Sunday 4 May 2014

WOW WOW WOW

Where to start?  How 'bout some 'stats:

24 hours of plane time
3 hours in a taxi to get to hotel
20 km:  distance traveled from airport to hotel
20+ nice, smart, funny people
1+ hours to go ANYWHERE
150 orphaned elephants

1:  number of matatu buses who have hit us


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It's been a 48 hour whirlwind since my arrival in Nairobi.  I spent most of the first evening either in line or in a taxi.  Mostly a taxi though with traffic being incredibly bad.   Beijing and Mumbai streets look empty compared to Nairobi.  

My arrival was a whirlwind of introductions and unpacking with a little sleep thrown in.  Saturday was spent at the Sheldrick Trust Orphans Project which is dedicated to the rescue and re-introduction of elephants (mostly) and rhinos (kinda) to the wild after their mothers have died (usually by poacher).  It was eye opening, understanding what it takes to raise an elephant.  It was also sun-burning :-) despite the cloud cover.  We then moved on the the Nairobi National Park for a guided safari walk - certainly a good introduction to the animals of Africa. 

Throw in some grocery shopping and more time sitting in traffic and we arrive at dinner.  A welcome dinner housed at another hotel where we enjoyed some Tusker beer and good discussion around our projects.  About a 16 hour day. 

Sunday was a bit more relaxed with a combination of work and play - this time visiting the BOMAS Cultural Center to see some traditional dances and villages.  Its now almost 10pm and I need to get up and get an early start to the day.  More to come - including photos as soon as I find a card reader since I forgot mine at home.

2 comments:

  1. Elephants are one of my favourite animals ... incredibly smart and very developed social structure. Looking forward to hearing more! Caroline

    ReplyDelete
  2. amazing stats, and great picture! hit by a bus?

    ReplyDelete