safari adventure - a dream come true!

In May 2006, we took a camping safari to Kenya! We figured if there was one big trip we wanted to make before becoming parents, this one was it! The adventure was spectacular. We landed in Nairobi and were given a city-tour by our friend Kabuki’s generous cousin. Bush was a fantastic guide and safely escorted us through the bustling city streets and onto the local transportation, called matatus. Matatus, for those who don’t know, are minibuses typically painted with favorite sayings or names of hip-hop artists in neon. Inside, colored lights pulse with the rhythm of the booming music. Although laws were passed in 2004 to make matatus safer, people still hang out of the doors and jump in crowded moving buses! Bush also took us to the Giraffe Center where a giant giraffe licked Joey under the chin with its enormous blue tongue (pictured right)! Other highlights included a visit to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage to see rescued game and an evening of theatre at the only repertory theatre in Nairobi.



Our safari began in the city where we met the other three participants: Wanda, a lawyer from Canada, and Ina & Ann, psychology graduate students from Denmark. We traveled with a carefree safari guide and a creative chef who cooked satisfying meals over a campfire. We were responsible for setting up our own tents and Tedd quickly made friends with the girls who were thankful for his help.
On the first day, we crossed the equator and spent two nights gameviewing at Samburu National Park. This was our most favorite game reserve. The abundant green trees and curved pathways made gameviewing awe-inspiring. It was nothing short of exhilarating to see elephants, zebra, reticulated giraffe, gazelle, lions, and more up close for the very first time. Samburu is also where we first met monkeys and baboons – sometimes closer than we were comfortable! One morning when we were eating, it began to “rain”…you guessed it! A monkey was sitting on a branch above us and let loose! Tedd was very thankful that he had agreed to all of those pre-travel shots after all!



On day three, we drove along the Great Rift Valley to the Lake Nakuru National Park, known for its abundant bird life including thousands of pelicans! Days four and five were spent in the Masai Mara where we camped in an area guarded by colorfully-adorned Masai warriors. On day six, we traveled to Lake Naivasha where we enjoyed a walking tour of Crescent Island – a privately owned island on which parts of Out of Africa was filmed. There, we saw a giraffe family with a smushy-faced newborn, just seven days old!



We are still thanking God for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see His creation on the untouched Kenyan plains.