Back home

We are happy to be back home with Moshi!

Thanks to all for the comments and well-wishes on our trip!

Leaving Detroit

One more flight and we'll be home!

Amsterdam airport

The Weisbergers spent the night in Nairobi and will fly to Amsterdam this morning and spend a few days here relaxing. The rest of us took the overnight flight from Nairobi and have safely arrived. From here, Kristina and Todd go to Seattle, Debra goes to Indy via Minneapolis, and the rest of us go to Indy via Detroit. These trips always feel a little strange, a little melancholy, as we start to say our goodbyes to people we've spent so much time with, and experienced so many things with, over the last two weeks.

On board

We are ready to depart Nairobi!

Nairobi airport

Another 26 hours and we'll be home. But for now, we are sitting at the Nairobi airport, recognized throughout the world as one of the worst. 

http://www.frommers.com/slideshow/index.cfm?group=786&p=9

Oh well.  It's not like there are options...  Wish us luck!

Sent from Kyle's AT&T iPhone

Fairview Hotel, Nairobi

We are chilling/refreshing a bit at the Fairview Hotel. We have collected our luggage and will soon depart for the airport.

Trout Tree Restaurant

On our way to Nairobi we stopped for lunch at a touristy place called the Trout Tree Restaurant. It is built into and around a big tree. It has its own trout farm below. There are Colobus monkeys and little Tree Hyraxes all over the place.

Science test

We stopped for a demonstration at the equator. A local "guide" performed an experiment to prove that water wants to rotate in different directions depending on which side of the equator you are on. First, we walked 20 steps north of the equator and he poured water into a funnel with a small drain opening. He placed a couple of small sticks in the water and you could see them rotating clockwise. He pointed out that the water coming out of the funnel spiraled clockwise.

Then we walked 20 steps south of the equator and repeated the experiment and the water flowed counter-clockwise.

And finally we repeated the experiment right at the equator and the sticks did not rotate and the water coming out of the funnel did not spiral.

It was a fun experiment, but is it legit? Travel guides suggest it is slight of hand, but it was a fun little diversion.

Rhino sanctuary

We checked out of Sweetwaters after our morning game drive, then we stopped by the rhino sanctuary. Here, Marisa is feeding a blind rhino, who lost his right eye in a fight with a dominant male, and his left eye has a cataract that they hope to surgically remove sometime soon.

Wild dogs

We saw wild dogs on this morning's game drive. First time we've seen wild dogs!

Hammerkop

Red-billed Stork

Cheetahs

Mt. Kenya

Mt. Kenya in the background, just before sunrise, kissing the clouds.

Warthog

Greater Blue Eared Starling

Crested Cranes

"Superb Starling"

Really, that's its name.

Zebras

Lavender Breasted Roller

GPS

This lion has a GPS collar.

Lions

Oryx

Yellow necked spurfowl

Thomson's gazelle

Elephant

Rhino

Waterbuck

Baboons

Baboons are quite common in this part of Kenya.

Chimpanzee

Here a chimp is posing for us at the local chimpanzee sanctuary.

Elephants at night

It's 8:15pm here. There's a watering hole alongside Sweetwaters. There's a small barrier between us and the watering hole. There are a dozen elephants here as we'll as Cape buffalo and zebras. It's an amazing site. And the sound of them pulling up grass with their trunks is noteworthy.

Equator

Giraffes

Sweetwaters Tented Camp

We have arrived.

All aboard!

Here we go!

The plane

Our plane has arrived at the airstrip.

Leap of faith

We are heading to the airstrip to get our charter to Laikipia for our safari. We are leaving behind 17 pieces of luggage. It's a bit of a leap of faith to trust that all of it will magically meet us back in Nairobi on Saturday. But our travel agent has never let us down.

Passion Fruit

Wow, these look odd! But the gang loves them!

Going-away dinner

Wednesday was the last day of surgeries, followed by a going-away dinner in our honor at the Eldoret Country Club. We had a nice buffet dinner, brief speeches, and gift presentations.