I had a whole day to kill in Nairobi before heading up to Mpala the next day. So I met up with Sara (a young woman who I met on the shuttle), Imma (local couchsurfer host – very fun-loving and energetic), and Justin (from Germany - this was his first day in Africa; he's counchsurfing). We found a driver for the day and spent the day going to the following places:
· Uhuru (Freedom) Gardens – cool National Monument. NOT cool that we were going to be charged 5,000 KES if we wished to take photos. Such a dumb policy.
· Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage – amazing experience watching baby elephants get fed and play
· Giraffe Center: a place where you can feed giraffes. And if you hold a treat between your lips, you'll get one heck of a giraffe lick!
· Nairobi National Museum: learned a lot of history and enjoyed the good natural history displays.
Sorry for the terse post, but I think the photos will speak far greater than the words can:
On our way to the elephant orphanage, we spotted a giraffe:
The orphanage sign:
School kids gawking and waving at the mzungus (white people :)
They're bringing out the baby elephants for feeding:
Hehe, this ele can't wait to be fed!
The school children stand in rapt attention, their bright blue uniforms standing out against the overcast background:
Happy ele being fed a special formula:
Taking the baby elephants around for viewing:
Scolding a cantankerous youngster:
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This baby elephant was sooo cute. Everyone wanted to pet him
Awww
Feeding the second round of elephants - slightly older ones in age this time:
A few close-ups:
There was a rhino at the shelter, too:
One happy kid:
After the elephant orphanage, we wanted to grab some lunch, so we headed to a town. On our way there, I saw this entertaining shuttle. It reads - Supreme Shuttle: Eternally Driven By God's Example.
I dunno how style has anything to do with driving, so don't ask me:
Such an amusing sign. It reads: "Do you want your teeth to be white? Call this number...". Meanwhile, in the background, there are so many other problems that take priority over pretty teeth.
Here's the butchery where we decided to eat lunch:
A clothesline right behind the butchery:
Our goat stew:
Goat stew, a spicy mix of tomatoes, onions, and cilantro (kachumbari), and ugali. It was yummy!
Very little was left when we were done:
We hopped into a local supermarket after lunch. Check out the amount of rice (and all the different brands)!
Eggs are not refrigerated here:
After lunch, we all went to a giraffe center where you can feed and touch giraffes. It was fantastic to be up so close to these majestic animals:
Very silly-looking giraffe:
Getting licked on the face by a giraffe was... interesting. I wasn't prepared for the sandpapery roughness of the tongue!
Behind a birdy curtain:
The folks I hung out with for the day:
Cute shop sign:
We walked this giraffe nature trail afterward:
HOOT! oops.
Finally, the Nairobi National Museum:
Some bird displays:
Hmm, dental condition not so bad, but you, mister, need a mint!
Good size comparison:
Believe me, I would NOT be smiling if I were this close to a buffalo in real life. I most likely wouldn't be alive, either.
Cute Zen-like bench around a tree in the garden:
One with the Tree of Life :-)
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