Jambo Kenya/Tanzania
Nov 10th, 2006, 03:27 PM
#21
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Hi everyone,
Your comments are all very kind... especially for a newbie trip writer!
Steeliejim, I went to college in Sacramento, CSUS, great city!
Nyamera, there were so many wildebeest jumping in front of our vehicle, it was insane to see that many animals, thousands and thousands crossing right in front of us.
As for everyone else, I am out of town for a meeting in Little Rock, AR this weekend, so I won't be able to post an update until Monday. I hope you all stick around for the rest of the journey... it was a great one.
See you monday
Aaron
Your comments are all very kind... especially for a newbie trip writer!
Steeliejim, I went to college in Sacramento, CSUS, great city!
Nyamera, there were so many wildebeest jumping in front of our vehicle, it was insane to see that many animals, thousands and thousands crossing right in front of us.
As for everyone else, I am out of town for a meeting in Little Rock, AR this weekend, so I won't be able to post an update until Monday. I hope you all stick around for the rest of the journey... it was a great one.
See you monday
Aaron
Nov 23rd, 2006, 08:51 PM
#23
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Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to get back to this trip report.
After a great night at the Amboseli Serena Lodge, we woke up and opened our door to a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was crystal clear morning and the view was just amazing! We took some pictures outside our room. Then a employee came by and took us on a little walking tour to get even better shots of the mighty Kili.
After the walk, we then went to breakfast in the restaurant. I went to the egg station and ordered an omelet, which had been so good up to that point.
We all ate, laughed and then went outside to get even more pictures.
We then walked to the van and as we were walking I turned to Angel and said, "We've been very lucky with our stomachs, but I have a bad feeling about today." She brushed it off and off we went for our day of fun!
We drove out of the lodge's gates and headed out ot the wild. We saw giraffe and took some neat shots of them with Kili in the background. We then saw a hyena den and watched the little cubs playing.
We then headed towards the gates to leave Amboseli and that's when we saw a large herd of elephants off in the distance. We stopped the car and watched them through our binoculars!
We hoped they would come closer but they were way off.
Then they started to move in our direction. We waited and waited and waited and they slowly made their way over towards us.
We were totally excited.
Our guide told us there was a grandmother in charge of the herd and about 12 other elephants including a baby or two.
We were parked right on the road and the elephants came right up to the vehicle. We were so amazed... they were huge!
We watched as they crossed right behind our back bumper. They were so close you could touch them, but of course we didn't even reach out to them!
The grandmother did a little jig, by balancing on three feet, if seemed as if she was putting on a show for us.
All the ellies crossed and then moved off into the distance.
So we then moved on and out of Amboseli.
We drove to the border town of Namanga and went to get our visas.
It was a very easy process and all the people hawking their goods wasn't oo annoying.
We crossed over into Tanzania, took some photos at the border with permission and then said goodbye to Peter, our driver.
We hopped into our new matutu with our new driver and headed out into Tanzania.
We drove for a couple of hours and my stomach started to feel a little queasy! Uh oh!
We stopped for lunch in some little town in Tanzania and that is where we were introduced to the red banana!
They were so good and sweet.
Lunch was okay and there was a souvenir shop right next door so we went in.
The prices were exorbitant! 13 dollars for a shotglass!
We didn't buy anything and got back in the matutu.
Byt this time I was going downhill. My stomach wasn't feeling very well and I was sweating! It seemed a lot more humid here than in Kenya.
And being from Southern California, we aren't use to a lot of humidity.
We made our way to Lake Manayara, a beautiful place, but my stomach was not doing so well.
We visited the rest area for a few minutes then went into the park.
We watched all the monkeys and then went to the Lake at the end of the road.
Everyone else was standing and enjoying, but I couldn't even move. I was slouched down in the chair with the cool air on my face.
I felt a little bit better once we got to the lake. It seemed to come in waves of nausea and then go.
After viewing the lake for a little bit, we headed off to our lodge for the night, the Ngorongoro Farm House.
As we were going back to the main gate of L.M., we stopped in a little stream to take some pictures.
That's when we heard a slow rumble in the trees next to us. It got louder and louder and louder... what was it?
All of a sudden, a giant elephant popped out of the trees right next to us!
Following behind was a baby!
They then stroole down the road and disappeared into the trees on the other side.
We continued on the road and then the driver said a leopard had been spotted. The last of the Big Five!!
We rushed over to it. As we were speeding down the road, guess who we come across.... mama elephant and the baby.
They wer ein no hurry and hogged the entire road. Then they got annyoed with us an the mama elephant did a fake charge at the vehicle!!!!
A second later, they disappeared into the brush.
Off we went looking for the leopard.
A sea of cars told us we were in the right spot.
And there it was... veyr beautiful.
We watched for a couple of minutes and then headed off to our lodge for the night.
We finally arrived at the Ngorongoro Farm House.
I was on my last legs and said I needed to lie down for a few minutes. Well I was out!
My friends woke me for dinner, but I couldn't move. I was nauseas, dizzy, sweating and exhausted.
So they went to dinner without me and I slept through the entire night.
They gave me some medicine and I slept the entire night.
Next morning I woke up ready to conquer the day... I was back and ready for more!!!
After a great night at the Amboseli Serena Lodge, we woke up and opened our door to a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was crystal clear morning and the view was just amazing! We took some pictures outside our room. Then a employee came by and took us on a little walking tour to get even better shots of the mighty Kili.
After the walk, we then went to breakfast in the restaurant. I went to the egg station and ordered an omelet, which had been so good up to that point.
We all ate, laughed and then went outside to get even more pictures.
We then walked to the van and as we were walking I turned to Angel and said, "We've been very lucky with our stomachs, but I have a bad feeling about today." She brushed it off and off we went for our day of fun!
We drove out of the lodge's gates and headed out ot the wild. We saw giraffe and took some neat shots of them with Kili in the background. We then saw a hyena den and watched the little cubs playing.
We then headed towards the gates to leave Amboseli and that's when we saw a large herd of elephants off in the distance. We stopped the car and watched them through our binoculars!
We hoped they would come closer but they were way off.
Then they started to move in our direction. We waited and waited and waited and they slowly made their way over towards us.
We were totally excited.
Our guide told us there was a grandmother in charge of the herd and about 12 other elephants including a baby or two.
We were parked right on the road and the elephants came right up to the vehicle. We were so amazed... they were huge!
We watched as they crossed right behind our back bumper. They were so close you could touch them, but of course we didn't even reach out to them!
The grandmother did a little jig, by balancing on three feet, if seemed as if she was putting on a show for us.
All the ellies crossed and then moved off into the distance.
So we then moved on and out of Amboseli.
We drove to the border town of Namanga and went to get our visas.
It was a very easy process and all the people hawking their goods wasn't oo annoying.
We crossed over into Tanzania, took some photos at the border with permission and then said goodbye to Peter, our driver.
We hopped into our new matutu with our new driver and headed out into Tanzania.
We drove for a couple of hours and my stomach started to feel a little queasy! Uh oh!
We stopped for lunch in some little town in Tanzania and that is where we were introduced to the red banana!
They were so good and sweet.
Lunch was okay and there was a souvenir shop right next door so we went in.
The prices were exorbitant! 13 dollars for a shotglass!
We didn't buy anything and got back in the matutu.
Byt this time I was going downhill. My stomach wasn't feeling very well and I was sweating! It seemed a lot more humid here than in Kenya.
And being from Southern California, we aren't use to a lot of humidity.
We made our way to Lake Manayara, a beautiful place, but my stomach was not doing so well.
We visited the rest area for a few minutes then went into the park.
We watched all the monkeys and then went to the Lake at the end of the road.
Everyone else was standing and enjoying, but I couldn't even move. I was slouched down in the chair with the cool air on my face.
I felt a little bit better once we got to the lake. It seemed to come in waves of nausea and then go.
After viewing the lake for a little bit, we headed off to our lodge for the night, the Ngorongoro Farm House.
As we were going back to the main gate of L.M., we stopped in a little stream to take some pictures.
That's when we heard a slow rumble in the trees next to us. It got louder and louder and louder... what was it?
All of a sudden, a giant elephant popped out of the trees right next to us!
Following behind was a baby!
They then stroole down the road and disappeared into the trees on the other side.
We continued on the road and then the driver said a leopard had been spotted. The last of the Big Five!!
We rushed over to it. As we were speeding down the road, guess who we come across.... mama elephant and the baby.
They wer ein no hurry and hogged the entire road. Then they got annyoed with us an the mama elephant did a fake charge at the vehicle!!!!
A second later, they disappeared into the brush.
Off we went looking for the leopard.
A sea of cars told us we were in the right spot.
And there it was... veyr beautiful.
We watched for a couple of minutes and then headed off to our lodge for the night.
We finally arrived at the Ngorongoro Farm House.
I was on my last legs and said I needed to lie down for a few minutes. Well I was out!
My friends woke me for dinner, but I couldn't move. I was nauseas, dizzy, sweating and exhausted.
So they went to dinner without me and I slept through the entire night.
They gave me some medicine and I slept the entire night.
Next morning I woke up ready to conquer the day... I was back and ready for more!!!
Nov 27th, 2006, 02:00 PM
#25
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hi - did you use a travel agent at all? or did you simply use books and this forum? would love to get a copy of your specific itinerary...I'm thinking of planning a trip for a group of us to kenya/tanzania next december thanks!
Nov 27th, 2006, 02:27 PM
#27
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Hi everyone... here are the pictures. Well some of them at least, it;s a work in progress.
http://www.costcophotocenter.com/thu...427/t_=6372427
If the link doesn't work, please go to costco.com.
Click on photo center near the top.
Then go to login on the right side.
the login is my email... [email protected]
the password is sacstate98
then click on kenya tanzania.
Hope everyone enjoys!!! Let me know what you think!
Aaron
ps- i'm the one kissing the giraffe!
http://www.costcophotocenter.com/thu...427/t_=6372427
If the link doesn't work, please go to costco.com.
Click on photo center near the top.
Then go to login on the right side.
the login is my email... [email protected]
the password is sacstate98
then click on kenya tanzania.
Hope everyone enjoys!!! Let me know what you think!
Aaron
ps- i'm the one kissing the giraffe!
Nov 28th, 2006, 12:51 PM
#29
Join Date: May 2005
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Aaron, I just got to reading your report. I am thrilled to hear someone else who went with AfricaPoint and had a great time.
Almost a year before you I did a similar trip with them and was happy with the trip (despite some big vehicle problems)
I notice there was no Nakuru & Aberdares on yours.
I remember being WORN OUT by the time we got to the Amboseli Sopa. I remember the food being OK, but not the best of the trip.
The Sopa was OK, but our room was a trillion miles away from the main part of the hotel and I certainly thought something was going to trample us out there.
Looking forward to more of your report.
Almost a year before you I did a similar trip with them and was happy with the trip (despite some big vehicle problems)
I notice there was no Nakuru & Aberdares on yours.
I remember being WORN OUT by the time we got to the Amboseli Sopa. I remember the food being OK, but not the best of the trip.
The Sopa was OK, but our room was a trillion miles away from the main part of the hotel and I certainly thought something was going to trample us out there.
Looking forward to more of your report.
Nov 28th, 2006, 11:04 PM
#32
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Friday, Sept. 29th
Woke up this morning feeling really good. Since I hadn't sen much of the Ngorongoro Farm House, i went walking around the area while the rest of the group got ready. Took some photos, admired the gardens etc. A beautiful place!
We then took our stuff to the reception and went to breakfast. Not wanting to upset my recently recovered stomach, I had a light breakfast of a few rolls and orange juice.
We then reloaded the matutu and set off for our day in the crater. It was a little cool this morning, but quickly warmed up throughout the day.We descended into the crater and saw very few animals. I had expected to see animals everywhere but our first few minutes in the crater we only saw an occasional wildebeest or gazelle.
But that would change!
As we drove along the road, we could see a mass of vehicles stopped up ahead. as we got closer we realized there was a pride of lions adn their new kill.
Right by the side of the road... how fortunate for us, not so for the wildebeest!
Because of the many vehicles we could not get a good shot. So after waiting patiently for five minutes, we decided to leave and come back later in the day.
We continued on through the crater... which was amazingly beautiful. So enormous.
We saw our first ostrich there and a rhino. Unfortunately, all the animals were far from the roads and we didn't get the "up close and personal" shots like we had in Kenya.
But we had a great time driving along the different roads watching the animals and the ever changing sky.
After a few hours, we went back to the pride of lions. They were still there as were more than a dozen of vehicles... with a line of matutus in the distance making there way closer!. We jockeyed for position, got a few shots and then headed back out into the Crater for some more game viewing.
We spent another hour on the Crater floor and headed up to the rim.
We stopped several times at different parts in the road to get those great Crater shots!
Our base for the night was the Ngorongoro Serena lodge, a beautiful place right on the hillside of the Crater.
We got a family room which was huge! We all showered and changed and got ready for dinner. By this time it was raining and pretty cool outside, cool enough for a light sweater.
Brian, Tricie and I went to the bar area and bought a bottle of wine for the room. We brought it back and then watched each others pictures on the TV.
We then went to dinner... the best one of the trip.
It was buffet style like all the others, but the atmosphere was amazing.
Another American was celebrating her birthday, so the staff turned down all the lights and then came out singing. The whole dining room joined in and clapped... about 100 people in all!
After dinner Tricie, Brian, Angel and I went downstairs to the bar area and ordered drinks and hung out by the big bay window overlooking the Crater.
We stayed up chatting till one in the morning.
We then went back to our room for the night and prepared for the long drive back to Nairobi in the morning.
A great way to end our safari!
Woke up this morning feeling really good. Since I hadn't sen much of the Ngorongoro Farm House, i went walking around the area while the rest of the group got ready. Took some photos, admired the gardens etc. A beautiful place!
We then took our stuff to the reception and went to breakfast. Not wanting to upset my recently recovered stomach, I had a light breakfast of a few rolls and orange juice.
We then reloaded the matutu and set off for our day in the crater. It was a little cool this morning, but quickly warmed up throughout the day.We descended into the crater and saw very few animals. I had expected to see animals everywhere but our first few minutes in the crater we only saw an occasional wildebeest or gazelle.
But that would change!
As we drove along the road, we could see a mass of vehicles stopped up ahead. as we got closer we realized there was a pride of lions adn their new kill.
Right by the side of the road... how fortunate for us, not so for the wildebeest!
Because of the many vehicles we could not get a good shot. So after waiting patiently for five minutes, we decided to leave and come back later in the day.
We continued on through the crater... which was amazingly beautiful. So enormous.
We saw our first ostrich there and a rhino. Unfortunately, all the animals were far from the roads and we didn't get the "up close and personal" shots like we had in Kenya.
But we had a great time driving along the different roads watching the animals and the ever changing sky.
After a few hours, we went back to the pride of lions. They were still there as were more than a dozen of vehicles... with a line of matutus in the distance making there way closer!. We jockeyed for position, got a few shots and then headed back out into the Crater for some more game viewing.
We spent another hour on the Crater floor and headed up to the rim.
We stopped several times at different parts in the road to get those great Crater shots!
Our base for the night was the Ngorongoro Serena lodge, a beautiful place right on the hillside of the Crater.
We got a family room which was huge! We all showered and changed and got ready for dinner. By this time it was raining and pretty cool outside, cool enough for a light sweater.
Brian, Tricie and I went to the bar area and bought a bottle of wine for the room. We brought it back and then watched each others pictures on the TV.
We then went to dinner... the best one of the trip.
It was buffet style like all the others, but the atmosphere was amazing.
Another American was celebrating her birthday, so the staff turned down all the lights and then came out singing. The whole dining room joined in and clapped... about 100 people in all!
After dinner Tricie, Brian, Angel and I went downstairs to the bar area and ordered drinks and hung out by the big bay window overlooking the Crater.
We stayed up chatting till one in the morning.
We then went back to our room for the night and prepared for the long drive back to Nairobi in the morning.
A great way to end our safari!
Nov 29th, 2006, 10:16 PM
#35
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Shotyhme77, We did all the research online. Everything from flights to lodges and everything in between. We planned for about five months before booking!
send me a message at [email protected] and i can send you a copy of our itinerary.
Now on to the report...
Saturday Sept. 30th
We left our Ngorongoro Lodge and headed for Arusha to continue on to Nairobi. We had lunch at the Impala hotel, which we had visited on our way to the Crater. The lunch was very good and we were eager to get back on the road. Africa Pointe had reserved us seats on the shuttle between Arusha and Nairobi. We re-confirmed this three days earlier when we had stopped in at the Impala Hotel for lunch. At that time, everything was fine.
We left the dining room and headed to the shuttle. Turns out, our names were not on the list for the shuttle. We had loaded all our luggage onto the roof already and had to unload all of it. We asked our driver what was going on and he said he would call Africa Pointe and find out. This took several minutes and the shuttle was ready to leave. The driver said he didn't have seats for us.
Well we didn't want to be stranded in Arusha so we convinced the driver to wait for the five of us until we could get the situation figured out. It took about ten minutes to get a hold of someone at Africa Pointe.
They said we should be on the list... but we explained that we weren't.
The shuttle was ready to go, so the driver told us to pay the "extra" charge and get on the bus. He had found five seats for us. How convenient.
So we paid the fee (around $20 per person) and got on the shuttle.
The ride was pretty uneventful and we got into Nairobi in the early evening.
We returned to the Panafric Hotel where a representative from A.P. met us.
We told him of our problems and he said we would all be reimbursed.
He was true to his word, about two weeks after getting home, we all got reimbursed!
Anyway, we went to our rooms and changed cause we were going to the Carnivore for dinner!
Angel is a vegetarian so she decided not to go. So Tricia, Brian, Fong and I hopped back into the car and off we went.
We had such a good time at this place. We all drank "the medicine" and then gorged ourselves on camel, ostrich chicken and more!
As we were leaving, we heard music coming from the bar area.
We wandered over and saw there is a night club attached to the restaurant.
So Tricia, Brian and I went into the club and danced for about 30 minutes.
We then went back to the hotel and crashed!
A nice leisurely day with a great dinner.
Our last day, coming up!
send me a message at [email protected] and i can send you a copy of our itinerary.
Now on to the report...
Saturday Sept. 30th
We left our Ngorongoro Lodge and headed for Arusha to continue on to Nairobi. We had lunch at the Impala hotel, which we had visited on our way to the Crater. The lunch was very good and we were eager to get back on the road. Africa Pointe had reserved us seats on the shuttle between Arusha and Nairobi. We re-confirmed this three days earlier when we had stopped in at the Impala Hotel for lunch. At that time, everything was fine.
We left the dining room and headed to the shuttle. Turns out, our names were not on the list for the shuttle. We had loaded all our luggage onto the roof already and had to unload all of it. We asked our driver what was going on and he said he would call Africa Pointe and find out. This took several minutes and the shuttle was ready to leave. The driver said he didn't have seats for us.
Well we didn't want to be stranded in Arusha so we convinced the driver to wait for the five of us until we could get the situation figured out. It took about ten minutes to get a hold of someone at Africa Pointe.
They said we should be on the list... but we explained that we weren't.
The shuttle was ready to go, so the driver told us to pay the "extra" charge and get on the bus. He had found five seats for us. How convenient.
So we paid the fee (around $20 per person) and got on the shuttle.
The ride was pretty uneventful and we got into Nairobi in the early evening.
We returned to the Panafric Hotel where a representative from A.P. met us.
We told him of our problems and he said we would all be reimbursed.
He was true to his word, about two weeks after getting home, we all got reimbursed!
Anyway, we went to our rooms and changed cause we were going to the Carnivore for dinner!
Angel is a vegetarian so she decided not to go. So Tricia, Brian, Fong and I hopped back into the car and off we went.
We had such a good time at this place. We all drank "the medicine" and then gorged ourselves on camel, ostrich chicken and more!
As we were leaving, we heard music coming from the bar area.
We wandered over and saw there is a night club attached to the restaurant.
So Tricia, Brian and I went into the club and danced for about 30 minutes.
We then went back to the hotel and crashed!
A nice leisurely day with a great dinner.
Our last day, coming up!
Nov 29th, 2006, 10:36 PM
#36
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The Last Day- Oct. 1st, 2006
Our last day in Africa! Brian was flying on for a beach vacation in Mombasa so he left early in the morning for the airport.
Tricia, Fong, Angel and I met for breakfast a few hours later.
We met Kennedy around 9 a.m.
I highly recommend Kennedy, he is an amazing tour guide.
We told him we wanted to do shopping, kiss the cheetah, see the baby elephants at Sheldrick and have an authentic Kenyan dinner. Kennedy didn't disappoint.
We headed off for Sheldricks first, since we had to be there by 11 a.m.
Thi is such a great place. We saw all the baby elephant scome marhcing along.
The little guys then rolled around in the mud for about 20 minutes. Very entertaining.
Tricie, Angel and Fong went to buy t-shirts and I stayed to get better shots of the baby ellies.
They were covered in mud and came right up to the few remaining visitors.
One brushed up against me getting me all muddy, but it was fun.
I snapped a few pictures then went to wash up.
we bought t-shirts and then headed out to do some shopping.
We went to a few different places, all of which were very expensive.
then we found one place that was very reasonable.
The four of us must have spent nearly 400 dollars there buying souvenirs.
We were a little ahead of schedule so we went to the giraffe sanctuary.
This was really fun, we petted the giraffes and Tricia and I kissed them. A little gross, but hey, how often are we in Africa, right?
After the giraffes, we headed to the cheetah.
I had been looking forward to this the entire trip.
We got into the enclosure and there it was. We were a bit nervous to say the lease since just a few days earlier we had seen these guys trying to take down a wildebeest!
But we got down low and started petting it and it started purring.
We quickly snapped pictures and then left after spending about ten minutes with the cheetah! A trip highlight!
By this time it was late afternoon so we met up with Kennedy in central Nairobi.
We told him we wanted to go shopping where the locals go.
So he took us to a huge shopping/rocery center.
We bought some African music at a music store, bought tons of dry good to bring home to friends and just wandered around for about an hour.
Things were so cheap!
By this time it was dinner, so Kennedy met us and took us to an amazing Kenyan restaurant.
The food was delicious and we all had a good time.
Unfortunately, the clock on the wall indicated our time in Africa was coming to an end.
We went back to the hotel, packed our things and then Kennedy's driver took us to the airport.
We checked in and went to the gate.
Ironically, as we were boarding our British Airways flight to London, Toto's "Africa" was playing on the overhead speakers!
We took off from Nairobi, a little sad, very tired and flew through the night to London.
We had a six hour layover before our non-stop American Airlines flight to Los Angeles so we decided to go into central London.
I had lived in London as an exchange student in college, so knew how to navigate the system.
We went to big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Leicester Square before headed back to Heathrow.
We boarded our flight to LAX and settled in for the 11 hour flight.
Just one row behind me, who do I see... Niles the butler from the TV show "The Nanny"
We arrived at LAX around 8 p.m. and went to baggage claim.
Tricia had to catch a flight to Oakland so she was in a rush.
We all said goodbye and I proceeded to the parking lot for the drive home to Bakersfield.
And that was our amazing trip to Kenya and Tanzania!
We had such a great time, it's going to be hard topping this trip.
Hope you all enjoyed the report and the pictures.
Aaron
Our last day in Africa! Brian was flying on for a beach vacation in Mombasa so he left early in the morning for the airport.
Tricia, Fong, Angel and I met for breakfast a few hours later.
We met Kennedy around 9 a.m.
I highly recommend Kennedy, he is an amazing tour guide.
We told him we wanted to do shopping, kiss the cheetah, see the baby elephants at Sheldrick and have an authentic Kenyan dinner. Kennedy didn't disappoint.
We headed off for Sheldricks first, since we had to be there by 11 a.m.
Thi is such a great place. We saw all the baby elephant scome marhcing along.
The little guys then rolled around in the mud for about 20 minutes. Very entertaining.
Tricie, Angel and Fong went to buy t-shirts and I stayed to get better shots of the baby ellies.
They were covered in mud and came right up to the few remaining visitors.
One brushed up against me getting me all muddy, but it was fun.
I snapped a few pictures then went to wash up.
we bought t-shirts and then headed out to do some shopping.
We went to a few different places, all of which were very expensive.
then we found one place that was very reasonable.
The four of us must have spent nearly 400 dollars there buying souvenirs.
We were a little ahead of schedule so we went to the giraffe sanctuary.
This was really fun, we petted the giraffes and Tricia and I kissed them. A little gross, but hey, how often are we in Africa, right?
After the giraffes, we headed to the cheetah.
I had been looking forward to this the entire trip.
We got into the enclosure and there it was. We were a bit nervous to say the lease since just a few days earlier we had seen these guys trying to take down a wildebeest!
But we got down low and started petting it and it started purring.
We quickly snapped pictures and then left after spending about ten minutes with the cheetah! A trip highlight!
By this time it was late afternoon so we met up with Kennedy in central Nairobi.
We told him we wanted to go shopping where the locals go.
So he took us to a huge shopping/rocery center.
We bought some African music at a music store, bought tons of dry good to bring home to friends and just wandered around for about an hour.
Things were so cheap!
By this time it was dinner, so Kennedy met us and took us to an amazing Kenyan restaurant.
The food was delicious and we all had a good time.
Unfortunately, the clock on the wall indicated our time in Africa was coming to an end.
We went back to the hotel, packed our things and then Kennedy's driver took us to the airport.
We checked in and went to the gate.
Ironically, as we were boarding our British Airways flight to London, Toto's "Africa" was playing on the overhead speakers!
We took off from Nairobi, a little sad, very tired and flew through the night to London.
We had a six hour layover before our non-stop American Airlines flight to Los Angeles so we decided to go into central London.
I had lived in London as an exchange student in college, so knew how to navigate the system.
We went to big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Leicester Square before headed back to Heathrow.
We boarded our flight to LAX and settled in for the 11 hour flight.
Just one row behind me, who do I see... Niles the butler from the TV show "The Nanny"
We arrived at LAX around 8 p.m. and went to baggage claim.
Tricia had to catch a flight to Oakland so she was in a rush.
We all said goodbye and I proceeded to the parking lot for the drive home to Bakersfield.
And that was our amazing trip to Kenya and Tanzania!
We had such a great time, it's going to be hard topping this trip.
Hope you all enjoyed the report and the pictures.
Aaron
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