Kenya

We got to the farm last night for dinner. We were unable to contact them before we got there because Stallone dropped his phone in the long drop. When we walked in the house I thought Momma Betty was going to faint! She was so excited...she kept saying "I think I am dreaming! Can this be true?!". Stallone, my brother, was not around when we got to the farm. I was sitting in the gazebo last night when he finally arrived. He got close, st oped, starred, then ran to me and hugged me for at least 5 minuted. It was one of the greatest reunions ever! We stayed up and talked for a long time into the night. I have missed my brother so much. It will be hard to leave again.

Today, I just went back to Namachanga High School where I taught last time I was here. The students and teachers were so excited to see me. They remembered my first and last name and never stopped smiling or hugging me. They are so grown up now! Another kid I ran into was Herbert (his picture is framed on my night stand at home). He is now about 8 years old. When he saw me today he ran across the play ground and gave me a big hug. I just think it so crazy how much they remember. I figured since they have had so many volunteers on the farm they wouldn't remember me as well as they do. They have all touched my life so greatly that I will never forget them. I didn't realize I have had the same effect on them until now. It will be so much harder to leave the farm this time than it was before.

former students

with brother Stallone

Everyone we meet keeps telling us we are crazy and out of our minds. However, we think we are great and really enjoying ourselves. As I was just thinking about what I was going to tell you about in this entry, I realized we are a bit crazy!...

The last night we were on the farm we decided to have a huge cookout with everyone there. This cookout consisted of a goat and 5 chickens. All were purchased in town and breathing. We tied the goat, named Gordon, to a tree on the farm until his time for his last breath had come. I was one of 5 who participated in the slaughtering of Gordon. The other 4 guys were all med students, so during the slaughter it was like anatomy 101...we were having too much fun with this gory task. I may or may not have a picture of me holding Gordons decapitated head. We then made a huge bonfire, cooked Gordon and the chickens, had a few Tuskers, and had a great night! One of the guys who participated in the slaughter is now going to have Gordon's skin made into a drum, haha!

The next morning when we left the farm :( we managed to get a ride with Ethiopian truck drivers on our way to Lake Naivasha. These guys did not speak much English or Swahili so it was pretty difficult to understand each other. They did however buy us ears of corn, coke, and cookies. How do we manage to get a free ride and free lunch?!?! We got to our camp at Hell's Gate late that night, had a couple burgers, then went to bed.

We got up early and took off on our bicycles for Hell's Gate. This was one of my favorite places from the last time I was in Kenya and wanted to take Jackie there. It is the only park you can bike through unguided. However, we never saw anyone else on bikes, they were all protected from the wild animals in the safety of cars. This park is all set in a volcanically active area. You can see steam rising from hot springs, and I climbed part of a volcanic plug! When we got further into the park we were riding through herds of zebra, warthogs, antelope, and gazelle. All of which seem pretty harmless and beautiful. We soon came upon a family a giraffe that was amazing. We put our bikes down and walked right up along side the 5 giraffe! The scariest part was encountering the herd of buffalo!!! They were right along the path we were cycling on. These are huge scary animals...but we just kept peddling and praying through them! We hiked to the obsidian caves to see some great rock formation from the cooled lava (I might have enjoyed this more than Jackie). This was followed by a brief encounter with a carcass where we took a much needed photo op! After 24 kilometer of biking and 12 kilometers of hiking we went back to the camp, took a few Tuskers, and passed out!

giraffe and Hell's Gate NP

zebra at Hell's Gate NP

photo op

This morning we got a ride to Nairobi from a Kenyan couple on their way. They were so nice and the ride was beautiful. I love the drive along the Great Rift Valley!

carving meat and Carnivore

Our last few days of the journey were fantastic. The last night that we were in Nairobi we went to the restaurant Carnivore. Carnivore is rated among the top 50 restaurants in the world. Waiters continuously come by the table with swords of random meat and shave it off onto your plate...it was delicious! We got some shopping done during the last day, then took off for Amsterdam!