Malindi - Feb 25 - Blue Safari

We had been looking forward to going snorkeling at Malindi for quite a while.  And so, all week we had been having discussions with the local beach boys regarding when to go, for how much, etc.  As a family we finally decided that we wanted to go on Friday, and that a fellow named Zirroh would be our guide.  He told us, leading up to today, that there was one other couple from Canada that would be on the boat.

Well, we got to the boat after a wonderful warm croissant breakfast, only to find that we were 4 of 18 on the boat.  This included no other Canadians, but mostly Italians, and 6 crew.  Not much you can do about it, so we got on, and not too far out, was a snorkeling spot.  We all gave it a try, and we could see some tropical fish, but no gorgeous coral reef, so that was a bit disappointing.  This was my first time snorkeling (Mark), so it took some doing try to rid myself of claustrophobic tendencies as I tried to breathe through the snorkel.  Anyway, we did that for a time, with Micah having the most success, and then we all headed away from that spot, and spotted some dolphins swimming around.  We chased them a bit, and then it was time to go to the designated spot.  The water was beautiful all the way along, and not that deep, and we were surprised at times to see how far off the coast the Kenyan snorkelers were.  After about 1 hour or so, we stopped on this huge sand bar, and everyone got off the boat.  We swam, looked at coral, star fish, and so on.  We were told that within an hour or so the water would recede completely from this sand bar, and we would be on an “island” of sorts.  It turned out to be true, and we were also amazed that we were greeted by a whole crew of beach boys, selling their wares.  It was here that we were served a wonderful lunch of different fish, shrimp, and lobster, and it was quite delicious.  The captains of the boats had arranged to bring grills out to the island (no Webers, these), and that’s where our food was prepared.  It was confirmed for me that I still do not like lobster; in fact, in my desperation to rid myself of the taste, I looked for a Coke to wash things down.  We were pleased, in the midst of all this, to meet some wonderful people, including Joy and Alex from Italy.

Shortly thereafter, we headed back.  The water got quite choppy for landlubbers like us, and we went slowly, but eventually made it back.  We went for Gelati with Alex and Joy, and with Zirroh and one of his crew (Justin Timberland).  It was a great time.   We definitely have been amused by the names of some of the locals.

Since Tuesday, Micah has been having a bit of a rash, and yesterday things were quite bad and he itched quite a bit.  So we tried some basic interventions, but it was still giving him some trouble today.  So he and I went to St. Peter’s hospital to see what was going on.  We arrived at the hospital, and much to our surprise, the doctor was standing right beside the administrator, ready to see Micah.  He was given some antihistamines, and 20 minutes and 1300 schillings ($16) later, we were on our way.

We relaxed till supper, making some phone calls and the like.  We went for supper to the pizzeria, and enjoyed our time there.  I checked emails after supper, and the kids and Mary headed to the hut. We retired early, as we were tired from a day at sea.  And what a great day it was!

Malindi - Feb 21-24

We arrived late in the evening on Monday.  I have never been in such a small airport.   It has 2 rooms – departures & arrivals.   You pick up your luggage on the tarmac right off the truck.  Thankfully someone from the Driftwood Hotel was there to pick us up.   There was some sort of mix up and we had 2 huts at the hotel.   Micah is considered an adult because he is 13.   Because it was so late in the evening, they could not get a hut that would fit all of us.   The guys went into one and us girls went into another.   It was surreal to wake up in the morning and see the endless ocean outside of our window.   We quickly ate breakfast and took our first walk on the beach.   I had read about the boys on the beach but did not think they could be as annoying as people said.   Well I was wrong.   My only complaint about the beach is that you are continually hounded by boys asking you to purchase this or that or take an excursion with them.

We were able to check in to our time share @ Coral Key by 11:00.   This place is beautiful.   It has 4 main pools (yes, I said 4) with a bunch of small pools attached to them.   At first, I thought the small pools would be for the little children to play in but it is for the sun bathers.   There are Italians everywhere lying in the sun – partially clothed I might add.   Apparently it does not matter your size or age, if you are a man you wear a small speedo and if you are a lady you wear your bikini to your sun bed.   You only wear it to your bed because many women take their top off (yes there are signs everywhere that state you have to keep your tops on).    Needless to say, it has been an eye opening experience for all of us, especially the kids.

We have walked out to the first reef twice.   We have spotted a few tropical fish.   We have seen spider star fish, obama star fish, and our favorite, the Maasai star fish.   We have seen sea cucumber, sea snakes and even sea brain.   The kids have enjoyed looking for shells.   Micah found enough small spotted shells to have a necklace made for each of us.

The price for fresh fruit is cheap here.   We bought 4 mangos, 3 pineapples and a watermelon for about $8.   I am going to miss eating fresh fruit every morning.   We were able to find a bakery for pastries in the morning as well.   Our kitchen is very tiny.   We are only able to keep cold drinks in the fridge.  There is a lovely pizzeria on site, which we go to for supper each night.   The main waiter, Fred, is our buddy.   The kids love the wood fired, cheese pizza (yep, they are adventurous).   The pasta is amazing.   We usually have some type of leftover pizza that we can snack on for lunch the following day.

There is also a juice bar at the resort.   Buffalo (honestly, that is his real name) has quickly become our friend.   Mark, Aby & I have created our favorite drinks.   It does not matter how much fruit you put in your drink it costs about $3 each.   Yesterday, Mark had apple added to his.   Aby told Buffalo her naughty monkey story.   He went to the back and gave her an apple to eat.  Buffalo appears to enjoy our company.   We seem to be an anomaly to him.  We engage the staff in conversation and have a genuine appreciation for their service.   It would appear to us that many people here demand service.

We are excited for tomorrow to arrive.   After many days of being inundated by the beach boys & some bartering, we have decided we are going with Zirroh (yep, that is his name) for the day.   We are snorkeling and going to an island for a BBQ.   

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort - Feb 20th

We left the best for last.   Upon checking out of the resort, we headed down the road for our Hippo Safari.    Micah decided in Canada that he did not want to go on this safari.   He knew that Hippos are very dangerous animals.   We encouraged Micah to wait until the day we go before he made his final decision.    I think after seeing the hippos graze at a distance each night, he decided he could overcome some of his fears.   He decided to join us on the safari - I am very proud of him.

We left for the safari around 10 in the morning.  A few of us put sunscreen on our face but that was all, after all it is only the morning sun and we were only going to be on the water by equator for just over 1 hour.   By the end of the safari, our faces were rather pink, and one of the particularly tall gentlemen in our group had flaming pink thighs.   I am so glad Mark had his hat on or his head would be matching his legs.

The safari was fabulous.   We went on a fiberglass boat with a motor.  I know it doesn't sound very safe but somehow you felt safe in it.   We found 2 schools of hippos.   It was amazing to see them huddled up together.   A few of them would leave the others.  I always felt a little unsure when that happened.    We saw one large male hippo very far away from the others.   Some of the males can be rejected by the group and have to live on their own.   There is always a dominant male hippo.   He will sometimes kill the baby male hippos.   The mamma's are very protective of their boys.

We had a hard time deciding what to do for our last afternoon together as families.   The boys wanted to try out go-karting.   We had limited time and were not sure if any of us were up to standing in line in the heat to have our 10 minute turn.    Tristan & Emma were sad they missed the Brazilian BBQ restaurant.    For some reason, we decided we had not eaten enough these past few days and went back to the BBQ.   It was amazing once again.   We convinced our driver to come with us and we treated him to lunch.   They served crocodile this time.    We all decided we should try and a bit.   No one from our family liked it.   I must confess that I am addicted to deep fried bananas. 

We had a fantastic weekend with the Kenny's.   It was a great way to start off our official holiday time.   We have a few hours of debriefing this afternoon and then we are off to Malindi.    We are able to fly because of a great sale. 

Apparently it is safe for these men to fish near the hippos.

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort - Feb 19th

We were at the bottom of the gorge & made it to the top.

After a fabulous breakfast, we decided to do a Hike in Hell's Gate National Park. Apparently Lara Croft, Tomb Raider was filmed near here, and so Micah deemed himself Larry Croft for the rest of the day. Soon after we entered the park, there was a rock tower called Fischer's Tower, and we were surprised to find that it was set up for rock climbing. As soon as Aby saw it, she wanted to do it, so we stopped, and she was the first one to try it out. She made it up to the top, and had a lot of fun! Emma, Tristan, and Erica also climbed, and had a lot of fun as well. It was a great start to the day.

Following our climbing experiences, we headed for the hike, and our driver Silas decided to join us. It was a hike along a gorge, so it wasn't your ordinary hike, and held the kids' interest the entire time. It was a lot of fun, with natural hot water falls to be enjoyed along the way. It was fairly strenuous, as it involved a lot of climbing and descending. We finished that without injury (but with a few booters), and returned to the resort for lunch near 1pm. Tristan was most pleased with the chocolate eclairs served for dessert.

The afternoon was filled with various activities for the kids, including horseback riding and swimming again. Following afternoon tea, we again had more refreshments on the balcony, and enjoyed our conversation very much. Supper was great, and after supper we played a game together with the Kennys, followed by a time looking at pictures. Each evening we were escorted to & from dinner by security because it was dark and there was a possibility of hippos in the vicinity. Each night after supper we asked the guard to show us where some hippos were grazing.

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort - Feb 18th

Each evening we sat out while the sun went down and watched for the hippos to come out.

The stepping stones Micah tried to cross while fully clothed. (key word tried)

This was a naughty monkey who ate our cookies

Micah & Aby with their new friends, Tristan & Emma

This is a tea field.

The Kenny children had Friday off, so together our families decided to go to Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, which is part of the Rift Valley. We left after breakfast on Friday, made a stop at Nairobi Java House on the way, and traveled to Lake Naivasha, about 1.5 hours away, with Silas, our driver from Phoenix Safaris. It was a smooth trip, and we were able to drive past some tea and coffee farms.

To say the least, we were nicely surprised when we got to the resort. It is beautiful, and has a Teddy Roosevelt feel to it in terms of being grandiose and, well, Kenyan. We were shown our cabins, with the Kenny's having a cabin for their family, Erica's mom having a cabin, and us having a cabin for our family. Buffet lunch was served at 12:30, and it was incredible. Right after lunch, the kids decided to walk across stones in the pool, but Micah had a misstep and plunged into the pool. Next, our plan was to go for a hike at Hell's Gate, but the weather looked a bit suspicious, so the kids got to go on horse rides instead. They had a lot of fun, guided around the compound by some resort workers. It isn't everyday that you can go on a horse ride with giraffes and zebras. They went for their official swim after that.

At 4:30 it was time for tea, and our table was visited by some monkeys. This was kind of fun, but also a little unsettling because they were fairly unpredictable. The kids then headed to hang out in Mary's (Erica's mom) room, while Aaron and Erica and Mark and Mary headed into Naivasha to find some refreshments. That was an adventure in and of itself. We returned to the resort and had refreshments outside on the balcony, watching various wildlife go by.

At 7:30 it was time for supper, and what a supper it was. Again, buffet style, and eat until you can eat no more. It was fabulous. By the time we were done supper, though, most of us were pretty tired, and we retired fairly early.

Eastleigh - Feb 17

Today was our last day with the Iftin ladies at Eastleigh.    I think we were all a little sad before we even made it there.   It is amazing how these women crept into our hearts in a matter of weeks.   We had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the level 1 class.   A few of them  practiced their English and introduced themselves and welcomed us into the classroom.

We joined the groups in the Level 2 class.   Nelius made the lesson a bit of a competition.   There were a couple of questions that I did not know the English word - so unfortunately my group lost.   Yes, the competitive spirit is alive & well in Eastleigh.   Nelius is so good with the ladies & our children.   She had Aby take over and ask the group questions.   It is amazing to watch Aby & Micah have the confidence to stand in front of the group and teach.

Later the Level 3 class joined us.   The 2 groups sang the Iftin song for us.   It is beautiful.   I am hoping our video of it will do it justice.    The ladies then broke out into some singing and dancing.   We brought some UNO & Skip Bo cards along today.   Mark was a bit miffed when he realized he had to teach his group Skip Bo.   His mind went blank about the rules.   I quickly reminded him and it worked out just fine.   It was fun watching these ladies play cards.   I do not think they have had the opportunity to do it before.

You may remember me blogging about a home visit we did last week with Mahadi (the 13 yr old boy in Class 3).    It turns out that he did not have a sponsor.   Well, I am happy to say that he now has a family who will sponsor him until he finishes school.   Yes, we were able to sponsor him as well as an 8 yr old girl, Loko.   It was a privilege to meet each of these children and know that we are helping their families in some small way.

We also had the opportunity to provide a camera to Laura for the Iftin ladies.   I had a few co-workers give me some money for the people in Eastleigh.   The day before we left, Aaron & Erica suggested that a digital camera would be great for the program.    We had enough cash to purchase a camera, memory card and case.   The camera is already full of pictures that Aby took last week & today on it. 

We went on our last home visit today.   Once again we went down the road carrying our box of food, a water filter, and crate of soda's.   It is hard to describe the apartment we went into.  We had to walk through a dark hall and up 6 flights of concrete stairs that were lined with garbage.   There is no running water.   The family needs to go the main level for water.   The mother said that often there is no water there and they need to go into the neighborhood to purchase water.   I can’t imagine what it would be like to carry the water up all those stairs every day.  We were so blessed to have met Howwa and her 5 girls & her brother's son who she cares for.   Howwa was from the first group of ladies to graduate from Iftin.   She has a grade 8 education and desires for all of her children to complete their schooling.   She works at Noor Creations and is able to make some money to support her family.   It was exciting to hear her children speak of their dreams for the future.   

Although we had given Farhia our translator a water filter last Friday, it was only released to her today because it had to be further sealed.  We had enough food today so that we were able to give her some extra food along with the water filter.   On our visits, we found out Laura only uses tablets for her water, so Micah & Aby were able to give her a filter as well.  These two ladies were extremely helpful to us on our visits, and we're so glad we were able to become friends with them.  We have one more morning at Eastleigh, when we get back from Malindi, and we will have the opportunity to tour the jewelry making department at that time.  We're very much looking forward to it.

Aby with her new friends Laura & Farhia

Yes this is Mark playing cards :)

I am not sure if Micah taught the ladies all the rules to UNO.  He really wanted to win :)

Our family has grown - Mahadi & Loko

Aby saw this little girl when we went to the preschool classroom last week.   She thinks Halima is the most beautiful girl in Kenya.

Aby presenting the camera to Laura & Nelius

Our last home visit