I just ran across a recount of my Dubai/Kenya trip that I had sent to a friend- it was a pretty AMAZING trip, and fun to re-live: I was fortunate enough to start a trip out with a night in NYC at the New York Palace before boarding a flight to Dubai, UAE. We landed in Dubai, which isnt very historically significant, but it was pretty amazing to see old and new cultures really come together and live harmoniously in an ultra modern, over-the-top city. While there, we went up in the tallest building on the Arabian peninsula - the Burj Kalihfa. We were given an early private tour - on the bottom floor a vending machine sold solid Gold Bars! On the 124th floor, part of the railing was missing because Tom Cruise was just finishing up his filming there (he wasnt physically there when we were). It was pretty scarily exciting to be standing on the edge of a building over 1000 feet in the sky!! One day we gathered to take 4x4s out in the Arabian Desert. Professional drivers took us on the most wild roller coaster ride of my life- it fell like we could fall off the side of the dunes at any time. We finished to an amazing sunset and headed on to a feast in the desert. We ( we- by the way, is me and co-workers) were then entertained by belly dancers and rode Camels and finished the evening gathered on Berber rug, smoking hookahs. We actually were there just 2 and a half days before moving on to Kenya for a 6 night safari. We arrived to Nairobi and overnighted at the Norfolk hotel. Nairobi is a very bustling city, that is dirty with dirt/sand and a bit of pollution. The people are quite friendly, but because its so poor crime is high. We started our day by taking a city tour and then moved on to Karen Blixens house (Out of Africa) and estate. It was incredible to be in the same house and be able to really feel a sense of how she lived. It helped that there were still some movie props there, filling up the house, making it feel like it was still lived in. Shes still highly reveled there, so you will see many things named after her- streets, buildings, and even an entire suburb. There was apparently a very high profile wedding going on, on the grounds - reporters were there interviewing guests,etc. we had no idea who it was, but it was quite interesting to see all the upscale African garb - more colors than you can imagine! We headed from there to a Giraffe conservatory, just on the edge of Giraffe Manor giraffemanor/ - its a luxury estate home from the 1930s that has just 10 accommodations. You can stay there and the very cool thing is that if you do, the giraffes are literally in your back yard!! The giraffes are so accustomed to people staying there now that people leave the bedroom window open and the giraffes literally pop their heads into your room, looking for a snack!!! The hotel provides you with their snacks so that youre ready for them, if they do! How fun is that?? While we didnt stay there, we did visit the Giraffe Centre were all that separated us from 10-20 giraffes were some relatively small fences and then a building that was higher up so that the giraffes had easier access to eat whatever food you were given to feed them. Amongst other things, they feed them these scientifically heathy formulated pellets that are fairly good sized. They eat right from your hands. One of the guides suggested I tried feeding them a bit differently. He had me place one of the pellets in my mouth (just holding onto to the edges with my lips) and OH MY GOSH, a giraffe came right up to me and gave me the most sloppiest kiss ever and took the pellet from me - LOL! Certainly something I will never forget!! We very sadly left there after an hour and headed toward our hosts home in Nairobi - the Pinto family, the owner/operators of Micato Safaris. Its a very high-end operation providing luxury travel throughout Africa and India. They greeted us with some traditional African dancers in the living room of the house and invited us to a family style lunch served by their house staff. We go to sit with them and hear about their adventures of living in Africa and why they started the company. Theyre incredibly philanthropic as well. We had complete run of their house, other than their bedrooms, of course. It was getting into late afternoon, so we left the Pintos and started back to our hotel - stopping at a Museum on the way - tons of artifacts,etc. We had settled back into our hotel that evening for dinner and I enjoyed a new cocktail that I still drink to this day! (their version of a Dark & Stormy) After getting a good nights rest, we headed out to the Nairobi airport for our flight to the Samburu Reserve. 13 of us boarded the plane in Nairobi - it was only big enough for us. We headed on our way to the Samburu Game Reserve. People assume Africa is desert and barren, but flying over it, its quite lush! We flew over Mt Kenya and Lake Nakuru - the lake looked pink because of the sheer number of Flamingos in the lake feeding off the Plankton. We landed on an airstrip in the middle of nowhere! There was a small building taking care of logistics and a public outhouse :). Our safari team was waiting for us there. Because it was in the middle of the bush- we were surrounded by all kinds of impala, kudu, antelope and all these crazy birds. Our drive was about 1.5 hours before making Larsens Camp - luxury tented camp. The camp is next to the river and the tents all have wooden floors and decks, with their own bathroom and shower and sitting area. They also have their own electricity, ran off a generator. It sounds pretty basic, but it was pure luxury in the middle of nowhere. Theyre all inclusive, including a lounge in another larger tent. They provide you with gourmet food for all of your meals, etc. On our first game drive, we saw a ton of elephants, zebra, giraffe, ostriches and impalas. We tried tracking some leopards, but werent too successful. We returned for hearty dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed cocktails on the large deck by the river - I mention this because what we didnt notice was the crocodile that was laying on the bank about 20 feet from us!!! While youre in these camps, you do drives in the early morning and then another in the late afternoon- thats when its a bit cooler and more likely to see animals. We were also instructed to keep our tents tightly zipped at all times. We found out why in the mornings. Out of nowhere, as soon as it started to turn light, you could hear the trees start to really rustle and various noises. With 5 minutes a HUGE group of Monkeys descended on the camp and the tents. They were the smaller ones, but still very exciting. They know all to well that you may have food or other stuff theyd love to play with in the tent! They jump on the roof and try to unzip the tent. When you leave the tent for breakfast you have to be careful that they arent right there. As soon as you leave , you can turn back to see them trying to work the zipper, lol. Some were also brazen enough to run into the dining area to steal food off of the buffet or sugar out of bowls. One ran off with a coffee cup and sat there in front of us and tried to drink out of it!! Its all such an incredible experience, its hard to explain any of whats going on in your mind. On one of last morning drives at this camp, instead of dropping us back at camp, we took took a turn and ended up at a river and were greeted by the camps staff who had set up a huge champagne breakfast for us, next to the river. It was like we were sitting at a Shoneys breakfast buffet, only with linen table clothes, free flowing mimosas and crocodiles floating by in the river. At one point a heard of elephants decided to cross the River, about 100 feet away from us!! later on the afternoon drive, a cheetah graced us with a very cool run out in the plains and ended up on a large rock, just hanging out there making for some amazing pics. This reserve was in a dryer area of Kenya. After 3 nights, we headed back to the airstrip to catch a plane to the bit more lush (and rainier) Masai Mara. We landed at another airstrip that caused the warthogs and wildebeest to scatter. We flew in over a river that had a huge pod of hippos in it - simply amazing! We made our way to the Mara Safari Club - yet another incredibly luxurious tented camp on the river ( this website gives you a great idea of what the tents are like fairmont/masai-mara-safari/ ). The river immediately below our tents was filled with hippos - very cool to wake up in the morning to their sounds and be able to go out on your deck and sip coffee as they move along the river. We had another 2 night stay of morning and afternoon game drives. In this location we saw a ton of baboons, zebra, elephants, wildebeest , but we also got to see a good number of lions. At one point while out on a drive for a few hours our driver stopped in the middle of the plains to call back to the camp and check on something. We were very close to a palm tree, so I asked him if there was ANY way I could get out of the jeep and use the palm tree :). I cant even explain how cool it was to be peeing out there (sorry! lol) in the middle of the plains and complete surrounded by the wildebeest, giraffes and Zebras!!! It sounds crazy, but Im telling you, I have never felt so close to God! I was actually living some pretty surreal experiences! After our 2 night stay, we headed back to Nairobi. I told you that the Pintos (Owners of Micato Safaris) are very philanthropic. For every paid Safari, they put one Kenyan through school from K all the way through 12! Theyve also built their own school and orphan and HIV outreach for women and children in the middle of the slums of Nairobi. You have to imagine that up to 2.5 million Kenyans live the Narobi slums - 60% of Nairobis population alone- and the slums occupy just 6% of the citys land area. Upon landing back in Nairobi, we were taken through the slums to the school and outreach. Getting there ,we passed through the most HORRIFIC conditions you ever seen. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it again. I have never seen such filth and squaller. Generations of families living in 10x10 makeshift houses of other peoples garbage and thrown away pieces of metal, wood and cardboard. The most amazing thing though is that the slums are full of the most VIBRANT, happy-to-be-alive people Ive ever encountered!!! We felt very guilty driving through their narrow streets in our luxury vans. The people however recognized that the vans were from the school/outreach so the was an absolute outpouring of love when they saw the vans go by. People ran to the side of the street to wave at us - little kids ran along side of us screaming, Hello! How are you??? Their face were lit with beaming smiles! When getting to the school, we were greeted by lots of little kids in their school uniforms, just anxious to show us around. They were so proud to show us all of the facilities and how they learn. We were also lead through classrooms and got to observe the young children learning math and English. They sung songs and a bit later, it was lunch time, so they had us handing out out their lunches. They were so, so, so incredibly grateful. It was very hard to not sob, but the joy in their faces helped. We also visited HIV infected women who are taught different crafts and skills so that they could earn a modest living to feed and care for their families. We had left after a few hours and everyone was silent in reflection on the way back to our luxury hotel. It changed my life forever. As soon as I made it home, the first thing I did was go online to donate to them. It also reminded me of the 17year old kid I met in a Masai village, who was selling his wares. He had a very lengthy chat and he was enamored by my camera. He asked me to take a picture of him because he wanted to see what he looked like. He looked at the picture and asked me, You wont forget about me, will you? No, I never will.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:54:06 +0000
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