Day 1 - Ellies, Giraffes and Beads

To ease us into our new time zone and sooth the jet lag somewhat they had us spend a full day in the Nairobi area before we headed out to Bogani. This included visiting David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage - our first taste of the African wildlife up close and personal. Many of the ellies were orphaned as a result of poaching and the killing of their parents. The handlers bring the baby ellies out each day for an hour at 11 am so people can watch them feed and then romp and play. The infants love to wrestle with one another, piling into a muddle of reddish skin and dirt. It was mesmerizing to watch the personalities of these playful mini giants emerge so quickly before our eyes. Just when it wasn't surreal enough ... "cue giraffes"  two giraffes sauntered gracefully across the backdrop of the whole ellie scene. Pinch me.

 

We moved along to the Giraffe Centre which is dedicated to breeding and preserving the endangered Rothschild giraffe. You can feed the giraffes and if you are feeling a little lonely and don't mind a long tongue, you can even share a big wet kiss with a long necked beauty.

After lunch our final stop was a visit to the Kazuri Bead Factory. Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili and the factory produces hand made ceramic jewellery, beads and tableware. The neat thing about this place is that it started with two Kenyan women and grew to provide sustainable employment for many other single mothers who need regular employment. Kazuri has grown and prospered and now ships their handmade jewellery all over the world. The shop is an explosion of colour and textures and completely lures you in. I found myself loading my basket with a potpourri of shiny beads, necklaces and bracelets - gifts for the girls and women in my life back home. Because it was Sunday, the workers were off however the shop echoed with their vibration, laughter and the positive, handwritten posters taped to the walls told the rest of the story. This was a good place in which dignity resides - a workplace in which the women could access the health clinic; feel proud of their craftsmanship and entertain possibility.

Notes from my journal:

~ peaceful breakfast on the veranda at Karen Blixen, breathing in the freshness and peace

~ an embarassing encounter with the coffee press

~ getting a piece of branch from a local man to clean my teeth

~ scenic beauty of the National Reserve

~ Tuskers in the bar before dinner

~ dinner with candlelight and Celtic strings

~ stimulating conversation

~ tearful when asked about my personal highlight of the day ... dream come true

~ wishing I could share this with hubby

Next stop ... FTC Bogani camp on the Mara.

Matriarchal Mutterings

As long as I can remember, I have had a penchant for elephants. I love the fact that they are family oriented and matriarchal. And aside from the fact that I feel like a "cow" some days or that I get my trunk tangled in my offsprings' business more than I should, I think maybe that I relate to the lives of elephants. We have alot in common.

An elephant family is led by a matriarch, the oldest and most experienced of the herd. Not that I want to flaunt my seniority, but that would be me! The matriarchal society consists of her female offspring and their young. Sounds similiar to me and my girls with the only exception that I have a gentle "bull" in our midst.  In some cases the family may include one of the matriarch's sisters and her offspring as well. My sister and her kids lived down the street for years. It is this close contact and relationship that allows the rest of the elephants to acquire the knowledge they need to thrive.  

So In Africa if I can only see one animal in its natural habitat, I hope it will be an elephant -- and even better -- a mama elephant and her babes. So Darcy and I are making like elephants this summer; staying close and learning what we need to know to survive and thrive.