ANU 2013 - 2014

Hippo in lake at Rift Valley. Yes we were in a dug out about 10' away from him or her.

11/13/13

Left from Sarasota on my first leg to Africa. My first seat companion was a dog ( no I mean a real dog ) there was a lady on the isle seat and she had cage under the front seat and asked if it was OK and I said yes. Then I asked if she were allowed to let it out and she said yes. So I said it is OK with me and she did. The next thing I know is he is on my lap licking my face. Except for long layovers, the flight is 14 hours and they feed us constantly. Get into Dubai at 2:30 am and see the worlds tallest building lit up it is huge. Finally get my boarding pass for the next flight and I see they have a Delta Lounge I went it and was able to wait there till my flight left. Sat in a comfy chair and almost fell asleep. Did have some snacks.

Arrive in Nairobi at about 6:30 am. Now I had a 5 hour layover in Dubai and still get there in Kenya 4 hours later  and the flight is 4 hours. By now I am totally confused as to what day it is. So after trying to find my luggage and fill out Visa forms. The whole airport has changed and I am not sure where I am going. Finally get out and there is Oruta one of my favorite drivers ( body guards) at ANU and Carla Lovett who is Donna Lovett's daughter in law. Carla is a bubbly red head that talks faster than anyone I have ever met. On the way she said we are invited to a goat roast tonight. So we stop at the mall for food then home to unpack put away get shower dress and off to a party. The house we are going to is the Keysoys who is a professor here and it is just being built ( very big ) and right near the campus. The goat is tough which is standard for meat here in Africa so I have a few nuggets and eat wonderful salad , potatoes etc. Rod Reed the DVC comes in and is surprised to see me. By now I have been about 2 days with only 5 hours sleep. Home and I crash and oh yes have been told we are going to the Rift Valley in the morning and leaving at 8:00 am. Have a fitful night as the mattress is hard as a rock and my back is killing me. We leave at 9:00 ( Kenyan Time ). Now here hopefully I will post pictures if I can remember how.

Yes this giraffe was as tall as the telephone pole

 on the road in Rift Valley

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Zebras 5 on the road in Rift Valley & volcano.

Rift Valley Mountains

Jambo Dear Friends, This was my last day in Nairobi.  Verna Stanton asked what I would like to do and I said why don't we go to lunch. Well she did one better, this is Ranger Park where we did have lunch in a beautiful setting in the jungle and watched below as the wart hogs wandered about and a monkey swung by.  Then we took a Safari Walk and saw many animals. This was a pygmy rhino which are very endangered. Below this baboon was walking next to me as were several others walking down the side walk. They seem to have the run of the park.

A guard kind of started walking with us and talking to us and asked if we saw the Ostrich and we replied no. So he said stay here and came back with a branch from a tree and out of no where this huge Ostrich appears and runs up to the fence where we were standing and devoured the leaves on the branch. Which we found out are sweet. The Ostrich could easily reach over the fence as we could also very open.

This is a albino Zebra there were 3 and one was a baby. They are pretty much extinct except for the few in the park and of course who knows there may be more in the wild.

 So the guard said have you seen a lion since you have been here and of course I said no. So he said follow  me and took us down a path then stopped us so other people were out of sight . Then said quickly everyone down this path. Then a few hundred yards of muddy path there they were all asleep

 3 females and one male. They started to wake up rolling over one another and stretching and yawning. Then finally looked over at us and yawned some more. They were not impressed. Then a handler whistled and they all got up stretched some more and started to go to dinner, I imagine. Yes, there was a fence in between us or we would have been dinner.

This Cheetah was beautiful and big. The strange thing about this was there is a big raven about 10ft. deep and about 8ft. across with a electric fence at the bottom. I could not see any reason that Cheetah could not jump that raven easily, unless Cheetahs can't jump?? When he ran it was like a rocket had taken off, what a beautiful site.                                                                                          

My next blog will be of my projects

at ANU and probably my last till the next time, which I am planning.

Kwahari,
Sharon

Jambo My Friends,

Before I get into the pictures I have for you today, I want to tell you I will be home on May 5th not because I want to but because Delta will not extend my ticket as it is peak season  here. My work here has escalated into more than I ever dreamed and the VC would have liked me to stay until July but it is not to be.

So my blog will not end when I get home, as I will have pictures to show you of the projects that I have finished. There are 4 finished and one in the process but it will not be started or completed before I leave. I will have a colored photo that I will be able to share with you. I have been working with a graphic designer named Michael and we have come up with some wonderful before and after photos. So stay tuned!!!

Today I want to show you the Giraffe Park:

Home now BB on property.

My name is Kelly and I am 11 years old.

I am afraid I don't have a lot of info as it was hard to hear and understand what the gal was saying but here goes. The park was left in a will from a woman that owned the property and I believe she asked it be used for a animal park. The home is now a  Bed & Breakfast and the cost is about $800.00 a week to stay there, it looks so peaceful and can you imagine going out on the lawn and a giraffe walking up to you.

 So they have been using it to raise and breed giraffes. At the present time there are seven and all are females. The male died in December from stomach problems and is buried on the land. There is a baby and they are waiting until she is 3 before they can trade it for a male to continue the breeding.

Look at the tongue !

 

Look at the eye. Food in my hand.

They are so beautiful and graceful but they do want food and that is all that is important to them. Kelly has the habit if you don't give her food she will lower her neck and then swing it at you because you don't have food.

They can live to 30 years old in the Park but in the wild they only live to about 16 years old.
Their diet is of a pellet that is made of wheat, rice, corn & molasses.
There tongues are I would say about a foot long. If you hold the food between your teeth they will take it out of your mouth. No I didn't!

Here comes Lyn !

Getting Closer !

My name is Lynn and I am 16 years old.

I never found out how tall the two girls were but where I am standing feeding Kelly is a two story building so they are really tall. The most beautiful eyes and eyelashes and eyeliner ( well it looks like eyeliner) . They seem so gentle but I am not sure they are, seeing the way Kelly was when there was no more food. Lyn does not do that.


I will close for now and will hopefully write sooner than the last time.

Kwahari friends till the next time.

Sharon

Matt & Maddy

Kittengela Glass

 Jambo Everyone,
This is a very strange site, your script goes where it wants as well as the pictures.

Today I am taking you to Kittengela Glass factory, we spent an hour and a half and I could have stayed another 2 hours. This was fasinating.

How these men stand the heat is beyond me, I was standing right on the edge of the entrance and the heat was intense. Each piece is hand made and no two alike. What you think is going to be a vase or bowl ends up to be a plate or platter.

The House for the Kilns

 Kittengela has been there 30 years and they ship all over the world and have visitors from all over the world also. The kilns are fed with used oil and have been going for 25 years and are never let to cool. It is owned by a husband & wife from Germany.

Forming the bottom of the bowl or as it turns out to be a plate

 Everything has glass in it as you see the walls, sidewalks, doors, floors, benches, you name it and you will see glass imbedded in it. The glass ware and vases are very heavy and they say you can drop one and it won't break. I didn't try it. They also make jewelry , yes I bought a pair of earring!

The finished product of the above .

They also have cool huts that are for vendors and evidently they rent the huts to them and sell there products for them. All of the workers stay right there and there is a house that they all live in. 

A wall of one of the buildings, it is all glass inlayed.

A whole floor of glass.

 I have many more pictures but can't possibly put them on here.

I will probably never go back to Kittengela as my back has still not recovered and my liver still hasn't found out where it belongs, from the drive there which is approximately 4 miles. I felt like an eternity and took us 20 min. to reach Kittengela. What I finally got a picture of because I wasn't holding on for dear life was the best part of the road. At certain points there  really is no road and the holes are about 2 - 4 feet deep and out of them are boulders that jar your teeth. I don't know why the bottom of the car wasn't ripped out I could here the muffler and tail pipe rattling and banging.

It was all worth it because it was truly something you will never see in US. Even in Italy is was not this beautiful with all the surroundings. Oh yes, also on the way we saw about 8 zebra and a baby, that really made it worthwhile, unfortunately couldn't get a picture.


                                                           Have a Blessed Easter,
                                           
                                                                  Kwaheri
             

 

The Road