Recollections of a Powerful and Interesting Weekend

,,,,.....!!!!!?? Put these in where they belong because I'm not even going to proof read.

Saturday we went to an elephant orphanage where they take baby elephants found abandoned for one reason or another in the wild and raise them to about two years of age when they take them out and gradually re-introduce them to a wild herd. Keepers sleep with the babies (a different one each night so that the babies don't pine for a particular one when he has to be gone), keep them covered with blankets, and feed them often from bottles of special formula. This group has been successful in introducing 38 orphans into adoptive families of wild elephants and have 46 that they are currently working with. Some have taken as long as 9 1/2 years and others as little as two years to reintegrate.

From there we went to a giraffe center where we hand fed some giraffes. They are breeding the endangered Rothchild's or White Stockings giraffe. Those tongues are unbelievably long when viewed from close up. And sticky!!!

We went to a sort of suburban shopping center for lunch. Our leaders had thought that there was a street market that day but it had been on Friday. This place, called the Village Market was not dissimilar to an American mall. Except for buying a Tusker beer ball cap for Reed and flowers for our evening's hostess I found it a waste of time.

Saturday evening we went to the apartment of a woman named Gloria who is a friend of Julius. She and two friends had prepared a Kenyan dinner for us. I'm afraid to check my blood sugar. The dinner included a bit of stewed meat, rice, two kinds of potatoes, and two kinds of bread. There was delightful conversation. I spent most of the evening chatting with Nelson, one of Julius's friends from his early 20s. He conducts adventure/outdoor activities for both corporate teams and youth groups. Somewhere in the back of my mind is a combination trip for a few of the kids from our church in which they would spend some time at the orphanage and some time outdoors with Nelson and his brother, Kym.

Yesterday was probably the most amazing day of my life, so far. We left early to drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. To get there we had to go over a high pass (about 8,500 feet) where we could look over into the Great Rift Valley. It was enshrouded in fog so we couldn't see very well. As we drove along there were people walking along with steel milk cans that looked like they would probably hold about two gallons of milk. I assume they were taking them to market somewhere. There were goats, sheep, cows, and donkeys along the highway. Some were tended by children who looked no older the four or five. Some appeared to be untended. So did the children.

The last hour of the 3 hour trip was over the worst road I have ever been on in my entire life. Our leaders had suggested that I sit in the front seat with the driver of the van. I think it was a concession to my advanced age and bad back. As you will note later, that had it's advantages and disadvantages. But the trip there was worth it when I saw my first zebras along side of the road!!! And a short while later we saw several baboons.

We arrived at the park and the top of the van was lifted so the others could stand and look out. I was content sitting. Joseph, our amazing driver, had the eyes of a hawk and could spot animals that were miles away. Among others, we saw giraffe, zebra, water buck, Thompson's gazelle, white rhino, cape buffalo, and a dung beetle. And did I say 10,000 flamingos? Our driver said there are 3.4 million on Lake Nakuru. As I sat overlooking the valley with the acacia trees with a browsing giraffe, a herd of zebra, several rhino and buffalo and the lake tinged pink with flamingos I couldn't help but wish that my father, who had such an appreciation for nature, could have seen this. But, as one of my fellow travelers reminded me, I guess he can.

Our lunch was at the Lion Hill Lodge in the park. It was an excellent buffet but it was the only time we have been among the majority white people. It seemed like something out of Ernest Hemingway or something. I didn't like it much.

The trip back was harrowing, to say the least. Joseph drove like the proverbial bat out of hell. The dirt road would (sometimes)accommodate three lanes of traffic. There were times when Joseph would pull out to pass a bus or a large truck which was passing a car or another large truck. Coming toward us might be another bus or large truck that was passing two other vehicles. I was terrified. And I felt marginally fortunate to be at the front of the van because those in the back were being tossed about like BBs. The road was incredibly dusty and I tied a bandanna around my face like Jesse James to be able to breathe. We eventually hit smoother road but we were battered and bruised by then.

I don't know how to tell about the next part. I will try. There had been many police stops along the way (Julius said it is just a way to get bribes) and as we approached Nairobi there was a big slow down and, thinking it was another police blockade, I asked Joseph why there were so many of these slow downs this afternoon. He pointed slightly ahead and to my left (remember the driver sits on the right and the passenger on the left) and before I could look away I saw the horribly mangled body of a man who had apparently had been struck by a truck or a bus. I will never be able to forget it. This is Africa...incredible beauty, high adventure, and death at every hand.

I will share my today's experiences at the autism unit of the Nairobi Primary School tomorrow.