Jambo, Kenya!

Jambo!!

AT and I have left the country!!! It felt like a minor miracle and after many canceled trips* I didn't think it would really happen until we were sitting on the plane. This is my first international trip since the Seychelles in February of 2020** and AT's first since January 2020. It took heavy research on what countries would have us, a bunch of covid tests, some re-routed flights, and lots of masks. 

We flew from Atlanta to Istanbul to Addis Ababa to Nairobi with many hours in airports in between. Did you know that the Istanbul Airport has a museum?? Did you know that the Addis Ababa airport has an unmarked reconstruction zone that will now feature prominently in my nightmares? (not pictured, you're welcome.) You can see the excitement drain from our faces as the 36 hours of travel dragged on. 

We did eventually make it to Nairobi, Kenya, and it was well worth the flight time!

We spent the first day in Nairobi touring the Karen area, named for the author Karen Blixen. We started at Kazuri Beads, a factory where the beads are made and designed in house and the factory provides jobs for over 300 single mothers. 

***

We also toured the home where Karen Blixen lived from 1917-1931 and learned about her life there. Hearing her story was fascinating--am I inspired to move to a foreign country and start a coffee farm after ditching my philandering husband? No, but thank you for widening my options. Am I inspired to really read "Out of Africa" for the first time? Yes, call the library. Am I inspired to watch the movie "Out of Africa" for the millionth time? A million times yes- pass the kleenex and cheers to Meryl.

The next day we headed for the animals! We started at the Giraffe Center where we got to feed the giraffes!!! They came straight to the people for treats and were so gentle. An added bonus, one was named Kelly!****

Two Kellys with similar posing styles. . . 

Work those angles, Covergirls!!

We then did a Safari Walk at the Nairobi National Park. This was a good preview to our safari next week because we got to see some animals up close that we might not see on the drives. Check out that bonus giant spider with the lion!

There is a leopard***** in there . . . we promise.

Our next stop is Uganda where we'll be on the lookout for gorillas! More to come soon!

-KT

P.S. Shopping really took a turn in a random H&M-like store. Are we selling stalking now? How do you pay to stop the stalking? Please advise.

*RIP #Tokyo2020 but can't wait #Paris2024. Lvoe you, Ptarcie!!

**How fun that the biggest medical peril was stepping on coral!

***I bought one of these items as a gift. Will I give it away? Will I give it to you?? STAY TUNED.******

****Added bonus, she just turned 20. I am always on the hunt to find younger Kellys so I know my name hasn't gone the way of classic old fashioned ladies. I'm looking at you, Estelles, Ediths, and Agneses.

*****Only one, not a leap (the plural for leopard). Other plurals we learned: tower of giraffes, troop of baboons, harem of zebras, and cackle of hyenas

******Is this a Teacher Summer Giveaway Sweepstakes‽‽‽ Enter everyday to win! No purchase necessary.

All the Animals

If you've been paying attention to the past few posts,* you've noticed that we've run into a lot of animals without trying. I'm pretty convinced that if you sit in one spot long enough in some of these destinations, you'll see almost every animal stroll by.

In Botswana,** however, we made an effort. And we were rewarded. We stayed just outside the Chobe National Park and spent three days gawking at animals on game drives in the park, gawking at animals from a boat through the park, and gawking at animals at the lodge outside of the park. These are their stories.

Presented in a seemingly random animal order!

Elephants!!!!!!

Extreme Elephant Bonus: Swimming!!***

Giraffes!!!!!!

A thing I learned on this trip was how good giraffes are at hiding. You don't see any at all and then you turn a corner and there are a dozen chomping on trees around a bush. As a 5'3" person, I aspire to hide as well as they do in plain sight.****

A hyena!

I don't know if it's the animal itself or the number of times I watched "The Lion King" as a child, but they creep me out.*****

Baboons!!

Hippopotami!

Crocodiles!

Jackals!

Impalas!

Buffalos!

Monitor Lizards!

Birds!
We saw so many birds. I took hardly any pictures of birds because the iPhone camera is not built for that sort of thing and there was zero scenario that I would remember any of their names. But here are a few bad pictures of the prettiest ones I did deem photo-worthy.

Zebras!!

LIONS!!!
The random order did save the best for last. We saw lions on the last day we were there and visited them twice. In the morning there were five lions that were feasting on a kill from the previous night of an elephant. By the afternoon, three more lions had come to join them.

As a true genuine WARNING, the lions pictured below are eating a dead elephant. So if you don't want to see that, you should stop now. Fortunately for all of you, the pictures do not capture the smell of a rotting elephant so I give you this warning picture of AT with the odor.

And one more in disbelief of how close we are to the lions and how incredibly unbothered they are by us driving around in large cars staring at them. At one point there were about 7 giant cars all roaring around them unfazed.

But now the real deal:

As every cat owner can recognize, the lions immediately went to take a nap in the sun after gorging themselves. And every cat owner will also recognize this picture:

Not a roar, just a really good yawn.

There were other animals, too- kudu and waterbuck and the actual bird from "The Lion King"- but it was better just to watch them.

In other news, there were people and beautiful vistas and that one time I thought I was Georgia O'Keeffe and that one other time when AT and I accidentally matched all day.

As always, I have thirty million more pictures than you're seeing here but this time also one fantastic elephants on parade video. Regardless, the pictures do not do it any kind of justice. Come to Africa. Take a safari. See the world or at least a dozen elephants walking gracefully along the beach.
-KT

*Kudos to you because there is no quiz! If you are just now joining us, this blog entry, much like the Big Gay Sing 2, will make sense as a stand alone.
**Country 150 for me! I will also get a pin. I plan to wear it nowhere but with pride.
***But I done seen 'bout everything, when I see an elephant swim.
****Or to be 5'5", but this one seems easier.
*****It's obviously the latter but I'm pretending to be sophisticated. And two inches taller.