October 28th, 2006 Lake Naivasha – Nairobi, Kenya

October 28, 2006
Lake Naivasha – Nairobi, Kenya

This morning we woke up at 6:45 to Adam (the Australian) pounding on our door very loudly (we asked him to wake us up). Once we got out of bed B and I packed up our things and then headed to breakfast.

Once we had completed breakfast everyone in the group except for Henry (the old Argentinean) decided to pay an extra $25 and go on a boat ride across the lake. At 7:50 we arrived at the boat ramp. We had about an hour ride along the edges of the lake. We saw tons of different species of birds (including herons and pelicans) and hippos (mating!).

After an hour we went ashore for a long, dusty hike. Eventually we made it to a party of giraffe eating in a field. It was awesome to out of a car and seeing some large animals. We spent quite a while with the giraffe and took numerous pictures.


Ultimately, we made our way back to the boat and started cruising back to the boat ramp. On the way the guide called to a fish eagle and then threw a fish out in the water. Incredibly, the eagle swooped down and grabbed the fish from right in front of our boat. We also made another stop with a different group of hippos.

We returned to the lodge just after 12:00. We ate lunch and then started the drive back to Nairobi. Although it only took 3.5 hours, I was exhausted when we arrived at our hotel. Afer we took a group picture I went up to the room and used the internet for quite some time.

At 20:00 we all went to a nice restaurant for a group dinner. We had a very long, very good meal. In addition to the normal meats they also had camel and ostrich. The camel, while interesting, was not all that great. The ostrich was very similar to beef and quite good...After dinner we said our goodbye's and retreated to our rooms.

It will probably be another 6 or 7 days before I can make another post. Be sure to scroll down and read all that I have posted today! ☺

NOTE: I would like to mention that the names of the Austrians are Marcus, Chris (the most European person I have ever met), Judith, and Julia (they are all young doctors and lawyers). Similarly, the Australians are Adam and Monique (pronounced Mah-nique). Lastly, the clueless Argentinean (who is coming with us to Tanzania) is named Henry (a judge).

AND: I have many more (bigger and better) safari photos that I cannot upload because of the slow internet so you will have to wait until you see me to get them!!

October 27th, 2006 Masai Mara National Park – Lake Naivasha, Kenya

October 27, 2006
Masai Mara National Park – Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Today we woke up at 6:00 and then headed out on an early morning game drive (6:30). It was another phenomenal day in the park. First, we saw a group of elephants, including a baby. Next, we came upon a group of feeding jackal. Since they are scavengers, this meant we came upon a wildebeest carcass.


After passing by lots of wildlife, including our first ostrich, we reached another carcass. This one was being consumed by a group of vultures. It was an amazing scene. They were rapidly eating the rotting flesh…

Next, we found an active cheetah. Although it seemed as though he was hunting, our guide insisted that we this was probably not the case. Instead we found another mating lion couple. The male lion seems to have a very comfortable life. He has sex 40-50 times a day with a female (doing this for a week straight) and then sleeps and eats the rest of the time (eating food that the female has hunted).

When we were done with the lions we headed toward the tree where we have been seeing the leopard. On the way we passed the same cheetah that we had seen earlier! Even more amazing, he had just made a kill and was eating. We spent a long time watching him eat.

Eventually, we made it to the leopard area. In an incredible stroke of luck, the leopard was on the ground and he was also eating! We spent even longer watching this cat consume his meal. As we sat there watching, the leopard jumped up and chased a bird that was right next to our vehicle. Monique, who was leaning out the window at the time, freaked out. It was quite amusing. When this happened, we also noticed that leopard was very young, just older than a cub.

By the time we finished with the leopard it was time to head back to camp for some breakfast (11:00). We had a large meal and then packed our bags and put them in the vans. We got out of camp at about 11:45.

It was another long car ride. In total we spent about 7-hours traversing dirt roads. As always, we made a number of stops at little shops. Instead of shopping I talked with one of the sellers about the NBA. He informed me that he loved basketball and that his favorite player was Kobe Bryant!

We reached a lodge at Lake Naivasha at around 18:30. After sorting through a few photos and ensuring that all of my positions were in order, I joined the Austrians for a beer. At 21:00 we had dinner and talked about our plan for tomorrow. Afterwards everyone was ready to get some sleep.

October 26th, 2006 Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

October 26, 2006
Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

We woke up this morning at about 6:30. After a very nice breakfast, which consisted of pancakes and eggs, everyone prepared for an all day game drive. I made sure to pack sunscreen, water, camera, and hat. We left just before 8:00.

The morning was filled with tons of cool animals. I was amazed by the number of wildebeest in the park. There are literally thousands of them. Very early in the drive we came across a cheetah lounging in the shade. Next, we spotted two giraffes fighting over a female. This was very interesting because the giraffes swung their long necks and hit one another with their heads.


We also caught another glimpse of the leopard and saw lions mating before lunch. For our midday meal we had a picnic under a large tree inside the park. It was very nice to get out of the vehicles and walk around for a few minutes while eating.

Once we had finished we got back in the vans and made our way toward the hippopotamus pool. On the way we stopped at a very nice lodge. Upon entering the gift shop we were shocked to find that the prices were cheaper than those in the small markets. After making a few purchases we continued on our way.

The hippos were awesome. There were tons of them relaxing in and around the slow moving water. A military officer warned us not to go too near the water because the animals are very dangerous (he then tried to charge us each $20…). At this point everyone recited the well-known fact: hippos kill far more people each year than lions…

After spending some quality time with the hippos we headed back toward the park entrance. On our way we came across a pride of lions. It was exciting to see an entire family. There were at least 8 of them (3 cubs). We watched the large cats for more than half an hour.

On our way out we made another stop at the tree with the leopard (from yesterday) and saw a very cool elephant. We exited the Masai Mara reserve just after 5:00. It was easily the best safari day yet. Everyone seemed much more willing to spend quality time with each of the animals.

Following the park we made a stop at a Masai Village (an extra $20). It was very similar to the Samburu village but much less organized and the people were less friendly. They even tried to sell us lion’s teeth and told stories of how they kill lions. In fact, they are required to kill one before getting married. I gained a lot of respect for the others in the group when they were also upset by this practice.

At 18:30 we got back to camp and had some dinner. While eating we discussed the days details and came to the conclusion that the village is not receiving much of the money that is paid to enter. This suspicion was confirmed after someone at the camp (not in our group) told us that Lonely Planet warns tourists of this scam.

We continued our conversation until 22:00 and then headed to bed.

NOTE: Everyone here is quite funny. The Austrians speak very good english but at times say things that are hilarious. They talk like a nongay Bruno (from the Ali-G show). It is fun to just listen to them speak english and translate silly things. For example, the direct translation of rhinocerous in german is "nose horns"

October 25th, 2006 Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

October 25, 2006
Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

This morning everyone got up at 6:00. After packing my bags, I grabbed a quick breakfast. We then loaded up the vehicles and headed out on a game drive at about 7:20.

It was a great game drive. We saw everything form hyena and Rothschild giraffes to flamingo (they call it the pink lake because the of number of flamingos that reside there) to the white rhino!


The rhino was by far the coolest animal of the day. He was incredibly massive and we got very close. It was amazing to watch how quickly he was able to eat the grass around him. Also of interest, when he peed it shot straight behind him in a powerful stream. Thus, it would be wise to never stand behind a rhino…

Toward the end of the game drive we headed up a large mountain and stopped at a magnificent viewpoint. We were up high enough that we could almost see the entire lake and park.

At 9:30 we left for Masai Mara (about a 7 hour drive). On the way we stopped in a town for some of our members to get some more money. I just walked around for a while on my own. I was immediately approached by a group of street vendors. After convincing them that I was not going to purchase anything, they just talked to me for a while. They told me some totally crazy stories about Africa. Most of which are not appropriate for this blog…

As usual we stopped at several shops along the way and I did not buy anything. I was informed by the guys on the street that the guides are given money to stop at specific (overpriced) shops. Also, the road to Masai Mara was very bad (almost like baja).

We arrived at our camp at about 16:30. To everyone’s surprise, the camp is equipped with permanent tents, bathrooms, and hot water.

After cleaning the dust from our safari van we set out on a game drive. We were able to see wildebeest, elephants, lions, and masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tipiloskerchi for those who might be interested…). At the very end of the drive we even caught a glimpse (tail and arm) of a leopard in a tree. Still, the highlight of this drive was watching the lions sneaking through the bush and looking at a herd of cows in the distance. And, on the way out of the park we had a spectacular sunset!

We returned to camp just after 19:00. I unpacked a few of my things and then headed for dinner. After dinner one of the cooks taught our group a native Kenyan song .

Once again it was an early night and everyone headed to bed somewhere between 21:00 and 21:30.

NOTE: Masai Mara is in southern Kenya. It is connected to the Serengeti, which is located in Tanzania.

October 24th, 2006 Samburu – Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

October 24, 2006
Samburu – Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

This morning we woke up at 6:15 and then quickly transferred our bags to the vans. After a quick breakfast (toast and eggs) we left camp. On our way out we had to go through several large puddles. Near the edge of the park we saw lots of safari vehicles gathered around. Knowing that there must be something very cool nearby we went to investigate.

Unbelievably, there was a pair of cheetahs relaxing in the grass. After about 5 minutes they got up and decided to leave the vehicles behind. Although they were not running, they moved in a way that can only be described as majestic.

Once the cheetahs had gone we continued on our way out of the park. We drove for about 3 hours before stopping at a tourist shop. Once again, I refrained from purchasing any of the overpriced items.

After driving for a while more we returned to the supermarket where I traded my shirt a few days ago. We stocked up on water and then continued on our way. We did not stop again until we reached the equator. Here we had a longer stop. We watched a demonstration of how water spins different directions in different hemispheres and then did some shopping.

Due to the rainy weather (and numerous stops) we did not reach our destination (Lake Nakuru National Park) until 17:30. By then it was too dark to go on a game drive. As a substitute, we will go early tomorrow morning.

Instead, we settled into a guesthouse near the lake and hung out for the remainder of the night. Everyone took a shower (for the first time in 3 days) and all of the others decided to watch wrestling on the TV here…I chose to sort through my photos and catch up on this blog!

At about 22:30 I got into bed.

October 23rd, 2006 Samburu National Park, Kenya

October 23, 2006
Samburu National Park, Kenya

As of today we have been traveling for 2 months! Sometimes it seems like a very long time and sometimes it seems like we just left…

Today we woke up at 6:00. Upon leaving our tent we were shocked to see that the river level had risen about three feet and was not only a couple feet away from our camp. The guides told us not to worry and that the water level would soon go down.

At 6:30 we set out on another game drive. Once again we saw numerous animal species. We saw everything that we saw yesterday except for the elephant. Then, at the end of the game drive we saw a two lions (male and female). And, just as yesterday, I was very frustrated that we were moving on very quickly.

At 11:00 we returned to camp. Shockingly, the water had continued to rise and the area where our camp used to be was now underwater! Fortunately, the camp caretakers moved our tents to higher ground. After making sure that all of our belongings were ok, we enjoyed a nice brunch.

At 12:30 we headed to a Samburu village ($20 extra –goes to the village). First, the men greeted us with a warriors dance. I found it very interesting that they tell who is strongest by who jumps the highest during this dance. Next, the woman joined the dance and then performed a welcoming ceremony. Once we were all inside the village (it was a small gate made of dried out acacia trees) we were treated to a tour.

I thought that one of the most interesting things about the village was that they use almost everything they can find. The walls of their huts are made out of cow poop and they use goat pooh as a mosquito and snake repellant. Toward the end of the tour they tried to convince us to buy things. Having already spent $20 to see the village, I decided to refrain. B could not resist himself and spent about $50 on some souvenirs.

Our group of nine left the village in a single van and headed toward a lodge within the park. On the way we came across the lions. They were still hanging out under the tree and resting. As we sat there watching them, it seemed as if everyone else was impatient with them.

When we got to the lodge I had to get away from everyone in the group before snapping at someone over their attitude toward the lions. I could not help but wish that the others were more interested in just watching the animlas. I found an empty bench and sat alone and watched the river. As I sat there I saw the eyes and ears of a hippopotamus emerge from the river every now and then (barely visible as it was on the opposite bank). Once I had cooled down I wandered around the lodge. It was very fancy and had tons of monkeys hanging around.

At 16:30 I rejoined the group and we set off on another game drive. I thought that it was an ominous sign that the others all had beers when they returned to our vehicle. Still, I think they must have figured out that I was not happy because when we returned to the lions they asked me if I would like to stay and watch them. As we sat there watching them we were treated to witnessing them mate (a process that onlyt takes 10 - 15 seconds)! It was interesting, amazing, and hilarious!

I was also pleased that we got to have a longer stop with the giraffes (almost 10 minutes). Similarly, we spent a much longer time watching the zebra, orax, and impala interact. At the end of our game drive we returned to watch the lions for just a bit longer. We were the only vehicle around and watched the lions for an extended period.

As we sat there they got up and started moving. As if out of nowhere, 4 or 5 other safari vehicles immediately appeared. Our caravan of cars then followed the lions for a few more minutes. Incredibly, they stopped and took a nap on the side of the road. We were forced to go off the path just to get around the lions!

We returned to camp just after 18:30 for dinner. As we ate dinner, it started to rain. Everyone quickly retreated to the tents. After reorganizing my sleeping area I feel went to bed...

At 2:00am I woke up feeling slightly wet. I felt around and discovered that there was a small pool in the middle of our tent. In my panic (I initially thought the river had risen very high again) B also woke up. We discovered that the top of our tent was dripping due to the extremely hard rain. Eventually, the drip became so severe that it rendered half of our tent useless. Later, when we slowly fell back asleep, we would be crammed onto a single small mattress…

As the rain continued to hammer down B thought that he could here the river rising. Slightly nervous about the entire situation, he ran down to the waters edge to investigate. He reported that the water level was not rising but that the water was moving extremely fast.

In another interesting note, when I went to the bathroom I noticed that the Australians tent was sitting in a large pool of water. I found out later that they had to abandon their tent in the middle of the night and go to the van to sleep.

October 22nd, 2006 Nairobi – Samburu National Park, Kenya

October 22, 2006
Nairobi – Samburu National Park, Kenya

This morning we woke up at 5:30 and gathered up the rest of our things. We then made another visit to the ATM. Unfortunately, the ATM did not work for us this morning and we returned to the hotel not having the money required for our safari…

We ate breakfast downstairs back at our hotel and finished just before 7:00 (pickup time). We waited in the lobby for our tour guide to pick up. At 7:15 a man came in with a list of names, we were not on it. We kept waiting. At 7:30 he came back and we asked what tour he was leading. He told us he would be leading the Nomad tour (the one we were supposed to be on!). Eventually, we worked it all out and jumped in his vehicle.

B and I and a group of 4 Austrians (2 couples) made our way to Kenya Comfort Inn. We were slightly shocked because this was where we originally had a reservation. Our travel agent (Danielle) had us change to a different hotel because she thought the departure point had changed….ohh well.

We met the rest of our group (an older Argentinean man and an Australian Couple currently living in England) and then settled the financial situation. Our money situation worked out because only had to pay half before leaving! The rest will be paid before leaving Nairobi the second time.

Once all was settled we got into two vans and started the7 hour ride to Samburu National Park (crossing the equator on our way). The park is located in the very north of Kenya (near the Somalia boarder). On the way we made a stop at a very cool shop with lots of African souvenirs. In the end I chose not to buy anything because I felt it was all overpriced. Still, B purchased an elephant carving and a necklace (about $50!).

Later, we stopped at a supermarket to get water for the next 3 days. On my way out of the market I was approached many street vendors. One of them was extremely interested in my t-shirt. He offered to trade me 5 carvings and a mask for my shirt! Unable to refuse, I made the deal. Once back in the vehicle I kind of regretted my decision. It was probably my favorite shirt I have on this trip (the Volcom one I have been wearing in many photos).

We finally arrived at Samburu at about 15:00. On our way to our campsite we saw several animals: antelope, impala, African buffalo, and elephants! Similarly, the area around the campsite was home to tons of olive baboons and some monkeys.

After dropping off our stuff in the tent we wandered around the camp, which is located right next to the river. On the other bank we saw a large crocodile and on our side we managed to find two monitor lizards.

Upon returning to our camp area I became kind of upset because our camp caretakers like to shoot the baboons with a slingshot. They claim that it is too keep them at a distance but they seem to have too much fun doing it…

At 14:30 we set out on our first game drive. First, we saw another large crocodile and got very close to several reticulated giraffe (endemic to this area). Then, we came across a herd of impala. We also saw some grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, Thompson’s gazelle, orax, and numerous species of birds. Lastly, we stumbled upon a mother elephant and her baby!

Still, my overall feelings about the first game drive were not all good. I got frustrated that we had to move on from each animal very quickly. It seemed as though we only had time to get a good picture and then try to find something else. I really wanted to appreciate, understand, and learn about the animals.

We returned to camp just after 18:30. As I expected, there were lots of mosquitoes! Interestingly, most other people seemed to think this was unusual and complained about it for a long time. Perhaps they are not used to the outdoors.

At 20:30 B and I retired to our tent. It was incredibly hot! Still, we were forced to keep the door shut and the rain-fly on (our guides expect it to rain tonight). It took quite a while to fall asleep in the heat. Just as I drifted off to sleep I heard the rain start to fall…

October 21st, 2006 Nairobi, Kenya

October 21, 2006
Nairobi, Kenya

Hello rafiki’s (friends)!

This morning I woke up at about 8:30 and chilled out for a while (waiting for B to get up). At about 10:00 we headed downstairs for breakfast. Though it was $5 (very expensive for Kenya), it was quite good and included lots of fruit.

After breakfast we asked a cab driver to take us to the Elephant Orphanage (I heard about it on the travel channel). Instead of taking us to the elephant orphanage he took us to the animal orphanage. Not knowing the difference, we paid our entrance fee and got a tour of the facilities. It was a great mistake! We saw warthogs, cheetahs, lions, hyenas, monkeys, baboons, antelope, and crocodiles. All of which were orphaned when they were young and would not have survived in the wild.


Once we realized that we were not at the correct location he hustled through the park and back to our driver. We informed him that he took us to the wrong place and that we wanted to go see the elephants. After making us pay an extra 1000 shillings (about $15), he took us. We asked him to hurry because it was already 11:20 and the orphange is only open from 11:00 – 12:00!

We arrived at the orphanage at about 11:35. The next 25 minutes were spectacular. We watched the baby elephants eat, play in the water, and kick a soccer ball around. We also got to pet them (briefly). There was even an elephant that was only 7 weeks old (younger than our trip so far!). The workers then told us how the baby elephants need 24 hour care (they eat every 3 hours) and how they sleep in the same area as the elephants.


After purchasing a model elephant at the gift shop we asked our driver to take us back to the animal orphanage. We visited their gift shop and purchased safari hats (to protect me from the sun mom)! Ohh and I can’t forget to mention that I was highly amused by the traffic signs at the park…

We arrived back at our hotel at about 13:00 and made a trip to the ATM (we have a large payment due before we leave on our safari). After getting money, we decided to get some lunch. Every place we went to was serving the same thing fried chicken, french-fries, and burgers (we also had this meal yesterday for lunch and dinner).

On the way home B stopped and purchased some cheap DVD’s. When we got back to our room we collapsed onto the sofa and watched Die Hard (a little better Stu?).

The rest of the evening will be spent packing up our things and making sure that we have everything in order for our 7:00am safari departure. We will be gone for 13 days and will first travel to Masi Mara. We will then venture into Tanzania and onto the Serengeti. On our way back to Nairobi we will stop at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro for an evening.

This may be the last post for a while but please check back as I will update if I can!

October 20th, 2006 Migori - Nairobi, Kenya

October 20, 2006
Midori – Nairobi, Kenya

This morning we woke up at 3:15! It was the earliest I have woken up in a long time. At 4:00 Jared came in a taxi and picked us up. We then drove down to the bus stop and waited for the bus to Nairobi. We waited at a small restaurant (called a hotel) and had some very tasty chi tea.
At about 4:30 the bus came and we grabbed a seat near the front (since we were among the first people on). As we continued on our way, we made numerous stops and the bus filled up. The ride was very similar to the one we took on October 18th.

This time, however, someone stored a rooster in the overhead compartment. It was quite entertaining. Also, we saw a baboon run across the road during our journey.

At about 13:00 we arrived back in Nairobi. After we jumped off the buss (it will only stop for you for just second), we looked for a taxi to take us to our new hotel. When we asked the taxi driver to take us to the Meridian Court Hotel he laughed and told us that it was very close and that he would walk us there. He was right; the hotel was just around the corner.

After bartering with the receptionist at the hotel for the advertised price, we checked into our room. We tossed our bags in the room and then headed out to get some lunch (our first meal of the day). We found a place very close to our hotel and had a nice lunch for a total of about $3 (soda was $0.25).

We then set out in search of an ATM. After being denied by several ATM’s we finally found one that worked. From there we decided to head to a local market and look for some cool African souvenirs. We were disappointed to learn that today is Presidents Day and everything is closed.

Instead, we headed back to our hotel to go for a swim. Unfortunately, the water was totally freezing and we just jumped in a couple of times and then returned to our room. We are going to spend the rest of the evening playing around on the internet and taking it easy. We are both sore from the long bus journey…

October 19th, 2006 Migori, Kenya

October 19, 2006
Migori, Kenya

This morning B and I woke up to Jared knocking on our window at 8:00. He informed us that we had to let the chef in to cook us breakfast. We then went back to sleep for about half an hour. When we came out of our room at 8:30 the table was filled with a meal of eggs, bread, and fruit.

After eating and showering, B and I got ready to go to a school in a smaller village. Although we were expecting to be picked up at 9:00, we had to wait until 10:00 for the taxi to come. The taxi driver and George (Jared’s buddy) took us to the school.

The drive was quite interesting as we went by a small marketplace and entered a dirt road. The dirt road then turned into a grass road and we ended up driving through a field and past several very small villages. Eventually, we came back to a dirt road. Another 5 minutes and we were at Petals of Africa School Ngochoni.

As we entered the school the headmaster and headmistress greeted us. They told us a little bit about the school (kindergarten – 5th grade) and then took us around to each of the classrooms. We were introduced to each of the 7 classes. Each class greeted us with a lot of excitement. Several even sang us a song!

Once we saw each of the classes we continued touring the school grounds. We passed by the construction area where they are building several new classrooms (6th – 9th) and toward the brand new basketball hoop. We then circled back along the gate and checked out the hut right next to the school.


It was then time to teach the kids how to play basketball. While they had a hoop, no one had ever told them how to play. All of the kids were let out of class early and we started to teach them the game of basketball. It was quite difficult as the balls were very small and the ground very uneven. Dribbling was almost impossible and shooting was also harder than I anticipated. Still, everyone learned a lot. The teachers seemed just as excited as the kids!

After a couple hours of basketball coaching it was time to eat some lunch, which consisted of beans and rice and water. Interestingly, only the male teachers ate with us (as at Jared’s house last night, when only the men ate dinner at the table).

We then chilled out at the table for a while and waited for a rival school to show up for a soccer game. Once it was apparent that they were not coming, a game of pickup soccer started (between teachers and students). B and I joined the teacher’s team and played soccer for about 2 hours.


It was then time to chill out under a tree for a while. We talked to the teachers for a while and then decided it was time to head back. On our way out we rounded up the school and took a picture in front of the main building before leaving. NOTE: We learned that the children only see a white person once every couple of months.

We returned to our guesthouse at about 17:00. After showering and changing, we headed back to Jared’s house for dinner. We got there slightly early and waited a while for Jared and Clinton to show up. They finally arrived at about 17:45. Jared took us down to the rivers edge and then we had dinner.

After dinner we made our way back to the guesthouse. We packed up our stuff and went to bed very early (21:00).

PS - at the school we saw some guys making bricks. It was super cool! I had no idea that bricks could be made out of mud...

October 18th, 2006 Nairobi - Migori, Kenya

October 18, 2006
Nairobi - Migori, Kenya

Jambo (Swahili – hello) Bloggers!

This morning we were woken up at 4:30 by a wakeup call that Jared arranged for us. Apparently, he thought that we would need a long time to get ready. Instead, we went back to sleep for half an hour. At 5:00 we got up to our own alarm and were downstairs for breakfast shortly before 5:30. At 6:00 Ben showed up and gave us all a ride to the bus station.

The bus station was quite the experience. As soon as we parked the car we a number of people asked if they could help us with our bags. After declining their offers we made our way across the street (Frogger Style) and boarded our bus to Migori.

The bus ride was another unique experience. B, Clinton (a Californian also visiting Jared) and I were the only white people (in fact we are the only white people I have seen in the country) and the bus was totally packed. Eventually, we were able to store our baggage and cram into a couple of seats. A woman and two of her children all piled into the seat next to B. To make matters worse, she had motion sickness and frequently spewed into a small plastic bag. Needless to say, we were all quite cramped. I even had some part of the window latch digging into my shoulder for most of the ride…

Still, the ride was really fun. In the first two hours of the drive I caught a glimpse of numerous gazelle, zebra, and other cool wildlife. To no one’s surprise, I eventually fell asleep. Even so, I woke up about every 5 minutes as the bus went over large bumps (the road was only partially paved).

Ultimately, I gave up sleeping. Instead, I focused on taking in the surroundings. During the ride the driver would occasionally stop and allow vendors to come on and try to sell things to the people on the bus. Similarly, every time the bus stopped to allow someone off (either at their stop or to pee on the side of the road), people would run up and try to sell things to the passengers through the windows.

Nevertheless, my favorite thing about the ride was a man who got up half way through the ride (4 hours in) and started talking in Swahili about something. B and I had no idea what he was saying but he was very passionate and talked for at least 30-minutes straight. Eventually he came around and tried to sell people herbal medicine…After this ordeal I relaxed, watched the scenery go by, and listened to the African music blaring from the buss’s sound system.

At about 13:45 we arrived in Migori (which is more of a city than a “village”). Jared took us to an internet café (that doesn’t have internet…) and we dropped off our bags (Jared said the place was trustworthy). We then wandered through town and stopped at several places selling fencing materials (Jared is trying to repair part of his fence). We then made our way to a restaurant and had a large lunch. I had chicken and a tortilla thingy. As always (in Kenya), no utensils were used and we ate entirely with our hands.

After lunch we picked up our luggage and jumped into a cab. B and I got dropped off at the guesthouse (about 15:30) where we will be staying for the next few days. We unpacked a few things and rested for a bit. There were some very unique looking large birds in the field next to our guesthouse...

Jared was supposed to come back and pick us up at 17:00 but did not show up! At 18:00 a cab came and picked us up and took us to his house. While there we met some of his friends and neighbors while waiting for Jared and Clinton to come back. When they returned, we all sat down for dinner.

After dinner B and I took a cab back to our guesthouse (20:00). On the way we made a quick detour to get some bottled water (not wanting to drink the tap water here…). Feeling totally exhausted from two straight days of travel, we are going to go to bed early.

Asanti Sana (Thank you very much) for reading! And, Hakuna Matata…

NOTE: I was surprised by how green Kenya was. The drive was filled with green countryside and large trees. Also, everyone here speaks English in addition to Swahili and all signs are in English. Ohh and I hope you all know what movie I was thinking about when I heard Asanti Sana and Acuna Matata!