Safari in the Masai Mara

Before arriving in Kenya, if we ever asked Ella what she was going to see in Africa, she would happily reply, "Elephants, zebras, lions." Well, my dear Ella, you were absolutely right. This past weekend, we had the grand opportunity to travel to Masai Mara, a game park in southern Kenya, where we embarked on our very first safari. I'm quite sure it won't be the last. That makes me happy. 

Today's photos were taken during our first game drive while staying at the beautiful Ngerende Island Lodge. Shortly after our arrival Friday afternoon, all four of us climbed into a huge, open-sided Land Cruiser with our Masai driver, Leng. Leng drove us for nearly three hours in search of creatures big and small.

The first was big. Giraffes average a height of 17 feet. This beauty was in a group of four, but we saw many during our drives. They are incredible to watch, moving with such grace dispite their size.

Leng had incredible vision for seeing wildlife long before we did and would drive us right up next to animals. Apparently, the animals saw our vehicle as one big beast, not as individual people inside, and didn't mind having us near. It was incredible.

There were roads in a few places, but we mostly stayed off them, driving as close to the tree line as possible. Whether on roads or not, the driving was intense. We splashed through small rivers and mud, climbed over steep hills, and squeezed between leafy trees. Ella loved it.

From far in the distance, we saw trees shake and approached in hopes of finding something moving amidst them. Indeed, we did. She was near a small river. As we sat watching her, we discovered two more in the trees behind her.

Ella was thrilled. She loves elephants. She often says to me, "Elephant, just like Ella. Ella Elephant. They're the same, Mommy." I adore this photo. She was giddy.

Leng took us to a spot where we could drive through the river and wrap around behind the place we had seen the elephants. After squeezing through trees that I was sure we wouldn't get through, we found this beauty. 

Soon, more arrived.

There were eight elephants in all. Each came up over a small hill into view, cautiously looked at us as they got closer, and quickly skirted past into the trees. I think our ginormous Land Cruiser made them nervous.

We continued to drive, scanning the ground beneath the trees for any signs of lions. They nap during the day, within the safety of the trees, and go into the open spaces in the evening to hunt. Somehow, we found these two sleepy lionesses. 

We parked right next to them. I mean, right next to them. Seven or eight feet. They didn't seem to mind in the least.

After they wandered toward the plain, we headed out for more discoveries. Eventually, we found the lionesses again! Ella was thrilled.

While we were stopped near the lionesses, I looked out into the long grass on the plain and saw a lion's head peeking our way. When I looked back, though, he was gone. We were told that's how they hide to catch prey. Leng had caught sight of the big guy and drove us straight out to him. 

 

He sat up but paid very little attention to us, even though we were sitting two feet from him. 

 

No joke. Two feet. You can see our shadow.

 

He eventually grew tired of our presence and wandered off. He was truly beautiful.

 

As he walked away, we noticed a rainbow far in the distance. Rainbows will always remind me of God's promises. How wonderful to see one across the African plain, the very place that we feel God has called us. His promises are good. 

What a first day we had! I have many more photos, but it's getting late and I must be off to bed. Please come back for more of our Masai Mara adventure in the next day or two. We love sharing our adventures with you!

A Date in Bomet

I had hoped to post this before the weekend began but didn't quite get to finish it. I was busy packing so that the four of us could head south for a safari! The weekend was incredible. I'm currently working on editing photos and will have them posted as soon as possible. This week is going to be full of photo posts, so be sure to check the blog often!

Sammy was awfully excited to be on safari!

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Last Saturday, Pete & I were able to get away together for the afternoon. It was lovely. Ella & Sam stayed with our neighbors and a friend called a taxi for us. Out here, it's best to stick with people you already know and trust. And we've been advised it's not a good idea for us to take public transportation. We don't take lightly the advice given to us by those who have lived here a long time. 

Our hot date began after we dropped Ella & Sam off and headed up the road to meet our driver, Sammy. Sammy met us near the hospital in a little white car designated as a taxi. As you can see, the seats were red and green and there was silver tinsel hanging from the ceiling. This was actually very nicely decorated compared to other small-country taxis I've been in. Nice job, Sammy.

Sammy dropped us of in town (about a 10 minute drive from the hospital) at one of the grocery stores. We were hungry, but first, we needed money.

We walked down a few streets looking for a bank and eventually found an ATM. No luck. Electronics aren't all that reliable out here, so we went searching for another. There are only two locations in town with ATMs, so after the second one also wouldn't work, we ended up swapping US cash for Kenyan shillings. My favorite part about that exchange was when our teller asked how Mr. Obama is doing. I could tell from their smiles that they are proud he has a bit of Kenya in him.

We had been told to only eat packaged food in town (our systems are not used to the food/water here). We wandered through this entire grocery store, looking at all of the interesting things for sale. The grocery stores out here are quite small. The isles are tight and, wherever there is space, more things for sale are stacked up on the floor.

I saw this pot in multiple stores. It was definitely calling my name, but we decided this little guy will have to wait to join our kitchen family in the future. If it's still around, we'll get it next time we're here.

Is it any wonder I found chocolate? I hadn't had any in a while, so once we finished at the grocery store, we sat right out front and shared these lovelies.

Motorcycles are everywhere in Kenya. It's the cheapest form of transportation, so they are used as taxis. Although the law permits them to only carry one passenger, we often see them with three or four, including babies.

I don't remember the names of these, but it was something sweet and tasted a bit like the old Corn Pops cereal. Pete was a fan. I stuck to my chocolate cookies.

I haven't figured out what hotels here consist of, but we see them everywhere.

We found a bike shop, so of course we had to swing in. We talked to the guy at the shop for a bit before taking photos with the bikes. I don't think we'll ever have motorcycles here. A bit too dangerous for our taste.

At one point while we were walking up the street, we heard a helicopter not far overhead. As it got closer, a crowd of people, cars, and motorcycles started rushing past us. When we turned around, we could see that the helicopter had landed and swarms of people were gathering in the field around it. We were curious about the commotion, but we didn't want to get any closer since we already stand out and don't need to put ourselves in sketchy spots. Elections are in less than a month, and we realized this was a politician coming in to give a speech.

A typical shop in town.

Another common sight is for people to sit in front of shops working on sewing machines. There were a couple of men sewing in front of the Family Fashion Centre.

We eventually crossed the main road through town to check out shops and stands on the other side. All the walkways on that side were dirt.

We went into one shop to look at dresses for Ella. These dresses are often worn by our neighbor girls on Sundays for church. They are colorful, with very simple stitching and no hems. We bought one for Ella (an adorable yellow version) but we haven't given it to her yet. I'll be sure to post a photo of her when we do. She's going to be excited!

I think these were cooking oil containers, but I think they may be used for water. I've seen them carried by many women.

This photo was taken next to the bigger grocery store on the edge of town. Everything in incredibly green here.

And finally, this was taken right next to the photo above from the second floor of the building where the grocery store is located.

 

One place we did not get to visit in Bomet is the teacher training school. I'm hoping to go with a friend, as training teachers is something I'm very interested in. That's one of the reasons I'm currently working on my Master's of Education. On another note, sorry about the quality of the photos. It was cloudy while we were in town and I only took the pictures with my iPhone. That was the most discreet way of capturing them. I didn't want to pull out my big ol' Cannon. We stood out enough already.

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One thing I discovered in the last week is that rain water is great for hair. I had been washing my hair with the water coming from the faucet during showers, but my hair was getting nasty. Really nasty. It was so bad that I couldn't even brush it. Then one of the other missionaries told me to try rain water. It was amazing! My hair is soft again. Soft hair is just one of those little joys that I usually take for granted. 

I took Ella up with me to get the rain water. It is stored in a huge barrel that collects the water from the top of our building.

The bottom of the barrel has a spigot. I filled up one of our bottles and warmed it in a couple pots on the stove. It wasn't as tricky to use as I thought it would be.

Of course Ella had to do a little dancing next to the garden while I filled the bottle. I love that about my girlie. 

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It's a quiet Sunday afternoon here. Ella is playing soccer with the other kids outside. Sam is sleeping, and Pete is reading. As soon as I post this, I'm going to do more photo editing so I can get our safari pictures up soon. I hope you're able to have a day of rest, as well. 

Kwaheri!

What's Up in the Kitchen

Today as I write, I'm sitting wrapped in a blanket on the couch. I don't want to close the windows, which weren't exactly designed to keep out cool air anyway. They are more for keeping wandering bugs out at night since there are no screens on windows here. It's raining outside, and I love the sound of it falling on the leaves mixed with the songs of birds and rolls of thunder. Yes, it does get cool enough here to need a blanket, even in the middle of the day. It hasn't been common during our time here, but on the afternoons when the sun is hidden by heavy rain clouds, it gets a bit chilly. I know, it's nothing like home, which I've heard is more frigid right now than chilly, but it's all relative. Many parts of Kenya get extremely hot. Fortunately, this is not one of those places. We are at about 6,500 feet here, which brings cooler air and, best of all, keeps most of the bugs away. We have mosquitos and a few flies, but that's all I've seen so far. And I'm okay with that.

I'm kind of hoping it rains all afternoon. It's a nice excuse to stay tucked inside reading books and coloring, a break from the constant running that Ella has grown accustom to. She's funny. The moment she gets out the door, she's off, yelling for the other kids to chase her. That girl is going to be a runner, I tell you. She just doesn't stop. I suppose Kenya is the place to be to learn how to run! 

I've been thinking a lot about the questions some of you asked after my last post. I love hearing them, so please continue to ask away!

fresh eggs delivered to the door

 Obviously, daily life is very different here. I had been told before arriving that life just takes longer. Chores aren't as quickly completed and meals take lots of preparation. Because of this, we're fortunate to have Stella as our house help. She comes every day to help clean and cook. Yes, I could surely do the work myself. We didn't bring much with us and our apartment is pretty small, but having her help does allow me to have the time to take care of the kids and explore our surroundings. Having house help is very common here. In fact, I've come to understand that it's practically expected if you're able to afford it. Hiring someone provides a job, and I'm all for that. 

local produce - all for less than $3.50

 Stella is wonderful. She is about my age, has a four-year-old daughter, and her English is fantastic. I've enjoyed having conversations with her and laughing about funny things Ella does during the day. Stella is also an amazing cook. She prepares lunch for us every day, and most days Pete gets to join us. The four of us sit at the table together and talk about the day. Sam is usually sleeping. We've had traditional Kenyan meals, everyday meals like baked chicken & potatoes or brown rice & beef stew, and healthy recipes I've found online. I've really enjoyed having Stella's help during the day. Ella adores her and always mentions her during our prayers. She is certainly my closest Kenyan friend so far.

making bread & drinking chai

Ella's loaf of fresh bread. We make this almost daily.

Meals take quite a bit more time here than in the States. Nearly everything is made from scratch. Nothing is canned and very little is packaged. Yes, it is possible to buy things canned and packaged, but they are generally more expensive (sometimes quite a bit more expensive) and not everything is available out where we live.  One example: butter. We can only purchase butter in Nairobi, the capitol. Other things that cannot be found in our town of Boment: yogurt, cheese, chips. And I've been told a few things that can't be found in Kenya at all are chocolate chips, decaf coffee or tea, nuts for baking (almonds, pecans), pudding, Crystal Light, pepperoni. That's what we've discovered at this point. We have plenty of fresh produce, though, and can get many other goods in town. Usually, Stella does our shopping for food. We make a list together and she walks to "the dukas," stands nearby where food, jewelry, baskets, phone cards, and other simple good are sold. The dukas are an easy walk from our house, on the road right in front of the hospital. 

whole wheat

ground into flour

 I love the way we eat here. Never in my life has all of my food been so fresh. On Thursday, Pete came home from work with a bulging bag of pineapple, mango, and bananas, while Stella bought a couple pounds of fresh beef at the dukas. Friday we bought tomatoes and carrots, and Stella made beef stew for lunch. Yum. Friday night I had three big avocados to use, so I made avocado bread (kind of like zucchini bread), an avocado dessert (mixed with milk and honey), and a big bowl of guacamole. I had a couple flour tortillas left from lunch the day before, so I baked those and made them into chips. I really do enjoy baking and cooking here, which I do nearly every night.

boiling fresh milk that is delivered daily for about 35 cents a quart

fresh chips & guacamole, fruit smoothie, whole wheat bread

Allrecipes.com is one of my favorite resources right now. That's where I've found most of the recipes I'm using here. I've also been using quite a few from the Sugar-Free Mom blog, which I've mentioned before. I'm such a fan of her site for healthy meal and snack options. I can't get everything here, but I've figured out ways to work around that. I'm kind of surprising myself with all this cooking. I never cook at home! We either eat simple meals or eat food at or from the hospital. Being in residency, Pete has been getting free food for the last 2 1/2 years. I feel like a new mom part of me is coming out with each new meal I make. I'm definitely doing more of this when we get home!

homemade pizza margherita

I'm putting a post together with photos and explanations of the local dishes we've been eating. We thinks most of it is really good. 

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This is our friend, Betsy. She is such a sweet girl. She comes over quite often to play with Ella and adores Sam. She's seven and goes to one of the local primary schools. Her mom is a teacher at a nearby high school and they live in the building right next to us. The building is for hospital staff, so I'm thinking her dad works at the hospital. I guess that's a question I'll ask today.

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And this little (pudgy, actually) man loves his baths in the kitchen sink. It's a little easier for me to do them there rather than in the tub, but he's not going to fit much longer. Look at him! Man oh man, do I love that boy.