AFRICA / KENYA

JAMBO! (Hello in Swahili) Mombasa Despite all the literature, pictures, and documentaries we saw about Africa, arriving in Kenya December 14th was a total freak out! The first three nights we stayed in Mombasa, which is on the coast of Kenya. As soon as we stepped off the plane, we were immediately approached by what seemed like hundreds of African taxi drivers. It was very overwhelming. We negotiated the price (although we probably still got ripped off) and headed to The Southern Palm Resort on Diani Beach. We can probably easily write a 5,000 word award winning essay just on the taxi drive alone from the Mombasa airport to Diani Beach, but we will try to keep it as short as possible. First of all, three minutes after we got into the taxi, the driver stopped to get gas. Michael and I were a little scared because we couldn't figure out why a taxi driver wouldn't fill up his gas tank before picking up people from the airport. Michael bravely asked him why and we were stunned with his answer! First of all, the driver explained that had he had any gas in his tank, it would have been stolen while he was at the terminal trying to get clients. He also told us that it is dangerous for taxi drivers to have gas in their tank because if they are "hijacked," they will have no legitimate reason to stop for help. But not to worry, our taxi driver informed us that he was only hijacked once, and the hijackers only had a knife, not a gun!

After about an hour and a half in the car, including a very scary ferry ride, we somehow made it safely to Diani Beach. The coast was absolutely beautiful. The clear, dark sky with all the bright stars at night was especially amazing! Honestly, Michael and I didn't expect the coast of Kenya to be quite this beautiful. We absolutely loved Mombasa! The food, to our surprise was superb. Our resort had the most incredible buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We can't complain an ounce about the food - even Michael agrees. There is also so much to do. We decided to skip the land safari because we had already arranged a ten-day land safari out of Nairobi. So what we did the majority of the days was stay around the pool and ocean. Michael went spear-gun fishing one afternoon and caught huge fish. Another day we went scuba-diving out of a hand-made boat. The dive was very cool and we saw tons of big fish including some very scary trigger-fish. The boat sailed us to a small island named Wasini Island, where we had a barbecue lunch. The highlight of Mombasa was definitely when we swam in the ocean with a school of eleven wild dolphins! We swam so close with them that we actually could hear them speaking. It was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life! Nairobi We spent three nights right in the heart of Nairobi at the New Stanley Hotel. To be honest, we probably stayed two nights too long. One day and one night would have been just fine. Nairobi is not a safe city. The locals even warned us not to walk anywhere at night, and to never wear any jewelry. During the days, we would see people running through the streets because they had just stolen something. Michael read the local paper (The Nation) every morning, and learned that it is common for thieves to be stoned to death for stealing something as little as a pair of shoes. Nairobi is definitely a scary city. One highlight of Nairobi was eating at the Carnivore Restaurant. It is a big time tourist trap, but definitely worth visiting - that is if you are not a vegetarian. You can eat as much meat as you want including zebra, giraffe, crocodile, impala, and any other animal living in Kenya!

Michael and I also took a city tour one day. We saw all the famous buildings such as the National Museum, the remains of the U.S. embassy that was bombed in 1998, the Parliament house, and the railway. Our tour guide also took us to the outskirts of Nairobi to see the slum where thousands of Africans live. Michael and I couldn't believe our eyes. It is so sad how much poverty there is in Kenya. It is impossible to understand and imagine how many people live without actually seeing it first hand. Our Safari Day One and Two The first two days of our safari were spent in Samburu at the Shaba Sarova Lodge. The lodge was spectacular. There were hundreds of blue monkeys playing freely within the perimeter of the lodge. Also, every night they would feed the huge wild crocodiles just meters away from our room! We took game drives through Samburu, Buffalo Springs, and Shaba National Reserves. All three of these parks are along the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River. It was so exciting when we saw the first wild animals - huge elephants! We also saw reticulated giraffe, zebra, gazelle, oryx, baboon, antelopes, dik-dik, impala, waterbuck, gazelles, and hundreds of species of exotic birds. It really is amazing seeing these animals so close in their natural habitat.

Michael and I also had the amazing opportunity to visit one nomadic Samburu tribe. We felt like we were on the discovery channel! The tribe members were very friendly. They showed us some songs and dances and even let us enter one of the huts. As soon as Michael found out that the huts are made of only branches, mud, and elephant dung, he jumped up so quickly leaving me in it alone.

The children were adorable. It was probably the first time many of them saw a white person. They were just as fascinated by us as we were with them, if that is possible. They all wanted to touch my hands. Of course Michael put his hands in his pockets right away and wouldn't touch me until I took three showers!

Day Three and Four From Samburu we headed towards Mount Kenya to an area called Sweetwaters. Before arriving at the park, we stopped at the equator and watched a demonstration about how water circulates clockwise when you are north of the equator, and counter-clockwise when you are south of the equator. It was actually pretty neat. Our accommodations were also located right on the equator. We stayed in a luxury permanent tent, though we felt like we were in a room of a five star hotel. The campsite is beside a waterhole that is floodlit at night. From the balcony of our tent, we stayed up all night watching the many species of animals coming to drink. We fell asleep each night listening to thesounds of birds and awoke to the barks of the zebras. One night, we did a night game drive with another great couple we met from LA. It is very different seen the animals at night than it is during the day. You can tell that the animals are overly conscious with every step they take, because it is at night when the lions do most of their kills. This drive was the fist time we actually saw lions - one male and two females. Wild lions look and act very different from those that you see at the zoo - trust us! During the day, we took drives through the Sweetwaters and Ol Pejeta reserves. The animals we saw the most during the day were zebras, elephants, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, waterbuck, and gazelles. The new types of animals that we saw here that we didn't see at Samburu, were African buffalo, antelope, wildebeest, and rhinoceroses. So at this point, we have seen four out of the five big five animals: lion, buffalo, elephant, and rhinos. We are desperate to see the leopard!

Day Five We had lunch at the Aberdares Country club where we were blown away by the beautiful views and hospitality. Then we proceeded to "The Ark" for our overnight stay. "The Ark" is shaped as a wooden boat and is located right in Aberdare National Park. This game lodge over looks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick. There are three decks for unlimited game viewing. So, instead of turning on the TV, all you do is head for one of the decks and watch all sorts of animals up close! Every room has a buzzer in it, so when any interesting animals approach "The Ark" during the night, the buzzer sounds. It is really very neat! At "The Ark," we saw tons of elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, bushbucks and impalas. Day Six Well, we finally saw a leopard! Our "Big Five" siting is officially complete! On day six, we stayed in Lake Nakuru, Kenya's fourth largest city. Here, we also saw four lionesses sleeping in the grass. What Lake Nakuru is known for, though, are the flamingos. And when I say flamingos, I don't mean just thirty or forty, I mean hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions! Michael and I couldn't believe our eyes when we drove down to the lake. From a distance, it looked like the entire circumference of the huge lake was pink, but when we got closer, we discovered that the pink color was the flamingos!

Day Seven and Eight We were told that it is pointless to do a Kenyan safari without visiting Masai Mara. The Masai Mara is said to be the most popular wildlife reserve in Kenya, offering the best animal viewing in the country. Michael and I would have to agree with this. The first sight of this natural wonderland is breathtaking. On these wide-open rolling grasslands you can often see an amazing variety of animals. In fact, from one point in the park, we were able to see a cheetah eating her prey, gazelle, antelope, and zebra grazing, giraffe peering curiously through the trees, elephants eating grass and vultures circling above. We also saw many lions and we were even lucky enough to see four lion cubs! We were told that every year in July or August millions of wildebeest migrate north from the Serengeti to the green grass of the Mara. I am sure that this would be an amazing site to witness. Even when animals are not seen, the views alone are worth the trip. One day there was a sun-shower where we saw two of the brightest rainbows that we have ever seen. Everything about this reserve is absolutely outstanding! There is nowhere else on earth to compare with this wildlife marvel. It is amazing that in the outer reserve, the Masai tribe people coexist with wildlife; and the circular manyatta (village community) of the Masai are seen throughout this outer reserve area. Here, the Masai warrior remains a picturesque figure, dressed in his flowing russet cloak, standing guard of the cattle herds that are his wealth and nourishment. Day Nine and Ten Lake Navasha Country Club is the last place we stayed on our safari. We took a short boat ride to Crescent Island where we took a walking nature tour. It was really cool walking around with the zebras, giraffes, and gazelles. We saw a two-month old baby giraffe with her mother and a two-day old zebra. Don't worry - there are supposedly no dangerous animals here although Michael insists that he did spot some lion tracks! On the boat ride back to the country club, we even spotted hippos! We couldn't believe that there were young children swimming in this lake. We heard that there are more hippo attacks in Kenya than lion attacks. In the morning, Michael went for a walk around the lake and saw even more hippos on the land, and a few huge snakes. From Lake Navasha we headed back to Nairobi for one last night. We stayed at the fabulous Nairobi Serena hotel where we took an hour shower, and then watched television all night. The Africa part of our honeymoon was an incredible experience - one that we will definitely never forget!

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