers and there were not seats for all the tickets sold. We had good seats thanks to our early arrival, but others had to stand in the wings and even a few ended up sitting on the risers in the aisle (fire codes?). The production was excellent once all were finally seated. The majority was in English, but we didn’t get all the cultural jokes and there was some Swahili as well.

We kissed giraffes at the Giraffe Center, saw baby elephants at the elephant orphanage, and went on a walking mini-safari at the Nairobi National Park. This was to prepare us for a seven-day safari trip to the Maasai Mara, Crater Lake, Amboselli National Park, and Tsavo West National Park.

We saw the greatest abundance and diversity of wildlife at the Mara. We were able to watch a little drama at the river crossing, as hundreds of zebra were on the opposite side, while 3 zebras were on our side. They were talking back and forth. We think the 3 wanted to join the others, but crocodiles were lying in wait at the crossing. There were also hippos in the water near the crossing. Then we saw the lions. They were in the bush between the zebras and the river. They were slowly trying to position themselves if the zebras came too close. The zebras finally backed off, and decided to remain frustrated about trying to join the other zebras on the other side. We visited a nearby Maasai village. It was educational, but we felt that it was a trap to try to sell us curios at the end. This happened not only at the Maasai village, but every time we entered or left a park gate. We were inundated with hawkers of wares. “Jambo. You want Maasai mama? I give you good price. You like the mama and the papa?”

Crater Lake was a stop between national parks, where we were hoping to see lots of flamingos and pelicans. There were flamingos, but not in the anticipated numbers. We did have a great guided hike around the lake with our guide, Walter.
As we approached our camp at Amboselli, we had a flat tire on the safari van. We got out to try to help our guide, Antony. There were a couple of young Maasai men nearby who also were willing to help, and within minutes there were 15-20 Maasai there to spectate. We were so hoping to get a good view of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Amboselli. As it was we only got 2 10-minute glimpses of the top and lower levels, with clouds in between. There were some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, though. And we got to see hundreds of elephants on the move. It absolutely poured our first night there, and we waded to dinner in the dinner tent.

Entering Tsavo West, we crossed a large lava flow about a hundred years old. The setting of our last stop on the safari, the Severin Safari Camp at Tsavo West, was our favorite. The rooms were fantastic, the pool was beautiful, and the food was plentiful and absolutely delicious! We got a little more rain on our safaris, but it was interesting to see the swelling streams and rivers. We were unable to cross a river and had to turn back. The rain made it harder to game watch, but we did see a short battle between a couple of male oryx. We saw other wildlife as well, but by now we had seen most of the animals before. It was still a thrill to hunt for them, and try to get even better photos. Brandon became an excellent spotter, and assumed his usual perch standing up front in the safari van.

We got back to Nairobi in time to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas. It was a different experience than our usual Christmas at home with lots of family around to help celebrate. We had homemade spaghetti Christmas Eve, and made homemade chili and maizebread (couldn’t find any cornmeal at the store) on Christmas. It was a quieter Christmas, but very special, as we think about spending next Christmas with a grandchild.

During the couple of days after Christmas, we were able to take in the National Museum and go to the market to shop for some souvenirs. Kristin has become quite the bargaining expert. We would show some interest in things the various vendors had displayed and then Kristin would help us get a good price. Such a change in our child who didn’t used to like to call and order a pizza. We plan to take her with us on our next car purchase. We also went to dinner at the famous Nairobi restaurant, Carnivore. It was quite an experience where a huge roasting pit filled with meat on skewers is centrally located. Various waiters rove table to table asking if you wish chunks of various meats such as beef, chicken, pork ribs, ostrich meatballs, and crocodile among others. When you’ve had enough, you drop your table flag and surrender. We managed to sample quite a bit before dropping our flag.

Feeling the wanderlust, we headed for Mt. Kenya 3 days after Christmas, where we stayed in a gorgeous mountain setting in small Hobbitt-like cottages. Again, the food was fantastic, and the setting was out of this world. We got clear views of Mt. Kenya behind our cottage both mornings. We were at about 7000 feet above sea level, so the evenings were rather chilly. Someone would accompany us to our cottage and light a fire in the evening. Unfortunately, the wood was poorly seasoned and the fires went out before all the wood could burn. Days started clear, then clouded up as the day progressed, leading to some rain, and then lightening up again later in the afternoon. We got in a 3-hour guided walk through the jungle, where we got rained on by falling caterpillars and saw evidence of elephants in many places. We enjoyed early evening games and tea time at the lodge, leading into a leisurely dinner and reminiscences of the day.

Driving to and from Mount Kenya was an adventure. Kristin had a car from a friend and Brandon was our driver. Navigation is a challenge as street and road signs are few and far between. To get out of Nairobi, we would approach a roundabout, make our best guess of which street to exit to, and then look for a sign to confirm if we were still on the route we wanted. Once outside the city, we saw what we had learned were typical sights of the country; goats, cows, donkeys and other livestock with caretakers roaming both on and off the road, many people walking along the road, motorcycles and bicycles weaving in and out, small towns with people gathered at various markets or just hanging out, buses, matatus, and big trucks. Most of the highways were two-lanes, so honking, flashing headlights, passing, and swerving become part of the normal routine. There is some beautiful countryside and a variety of vegetation which we were able to enjoy.

It is hard to believe that our stay in Kenya comes to an end tomorrow night. We have hundreds of great photos to share with friends and family, along with many more stories to relate. In addition, we have many treasured memories with Kristin and Brandon.