11 Days in Kenya

I have just returned from a two week trip to Kenya. I have decided to post something new for the next 11 to 12 days highlighting each day I was there. We did a wide variety of work and we saw a lot. It was actually 2 weeks we were there, but with traveling and time changes, we lost a few days. Jet lag is hitting me hard this time. It never did before. I think it comes on stronger with age :) Now, sit back and enjoy the anticipation of a daily post of my trip to Kenya.

Day 1: Arriving in Nairobi

Each time I have visited a new country the most interesting thing is the atmosphere of the country. What I mean specifically is the vibe, the beat, the feel of the place. The  moment I stepped into the airport in Nairobi, I felt the slow calm of society's pace. It was a bit muggy that night due to their increased rain fall, unusual this time of year. It was fairly quiet because it 9:30 pm January 7th when we arrived. (It was 2pm January 6th when we left Chicago.) Another thing I noticed what the bathrooms were small and crowded with only two stalls and a little smelly being at the end of the day.

Our next leg of the journey was an hour and a half drive up to Naivasha, where we stayed for 8 days. Naivasha sits at 6,000 feet elevation and ears were popping all the way up. It was dark, so not being able to see "Africa" was hard as I longed to see the landscape and animals. When we arrived at our guesthouse, the first thing I noticed was a strange creaking sound. It was a tree hyrax, one of the 7 loudest animals in Africa. It sounds like an angry cat having its tail pulled. It is a nocturnal creature, so you can imagine sleeping at night:) I have a recording of it, but I have to post it later. There are mp3's of this creature on the web. Kinda cute, huh? But just try sleeping!