Hiking an extinct volcano in the Rift Valley...

On Saturday, Brian and I embarked on a 23-kilometre hike up to the rim of Mount Longonot (an extinct volcano that juts out of the floor of the Rift Valley), along the entire crater rim to the peak and back to the park gate. The hike was a bit longer than I thought it might be, and took about 5 hours to complete, but the peak afforded gorgeous views of the valley.

Wrapping up the holidays...

What a wonderful 3-week holiday we had for Christmas this year, most of it spent with Rebecca. We tearfully said goodbye on Thursday evening at the Nairobi airport, and we're already enjoying all of the memories we made during the break. Also, summer is in full swing here, and our avocado tree is bursting with baby fruits. We figure that, in about 4 weeks time, we'll be buried in guacamole! Our bananas are also progressing nicely and should be ready to harvest soon, and we've added a chicken into our mix of animals. Monica, a friend at the Vumilia IDP camp, gave us a beautiful chicken on Saturday (what incredible generosity), and we're now in search of plans for backyard chicken coops. It's always an adventure here...

New Year's Day with the Maasai...

On January 1st, we drove off to Ilkengarre Village to enjoy roasted goat and chai tea with Daniel, his new two-month old baby Grace, and several other community members. Rebecca had never visited the village, and it was a chance for her to meet our friends there, as well as experience Maasai culture. As well, Brian had been asked by Daniel to name his new daughter when she was born (a great honour), and this was our first chance to meet Grace and visit her mother Nyuna. After enjoying tea in Daniel's hut, we sat outside (under the breathtaking summit of Mount Kilimanjaro), eating freshly-roasted goat and sitting on sun-warmed rocks. We also got to meet our new sheep that Daniel has added to his flock on our behalf. Rebecca wants to name it "Becky Boo Boo". It was a pretty amazing day.

Ringing in the New Year at Amboseli...

When we were invited to visit our Maasai friends at Ilkengarre village on January 1st, we figured it would be a great way to celebrate New Year's Eve if we went down on the 31st and stayed at a tented camp. The girls were keen to spend New Year's Eve having fun that involved live music and a rousing countdown (and cute boys, if possible). The woman who made our reservation (her name was Irene) promised me there would be a New Year's Eve program, but said it was a "surprise" and she couldn't tell me the details. That should have tipped me off that maybe there was not a firm plan for festivities at Kibo Tented Camp. Indeed, the big program was (in its entirety) a cake that was rolled out at midnight and a slew of Kenyan reggae tunes belted out from the bar's crackly sound system and speakers. There were no cute boys in sight. Our mantra for the evening became "Damn you, Irene!" We made the most of it, though, and drank champagne while playing Phase 10 in our tents (the girls have made me promise to plan something fun next year). Game drives on either side of the lame New Year's program made up for it, as we saw a wide range of animals (including a pride of 7 lions and a serval cat - very cool). Also, Mount Kilimanjaro put on a show on January 1st, remaining visible and beautiful all day long.

Walking with the animals...

Rebecca was keen to make a stop at the Lake Naivasha Country Club on our way back from the Aberdares; she had heard about Crescent Island and walking with the animals, and after we enjoyed a nice lunch, we spent 1 1/2 hours out on the island strolling amidst the zebra, giraffes, wildebeest, and gazelles. It was lovely.

Scenic Aberdares...

After Christmas, we spent three wonderful days in Aberdares National Park. A mountainous part of central Kenya, the Aberdares boast spectacular scenery and crisp, Novemberish evenings (perfect for enjoying a roaring fire in the cabin's fireplace!). It was perfectly still and silent, and half of the park is full of highlands heather and shubbery (very reminiscent of Scotland, although, being as we've never been there, we're basing that assumption on the many photographs and drawings of Scottish scenery on single malt bottles we've gazed at over the years). There are lush bamboo and rosewood forest that roll on for endless acres, and in the park you can also see some amazing views of Mount Kenya. Wow - we can't really believe we climbed that mountain last January! There are also gorgeous waterfalls in the park, and we enjoyed a one-hour nature walk with an armed Kenya Wildlife Service ranger named Eric.

Animals in the Aberdares...

While in Aberdares National Park, we saw many interesting animals and birds, including: bushbuck, red duikers, reedbuck, waterbuck, suni (another small antelope-type critter), buffalo, colobus and sykes monkeys, bush pigs, Augur and mountain buzzards, cinnamon-chested bee eaters, and Hartlaub's Turacos (very colourful birds with scarlet-red wings that I was only able to photograph in a horribly backlit fashion). Ahh... the range of creatures that exist in Kenya is truly amazing.