We were up bright and early, had breakfast and were on the road to the Nairobi National Game Park by 7am. It has been very wet in Nairobi lately, so the native grasses had grown high and the animals were not as concentrated around water features as much as during drier times. Nevertheless, we managed to see most every major animal with the notable exception of Lions. I'm not worried about that, 17 of us are staying over for 4 extra days of safaris in the Kenyan countryside, there will be ample opportunities to see Lions! I did get one of my best every images of an African Widow Bird, a beautiful black bird with a long flowing tail that almost looks like a wedding train in flight with brilliant red on its head as well as what I think were a pair of Augur or Marshall Eagles nesting high in a tree. Plus, some up close and personal shots of Superb Starlings, another incredible creature. We were in the game park for almost 5 hours and had several adventures. The Land Rover I was in had to push a Toyota van out of a muddy low spot when it had gotten buried up to its axles. There is a professional courtesy among the safari drivers when one of them gets stuck. While we were in one spot for a while, which is not good for hunting down more animals, it is good for observing the different birds and other critters coming and going.
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| African Widow Bird |
After the safari, we went to The Veranda, a very nice restaurant we have frequented for years. Your meal is served outdoors under palm trees, the food is good and there are multiple gift shops for those that need that last minute souvenir. After a late lunch, we went back to Little Daughters and got some of the team reassigned to other rooms, as we had to double up while our friends from Salem Lutheran Church were here. For the remainder of our time in Nairobi, those that wanted a single room now have one. Pastor Kevin and I, along with Travis and Ted, managed to organize all of our supplies into separate footlockers, suitcases and other containers. This was done early so that Pastor Kevin and the Pipeline team could get their gear to the clinic Sunday after church. My team, going to Waithaka, is going to worship at Kawangware and will probably get back to Little Daughters around 1 or 2 pm, when we will have lunch at a nearby Java House. To get an idea of what Java House is, think of a Starbucks with good food. I always get a pound or two of Kenyan AA coffee ground from beans while I'm in country. It's a nice treat on occasion and rivals Kona coffee in my humble opinion.
Sunday will be our last day of relative rest and relaxation, then we saddle up to do what we came to do by showing the love of Christ to the people in the slums of Nairobi by caring for both their physical and their spiritual needs. Please pray that we will be a blessing as we bless others.
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