KENYA

The picture above is what Mt. Kilimanjaro would have looked like the day Jonathan and I visited Amboseli National Park. Only problem was that it was so overcast and hazy we could only make out a small bit of the snow cap every once in a while.  But that is okay.  We still had a great day but I will come back to all that.

Jon had to go to Nairobi on business while Jonathan was visiting. We wrangled some frequent flyer tickets (as luck would have it, Kenya Airways is a Delta partner) and went along.  Nairobi is about a 3 1/2 hour flight from Johannesburg.  We stayed in a brand new hotel, which was a good thing because Nairobi for the most part is pretty old.  Jonathan and I knew we only had one good sightseeing day available to us so we got a driver who drove us 4 hours to Amboseli National Park which is right on the Kenya/Tanzanian border.  It was a bumpy road and very desolate landscape.  About half way there we stopped at a "curio" shop to use the bathroom and browse the souvenirs.  After being quoted an exhorbitant amount of money for some trinkets, I let him know I didn't have anywhere near that much cash.  He said that was okay, he took credit cards.  Jonathan and I looked at each other and laughed.  As if I would give this guy out in the bush my credit card number!

We drove in to Amboseli National Park. When I say "drove" I mean bounced, shook, swayed.  We drove the last hour of the trip over some of the most bone-jarring, teeth-rattling washboard dirt roads I have ever been on. We passed Massai warriors in traditional red dress herding cattle through the dry bush with their long thin staffs.  The park itself is enormous and for the most part just scrubby bush until you get deep inside where you find this giant lush area full of tall grasses and swampy wetlands.  This area is created by a large underground river that runs down from Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Here the herds of zebra, wildebeest, elephant, and hippo gather to eat, drink and cool off along with hundreds of birds. 

It is early in the migration of many of the herd animals that move each season to find water and food.  Amboseli is not the best place to see the annual migrations but we did see scores of animals. 

At lunch the driver took us to one of several lodges in the national park. This lodge, the Serena Lodge, was literally an oasis in the middle of this desert-like bush.  It was green and almost tropical.  The lobby was open-air and the restaurant had a buffet with white linen tablecloths and silver chafing dishes. What I thought was incredible is the fact that the entire national park is 2 hours from any civilization and has no electricity.  All these lodges operate on generators.  This lodge had about 90 rooms, which we didn't see but it did have a beautiful outdoor pool area and other public spaces. You could sit outside and look out over the bush and see the animals if they wandered close by.  There were monkeys on the hotel property.  Jonathan enjoyed the break after lunch, especially after the long ride.

The grounds of the lodge

Jonathan chillin' by the pool

 When we left Amboseli to drive back to Nairobi we saw this group of school children at the entrance to the park.  I am guessing they were on a field trip.  Sure beats any field trip I was ever on!

Our last night in Kenya we ate at the Carnivore restaurant. It is a tourist attraction/novelty but everyone says you have to go when you are there.  They cook all kinds of meat over an open fire and bring it around on spits to carve it directly onto your plate.  It was delicious!  The guys got brave and tried the crocodile, camel, and even ox balls.  I stuck with the traditional fare.

Our departure from Kenya was delayed by a day.  When we got to the airport the boards showed our plane had been canceled.  After much time standing in line (we were not alone, several other Kenya Air flights had been canceled) we were re-scheduled for the next day.  The airline put us up in an "African 5-star" hotel. Let's just say I slept with all my clothes on.  Anyway, rumor has it that several Kenya Air jets had been used to transport Kenyan dignitaries that day to the new country of South Sudan, where they were celebrating their newly won independence from Sudan.  The story goes that the festivities lasted longer than thought and the planes didn't make it back in time to operate for the Saturday night flights. I don't know if it is true but it makes for a good story.

I am in the US for a few weeks visiting family but I will be updating the blog as soon as I can.  Thanks for hanging in and checking it out. Much love to all-Jody

PS-don't forget to click on the highlighted sections to be taken to websites that will give you more info on those topics.  You can also become a follower of the blog and get emails when the blog has been updated.