Maasai Mara Game Drive

For the last three days we have been in Maasai Mara and haven't had much access to the internet and so here is what we did on the three days that we were there.
Day 1: June 20
On this day we got up early from the Methodist Guest House and started our long trip to Maasai Mara. We got there around 1:30 in the afternoon which is about 6:30 am in Michigan. When we got there, we had lunch and then relaxed for an hour or two, then went for our first game drive. On our first game drive, within an hour, we saw the Big 5. The big 5 include: the lion, leopard, Rhino, Elephant, and the Buffalo. We also saw a cheetah and her two cubs eating a gazelle, zebras, and some topi. After the game drive, we came back and had dinner and then went to bed.
Day 2: June 21
On this day we got up at 5:45 for an early morning game drive. We first saw many giraffes and zebra. We then saw 3 cheetah brothers. After a little while of not seeing much, Gatwiri spotted 2 lion brothers sleeping. We got up sooooo close to them and they didn't even care that we were there. After the game drive, we came back and had breakfast. Then Nkatha and Izzy went to the pool and played games and made bracelets. After a little while, Mrs. Redfield came down and we played ping-pong. Then we went up to the tents and got Gatwiri up from her nap and Izzy and her went swimming. The water was quite chilly. After that we had lunch and went for our afternoon game drive. We saw the same lion brothers; but this time they were awake. We also saw 7 cubs and 3 lionesses eating a fresh dinner of zebra meat. We also saw a lot of elephants and some more giraffes. Then we went to the river to see some hippos. We saw a LOT of them, but they were all in the water. We also saw a flock of ostriches and pumbas (warthogs). Then we headed back to the hotel and had some dinner; then went to bed.
Day 3: June 22
Today we woke up early again and set off on another early morning game drive. We saw a lot more giraffes and the same family of lions with their cubs and the 2 lion brothers. Other than that we didn't see a lot of big animals. We also saw the usual zebras, gazelles, and antelope and spotted a few cool birds. After the morning game drive we had breakfast, packed our bags, and headed on the long journey back to Nairobi. When we got back to the Nairobi, we got some pizza and came to the Methodist Guest House to eat and then relax and sleep

Some pics from our trip

Nkatha, Gatwiri, and Izzie at Mutuuma Primary School basketball court construction site. This is one of the times they had to wear skirts, reluctantly!!

The Great Rift Valley

Here is Gatwiri, Elizabeth, and Nkatha standing at Great Rift Valley (in the background) on their way to Maasai Mara. Here we stopped and used a clean bathroom but it was located at teh furthest end of a crafts shop so as you went in to get to the choo (toilet) you could not avoid looking at the beautiful crafts on sale. Smart idea!

We haven't posted in a while because of lack of internet connection. So here's an update of what we have done so far.
Day 1 : June 15
On this day we drove to Meru, which took about 3 1/2 hours. During the long car ride we listened to music and slept. When we got there we unloaded the van which had 7 people and 10 suitcases!! We got to our grandparents house, and ate a dinner of chicken, greens, mashed potatoes and bananas, and beans. We then showered and went to bed.
Day 2: June 16
We woke up and had a breakfast of bread, fruit, and hot chocolate. We then took our time getting ready and then went to Mutuuma Primary School to look at the progress of the basketball court they are building and to play with kids. We got there at their lunch break and were mobbed by all the kids!! We learned that they like bubbles!! :) After we left the school, we went to lunch at Peter's Cafe. After we ate we went to our Aunt's Clinic. Then Nkatha got her hair done. Gatwiri and I (Izzy) played with Sam and Wangu. We played volleyball and Kemps. They ended up spending the night at our grandparents house.
Day 3: June 17
We got up early and went to Maua School of Nursing. My dad had a meeting there. After that we went to eat then went to Mutuuma Primary School again after their lunch breack so we wern't mobbed again. :) We went into the 8,7, and 6th grade classrooms and talked about the climate and seasons in Michigan. After that we taught the 1-5th graders a song with sign language called, The More we get Together. After Mutuuma, we packed up our stuff and went to Aunty Naito's house for dinner and shelter.
Day 4: June 18
Today we got up at about 8:30 and Nkatha, my mom, Mr. Mwenda, and I went to a museum while Gatwiri got her hair done. And we learned about some history in Kenya and saw monkeys, lizards, turtles, snakes, and a chameleon. We then went to Makena, which is a place where women hand-make wool rugs. We bought a couple of rugs the headed home for lunch. After lunch, we met up with our cousins and Gatwiri and I went swimming and the others were snacking and making bracelets up on an upper deck thing. After the swimming and snacking and stuff, we went home, took a shower, and ate dinner kinda late with our other cousins. After that we had ice cream and went to bed.
Day 5: June 19
Today we got up early and hit the road. We drove for about 2 hours for a pit stop at the equator.
This guy showed us that water north of the equator spins clockwise, and when it is south of the equator, spins counter-clockwise, and when it is on the equator, it doesn't spin at all. We then drove for about 30 minutes, before our car broke down. :( We then sat in the hot sun and showed some kids how to play a few games when some crazy dad (A.K.A. Mr,. Mwenda) came with another van and we piled into that and drove the rest of the way to Nairobi. We stayed at the Methodist Guest House for a short time then went to get some pizza and ice cream. After pizza we came back and took a shower and went to bed.

Some of our "moments" so far are...
1. slug in Nkatha's shoe!! :)
2. Ice cream
3. Fanta Pineapple
4. Food
5. crazy drivers
6. sassy waiters
7. bad roads

The Start of Our Trip

This morning some of us are still getting over our jet-lag; other then that, I think we're all doing fine. Today we plan on going to Meru, to visit our grandparents and other family members, but before we go we will be having lunch with our aunt at Utali Hotel. From there, we'll go straight to Meru and probably arrive at our grandparent's house at about 5:00 pm (your time 10:00 am).

In Nairobi

After over seventeen hours on three planes and a long delay at Nairobi airport because someone had picked up one of our suitcases, we are finally awake and fresh after breakfast. Some of the young ones (no names here) are still struggling with sleep after choosing to watch movies on the plane while the parents slept.

At Grand Rapids airport

It is a few hours before we get started on another family trip to Kenya. The last time we were there together was two years ago and we really are looking forward to seeing Kenya again after two years with a new constitution and some new physical improvements on some roads, at least in the capital city of Nairobi. But here is the latest picture of the family taken this wee at Nkatha's 8th grade graduation.