9-26 Joy and disappointment

9-26 Joy and disappointment

OMG, we're in Kenya!! Thinking about this holiday has been sort of unreal. We're going to African. No, really, Africa. Waking up and looking out the window it dawned on me that we're really here. Holy sh-t!

Up early. we ventured downstairs to the Flame Tree Restaurant for breakfast, which was in the form of a very good buffet. We met Maxwell in the lobby and he said the car was just around the corner and would be there in a minute. So about 20 minutes later the driver pulled up. (I’m starting to see a pattern.) Maxwell told us that there was a slight problem with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust visit. The government had just changed the rule, so in order to get to the Trust, you had to pay for entry into the Nairobi Nature Reserve, $43 per person. We asked if we could charge it to a credit card, since we had left most of our cash in the room. Some calls were made and were told that would be fine. Off we drove across Nairobi at rush hour. Happily we were traveling against the rush hour traffic so it wasn’t too bad, though traffic in Nairobi is pretty crazy. One legacy of the British rule is roundabouts everywhere. Pair with this a very Nairobi attitude about the right of way and it’s quick an exhilarating ride. Along the way, we saw a baboon on the side of the road who had apparently made his way there from the Nairobi reserve. (I wasn't quick enough with my camera.)

We arrived at the AFEW Giraffe Sanctuary and after a bit more security screening walked to the boardwalk above the feeding area. There are 10 giraffes at the Sanctuary, which founded in 1979. At the time thee were only 120 Rothschild giraffes left on an 18,000 acre ranch in Western Kenya that was scheduled for subdivision and resettlement. The founders of AFEW, Jack-Leslie Melvile and his wife, Betty, brought them to their property on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Through a breeding program there, the Rothschild giraffe population has increased to over 900. They live in the public sanctuary for 2 years, then are moved to a different place away from people and are ultimately released into the wild. When you enter the feeding area you’re given a small bowl of pellets to feed them. They have very long, rather sticky tongues and one, at least, is very fond of giving headbutts. (No, she didn’t get me, though the woman on my right had a rather close call.)

We spent about an hour feeding them, watching the warthogs scavenge or chase each other around the enclosure and chatting with sanctuary staff. From the feeding platform we could see Giraffe Manor,

the former home of the founders of the AFEW where the animals often choose to join the guests for breakfast. (not my photo).

We then popped back into the car and headed for the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Every day from 11:00am to noon, the baby elephants are led to an area with a viewing platform from which you can watch them being fed their bottles. Maxwell said they are fed human milk – hmm - I think he meant cow’s milk that humans drink. Vivid mental image thought, no? At any rate, we arrived shortly before 11:00, but were told that no, we couldn’t charge the park entry fee to a credit card and we had to pay an additional fee for the right for the car to enter. Oh, and you can only pay with American Dollars unless you’re a Kenyan citizen. Of course, we only had Kenyan shillings. We tried haggling. We made a deal with Maxwell that he would pay and we would reimburse him. Well, the guard wouldn’t go for that. It’s now 11:35, it’s a five minute drive to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, then you must find a place to park and walk over to the area where you can watch the elephants being fed. By the time we got there, we would have ten or fifteen minutes till the feeding ended so, sad and disappointed, we turned around and left. On the way out we discussed how much that new rule was going to hurt the Trust, since not only were they losing the entrance fee, they were losing sales from their gift shop and the additional donations that most people would make. It’s sad, really, and is something the Kenyan government really needs to rethink.

In lieu of that we were taken to a handicraft market. Neither of us was particularly moved to buy anything, but I picked up a piece of cloth, 2 metal beads and an Ethiopian cross, also metal. The metal bits were base metal, not precious, but the beads were $30 each and the cross was $100. The piece of cloth was almost $100 as well. I felt obliged to buy something so I found a small piece of cloth and haggled my way to a $30 price. After this little adventure we were taken to the Utamaduni restaurant for lunch, a lovely garden spot. The food was good and the waiter, Alphonse, charming.

There was even a ginger tabby to delight us. On the way home, Maxwell had Alphonse drive us through the four different types of neighborhoods in Nairobi. The rich live in an area called Karen, named after Karen Blitzen of Out of Africa fame. Then there is the upper middle class area, the lower middle class area and the slums for the poor.

They reminded me of the favelas in Rio. All along the streets people are walking in traffic hawking household goods, fruit, vegetables, etc., and buskers were performing at red lights then passing through traffic for donations.

We were dropped back at the hotel and bade farewell to Maxwell. On the way through the lobby we ran into Irene who said we really needed to go out and enjoy the pool and the wellness center. Why not? Bruce headed to the pool for a beer and a swim. I headed to the wellness center. I was shown around by one of the staff members and ended up enjoying an excellent deep tissue massage, follow by time in the sauna. It was heavenly. Bruce had a Kenyan beef dish Kati Kati.

I had a lamb shank the size of Rhode Island. Both were excellent. It’s an early morning tomorrow, so back to the room and off to bed.