First week in Kenya!

We have had a terrific first week.  On Wednesday the 9th Jon and I visited the Kazuri Bead center and  A Giraffe Center for the endangered Rothschild giraffe.  The bead center is a cooperative for single mothers affected by the HIV/ Aids virus who make jewelry as part of a fair-trade cooperative and in return live in this compound with their children and other women.  There are about 175 women currently living there and far fewer men.  The men who live there specialize in pottery.  A guide walked us through and explained to us the process of the bead/ pottery making - it was very interesting and a nice experience. 

The same day we went to the Giraffe center and learned that at one point there were only 120 Rothschild giraffes left in the world and with the help of this center there are currently about 300.  In Kenya there are three subspecies of giraffes and this one in particular had been threatened due to habitat loss.  The giraffes were huge and it was very exciting to see our first wildlife in Africa.  Also at the center were warthogs, leopard tortoises and several bird species.  There is also a walk through the center you can normally participate in, however, it was closed the day we went.  Apparently, three days prior a lion had traveled down from Nairobi National park and they were not quite sure where it was at this point.   Instead Jon and I did a walk around the center which was very pretty and allowed for some nice exercise.

I must mention that these were in the suburbs of Nairobi so Jon and I ventured onto our first real public transportation in Kenya - interesting to say the least.  Basically there are two options very dilapidated buses or vans (matatus) that they load with as many people as possible so that you are sitting on each others laps at points.  A typical matatu ride for 30minutes may cost about 30 Kenya shillings which is equivalent to about 30 American cents.  You can wait almost anywhere on the street to catch one and at times the music is quite enjoyable at other times it is the opposite.  Also on the buses it is not uncommon for a man to jump on and start preaching the word of God at the top of his lungs with extreme enthusiasm.  Unfortunately, it's in Swahili with a few English words mixed in so we can only understand small bits and pieces.  

Well there is much more to fill you in on but we are out of time.  Stay tuned to hear about our first camping experiences, hippos, Hells Gate National park and much more that we have done this week!  We head to Lake Victoria tomorrow.  Currently we are in Nakuru.. stay tuned!