Kenyan Safari

Another one of those early departures...the 7:00 flight wasn't so bad, it was the getting up at 3:00 to get to the airport by 4 ish - that was the issue. We did, however, totally avoid the crunch. We checked in, went to the lounge, had a bite to eat, checked our email...all in relative peace. More people were coming in but honestly, it wasn't too bad. When we went to leave, however, we discovered a totally different world. The hordes had descended with a vengeance. The ropes were out front, defining the line for people entering the lounge. The store had 50 people waiting impatiently to make purchases - should had bought our water earlier! The flight we were on was completely full and ended up being an hour late getting into Nairobi.

That red and white bus on the right...it's traveling down the median strip.

We were met by our company and after a bit of shuffling, we were loaded in a car, heading for our hotel. I do indeed have to once again comment on my favorite traveling theme...the traffic. The drivers around here would probably adjust quickly to traffic in Doha. The drivers wove between lanes, forced their way into traffic, made roads out of the median strips, and allowed no more than one tenth of an inch between vehicles. They would do Japanese drivers proud, weaving with no clearance between vehicles, pulling up on precarious ledges to let someone pass. We went out to dinner to a restaurant just down the street...and it took close to 30 minutes to get there. The driver assured us that it wasn't rush hour because if it was, it would probably take closer to an hour to get to the same place. After dinner, it took about 7 minutes to get back to the hotel. Really don't want to be in rush hour traffic!

We were picked up the following morning by David (seems all the young men around here are named David or Joseph because we met a lot of them). Our David is a gem...humorous and incredibly knowledgeable! Pick a topic...he's conversant. It is fabulous to have such a great guide to take us through Kenya.

Today’s driving was a short trip through the countryside, down to Amboseli Park, located at the base of Kilimanjaro Mountain. We arrived at our lodge just in time for lunch…and what a lunch. You know, it's a good thing that we don't have this much food available all of the time...incredible and delicious...though not particularly Kenyan fair. There are a lot of Indians living in Kenya so curry is found everywhere. Lots of great fruits and so many choices...they even have a man who will stir fry any vegetables you want. Scrumptious!
You have to get a picture of where I'm sitting as I write this. I'm lounging on the patio right outside our room. I am listening to the chirping, twittering, and altercations of a hundred birds. Mixed with that is the chittering of the ever present monkeys (they have hired some of the Maasai to roam the grounds to keep the monkeys at bay - great job security). I am looking out over the savannah where I can see zebra, wildabeasts, gazelles and elephants. There are also Maasai cows and sheep mixed in. Phenomenal view!