Off to Nanyuki

Our Naturopathic Adventure in Africa is about to begin. We are all packed and equiped for the bush, which we will be at for approximately 3 weeks but may be back in between for a day to write a post. We are really pumped for the upcoming adventures and to finally touch base with the rural Kenyan communities.

We are really hoping that the baboon encounters in Nanyuki are kept to a minimum. Our light packing cannot afford us peeing in our pants!!!

Kwaheri (Goodbye)!

Nakuru National Park

Part 1: Pride surrounds us.

Plans changed for the day. Instead of Elmenteita we went to Nakuru National Park, a 2 hour drive northwest of Nairobi. Words can’t describe what an incredible day it was!

The first wildlife we saw in the park was a flurry of zebras, baboons and gazelles. The non-residents were overwhelmed and were snapping their cameras furiously thinking this was a super special moment. We did see the tiniest baby baboon breastfeeding right away, it truly was a beautiful sight (which we have 51 pictures of and 3 videos). This was the highlight of Michelle’s life to date – and she was ready to pack up and leave the park because she thought nothing else could top it! Well...we may have topped it, just a little!

Next was a trip right down basically on Lake Nakuru (since it was all dried out due to the drought we were able to drive on it – a little bittersweet). There we saw a sea of pink flamingos, pelicans, zebras, and three buffalo posing for us nicely. Wildlife truly was everywhere we looked – we thought this was exciting...

Apparently seeing a lion at Lake Nakuru is a rare event. We were driving around in the savannah looking in the trees trying to spot one. We then saw a few cars stopped ahead of us and knew something was up. Lo and behold there was a pride of lions lounging lazily under a tree. There was 12 of them huddled together about 40 feet away. This was not close enough for Nizar uncle! He decided he wanted to get a little closer...he then proceeded to do a little ‘off-roading’ (which, by the way, is strictly prohibited and finable). We took quite a bumpy, roundabout trek to make it back to the pride of lions, who were still slothing it up. We got a few more great pics and got out of there before the park ranger caught on to us. We felt lucky then to be graced by the pride.

After a wild goose chase of looking for the lookout point (another priceless story to follow), we got lost and ended up back near the pride. This time they were up! We first spotted 2 young lions playing in a tree near the road and glanced down to see 7 running in front of our car away from a huge herd of buffalo. Being the lazy creatures they are they took residence on the side of the road just to the right of Aliyah sitting in the right rear seat. Needless to say, there were many gasps and screams. Cameras were rolling capturing the moment 5 times over.

Part 2: The Lookout Drama.

At this point it had been hours since we had planned to stop for lunch at the lookout point. We decided we would give it one more shot.

Finally, after a loooong journey we reached the top to find a few other spectators and some “friendly” baboons. We were reminded by our experts (Auntie and Uncle) that baboons are feisty and are scavengers for food – therefore, keep doors closed!

As we were marvelling at how close we could get to the baboon, suddenly it leaped not towards us, as we thought, but towards our jeep. We heard a loud “Nizar!” and looked over to see Auntie Shehnaz standing with the back of the jeep wide open, food exposed and a baboon reaching into our food basket. (We thought there was a closed door policy in effect!?!?!) Nizar uncle raced over, threw the baboon off TWICE while others gathered near for an impending feast. Auntie Shehnaz, more concerned about the food then her own welfare, stood strong tossing a few elbows while Nizar Uncle managed to wrestle the 2 sizable baboons off the car – allowing them to make away with an entire bag of crips/chips and 3 bananas. Meanwhile, the 4 young ladies stood back, shocked, with only Sarah smart enough to capture the moment on camera. All of this happened in a matter of seconds!

Sarah, thinking the excitement had passed, attempted to walk by the baboon to grab a picture of the lookout. The baboon thought otherwise, gave Sarah the death stare and leaped her direction. This sent her screaming and running for her life. Funniest shit ever!!!!!! Without words, the 6 of us hopped in the car and got the heck outta dodge.

Whatta day! The thought of it still sends us into awe and laughter.

Overall, Michelle and Sarah definitely thought it was worth the $60 US park entry fee (the non-resident rate). The resident rate is a little less expensive - with Aliyah paying 300 shillings (approx $5 Cdn) and Alisha got the student rate at 100 shillings ($1.50) – “worth every penny” Al says.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - Elephant Orphanage!

Jambo followers! Today was our first day seeing wildlife, it was incredible! We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is an elephant (and rhino) orphanage in Nairobi National Park. These elephants are orphans from all over Kenya, mostly either due to the drought or poaching (which is still a huge problem). The youngest elephant was just 8 days old. They were soooo adorable! We learned a that elephants are very similar to humans - in both development and emotional attachment. They live until 80 years of age and have a huge relationship with their mother. This relationship is so critical that at the orphanage the caretaker actually sleeps with the elephant! They cuddle and wrap their trunk around their caregiver. They have a tight knit family and suffer from emotional stress, some of the elephants there even have post-traumatic stress! They are treated there with veterinary medicine as well as reiki and homeopathy. We could treat them!!

As many people know, an elephant never forgets. This is totally true, and they will remember a caregiver even after they have been reintroduced into the wild and have been separated for years. Since their attachment is so strong, it takes 7-8 years to fully reintegrate them back into the wild. What a process!

The elephants ate, played, and had mud baths right in front of us. We even got to pet them. We took wayyy too many pictures too!! Up next: Elmenteita hike tomorrow. More wildlife to come as well, we are hooked!

Karibu Nairobi!

We have FINALLY arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. After a long journey we were greeted by Aliyah's uncle Nizar and a beautiful home cooked lunch. The first thing we discovered was that there is a lot of traffic and very few traffic lights. There are vans packed with people - the local transport system - called matatu's - and they follow zero road rules. Overall, very few people follow proper road protocol. The streets are lines with local potted plants for sale, crafts, home-made furniture, and other curios. Nairobi hasn't seen rain for a little while so dust fills the air.

Our first local adventure was visiting the local fruit and vegetable market. It was intimidating at first but totally harmless. The local produce is abundant, and we were so impressed with the size of the avocados - they were the size of cantaloupe!! We were excited to use our few new learned words in Swahili, only to find out that everyone also speaks English. Next we went to the Maasai market, where locals try to swindle you into buying souveniers. Bargaining is a much needed skill, one in which we are working on but not yet mastered.

Tomorrow we are off for elephant feeding - and we are excited to get in touch with some animals!! So far Kenya is amazing...and we are excited for every adventure that awaits us!!

Doha me!!

We have been sitting in the Doha airport for 7 hours and figured there was no better time to write our first blog entry. Our first flight was a breeze, it was 55 minutes to Washington and we were able to stretch out over 2 seats. Our next flight was not so breezy. It was over 12 hours of loud screaming from a delinquint child sitting directly in front of us. We seriously considered slipping him homeopathics and Aliyah had to hold back from tripping him as he ran down the aisle. On the flip side, we were very pleased with Qatar airlines! Perks included: moist towlettes before each meal, an extensive menu with large portions which were quite tasty, a package with an eye cover, travel toothbrush and toothpaste, and socks!!! Aliyah loves socks!

We landed in Doha and it was HOT out! Too bad it costs $35US to leave the airport! this popular layover destination does not provide the comfort that the airline does! I think Michelle has slept 2 hours thus far! We are a little tired and sore, the thought of waiting here another 7 hours is a bit of a nightmare! By the way, we all sporting some serious cankles (our calves are flowing into our ankles creating a very swollen look).

We are more than pumped to be greeted by Aliyah's family when we arrive in Nairobi!!