A little piece of Heaven at Kiboko Bay

We just made it back from a near perfect weekend in Kisumu that was only slightly tarnished in the last five minutes of the trip home when Ellana got really carsick.  She acted completely fine afterwards and greatly enjoyed taking a bath with her friends the two duckies and tiger, so we weren't too worried and just attributed her sickness to the car ride home.  The weather was absolutely terrific in Kisumu, and we really couldn't have asked for a better couple of days.

I cannot express how excited I was to arrive in Kisumu and to feel warmer temperatures.  We got to Kiboko Bay resort late Friday afternoon and Steve and Ellana had just enough time to sneak in a quick dip in the pool.  Ellana loved the kiddie pool so much that she started saying pool constantly, and we had to be careful about saying that word too long before we were planning to go swimming.  Friday evening we watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Victoria and had appetizers of guacamole and cheese samosas, and then had our favorite fish masala (or fish curry) for dinner.  As I said in the last post, the resort has eight tented camps which are basically tents situated on permanent foundations.  In general resorts of this nature are actually quite nice, and are a very popular type of lodging in East Africa.  We had a king-size, four-poster bed that was amazingly comfortable, and I wish that we could have the same down comforter in cold Eldoret, as it was really too warm in Kisumu to fully appreciate it.  The bathroom was once again large enough for Ellana's pack and play, and we were very excited to have a shower with not only warm water, but also good water pressure.  Amazing what we are thankful for these days!

The pools at Kiboko Bay

After some guacamole

At Sunset

Saturday morning we took an hour-long boat ride on Lake Victoria.  We were able to see lots of birds, a few  hippos, and hear the history of Kisumu and Lake Victoria.  Kisumu has traditionally been a port city on the huge lake, but there has been a decrease in the amount of products being shipped across the lake over the past several years.  The Kenya side of the lake also tends to be dirtier than the Uganda or Tanzanian sides, but our guide couldn't explain exactly why.  The boat ride was very enjoyable, and Ellana particularly enjoyed it when we were going faster, although she did not want to wear her life jacket at any point.

She loved it when we were moving quickly!

Fishing and restaurant area of Kisumu

Once we got back from the boat ride, Ellana took a long nap, we ate lunch, and then spent several hours at her new favorite place.  She enjoyed playing with the other kids for the most part, and she enjoyed making her ducks "quack" in the kiddie pool.  Kiboko Bay is very popular with the local community, and we saw some beautiful wedding pictures being taken.  As if the day could get any better, we were told about and invited to the first ever "Nyanza Wine Carnival" that was going to take place that night at the resort.  Basically, all of the Kenyan alcohol companies were showcasing their most popular wines, and the whole wine tasting was completely free of charge.  We actually really liked a white wine that is made in Kenya.  In addition to the tasting, the resort was providing lots of free appetizers to go along with the wine.  I don't think I've seen Steve so happy since we got here, and he was like a kid in a candy store running around to all of the booths!  Ellana finally had enough of the fanfare around 7, so we retreated to our tent to watch our current favorite family movie "The Lion King."  We all crashed really early as the sun and pool  (and wine) had worn out all of us!

A delicious Kenyan wine

Our tent at Kiboko Bay

Daddy and Ellana eating masala chips

After the pool

Sunset at Kiboko Bay

During wine tasting

Nyanza wine carnival

This morning we ate breakfast, sat by the pool, and then left Kisumu around noon.  I think we're all hoping to go back to Kiboko Bay as soon as possible!