kenya 11b: 29 may (last one)

after leaving the park, we went for lunch at the world famous carnivore restauarant. as its name suggests, its a place to eat meat - tons of it! they expect you to eat as much as you can, and when you 'surrender', you lower the white flag on the table so the waiters know not to bring any more.
i had the following for lunch: onion soup and bread roll, spare pork ribs, pork, chicken wings, lamb, beef, camel, ostrich, crocodile, fresh fruit salad and ice cream, coffee. i was one of the final 3 to surrender, and while full, was not bloated!
the crocodile was a white meat that tasted liek a cross between some kind of deep-sea big fish, and chicken. the texture was like chicken breast, but with the flavour ebing more fishy - very nice. my vote for favourite though, was ostrich which was a fragrant meat - difficult to describe. it was a great experience to go this fantastic restaurant, and i highly recommend it.
we headed back to the city, where we visited the catholic bookshop again to do a bit more shopping. i bought a red stole, a cross for zoe, a banana leaf and skin picture, and a couple of books. some of us dropped our shopping and bags back to the bus for justus to take back to the guest house, while we went to the nairobi java house to relax with some good coffee. i also bought some kenya aa beans there before we walked back to the guest house before dark. nairobi is not a place to be out walking once darkness falls. but it was good to stretch the legs and do some exercise after such a big lunch.
had a bowl of soup for dinner, with a small piece of cake and a cuppa before we headed out to the airport. it was sad to say farewell to justus, gilbert, and jim - such good guys and wonderful guides who had been so conscientious in their care of us during the trip.
there's nothing much to do at nairobi airport, and so we contented ourselves with people-watching for a couple of hours until we boarded the plane and took off at 0010hrs.
the flight was uneventful, as was the drive home. i got home at 1020hrs, and it was great to be home again. thank you jesus for such a wonderful experience!

kenya 11a: 29 may

after breakfast we put our luggage in 2 rooms at the a.c.k. guest house for the day, and headed off to the nairobi national park for the morning. it's situated on the outskirts of nairobi, has big electric fences protecting the park from the city, and to prevent the animals coming into the city. but on its western side, the park is open to the countryside, and allows the animals to use the natural migration routes.
there's a problem developing with this tho', as some rich rich people, wishing to escape the bustle of nairobi, are purchasing land from the masai people. this purchased land is in the path of the animals' migration routes. people build houses, build fences, and keep dogs, all of which deters the animals from using the traditional migration routes. and there is also a debate beginning about turning the park into a cemetery as there is no space left in nairobi for burials. it all sounds so sad when you see such a beautiful place that contrasts so vividly with the ugliness and brutality of city life.
the wildlife in its natural element is wonderful to see, and makes me wonder why we want to live in cities. cities are conveneient for many things, but often not conducive to beautiful living.
in the park we saw the water buffalo. we hadn't seen them in samburu. they're a massive beast, and very aggressive. justus said they're the most dangerous animal in the parks. we also caught sight of a leopard just as it was climbing down from a tree. justus spotted it and was then able to see it moving away in the undergrowth - his sight is incredible!