Giraffe Center

The purpose of the center is to rehabilitate and breed the Rothchild Giraffe which was almost endangered.  There were two resident giraffes and we were allowed to feed them.  The food was pellets provided by the facility, one handful per visitor.  "Daisy" was very polite when receiving her food and it was a unique experience.  Inside the building are exhibits and a small area where lectures are given.

Downtown Nairobi

Since we missed our flight out of London and didn't have a night in Nairobi, this was our first look at downtown Nairobi.  In some respects it was somewhat like other cities, especially the traffic jams.  Here we found pavement and, in some areas, sidewalks.

We didn't venture outside the Nairobi International Hotel where we had lunch until it was time to board van for a trip to the Giraffe Center and Blixen Museum.

Back To Nairobi

There were similarities between the rural and urban areas such as the commercial buildings like this red one.  The housing buildings were much larger as one would expect.  There still weren't sidewalks.

It's a Baby!

This mother and her youngster were colorful and willing to pose for a photo.

For Sale

As with the other villages, art pieces were for sale.  This woman made these beautiful necklaces usisng beads and shells.

Fun For The Kids

After making sure it was okay, I gave bottles of soap bubbles to some of the children.  The young man on the left is blowing bubbles which the other children are catching.  The little fellow in the yellow shirt also has a bottle but it appears he isn't sharing at the moment.

House Interior

Like the Samburu houses, these were very simple and revealed how few possessions the people had.  The house was basically a large room with a section walled off where the children slept.  Everyone slept on cowhide on the floor which was dirt.

The posts in the photo had some significance.  The family touched one of the poles in the morning before starting their day and the other one at night before they retired.

You can see the fire pit used for cooking.

Masai Village

We visited the village that was closest to Siana Springs Camp where we stayed.  The houses were quite different from those in Samburu.  Most significant was the squared sides and mostly flat roof, all covered with mud.  

Stoney Tangawizi?

This was our drink of choice when we could get it.  We probably wouldn't have known about it had we not had it recommended by friends who visited Africa before us.

It's made by Coca Cola but not sold in the US.  It is much like ginger ale but with a much stronger ginger flavor.  It tickles your throat at the first swallow and is very refreshing.

I think it's nice to experience a unique taste when traveling and I certainly enjoyed this one!  Bring on the Stoneys!

A Muddy River

The area around the river was very lush and full of vegetation.  There was a very nice lodge here and the origination of the hot air balloon ride.  We didn't choose to take that ride but later met up with our fellow travelers here.  While they were in the air, we had a couple hours of private tour which we enjoyed a lot.

The photo above shows a typical Masai landscape.  And those spots on the ground?  Cheetahs!   They were busy resting but one acknowledged our presence by raising his head.  They surely are a pretty creature!

The Masai part of the adventure is almost over and we'll be heading back to Nairobi.  But first I'll show you a photo of the river area and then some scenes from the village we visited.  So come back tomorrow!

Lion Was Deeply Concerned

Not!  The lion was so concerned that we were in the center of his pride that he rolled over on his back and took a nap.

Settling Down Again

The newly arriving lioness and all of the cubs settled down in the bushes and things were quiet once again.  It was amazing how little space so many big animals needed but they all settled down and were quiet once again.

Cubs Greet a Lioness

The cubs were quitetly resting in a group near some bushes until this lioness arrived on the scene.  There was great excitement at her coming and the cubs rushed out to greet here.  We could even hear purring from the cubs.  Must be nice to be so popular.

Lionesses Just Kept Coming

There were several lionesses in the pride when we arrived but as we watched, more and more of them came from surrounding areas.  They found a spot and  were soon resting.

Tomorrow I'll show you a collection of youngsters.

Literally In The Middle of A Lions Pride

This was probably the highlight of our safari.  We were in the middle of a lions pride of around 30 animals of various ages.  We first saw the male walking along with this female and we were surprised that our guide didn't stop for photos.  But he knew what he was doing and we turned the corner to be smack dab in the center of the pride where the lion was headed.  I'll be showing a series of photos from within the pride.  We were no more than 30 feet from most of the lions and they were totally unconcerned that we were there.  I don't know why but there was only our van and one other that had this unique experience.  Our guide said it is very rare.  It was totally awesome and something I'll never forget.

Yet Another Antelope

Perhaps I shouldn't have included this photo because I don't know what species of antelope it is.  Yet it is pretty and unique so I'm showing it anyway.  Although our guide knew the name of everything we saw, there wasn't always time to snap a photo, watch the animals and then make a note of what they were.

Doesn't Look Very Black

This is a Blackbuck, another member of the antelope family.  The male of this species turns a darker color, from dark brown to black.  We didn't see one of those.

An Eagle's Eye

This is a Steppe Eagle, similar to what we have in the US and yet distinct.  Africa seemed to have a lot of really big birds.

This Big Boy Was Sleepy

This was about as much of a hippo as we saw.  There were several in the river but they only came up for a short period of time and then were back under the water.  They are nocturnal but we didn't see one on the nighttime game drive we had at Kigio so we had to be content with quick glances.