So, I survived a full day in Nairobi. I had Eric, my trusty cab driver with me for the day, along with Fabian, for most of it, and we had a really good, albeit busy, day.
My morning started off well with a nice hot shower and yummy breakfast delivered to my room. What a great way to start the day!
After my tray was collected and I finished getting ready, Mohammed, the man from check-in yesterday who tried to sell me his taxi services for the day until I told him I had already made arrangements with Eric, came to my room to see what I was up to for the day. It all seemed pleasant and legit, but after a few minutes of pleasantries he said there was a phone call for me. Now, I am on the ground floor and reception is on the floor above and while one floor is open to the next, there was no phone ringing. He called up to the lady at reception and spoke in Swahili so I hadn’t a clue what they were talking about. I started to suspect something was up but went to check the call anyway.
At reception, there was no call waiting but the attendant told me to wait, he should be calling momentarily. I asked her who it was, assuring her no one knew where I was, other than my father who booked the room for me. She told me it was a man and he had been calling all last night for me too. I was intrigued by this point, and rather wary, but then the phone did in fact ring. I thought that maybe Mohammed might have cooked something up pretending to be Eric, calling to cancel my taxi for the day, but it turned out to be a man named Danny, given my info by Wilson, my tour guide in Uganda. I apologized but told him Eric was already waiting.
First stop was at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/) where we got to see all the orphaned elephants. It was so great to see them playing in the mud and drinking from their bottles. The littlest one was only 3 weeks old… precious! He was tiny! There were also two black rhinos there. The organization is doing wonderful work and it was really something to see. I have a special place in my heart for both elephants and rhinos and I love that the trust rehabilitates the animals so they can be introduced back in to the wild.
Standing around for an hour in the blazing sun, both Fabian and I got nicely burned! It’s my first sunburn on my trip, and of course it would have to be the second last day. A stop at Nakumatt Galleria for some water and we were back on the road.
Next stop was the Giraffe Centre which was cool, but a bit of a letdown. The giraffes do eat right out of your hand so you get to see that really long black tongue up nice and close! 
They are also doing good work so I was happy to support the cause but there wasn’t much to see there. Fabian and I couldn’t find Eric because we were done early so we decided to go along the nature trail. Unfortunately the paths didn’t loop like we expected so we got temporarily lost but eventually managed to find our way out.
A stop for lunch and then we were off to the Masaai Market. The market itself is really good and there is a bit of everything there. The problem was that brokers approached you as soon as you got out of the cab and then proceeded to accompany you the whole way. I told them numerous times that we just wanted to wander on our own and didn’t need any help, but they refused to leave. Every time we bent to look at something, they started to barter and haggle for price. It was too much so we did a loop and then left emptyhanded.
We dropped Fabian off at his hotel as he was leaving today to go back to Switzerland, and then we headed back to the Sheldrick Trust as I had a special appointment to go and see my foster animals. J I also was on a mission to see the elephants adopted by my two lovely friends, Chris and Cass. What a sight it was as the handlers opened the gates and the babies came running, each straight to its own home, anxiously looking for the bottle of milk they knew would be waiting. Even the bigger elephants came running and most went right into their own homes. There were only a couple of sneaky ones who tried to escape.
I looked everywhere but couldn’t find Makena or Lualani anywhere. I asked about them and was told they had been moved as they are on the next stage of rehabilitation. That was great news, though I was hoping to get some pics. I took some of the others instead, and hope that will do for now!
Second last day in Africa, and I finally found a ring to buy myself. In fact, I found two! One is silver, made in Tanzania and the other is made from Cow Bone (she told me they use all parts of the cow, and waste none) here in Kenya. I am thrilled!
I have made an appointment at a spa, here in Nairobi and figured it would be a good way to get a little clean for my flight home. Hard to believe it, but my time here is up… for now! I am ready to end this stage and head back. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends but know I will probably miss Africa as soon as I leave.
WWT: Leaving, but not for good!
