Jim and Campo arrived in Nairobi on the evening of November 13th, and we were so relieved to finally see them! I feel like we have been planning their trip for a long time, and actually seeing them in person made me feel so relieved. Steve, Ellana, and I had an interesting trip to Nairobi as we decided to drive (instead of fly), and then our driver proceeded to run into some speed bumps about half way to Nairobi. I couldn't believe his reaction when he looked at Steve and said "oh, some speed bumps" as we went flying through the air. Needless to say, the car started making funny noises and wouldn't go more than 30-40 km per hour up the hills, and we were even getting passed by the huge semi trucks. When Steve asked the driver if something was wrong, he told us no, but we didn't believe him with the shakes and sounds that were coming from the car. Once we arrived in Nairobi six hours later (it is usually a 3.5-4.5 hour trip), Steve called his boss, our good friend Javan, to investigate. The driver repeatedly told him that the car was ok, but the driver finally decided to have it checked in the morning. He was scheduled to pick us up the next morning at the hotel at 9 am, and when Steve called him, he was still at the mechanic, who proceeded to tell him that the car was not ok. After two cars had to be sent to us from the Nairobi airport (the first one broke down), we were finally on our way back to Eldoret around 2 pm, and arrived safely around 6:30 pm.
We spent all of Tuesday showing Jim and Campo around Eldoret. I think they were overwhelmed by the sites and sounds of the hospital as Campo told Steve that it was the first time he had experienced culture shock his entire life. That is saying quite a bit considering that Campo was born and raised in Colombia and is an extensive world traveler! Steve showed them the Eldoret produce market as well as Imani, and then we drove to Iten where many of the world's best long-distance runners train. We had an amazing afternoon enjoying the view from the Kerio View Restaurant. On Wednesday, we took our first trip to Lake Baringo, which is famous for its crocodiles, hippos, and hot springs. We stayed at Island Camp, which is another tented camp type of lodge that has amazing views of the lake, and is located on one of the islands in the middle of the lake. In fact, in order to get to Island Camp, you have to take a speed boat over to the lodge. Steve, Ellana, and I were given the "honeymoon suite" which is more of a cottage style room except for the fact that the bathroom was completely open! Steve kept saying that no one could see you when you were in the bathroom, but I was still nervous to take a shower! Island Camp was another neat find, but I didn't like the enormous amount of bugs and birds that were everywhere in the cottage. I was especially annoyed when the birds started waking us at 5 am!
Jim and Campo enjoying the view from Island Camp
The "rock" at Kerio View Restaurant
Thursday morning we took the boat back to the mainland, and then started our trip to Lake Nakuru National Park. We arrived in time for lunch, and I was immediately impressed with the cleanliness and hospitality of the Sarova Lion Hill lodge. We ate lunch and left for our first game drive. I feel so fortunate that we have been able to show so many people the incredible experience of going on safari, and seeing Jim and Campo's reaction to the animals was such a treat. I really like Lake Nakuru because it is one of the few parks where visitors are pretty much guaranteed to at least see the white rhino, and there are also many black rhinos. I think we probably saw 30-50 rhinos on the two days that we were in Nakuru. We also saw several giraffes, antelopes, a hyena, and we saw one lion three times. Each time we were so close we could have pet him! We ultimately went on four game drives finishing on Saturday early afternoon. I will really cherish the time we were able to spend with Jim and Campo, and I can't wait to share stories with Jim's wife Mary, and his three children (our Godchildren) Ava, Audrey, and EJ. I really hope that they all come back with us to Africa sometime in the future, and I already gave Jim permission to give Ellana a hard time when she is older since all she wanted to do was watch DVD's the entire time. She has kind-of gotten over the thrill of a safari!
Trying on Daddy's safari hat
Two of the white rhinos
I hadn't really thought much about Thanksgiving since we have not experienced the hype not being in the US, and the weather has been fairly warm, not what I'm used to around Thanksgiving.. However, once I tried to explain the holiday to some of my friends at Imani, I actually started to get choked up thinking about not being with my family. By Thursday evening, I was starting to feel very emotional until I walked into the IU House dining hall. Many of the residents had spent most of Thursday decorating, and everyone brought a traditional dish to share. The amount of food was truly incredible and included three or four enormous turkeys that were specially imported for the occasion. Steve and I made some macaroni and cheese, and I was very pleased that one of our friends had thought to bring Stove Top Stuffing, one of our favorites. Ellana loved all of the decorations and especially the cranberry sauce!
Ellana ready for the festivities
Dr. Joe Mamlin carving the turkey
Incredible food
Notice anything?
Steve and I are very excited to show Steve's parents around Eldoret as this is their first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. We also can't wait for them to see how much Ellana has grown up in the time we have been here!
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