OH it's been a while again and let me give you the poor excuses: the Internet is bad here and I haven't been able to log onto my account, but here I am and guess what... I'm leaving!
Today I head out to begin working at an a orphanage in central Kenya for the next three weeks. There is no Internet so I will not be in touch as I would like to be. But I will be having a blast I'm sure.
But let me summarize:
Landing in Nairobi in the dark was amazing. The sky was littered with more light than the ground. I felt like the plane was coming into land the wrong direction and we were all headed for the stars! Even coming into the city didn't have as many lights as the stars above us. The sky is somehow bigger here. More brilliant. And so I was introduced to the lush landscapes of Africa!
Where India was faded shades, dust blown and sun worn- Africa is deep colors. Wet colors that seemed drenched and saturated. The green of trees hurts the eyes, the sky is electric!
Paul, Deb and I headed strait out of Nairobi for the coast and the drive to Mombasa (though long) was beautiful.
The Lonely Planet book I'm using is FILLED with warnings, watch out for this, don't do that- BE CAREFUL! It made me on edge the first few weeks. Men with guns everywhere, soldiers accompanying buses during certain routes such as Mombasa to Lamu. I found traveling here not necessarily hard but draining because I was constantly on alert.
The coast was fun, but very touristy. Lot's of Pizzerias and Germans. Until Lamu.
Lamu was AMAZING.
We took a boat into the town and felt like we were transported to another world. Lamu is another town I've found myself in love with that seem to be all over the world- labyrinthine (think Varanasi, Venice, Prague, should I go on?)
Tall Swahili buildings and beautiful beaches.
We took a Dhow trip through the mangroves and around the islands and swam in the mirrored blue water, the weather insanely perfect considering it's the rainy season.
We stayed in Lamu for four days basking in the beach life and filling up on amazing Swahili food at the local dives. It was perfect!
Then we flew back to Nairobi to do a Safari at Nairobi National Park. The Safari was fun and Deb got to pet a cheetah so we all felt fulfilled. Saw tons of wildlife and had a wonderful time.
Now Deb has headed home and Paul and I are off for the orphanage in Central Kenya.
Hopefully I will find better Internet connections and more time to write better stories for you after that, but until then....
I love you all big and send it from the splendid bright and beautiful country of Kenya your way!
heartrl
