Kenya

I loved visiting this place! The scenery was fantastic. I would reccomend the Maasai Mara Reserve.

Visited the Masai Mara and was so happy with the abundant wildlife. Couldn’t have asked for more.

I researched scads of safari companies, and we finally decided on a 3 day tour of the masai mara. We’re a little pressed for time in our travels, and the safaris are actually so much more expensive than I had expected! But I think 3 days will be sufficient, and we are also going to the Giraffe Center and Elephant/Rhino Nursery on the 4th day. I just sent the confirmation email to book the trip, and we already purchased our tickets to Nairobi last week, too. Nothing left to do but count down the days :)

Lamu, Kenya is one of my favorite places on earth.

Here is a little story that I wrote in an English class one time, I’ve taken out some parts about another story that I compared and contrasted with and was not really interesting.

When I was 25 I lived in Lamu, Kenya with an outcast group of artists – painters, singers, musicians, sculptors and carvers. They scooped me up, housed me, fed me and celebrated with me. The mainstream people of Lamu turned their heads when the artists were around and wouldn’t acknowledge their existence; as if turning your head would make something disappear. It felt as though they would turn their heads as a silent acceptance and disapproval of these artists life.

Lamu is known as a tourist Island. The artists are the ones that greet you on your arrival. You step off the boat to artists lining the waterfront making their living. You are immediately surrounded by paintings, sketches, bracelets, clothes, scarves, anything that can keep your attention, time and money. Only when you’ve spent a little time there you see that a few blocks in is the town square, the Mecca of the mainstream; the upstanding Muslim population who hang out together in the town square, leaving their wives at home tending to the needs of the home and children. If you spend a little time there you see that the artists are an integral part of this society and without them Lamu’s attraction would be a museum, a market and two-thousand donkeys; not enough to attract tourists.

The Muslim community could not survive without the local artists. The beating-heart of the community is the artists and makes it all the worthwhile to experience the island. By them taking me into their home I got to see how both sides, the mainstream and the artists, lived hand-in-hand. The Muslims were the ones with the lumber shops, market booths, boat yards and the fabric shops and the artists were the draw of the tourists off the boat selling their crafts.

Hubby and I are going to stop in Kenya on our way to/from South Africa this winter. Serengeti, here we come ;)

While I visited much of Kenya, Nairobi sticks in my mind most. The massai market in town was a hand full. People pushing you to purchase. And being a woman it was even crazier to gain control and to shop the area. Streets are littered with bottle caps which funny in that I picked up many and brought them home as souvenirs for friends and family since the designs are so colorful and uniquely different. Its definitely a strange place but great experience. Most people I found to be friendly and very curious of my origin and desire to be in Kenya.

KENYANS!!! It all has to do with Powerthirst, I’m afraid.

By far the most amazing thing about Kenya was the safari on the masaimara.
We had the ulitmate experience, it was fantastic. Not only did we have breakfast in the middle of the masaimara, we were also a metre and a half away, on foot, from 2 rhinos (staged but who cares)
AND, completely not staged, we had a cheetah jump onto OUR jeep, 3 times. She had two little cubs, it was an experience of a lifetime.

At one of the nights we heard a big noise and we felt something like a earth quake. we went out side and we saw that huge elephent playing with a rock with her baby elephent.
those things are so strong it is amazing!

have been – it was wonderful!