Ok ok, so its like a month since our last post and we've done LOADS. Tomorrow will be the start of our 10th week here. You will all be happy to know that we have a little under 4 weeks till we come home, 29 days including today to be exact. So get the balloons and champagne out because we both know you are all dying for us to come home, but then there's so much we haven’t done yet! You lot are selfish :(
One of our favourite visits so far was the David Sheldrick Centre: a wonderful little place in Nairobi National Park. It was started in 1977 to honour to the memory of a famous Naturalist (That’s not the one that believes in living naked), David Sheldrick MBE. The founder warden of Tsavo East National Park: one of Kenya’s largest national parks. The centre is an orphanage for baby elephants and sometime baby rhinos. For 1 hour everyday, the centre opens its doors to allow the public to see the keepers feed the elephants as well as watching the elephants play in the mud pool which has been made for them. This was such an amazing experience for us both, although Ruth decided she wanted to sleep in the middle and so just led on the ground for a bit. That’s her version. Anyways she fainted…..for the second time this holiday, so I’m winning with zero faints. There are some photos on facebook of the elephants, so check them out. None of the elephants we saw were over 5 years old. Elephants mature at the same speed as humans, apparently. I’m nearly 21 and I’m not half as mature as the smallest elephant, which was about 1 and a half months. After the elephants are several years old, they will be returned to one of the Tsavo national parks as part of the charities relocation program. They have a website, which is www.davidsheldrickwildlifetrust.org. Go have a look at it and sponsor an elephant; Ruth and i are going too.
We have also visited several childrens orphanages. This is really where the culture shock really set in. Some of the children we saw and spoke to only have a name, as some of them are way to young to know exactly where they are from. At the first orphanage the guy that runs it explained that they work incredibly hard to trace the children’s background and to check on their parents. Some children are that are taken in are just found walking by the side of the road.
The second orphanage we've been to and still continue going to is a bigger organization. This orphanage houses around 42 children, but at lunch has between 100 and 150, as it caters to some of the poorer children in the area and offers a free lunch to help ease the strain of the poor families in the area. The Second time we went there we met a new little girl, who was just 5 years old. One of the other helpers, who taught at a school, knew her and then one day another teacher at the school explained how she was beaten by her guardian. So social services got involved and in a matter of days the was relocated. Now as awful as that sounds, 1 week into being at the children’s centre the little girl is happier than she's been in a long time. This is fantastic facility and it’s really clear to see the positive impact that the people involved with it are having on those childrens lives. Ruth and I spend most of our time there, being dragged around by children, aged between 5-10. They speak very little English and we speak very little Swahili or Kikuyu, but we get by.
Now on to something a little more touristy: Ruth's favorite thing we've done so far was the Giraffe centre. I’m sure most of you have seen the photos on facebook. However the photos just can’t do it justice, as this was one of the most incredible experience we've ever had in our lives. The centre was created as an educational facility for children of Kenya, to learn about their wildlife and to understand what they must do to help protect it. The centre obviously is also open for tourists and as you saw, you go on to a platform around 15ft high where you are face-to-face with the giraffes and you can feed them pellets. I really though that this would be a bit samey before we got there, as we had seen giraffes before, but this was better than any of the giraffe sightings we'd seen before. Both Ruth and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there, and we really hope we can do it just one more time before we leave as it is amazing. I’m pretty sure they have a website too. They also run this really nice program, where they take 20-30 children from the city slums and take them on a visit to a crocodile centre and several other charities including the David Sheldrick centre before ending up at the giraffe centre. They do ask for donations here and I believe for $150 you can provide the above. I’m not forcing you to donate its just there if you want too.
We also went to the Nairobi National Museum which was especially amazing for me. To those who know, Kenya is sometimes referred to as the ‘cradle of life’, as some of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found of homo-sapiens’ ancestors have been found in Kenya. Some of these skeletons are on show in the museum’s hall of mammals. The museum is a little small and with Kenya’s pricing systems, as a non-resident, most places are quite expensive. However, even though it’s a little small and quite pricey for what it is, any visit to the countries capital isn't complete without a visit to this small space. There are some amazing exhibits and the hall of mammals is especially incredible and well worth the visit. The exhibit of East African birds is also very good and shows a wide range of bids from the horribly ugly Marabou stalks to the very pretty small birds.
On Saturday just gone, we went to the 14 Falls; a picturesque set of 14 waterfalls. We walked around the falls and then crossed over to the other side on a very small boat, We decided we wanted to go for a swim and just incase we could, we bought our swimming costumes. The guide we were with, Joshua, took us to one of the highest points of the falls where we could jump into the water below. After we jumped from the rocks a couple of times, Joshua took us to the “Adventure walk”, which was a walk across the river that led to the falls. Crossing the river involved slowly walking over very slippery rocks through very fast flowing water.
Anyways, we have so much to say but when typing it, it doesn't seem like enough so we'll leave it at that to wet your appetites about coming to Kenya. We have very little time left but, for me, at least this has been one of the most, if not the most, exciting experiences, I’ve ever had in my life. It has been well worth the money, the time and the patience. The African people are extremely friendly on the whole and will bend over backwards to help even strangers. Now, Ruth and I are going to enjoy our coffees in the sun on a wonderfully warm November evening (sounds weird, doesn’t it?). Then we shall return home and enjoy some House M.D, seasons 1-6, which we got on DVD for ksh500 (about £4.50). Anyways, we love you all and we hope you enjoy your last 34 days of quiet, because when Ruth and I get back we'll have lots of stories to tell and lots of photos to bore you all with.
Ruth: A little bit of advice: if you ever come to Kenya, don’t stand on any ant nests. The ants are huge and if you stand on them, they decide to really chow down on your toes.
Lots of love
Ruth & Hallam
P.S. I have a mini-projector which I will be carrying around with me after we come home, so please feel free to invite us over for a cup of tea or mulled wine, which will be more appropriate when we return home and we'll be happy to show you the mere near 600 photos we have taken. That’s 600 photos so far by the way.
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