Thorns have roses...or...it started out as a very bad day

May this please be the worse thing that happens on this trip......I thought I was going to Moshi today to spend anight before meeting up with my G-Adventures group on Tuesday to start our Kilimanjaro adventure.  I looked at my voucher and arranged with the front desk to have a cab drive me to the shuttle by 8:30 because it left at 9:00.

While in the cab, I looked at the voucher again - it left at 8:00 and it was now 8:25. I had a very sinking feeling.  I called the shuttle company and my driver spoke to them for me.  They said we may be able to catch the bus and should drive to the stadium.  My driver took shortcuts he knew and we avoided much of the standing still traffic and got to the stadium within 20 minutes!

He called the shuttle company to tell them we were there and ask where we could find the shuttle.  The operator said the shuttle was ahead of us and too bad, we missed it.  We thought the shuttle would wait 10 minutes but evidently he never contacted the shuttle driver.  So, it was intense frustration on my part with the end result that I was back in Nairobi for another day.

After a stop at the shuttle office, I ended up on the shuttle on Tuesday - the day I MUST be in Moshi or I miss the entire Kilimanjaro trip.  It cost me in money and all that questioning myself about how I could see 9:00 one day and 8:00 departure the next.   But I will still meet up with my tour group unless the shuttle breaks down tomorrow.  Yeah!

The good thing that came of it:  I am at the Kenya Comfort Inn in downtown Nairobi with an easy walk to the university, which is interesting and pretty.  AND, they have hardwired computers with fast internet!!  I can post to my blog and easily check my email.  That's bliss!!

I have a few more days in Nairobi here and there and I will spend them at this Kenya Comfort Inn.  So glad I found it and the break from internet frustration that is everywhere else.

I wanted to end on a happy note - the picture is from a game drive. Monkeys in the road, giraffe in the back, river on the right.

More wildlife from our weekend

The game lodge was beautiful, luxurious, all rooms faced the muddy river full of crocs (big fence kept them away from our side) monkeys, and many big birds.  Great food, open air patios and dining, amazing swimming pool - a huge change from our spartan rooms in Meru.  We loved it!  And seeing the wildlife on the game drives was amazing.

This Marshall eagle was sitting on its fresh dinner- a dik dik, the tiniest antelope.  When some monkeys came near, it got big to scare them away.

We watched a long line of elephants lumber across a grassy area to the river where this one is drinking.

We had warm weather for the game drives, which was very welcome.

Wildlife in Samburu National Park

Camels on the road to Samburu

Two female lions sharing a warhog

Elephants guarding two babies - one is on the ground sleeping.

2 days of awesome safari lodge and animals

I wrote a post with pictures yesterday that may or may not show up on the blog. More tech frustration.  In a nutshell,  those two days were totally and completely incredible.  

I am very much looking forward to my two week safari tour to more game parks. Hope I can post pics soon.

Sunday morning in Nairobi

It's cold here so we are back to our chilly clothes. Missing the safari weather and beauty.
All teacher group left except me and Tiffany.  Today we are going to see the baby elephants,  the giraffe center, and a women's bead co-op.

Tonight  I pack for Kilimanjaro.  I leave Monday morning for Tanzania. Meet tour group on Tuesday.  The trek up starts on Wednesday.  Yeah!

No posts until after I'm off the mountain. I plan to post a photo of me at the summit!

Animals - cheetah, warthogs, giraffes

Monday and Tuesday at schools

These three days we are visiting schools to give them technology.  Monday we delivered a laptop, a tablet,  a lcd projector, a webcam, a solar bulb...to 3 schools. Teachers were so grateful and thrilled.  Kids were just excited to see and touch a "mizungu" - white person. 

It was very wonderful for us.  On Tuesday we'll deliver more tablets and laptops and smaller stuff.  It's hard to describe the poverty here and I wish I could give more.  There is great enthusiasm for education and many teachers are trying to use technology with  kids but many schools have no electricity so it isn't always an option.

 

 

You can't believe what people carry on their backs, heads, and on motorcycles. They just make things happen in spite of obstacles.