Sightseeing

Yesterday was a day of rest for us. We drove to the National Wildlife Preserve, which is not far from downtown Nairobi. When we got there, we popped up the roof on our van so we could ride standing up and looking out for a better view of the animals we would see. We ended up seeing water buffalo, zebras, giraffes, mongoose, rhinos, impala and a crown tufted crane. Very cool!! We would love to have seen a lion and some elephants and monkeys, but none were in sight. Maybe later on during this trip.

Next, we drove to Karen, a wealthy community outside of Nairobi, to have lunch at the Karen Blixen Coffee Shoppe, which is actually a lovely old home with a beautiful outdoor area and excellent food -- probably the best food we have eaten since we arrived in Kenya. Our group ate a variety of curries and other Indian dishes on a covered veranda and then went shopping in an excellent gift shop on the premises. Then we headed off to Bomas of Kenya, a company that was started by the Government of Kenya in 1971 to preserve and promote the diverse cultural values of the country's various ethnic groups of Kenya. (The country is home to 42 different tribes, each with its own vernacular and culture.).

At Bomas, dancers and singers dressed in different colorful costumes performed for us. Beth and I enjoyed them, although perhaps the best performance of all was provided by the school girls and boys dressed in their red and blue school uniforms seated next to us. During the intermission, about 20 of them stood up and began dancing in unison to music that was playing over a loudspeaker. Not only were they fun to watch, but their enthusiasm was infectious.

Tomorrow, we head to a new slum west of Nairobi. While we are there, Beth and I will meet the orphans we adopted a couple years ago -- 2 boys (both of whom are HIV positive) and a girl. AFK has arranged to have them driven into Nairobi to meet us. If you are interested in helping to support one of Kenya's many orphans left parentless because their parents died of AIDs, go to www.afk.org to learn more about the organization's Orphan Support Program. The program is an easy way to make a profound difference in the life of a desperately-needy child via a small monthly debit from your bank account This is it for now. More later.