It surprises me that I haven't written anything since March as I was "supposed" to be writing at least once a week and various friends have shamed me and inspired to take up my blog once more, update and carry on with my initial plan of regular writing sessions. We'll see how this goes!My trip to Kenya came around very quickly and was accompanied with a fair fe
w nerves and a a brilliant new diagnosis (but that needs a section to itself) and rather a huge change in my life...for the better. Kenya was incredible, words cannot really describe how brilliant my trip was so a few pictures might have to help me out. Stepping off a plane and within 2 hours seeing orphaned elephants and giraffes was jaw dropping...poaching is alive and well in Kenya apparently and calv
es are being brought to the Daphne Sheldrake Sanctuary just outside Karen, Nairobi after their mothers are either killed for the ivory or they are found down wells, unable to get back out again. The little guy above was only a month old and was dependent on the men working as surrogate mothers. Such a sad reality for such a beautiful and intelligent animal.We took a bus from Nairobi to Mombassa...an 8 hour bone shattering, stomach churning, fear inducing ride on a bus that possibly should not have been on the road. Lurching over holes on the side of the road on the highway in pitch blackness, not knowing which direction we were going was not what I had imagined when I was planning my trip but with each lurch and bump my resolve to have an "adventure" strengthened and by the time we stopped for a break in Voi I was well on my way - also managed to have a crash course in Public Health i.e. never use public restrooms on the highway...just don't drink any water/juice/soda etc and you will never need to find out about public toilets Kenya style!
Mombasa could not have arrived any quicker and our reward for the spine battering was the Mombasa Cl
ub - a old colonial building now used by ex-pats in Mombasa for dining, swimming in the salt water pool fed by the Indian Ocean crashing into it and general socialising. For us, it was a haven; clean bathroom, space to change, and a huge verandah to crash out on, have a smoke and watch the sun rise over Fort Jesus and the vast Indian Ocean. We tried to take pictures but we were not really allowed - something to do with the flash...but this is what we managed...sunrise over the Indian Ocean.Getting to Diani took another couple of modes of transport (tuk tuk, river ferry and 2 matatus) to get to Stilts EcoLodge where we were staying for the week - a beautiful place with bandas amongst the trees, camping spots for the braver travellers amongst us and above all a great chill out space for us after a hard day at the beach. Add in some lovely people and you have the makings of the best week of your life and some friends that you will keep for life...hopefully.
Our banda was right by vervet, sykes and colobus monkeys, grey tree squirrels, giant land snails, green tree snakes bushbabies and lots and lots of mosquitos...and the beach was just across the road with the entire of that wonderful Indian Ocean just waiting to be dipped into! But for now I will leave you with the image that is embedded in my memory of the deeply delicious blue...enjoy!
