Tuesday, February 9, 2016
We flew 9,714 miles (15,633 km) from Oakland to Nairobi via Seattle and London.
We landed at the airport after dinner and went straight to our hotel. The next morning, we had a guided tour of the city, which helped with the time zone difference.
Our first stop was the Nairobi National Museum. The history room was interesting, laying out troubles of the past, including slavery and colonialism. The attention–getter was the section on the early history of the new country, after independence from Great Britain. The museum highlighted the troubles of the early political leaders. There is also a fine exhibit of early homid fossils, including Turkana Boy, the oldest complete skeleton found so far (about 1.5 million years old).
The next day, we visited the the Giraffe Center. This giraffe is looking for visitors that will feed her treats.
The woman in the next picture was a soft touch (she’s from New York City!). She let the giraffe eat right out of her hand.
Next, we visited the David Sheldrick Trust’s Elephant Orphanage. We learned that a baby, orphaned elephant, needs milk for at least two years after birth. The Trust researched how to mimic elephant milk, and after more than a decade, they hit on a way to modify human milk formula. We were there at feeding time. About two dozen small elephants trotted under a wire fence and into a sort of corral to be fed. The staff provides each baby with its own plastic jug of milk, which is consumed in a very short time.
Several of the elephants did not need staff help to hold the milk bottles. The next picture shows the technique.
The elephants were very friendly, seeking out visitors that would touch them.
After reaching young adulthood, the orphans are trucked out into elephant country and released in the hope of joining an elephant herd.
Here is a map of Nairobi and the places we visited.
This map also shows our travels. We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta airport and departed for Arusha out of the smaller airport in the middle of the map.
After the Elephant Orphanage, we visited the Karen Blixen Museum. The house dates back to 1912. Ms Blixen’s autobiography is “Out of Africa.”
Quick facts on Nairobi: population about 3 million; elevation about 5,500 feet (1,600 meters).
We were impressed with the number of primary and secondary schools, including college and universities.
The next day, we went to the city’s smaller Wilson airport (located closer to our hotel) and took a flight south to Arusha, Tanzania.
We flew from San Francisco to Nairobi via Seattle and London. The elapsed time was about 25 hours. Nairobi time is 11 hours off of California—a period of adjustment was necessary.
In Nairobi, we visited the Nairobi National Museum, the Giraffe Center, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Karen Blixen Museum. After three days of time adjustment, we boarded a small plane and flew to Arusha, Tanzania, where we met up with friends.
Next—the Serengeti via Arusha.