Safari

We completed 20th Rakiki - Kenya Clinic on thursday.  In all it was a successful clinic in which things went very smoothly.  The majority of the people we saw seemed more affected by the drought in that their problems were related to intestinal parasites.

I did get my standard Nairobi cold. I am finally feeling better.  My weekend Safari to Tanzania was great except it really flared up a bunch of allergies with the cold.

Friday morning we left at 7 am for the airport. The traffic was horrendous. At the airport they were having trouble checking us in.  Kenyan Airways supervisors was trying to resolve the problem. In Africa it's "no worry".  We were concerned they would close the boarding gates before we got there.  The plane was over an hour late. Tanzania is a hop, skip and a jump, only an hour flight.  They even served refreshments, and cashew nuts ( not a skimpy bag either).

There is a strong wind outside as I write this, maybe we will get rain.

Anyway  on the way we did get to see Mount Kilimanjaro, which means a hill with snow on top.  I had hoped to see the mountain on the way back but it was covered in clouds. It is elusive like Mount Rainier in Washington State.  One could see the extent of the drought as we flew between Nairobi and Moshi.

Elaine went on to the Rafiki Village and Ann, Ellen and I we picked up by a tour guide and taken on to our 2 day Safari.  It was  long drive to Lake Maynara, where we spent several hours driving through the game park.  We did get to see elephants real close up and our favorite the hippopotamuses. They are really interesting to watch, we would have liked to stay and watch them when they would come out of the water, but they are very dangerous animals.  This area was a forested area so the lions were in hiding in the trees. We saw the Maasai giraffes, which are a darker brown in color.  I love giraffes, they are the most elegant of all the African animals.  We did get through the park about a half an hour before it closed and were taken to a very nice hotel, had dinner and a wonderful hot shower. We were pretty grimy as it was hot and dusty.
Early saturday morning we headed for Ngorongoro Crater. This is a huge crater where over 20,000 wild animals live. The drive to the crater was beautiful, we were at about 8500 feet and in the clouds. The trees were just shadows in the mist.  It was cool, but finally as we came down  into sunshine.  This area is inhabited by the Maasai tribe.  Their dress is very colorful, mainly reds and purples. As the herd their livestock they carry a stick or a spear.  They live in  huts and farm like huts, because they are polygamists and need a hut for each wife. We saw them along the roadside herding their livestock. Their wealth is determined by how much cattle they own.   In the crater the cattle coexist in the same areas as the wild animals.
 I was thankful that the way into the crater and the way down was a one way road.  It was switch back and dirt, Going down was less scary than going up.
Our driver and tour guide was excellent.  He had very sharp eyes.  We saw elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, cape buffaloes,antelopes, ostriches, birds. Our favorite still was those hippos. At one pond there were young ones bobbing up and down in the water. We were fascinated by the hippos, something that surprised me.  They are just like a bunch of huge rocks in the water, except they move, yawn, jostle each other. All you see is backs and eyes.

I learned a lot of things about the wild animals and how they survive in somewhat of a hostile environment.  It never ceases to amaze me,  God's creation.

Tanzania is an interesting country.  They have good roads except in the game parks where the roads are dirt.  What a difference from Kenya and Uganda? They have much better roads.  They build their homes as they can pay for them. It can take a lot of years to build their home, but when done it is paid for.

We were back in Nairobi sunday afternoon. Our drive from the airport was only 35-40 minutes, a first.
We got back to hear that there was rioting in Kampala, Uganda. The arriving medical team did get safely to the Rafiki Village outside of Kampala.

Today we saw some children and employee families then went for lunch and shopping. Ann and Ellen left and should be up in the air on their way home.  Good byes are hard as we grow amazingly close as we serve together.

This morning we attended morning devotions and the school assembly in front of Kenyatta House. What a awesome way to start a day!

Tomorrow, Elaine, Yeen-Lan and I head for Ethiopia.

I am feeling very blessed,  I can hardly take in the opportunity that God has laid out before me.  I see such a future for Africa in these children.

Good night and may God bless you.