Hey Look! I went to Africa.
During a day break between work trips I decided to...
Made new friends...
See a pretty sunset...
Hang out with an elephant...
See a 'dry' Victoria Falls
And then got back to work...
Africa: Never Drink Too Much Water Before A Car Ride
Today was my second full day in Africa and we went to visit the Kabiyet region outside of Eldoret, Kenya. Did you know that all of the famous runners come from Eldoret? True story. The landscape of Kabiyet was absolutely gorgeous. Because it's the rainy season, the grass and tress were green, the mountains were beautiful, and the sky was filled with clouds during the day.
I did meet these three little boys who were so curious as to what we were doing in their village. All they wanted to do was pose for the camera. Pros these young men are at posing. The youngest was a character and kept making faces, so of course, we had to keep clicking.
And then this happened. In my effort to not get dehydrated, I become overly hydrated and had to use the facilities that were available. So I did. After all, I am a girl from an Arkansas small-town. There have been times that I have done the exact same thing, just without three walls and a door.
This was a breeze.
Say Hi to the new momma cow on the right - she just gave birth about three days ago and she's already up and walking around. Ain't no rest for the momma cows...
Today's blog is short - It's 8:35 p.m. here and I've been up since 4 a.m. This little heifer needs some sleep.
Africa: The Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenny (my co-worker) and I had most of today off from working to rest and make sure we weren't too jet-lagged. While we had a little free time, we went to the Giraffe Centre just outside of Nairobi. I took my new, good camera to practice a little and make sure I get a picture that I can be proud of. The giraffes were really, really pretty.
When we first got there, all of the giraffes were out in the field. You can see one of their little heads. Except it's not to little when you get up close...
They needed a little persuasion to come to the balcony area. But if someone was carrying a bucket of food around in front of me, most of the time I could be persuaded to walk as well.
There they are! Hey guys! The one on the left is Willie. The one on the right I think is Fred.
Or I named him Fred.
Oh... more food you have for me?
Such a lovely creature, and so tall!
Here is the entrance of the Giraffe Center. It costs about 1000 shillings, which equals to about $12 US dollars.
Their vision and mission of their centre. You can walk up stairs to a balcony area to get up close and personal with the giraffes. Since it was Friday afternoon, lots of school children were running around enjoying seeing the giraffes.
When we first got there, all of the giraffes were out in the field. You can see one of their little heads. Except it's not to little when you get up close...
They needed a little persuasion to come to the balcony area. But if someone was carrying a bucket of food around in front of me, most of the time I could be persuaded to walk as well.
There they are! Hey guys! The one on the left is Willie. The one on the right I think is Fred.
Or I named him Fred.
Willie was the first to come up to the balcony, of course, there was more food for him there. I really feel like Willie would stop just so people could take his picture. Every now and then he'd turn his head a little to the right, then the left. He knew what he was doing.
Oh... more food you have for me?
Such a lovely creature, and so tall!
Strike a pose!
Then this little fella came running up. A hogwart. Maybe not the most angelic creature, but it had a really good time running around.
Though this trip really hasn't started, I am going to keep reminding myself...
Always see the Giraffe through the trees.
Africa: On My Way
Packing for Africa was a lot easier than I thought it would be. In 16 days, I'm visiting three countries: Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. All which require different clothing. Why am I going to Africa? I work for an international nonprofit that works to end hunger and poverty. On this trip, we're going to see projects in Kenya and Zambia and go to a conference in South Africa.
Here's the chaos...
Now it's somewhat organized.
I did well, I didn't pack like a girl like I usually do. Once everything was packed it was just time to wait to go to sleep to wake up Wednesday morning to leave.
After leaving Little Rock, we flew to Atlanta where we had about a four hour layover. During this stop, I watched a family all in matching shirts and sunglasses. I'm not really sure how I feel about families who travel with matching t-shirts.
Sometimes when all you can do is wait, all you can do is wait.
After a nine hour flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam, we only had about an hour in the airport before the next flight to Nairobi. The airport has tulips all around and even a shop to purchase the flowers.
The picture is blurry because I was walking. I"ll get better at this one day.
There is also a museum in the airport with a local exhibition called, "Dutch Boys." Renaissance art really isn't my favorite, but I try to appreciate it for it's history.
As I was waiting for the plane for Nairobi, I pulled out a kit-kat in my purse. Poor thing didn't make it that well, however, it was still delicious.
Stay tuned... more travel stories coming soon.
