In June, fourteen of us left Jacksonville for Nairobi, Kenya for a two-week safari.  We had five veteran Africa travelers and nine newbies.  As always we were so excited and it was even more special to be able to share a place I love so dearly with friends and family.  As my first foray into taking groups on trips I had planned, I think I was most nervous about Star Wheeler.  As anyone from the area knows, Star taught world history at Glynn Academy and has taken umpteen thousand kids to Europe over the years and has recently been taking adults too.  She is a pro at this, and I wanted to make sure she was not disappointed!  I wasn’t sure if the safari part of the trip would interest her as much as the historical part.  I knew the Leakey family exhibit at the Nairobi Museum and Olduvai Gorge, where millions of years of evolution have been uncovered, Karen Blixen’s estate, and her orphaned elephant that I adopted for her would be fine, but I wasn’t sure she would love the “non-history” part!  Prior to leaving Star had expressed to me that if she met one of the Leakey’s she might faint!  I think this is why I worked so hard to get her safari hat signed by Dr. Richard Leakey, which she then refused to wear as it might get messed up.  I am glad to report that she, as well as everyone else, did love everything and can’t wait to go back for more.  Africa was best described, with group agreement, as “magical!” 

Upon landing in Nairobi, we were met by Patrick Masila and Jefferson, our driver, both of African Spice Safaris. It was so nice to meet Patrick after a year of email and planning! 

Later that evening most of the rest of our crew arrived with a couple of exceptions. Star, Rosemary and Grey had missed their connection in Amsterdam due to sitting on the runway in Atlanta for 2 hours. They had to fly to London from Amsterdam and came on the flight the next morning with Teddy.

Meanwhile, those of us in Africa had a glass of wine to toast to the trip! We were here at last!

We spent a couple days in Nairobi and had a great time.  We had a private visit to meet our adopted elephants at the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, and got up close and personal with some giraffes at Giraffe Manor.  We were able to have “cheetah hugs” at the Nairobi animal orphanage.  It can be a little daunting to pet a fully-grown cheetah while it eats lunch.  We went to the National Museum and Karen Blixen’s estate, made famous by both the book and the movie “Out of Africa.” 

One of the most special moments was our visit to the Nyumbani Children’s Home.  This is one of many AIDS orphanages in Kenya.  We had collected donations from many very generous friends before we left and were able to take all the donations to the home.  We were able to visit with the children that were too young to be in school after they welcomed us and gave a precious presentation.  They seemed to be just like any other children, but these children know pain and hardship that very few of us will ever experience, and I think everyone was humbled by the work done here.  The staff was so excited about a seven-month old baby girl named Eunice. She had come into the home at about one-month old when she was orphaned and at that time tested positive for HIV.  After six months on the AIDS medication she was now negative.  This was very exciting news.  Now she could be adopted.

After a few days, we were off on our first small plane for Tanzania and the Ngorongoro Crater.  This is one of my favorite moments for newcomers.  They look at those small planes with pilots that look about 17 years old and realize we will be landing on dirt runways!  This always takes a minute to register, but I love to watch everyone’s face as this reality sets in.  Our drivers met us upon landing.   Teddy very quickly named the group in her vehicle “The Golden Girls.”  These ladies became fast friends with their driver and found out more than they wanted to about the Maasai culture.  I think if they could have spoken privately to some Maasai women, there might have been a revolt in the village.  The Maasai women do EVERYTHING in their village.  They cook, clean, take care of the children, milk the cows and even build their own hut.  Yes, build their own hut out of sticks and cow dung….yes, cow dung!  Each wife must build her own and her husband roams between them, placing his spear out front to signify where he will be spending the night.  When you ask anyone what the men do, the standard answer is “gather information.”  I think this translates to get together with other men from nearby villages and chit-chat while the women are holding everything together!

After several days, Margie Finn commented that she had never been around so many southern women for such a length of time and how much we talk.  She was enjoying listening to us solve the worlds problems!!  I think we solved just about all of them too! 

We were lucky enough to run into the wildebeest migration in Serengeti.  I have heard of this event for many years, and felt privileged to be in the midst of it.  We didn’t get to see a river crossing, but maybe next time.  In the Serengeti we stayed at Kirawira Tented Camp.  This is one of the top 100 small luxury hotels of the world.  It is fantastic to sleep in a tent that is on stilts with a four- poster bed and mosquito netting!  This is certainly my idea of “roughing it.”

For me, there is just something about Kichwa Tembo camp in the Maasai Mara.  It is just about my favorite place on earth!   The staff there is always so friendly and attentive and as usual did not disappoint.  We were met at the airstrip by the camp staff with sundowners in hand!  The next night we were treated to a fantastic bush dinner.  An exquisitely set table with full silver service, crystal glasses and linen tablecloth, sprinkled with rose petals awaited us.  We had a full staff there to handle on our every need.  Tina Owens was the lucky recipient of the farewell and welcome back cake.  This is a tradition that all who visit here, are destined to return.  The chef chose Tina as he felt she was worth 30 cows!  I was sure to let her husband, Pete, (who also happens to be my brother) know the dowry he owed her parents!!  It was a night we will never forget! 

Our last park was Samburu where Lee Malone, Susan, Joe and Sam Parker, and Tina, Josh and Will Owens went on a camel ride.  I guess it isn’t everyday you have the opportunity to ride a camel, so when in Rome.  Our last night in Samburu was Rosemary’s birthday.  We, along with the staff, sang and danced and celebrated!  We were all getting the words down to “Jambo Bwana” by this time.  I swear I think this song is the national tourist song for east Africa.  They sing it in every camp, and I still find I sing it to myself now and then.  My impression is that it is sort of like our version of the “hokey-pokey” in that everyone knows it but no local would be caught dead singing it outside of tourist places.  The translation of the title is “Hey Man.”  Every now and then I text the first line to my nephews and it just makes us all laugh at the memories and good times from the trip.  I think you could sing those two words to just about anyone that has ever been there and make them smile!  Give it a try!