Laurie getting kissed by a giraffe!
The whole family with the giraffe.
Bill getting kissed by the giraffe!
The 10 day old baby rhino--so cute!!Hello everyone,
Finally, here is the last installment of our trip! And this has been a very long trip! What we have learned is that this is too long of a time for our family to be away from home. At this point, the kids don’t even want to leave the hotel. They don’t want to see anything new or learn about a new country or a new culture. And I don’t blame them—it has been a long time away. We are ready to get back to our normal routine, even if our living situation is not the best in Congo--it’s still home. Jensen said she was double homesick—first homesick to get back to Congo, and then homesick to get back to AZ.
We got into Kenya on Tuesday, 12/30. Our flight got in at 9:40 PM. However, we had to get a Visa upon landing at the airport (which we did not know about), so about 1.5 hours (and $80) later, we were finally collecting our baggage. A friend of ours here in Kenya had arranged for a taxi service (with a very large car to accommodate all of our luggage) to meet us at the airport, so it was nice that we did not have to deal with finding transportation too. We finally got to the hotel about 11:30 PM. When we got to our room, we found we had one double bed, and one twin bed, not 2 doubles as we had been told when we made the reservation. Because of the late hour, there was not much they could do, so Dustin and I shared the twin bed that first night. The next day, they were able to bring in another single bed, so sleeping arrangements were fine after that.
The next day, everyone was tired, and we barely made it down in time for breakfast (they stopped serving at 10:00). Because we were not originally planning to be in Kenya for more than 12 hours, we had not planned anything to do. So, we started off just walking around the city of Nairobi, stopping in shops, and just enjoying the warm weather. I was instantly in a good mood as soon as I saw the sun and felt the warmth. Bill ended up buying a pair of shoes, which he had looked for in London, but could not find, and then of all places, he finds them in Nairobi! Nairobi is a much more modern city than Lubumbashi (where we live), but still nothing like what we would see in the US. However, we felt very safe and comfortable walking around this city, despite being some of the only white people around. Everyone here is very pro-Obama. There are Obama t-shirts, stickers, and buttons all over the place. Our friend that is here told us that if we got stopped by a cop here, all we would need to say is that we are from the US and we voted for Obama, and we would be let go without any problems.
New Year’s Eve, we met up with our friends for dinner. These are friends of ours from Congo. James is the kids’ school teacher, and he was here with his wife, Gladys, who is from Kenya. We went to a little Italian restaurant, and the food and company were good. We got back to the hotel about 10:00 PM, and just stayed in, playing cards. It was a good thing too, as at midnight, it got wild just outside our hotel. The people here must really like New Years! The people were screaming and yelling, dancing in the streets, running in front of cars, dancing on planters, etc. There were tons and tons of people outside. There were so many people in the streets that traffic came to an absolute halt. The celebration lasted at least until 2:00 AM, when we finally went to bed.
New Year’s Day, we had a hard time getting up again, due to staying up so late the night before. We’re trying to get back to Congo time, getting used to getting up at 6 AM, instead of 9:00, but we’ve not yet been very successful. Most everything was closed, due to the holiday, so not much to do. The kids did a little homework, and Bill did some work. I read, and worked on my blog entries. We almost went to see a movie, but decided against it. Bill and I walked over to the theater to check it out. They only had 2 screens, so only 2 movies to choose from. The bathrooms were filthy, with no toilet paper, so we sort of decided against the movie. Bill wanted some popcorn though, so we stopped to get some. Everything was outside, except the actual movie, so we were able to walk right up to the concession stand without actually buying a ticket for the movie. Bill asked for butter and salt on his popcorn, and they said, “We don’t have butter. We tried it, but it just didn’t work out”. Then, when Bill asked for salt, the guy pulled out a napkin, spoon, and a small jar, and he proceeded to spoon some salt into the napkin for Bill. It was quite humorous.
Our last day in Kenya (Friday, 1/2) we went to a giraffe center, where we got to interact with several giraffes. They ate right out of our hands, and Bill, Dustin and I all got kissed by a giraffe—similar to our experience with the elephants back in South Africa, except the giraffes kissed us right on the lips! Jensen did not want to get kissed this time. The giraffes had purple tongues, and they were pretty slobbery and slimy, but they were fun to feed.
After the giraffes, we went to an orphaned animal park, where they take in baby animals that have been abandoned. They mostly had elephants there (about 15 of them), ranging in age from 4 months to 27 months. They named them according to where they were found in Kenya. We got to pet them and watch them play them get fed with a bottle. This park is only opened one hour each day, as the rest of the day the elephants are roaming free in Nairobi National Park. They try to keep them in as natural habitats as possible. Once they get to about 3 years old, they will be weaned away from the orphaned animal park, and they will live in Nairobi National Park permanently. They will stay with the group that they have been growing up with, as they form close bonds and friendships.
There was also an orphaned rhino that was only 10 days old! He was so cute! We got to pet him. There was also a 2.5 year old rhino that was blind. He will likely never leave the park, as they believe he was abandoned by his mother due to his blindness.
There was also a crocodile park and an ostrich park, but we did not go to those, as Jensen was not feeling well. We did however make a quick stop at a store that was the closest thing we have seen to a Target/Walmart. They called it a grocery store, and it was mostly food, but also had some housewares and clothing. I had to run in quick, as Jensen needed to get home, but in about 10 minutes, I came out with cereal, cookie mix, cake mix, cake frosting, muffin mix, pancake mix, and biscuit mix. Most of this was all Betty Crocker brand, so that made it all the better. All of these items (except the cereal) are things that we cannot get at all in Congo. We can get cereal, but it just costs so much! And, we are pretty much limited on brands. We can get Kelloggs Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes (they call them Frosties, but they are Kelloggs), but that’s it.
Once we got back to the hotel, we had lunch, and then went out to do some final shopping. Then, we packed our suitcases and got ourselves ready to head home. We are anticipating a joyful reunion with our dog Kami, who we have missed terribly. We have never been away from her this long. She has been staying with friends, and I think she has been doing okay, though she tends to get depressed when she is away from us. I am also dreadfully anticipating the potential floods that might be in my home due to the leaking windows. It should be interesting to see what we find!
Well, twenty days after we set out on this vacation, we have finally made it home! All was good when we arrived (no major flooding), and all of our luggage (and the contents) made it here safely. I’m busy doing a kazillion loads of laundry, Jensen is happily watching Disney channel again, Kami is sleeping on the couch, and Bill and Dustin are out playing golf with their new clubs! Life is back to normal!
Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for being such enthusiastic readers of my blog. I enjoy writing it, and it helps me keep track of all our adventures here in the Congo!
Laurie
Finally, here is the last installment of our trip! And this has been a very long trip! What we have learned is that this is too long of a time for our family to be away from home. At this point, the kids don’t even want to leave the hotel. They don’t want to see anything new or learn about a new country or a new culture. And I don’t blame them—it has been a long time away. We are ready to get back to our normal routine, even if our living situation is not the best in Congo--it’s still home. Jensen said she was double homesick—first homesick to get back to Congo, and then homesick to get back to AZ.
We got into Kenya on Tuesday, 12/30. Our flight got in at 9:40 PM. However, we had to get a Visa upon landing at the airport (which we did not know about), so about 1.5 hours (and $80) later, we were finally collecting our baggage. A friend of ours here in Kenya had arranged for a taxi service (with a very large car to accommodate all of our luggage) to meet us at the airport, so it was nice that we did not have to deal with finding transportation too. We finally got to the hotel about 11:30 PM. When we got to our room, we found we had one double bed, and one twin bed, not 2 doubles as we had been told when we made the reservation. Because of the late hour, there was not much they could do, so Dustin and I shared the twin bed that first night. The next day, they were able to bring in another single bed, so sleeping arrangements were fine after that.
The next day, everyone was tired, and we barely made it down in time for breakfast (they stopped serving at 10:00). Because we were not originally planning to be in Kenya for more than 12 hours, we had not planned anything to do. So, we started off just walking around the city of Nairobi, stopping in shops, and just enjoying the warm weather. I was instantly in a good mood as soon as I saw the sun and felt the warmth. Bill ended up buying a pair of shoes, which he had looked for in London, but could not find, and then of all places, he finds them in Nairobi! Nairobi is a much more modern city than Lubumbashi (where we live), but still nothing like what we would see in the US. However, we felt very safe and comfortable walking around this city, despite being some of the only white people around. Everyone here is very pro-Obama. There are Obama t-shirts, stickers, and buttons all over the place. Our friend that is here told us that if we got stopped by a cop here, all we would need to say is that we are from the US and we voted for Obama, and we would be let go without any problems.
New Year’s Eve, we met up with our friends for dinner. These are friends of ours from Congo. James is the kids’ school teacher, and he was here with his wife, Gladys, who is from Kenya. We went to a little Italian restaurant, and the food and company were good. We got back to the hotel about 10:00 PM, and just stayed in, playing cards. It was a good thing too, as at midnight, it got wild just outside our hotel. The people here must really like New Years! The people were screaming and yelling, dancing in the streets, running in front of cars, dancing on planters, etc. There were tons and tons of people outside. There were so many people in the streets that traffic came to an absolute halt. The celebration lasted at least until 2:00 AM, when we finally went to bed.
New Year’s Day, we had a hard time getting up again, due to staying up so late the night before. We’re trying to get back to Congo time, getting used to getting up at 6 AM, instead of 9:00, but we’ve not yet been very successful. Most everything was closed, due to the holiday, so not much to do. The kids did a little homework, and Bill did some work. I read, and worked on my blog entries. We almost went to see a movie, but decided against it. Bill and I walked over to the theater to check it out. They only had 2 screens, so only 2 movies to choose from. The bathrooms were filthy, with no toilet paper, so we sort of decided against the movie. Bill wanted some popcorn though, so we stopped to get some. Everything was outside, except the actual movie, so we were able to walk right up to the concession stand without actually buying a ticket for the movie. Bill asked for butter and salt on his popcorn, and they said, “We don’t have butter. We tried it, but it just didn’t work out”. Then, when Bill asked for salt, the guy pulled out a napkin, spoon, and a small jar, and he proceeded to spoon some salt into the napkin for Bill. It was quite humorous.
Our last day in Kenya (Friday, 1/2) we went to a giraffe center, where we got to interact with several giraffes. They ate right out of our hands, and Bill, Dustin and I all got kissed by a giraffe—similar to our experience with the elephants back in South Africa, except the giraffes kissed us right on the lips! Jensen did not want to get kissed this time. The giraffes had purple tongues, and they were pretty slobbery and slimy, but they were fun to feed.
After the giraffes, we went to an orphaned animal park, where they take in baby animals that have been abandoned. They mostly had elephants there (about 15 of them), ranging in age from 4 months to 27 months. They named them according to where they were found in Kenya. We got to pet them and watch them play them get fed with a bottle. This park is only opened one hour each day, as the rest of the day the elephants are roaming free in Nairobi National Park. They try to keep them in as natural habitats as possible. Once they get to about 3 years old, they will be weaned away from the orphaned animal park, and they will live in Nairobi National Park permanently. They will stay with the group that they have been growing up with, as they form close bonds and friendships.
There was also an orphaned rhino that was only 10 days old! He was so cute! We got to pet him. There was also a 2.5 year old rhino that was blind. He will likely never leave the park, as they believe he was abandoned by his mother due to his blindness.
There was also a crocodile park and an ostrich park, but we did not go to those, as Jensen was not feeling well. We did however make a quick stop at a store that was the closest thing we have seen to a Target/Walmart. They called it a grocery store, and it was mostly food, but also had some housewares and clothing. I had to run in quick, as Jensen needed to get home, but in about 10 minutes, I came out with cereal, cookie mix, cake mix, cake frosting, muffin mix, pancake mix, and biscuit mix. Most of this was all Betty Crocker brand, so that made it all the better. All of these items (except the cereal) are things that we cannot get at all in Congo. We can get cereal, but it just costs so much! And, we are pretty much limited on brands. We can get Kelloggs Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes (they call them Frosties, but they are Kelloggs), but that’s it.
Once we got back to the hotel, we had lunch, and then went out to do some final shopping. Then, we packed our suitcases and got ourselves ready to head home. We are anticipating a joyful reunion with our dog Kami, who we have missed terribly. We have never been away from her this long. She has been staying with friends, and I think she has been doing okay, though she tends to get depressed when she is away from us. I am also dreadfully anticipating the potential floods that might be in my home due to the leaking windows. It should be interesting to see what we find!
Well, twenty days after we set out on this vacation, we have finally made it home! All was good when we arrived (no major flooding), and all of our luggage (and the contents) made it here safely. I’m busy doing a kazillion loads of laundry, Jensen is happily watching Disney channel again, Kami is sleeping on the couch, and Bill and Dustin are out playing golf with their new clubs! Life is back to normal!
Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for being such enthusiastic readers of my blog. I enjoy writing it, and it helps me keep track of all our adventures here in the Congo!
Laurie
4 comments:
Glad to hear about your trip. I am so happy you having all these cool experiences.
Love your blogs a lot. I continue to shake my head in amazement that you are my child having this incredible adventure. One of these times I'd love to get input from the kids in their own words. Of course, love, Mom
Wow! I know the feeling of getting home and loving it. Sounds like a trip the kids will always remember and treasure.
Thanks for writing the blog. I do enjoy reading it.
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