Saturday, May 16, 2009

Safari in Nakuru, Kenya.

I spent my last two weeks in Africa with the Mendonsa's in Kenya. It was fabulous. Our our last weekend together. Bob and Julie took me to Nakuru for a last African horrah. Here are a couple of pictures I took.


Julie and I in front of Lake Nakuru...

Tons of Flamingos!!







There were Rhino's everywhere!



Look closely at the baby rhino....


Me sitting on Baboon Lookout.

The baboons were so cute!




However, I think my favorite adventure was when Bob thought..."Hmm I think I can get us through that mud." Nope, never been so stuck in my life. We were stuck in the mud (more like a gigantic mud pit--what WAS Bob thinking?) for a good half hour. Good thing the rangers came by. Bob put planks under the wheels and got pretty muddy. I drove the land cruiser and the rangers pulled us out....




Thursday, May 7, 2009

Rafting the Nile River.

We practiced flipping our raft early on, so we wouldn't be shocked later when we flipped in the rapids.

Nothing like getting knocked in the face by a wall of water!

Not looking good for Josh and I who were on the upper right corner of the raft.

We were knocked out and swept under. But we were pulled back in once we surfaced.

Rafting the Nile River was an amazing experience!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Ma vie en Afrique.

I am fearless, what can I say...






I was told while out treking in the Bush that if the Rhino's charged at me I should jump behind a tree.




I felt REAL safe. Good thing there was an AK-47 nearby.







Me sitting on a rock in the middle of the Nile River, surrounded by crocs...



and hippos...




The Savannah. Little does the Water Buffalo know that there is a lionness meters away...







Lake Albert which separates Uganda from the DRC.





Murchison Falls.









Sunset over the Savannah.




I can hear the music to the Lion King in my head as I look at these pictures...






The source of the Nile in Uganda...


The Nile River...



I wouldn't mind a pet giraffe. They are right below Camels on my list...














Pretty Awesome to come across this herd of Elephants while on a boatride down the Nile.





Kids playing "football" in the hills of Rwanda...



Nagasaga Burundi

My Last Night in Burundi we went out and had dinner at Khana Khizana's, our local "We'll look for any excuse to eat at Khizana's," hang out joint.



So my time in Bujumbura Burundi has finally come to an end.
Things that I'll miss:
-African Rainstorms...the thunder, the lightening, the flooding of my room. (Ok, maybe not that.)
-Goat Brochettes.
-Grilled Sweet Potato.
-Attempting to speak French and Kirundi.
-Looking out over Lake Tanganyika at the Congo Mountains.
-Wearing skirts everyday. (I am going to return and have utterly no fashion I am afraid.)
-Bartering at the market. I am a Burundi Kazi (Burundian Woman) and one hard bargainer!
-No Ques for lines. Whatever will I do when I come across a line. Hopefully I put myself in check and won't cut...
-No rules on the Road.
-Sitting in the back of Landcruisers.
-The Burundian Finger...(I know what you're thinking, whatever is the Burundian finger? You'll see. I'm sure I'll pull it out in the States. Its like an index finger wave with a shake of the head. It stops anything:)
-Playing stupid when I get pulled over at a roadblock. A quick innocent look and a simple, "I only speak English Sir," often gets me a smile in return and a wave to go ahead. La Vie Dans Afrique.
-Hippos.
-Getting tangled in my Mosquito net.
-Taking my malaria pill every day.
-Boiling my own water.
-Pot Holes.
-The rooster just outside my window.
-Washing laundry by hand.
-Burning garbage...
-Big hairy African rain spiders.
-Sweating all of the time. (And when I say all of the time, I mean ALL of the time!)
- Hearing Mzungu, Mzungu wherever I go...

Well maybe I wont miss everything on the list...
I especially won't miss being called Mzungu! I wish I had some craftier response to the continual call of "Mzungu." All I could think of was "Aburundi," or "Excusez-moi. Vous me connaissez? Je m'appelle pas Mzungu!" (Excuse me, you know me? My name is not Mzungu!) C'est la vie!
Nagasaga Burundi!
(Goodbye Burundi!)