Steve, Ellana, and I left for Nairobi last Thursday to meet my family. Fortunately they had found a really incredible deal on plane tickets that unfortunately meant they arrived in Nairobi at around 2 am Friday morning. Steve persuaded them to get up at a normal time on Friday so that we could show them around the city. I couldn't believe that they were actually in Kenya and Steve and I had a really difficult time sleeping Thursday night although I'm sure not as difficult as my Dad, Mom, Kristi, and Tom!
On Friday we took them to one of my favorite places in Nairobi, the Kazuri beads factory. Kazuri was founded in the 1970's as an income generation project for single Kenyan mothers. The fair trade organization makes incredibly beautiful ceramic jewelry that has even been given as gifts for award shows such as the Oscars. There is even an amazing photo of Meryl Streep in the gift store wearing some of necklaces. We were given a tour of the facility and got to see every aspect of the jewelry being made. Of course the tour ends at a stop at the gift shop, so we had to take advantage of the incredible prices since the jewelry is much more expensive in the US when export prices are attached!
Ellana outside of Kazuri Beads
We had lunch at one of our favorite Nairobi spots, the Rusty Nail, and then headed for the Masai Market. The market is a collection of many of Kenya's most interesting handcrafts, and while a good deal is attainable with lots of bargaining, the constant in your face harassment of the booth owners starts to get a little overwhelming. Steve managed to find some amazing metal statues, and my mom, Kristi, and I purchased some beach hats for latter part of their trip. That evening we enjoyed dinner outside at our hotel (one of my favorites, the Fairview Hotel), and listened to the guitar musician who played a range from Bob Marley to Elvis Presley (and of course, Louis Armstrong).
On Saturday morning, we caught a flight from Nairobi's smaller airport to the Masai Mara. Steve, Ellana, and I had been to the Mara a few weeks prior with the Duke group and didn't think we could handle the incredibly bumpy 6 hour car ride from Nairobi to the Mara. We were pleasantly surprised with our first landing on a dirt airstrip, and we were happy to meet our guide for the next couple of days. Dickson, who is a member of the Masai tribe, helped us with our luggage, and then we took off in his Land Cruiser. I couldn't believe it when we saw a couple of female lions about 15 minutes from the airstrip, and then we saw one of the most amazing sites in the Mara, a male and female leopard. Steve and I have been trying to see a leopard for the past seven years we have been coming to East Africa, and I was shocked to see two on our way to the lodge! We also saw several giraffes and numerous types of antelopes on our drive to lunch.
Our home for the next two nights was the Mara Eden Safari Camp, which is a permanent camp similar to others I have talked about in other posts. The camp is fairly new and small, and only has six tents currently. We were greeted by the owner, a South African named Jay, and I was impressed immediately by her hospitality as well as by the food we had a lunch. We were not disappointed by any of the subsequent meals.
Once lunch was finished, we did another game drive and this time saw more lions and some elephants. We then drove back to the lodge and witnessed a beautiful sunset. After dinner, we sat out by a campfire and could hear the sounds of the hyenas and hippos that were just a few meters from the camp. There were several guards around the camp, so I wasn't too worried!
pride of lions
On Sunday, we headed out in search of rhinos, and ended up seeing another leopard much more closely, as well as a cheetah and her three young cubs. We enjoyed a "bush breakfast" as we were able to stop the car in a safe place, and my Dad, Steve, and Tom enjoyed a bow shooting lesson from Dickson. We also saw several more elephants and buffalo, but never did get to see our elusive rhino. Dickson definitely tried his best, but I think they were all being shy that day! I felt that we were very lucky to see four out of the "big five" (elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos). For dinner we ate beneath one of the trees at the camp, and had a lantern-lit feast. We were entertained by Masai dancers and enjoyed talking by the campfire.
Sunset on the Mara
After our bush breakfast
Leopard or "chui"
Ellana still loves "twiga"
Our driver and guide, Dickson
Monday, Dickson took us on a short game drive on our way to the airstrip, and then we took off out of the Mara. The time spent there with my family was truly amazing, and we were so blessed to have such incredible hospitality as well as a fabulous guide. I will always treasure our time there together!
Monday afternoon/evening we rested back at the hotel and then enjoyed dinner at an Indian restaurant. On Tuesday, we took our next flight to Malindi on the Kenyan coast. We arrived to rain, and this was definitely the theme of the second half of the trip. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, Turtle Bay, which is kind-of the opposite of the Eden Safari camp due to its size and it is fairly touristy (although the staff and food are really amazing). While Ellana was probably able to spend an adequate time at the pool between rain showers, and the all-inclusive nature of the resort made it very relaxing, Steve and I were upset that my family wasn't able to enjoy more of the activities available at the Indian Ocean when the weather is nice. At least each of the evenings were rain-free, and we did get a little sun on Wednesday afternoon. However, it rained so hard that some of rooms flooded on Thursday (luckily not ours), and we couldn't do much that day except eat and drink. Of course the sky opened Friday morning, and the day looked like it was going to be beautiful as we headed for the airport. Although I was disappointed, the most important aspect of the trip was that we were able to spend quality time together, and Ellana really enjoyed getting reacquainted with her "Babu" (my dad), "Mema" (she's trying to say Grandma), Kristi (she loves Kristi's giraffe impressions) and Tom (who taught her some great dance moves).
Kristi and I at Turtle Bay Resort
My family left Nairobi early Saturday morning (2:50 am), and saying good bye was very difficult, much harder than I thought it would be even though I know I don't like good byes. I had so enjoyed seeing Ellana with my family, talking with them, and seeing their reactions to Kenya. Hopefully it will not be their last visit to Africa, and I'm already excited to see them at Christmas. Thank goodness for skype and for more friends and family coming to visit soon!