Exploring Nairobi

Since I was pretty much settled and starting to get adjusted to the time zone, I decided there was no time like the present to start exploring Nairobi. I got a recommendation for a tour guide named Tony from a CDC colleague. He picked me up at 10AM. Our first stop was an a view point overlooking Uhuru Park and the city center.

The lake in Uhuru Park and the Kenya Conference Center

He then drove me around downtown, pointing out some of the landmarks. Many of them were hotels and shopping centers, but the most poignant was the memorial at the former site of the US Embassy, which was bombed by terrorists in 1998.

From there we headed to the neighborhood of Nairobi called Karen, after Karen Blixon (Out of Africa). Most of the main Nairobi attractions are in this area. On our way, I saw my first glimpse of authentic African wildlife. I don't really even know what it was outside of a giant bird of some sort. I didn't get to take a picture since we were driving by, but I hope to get one at some point. We also saw several baboons along the road near Nairobi National Park. Our first stop was the David Sheldrick WildlifeTrust, a non-profit occupying a little segment of Nairobi National Park that rears orphaned elephants and rhinos. There were wart hogs running around the grounds, and I saw the rhino on my way in. I'm not posting a photo here though because it was in a pen and I imagine I will have ample opportunity to get photos of rhinos in the wild before my trip is over. The baby elephants, on the other hand, I took lots of pictures of them.

Bottles set up and awaiting the arrival of the baby elephants

A warthog grabbing a drink

Here they come!

Yummy!

Getting some love from one of the handlers

Playing with the soccer ball

An extra little snack

Taking a dust bath

Checking out the water/mud

Getting something off its trunk or foot, I'm not really sure...

Thinking about getting in

This one didn't hesitate

Now they're starting to get dirty

View of Nairobi National Park from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

The next stop was the Giraffe Centre, a breeding center for Rothschild giraffes run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. They've built a platform so that you can be eye to eye with the giraffes. They also provide food to feed them with (and attract them to the platform), and there are opportunities to pet them.

Gimme, gimme

One of several warthogs hanging around to gobble up the dropped food

Here comes one of the babies!

Me with Dolly. She has been at the center for a long time. This was my more friendly encounter with her. My first attempt I didn't have any food with me. She's a bit ornery and gave me a bit of a head butt as punishment for my oversight. One of the guides at the center said that for Daisy - "no food, no friend." I made sure I was well stocked when I returned. I fed all four of the giraffes that came to nibble while I was there. There tongues were rough like a cat's tongue. One of them was very slobbery, so I ultimately started dropping the pellets on its outstretched tongue. The baby wasn't much interested in being petted, but there were two who were willing participants, even without a food offering.

More warthogs heading for the food missed by the giraffes

A giraffe less interested the food we had to offer

One got lured away from the platform for some individual attention

He must have gotten full

The final stop of the day was the Kazuri Beads and Pottery Centre.

I got a quick tour of the facility before checking out the gift shop. It was fun to just look at all of the beautiful colors and patterns of the beads.

The clay

The clay presses

The shaping room

The kilns

After I got home, I checked out the Sunday market at the shopping center next door. Luckily I didn't take much money with me, because I am apparently a sucker for a hand shake. They are good. At least I was able to bargain well for the few items I did purchase - I paid less than 50% of the original asking price for everything and for one item paid less than 10% of the original asking price. I can't decide if I got a really good deal on the one item or still paid too much on the others. Whichever way it is, they need the few bucks more than I do. I'm really just doing my part to support the local economy :-)

I had leftover Thai basil garlic chili stir fry for dinner and decided to try the passion fruit I had purchased at the produce market for desert. While passion fruit isn't native to Kenya, it is apparently a growing and profitable industry. There were two kinds of passion fruit at the market, purple and yellow. I decided to do a back to back taste test.

I started with the purple one.

It was sweet and a touch sour at the same time. I liked it and will probably get more.

Next I tried the yellow one.

I'm not sure how to describe the flavor of this one outside of I didn't like it. It wasn't sweet like the purple one. It wasn't sour either. I don't know. Well, I do know that I won't be getting anymore of these.