Gigi and Babu in Kenya, part 2

After the Naivasha adventure, we had a fairly normal week at home. On Mondays, Silas is usually at home with me, so we also let Cora stay home from school so we could take Gigi and Babu to the Giraffe Center. I think all the photos of that trip are on my parents' phones, so I will add pictures and videos later.

But most of the week was an opportunity for my parents to get an idea of the rhythm of our lives here. They delighted in experiencing Silas's jokey and snuggly personality. They were amazed by Cora's Kenyan accent, which she turns on and off depending on her audience. They read stories and sang bedtime songs, walked the dog, and met Maximelda, our part-time housekeeper. We had cappuccinos and chai lattes at ArtCaffe, did more school drops and picks, and took the kids to the ILRI playground. They experienced Nairobi shopping malls and grocery shopping at ABC Plaza, which we use as our local butcher (Gilani's), produce store (Zucchini), and grocery store (Chandarana). They also babysat one night while Nate and I celebrated our 8th anniversary a bit early (to take advantage of grandparent sitters, of course).

Then, early on Friday morning, we headed off on another adventure. We hired a safari van and driver, Benson, so we could all travel in the same vehicle and not worry about traffic and all the rest. Our destination was the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Estate and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Benson's view of us in his van as we departed ILRI

Glimpsing Mt. Kenya in the distance

 We stopped for lunch in Nanyuki at Le Rustique restaurant, which was a wonderful break after a 4-hour drive (increased from the estimated 3 hours by morning traffic in Nairobi). The kids played around the carp pond and on the playground while the adults had Tuskers and stretched our legs.

Le Rustique's carp pool and waterfall

 

The Estate where we were staying in House #12 was not far from Nanyuki. When we arrived we explored the house a bit and then went straight to the pool.

House #12 - I do not recommend it

That night, we discovered that this "luxury rental" did not have pots and pans we could use (the teflon was flaking off in large chunks) or instructions on how to turn on the hot water or a coffee maker or anything more than the most rudimentary furnishings. Eventually, an engineer from the estate came over on a motorcycle to show us how to get hot water in the kitchen and showers.

The next morning, we entered Ol Pejeta Conservancy for a day of safari and animal sanctuaries.

Ready for a great safari in Benson's pop-top van

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) was conducting aerial elephant counts
while we were there; we saw them flying often during our visit, but also gassing up that morning

Our first stop was at the Rhino Sanctuary where our guide, Robert, walked out into an enclosed area to find Baraka, a blind black rhino that lives there.

Nate using our NEW binoculars, brought by Gigi & Babu

While waiting for Baraka, we noticed a white rhino in the sick pen nearby. Check out her foot pad - a mixture of soft tissue and three hard hooves on each foot. Never seen that before.

Baraka arrives

Robert, the rhino guide, gave Silas a stick of sugarcane to feed Baraka.

Is it a stick of sugarcane or a sword? Who cares?

Brave Cora loved feeding the rhino

Guide's-eye view of the six of us and Baraka

Then we drove outside the pens of some of the last Northern White Rhinos in the world. There are seven living today; we saw two of them.

Northern White Rhinos

The safari continued at the Sweetwaters Chimp Sanctuary, where we witnessed a group of baboons climbing high in a tree and screeching. The guides at the Chimp Sanctuary said that baboons prefer to stay on or near the ground, so they thought a predator cat might be nearby and scaring the baboons. We found out later that it was a female lion, who we had missed seeing on the road in by mere minutes. We did see elephants, though!

The two old chimps in the next photo were saved from captivity by Jane Goodall. The standing fellow on the right lived in a small but tall cage for nine years before his rescue, so he learned to stand and walk on his hind legs in order to be able to move about. He still does it when he asks for peanuts, as here.

Later, we had a picnic lunch at the Hippo Hole (no hippos in sight -- it was too hot out).

Benson enjoyed steak sandwiches and lemon bars with us

And then we had our best elephant sighting yet -- a whole family mere meters from the road, grazing and ignoring us entirely as they went about their own business.

To pick grass, they wind the end of their trunks in the grass and rip it up
and stick it in their mouths. If there are roots they spit them out

Babies! The littlest one could only pick a couple long blades of grass at a time

 On our way home for siesta, we stopped at a couple more places and saw a few more animals:

Cora put herself in charge of marking all the different species we saw on the Ol Pejeta map

 

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a model of livestock and wild species
sharing the same land for environmental and economic goals

Check out the Latitude

Camels at Sweetwaters Camp

Getting tired in the heat of the day