Back in West Palm Beach - June 21, 2009

Hello!
I'm home! I survived the 2 long flights and arrived in Miami Friday around 2pm. I didn't get out of customs till 4:30 due to weather issues and the luggage so that was a little exasperating but it was all worth it to walk out into Joe's arms. I was in bed by 8pm. Saturday I unpacked and worked on uploading photos onto my Flicker. What a difference being back in the US! They are uploading really fast!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37676010@N02/
There will be more and more pictures posted daily as I find time to work on it.
I guess this will be my last blog since I don't think you guys would be interested in my mundane daily life in West Palm Beach! I start my new job at The Garrison Design Group of Florida, Inc. on Monday. Wish me luck! It's going to be quite an adjustment going back to the working world after being home unemployed for so long but I'm really excited.
Love to you all!
Adina

Nairobi - June 18, 2009 PACKING DAY!

Evangeline and Me at The Trout Tree on the way to Mt. Kenya

Jambo!
Well as usual I'm the first one up in the Des Marais household. I've been up since 5am and have been working on my e-mails and online check-in with British Airways.
Yesterday Evangeline and I spent the whole day together - just the 2 of us. Left the teenagers at home to fend for themselves and we headed to the school store to meet Evangeline's Texan friend Barb who runs the store. So I got more magazine necklaces!!! It was my last thing on my list of "things to do before I leave Nairobi". We made a quick stop at Westgate Village to do some banking and I bought a book to read on the airplane. I bought The White Masai. It is about a young Swedish women who comes to Kenya with her boyfriend and immediately falls madly in love with Masai man. She ends up giving up everything to move into the bush with him. So far it's pretty bizarre! We then dropped off Hubert's computer at the hotel (he's always forgetting something!) and then went to the Nairobi Museum and then had lunch. We then went to the Ramona Modern Art Gallery which was really awesome! I took tons of pictures to show Anna - she would have loved it there. Got home around 4pm and Evangeline disappeared into her room for a nap. I really envy how that girl can lay down and immediately go into a deep sleep. I was a little too wound up for some reason to even consider laying down so I drank coffee, worked on the computer and did a little reading. In the evening we were supposed to go to the Northfork to have dinner in the new restaurant TATU with the Executive GM and his wife but Hubert called and was having a very bad day so Evangeline and Igot to go out to dinner alone which was really great because we got to have a lovely dinner alone on our last night together. Had a great meal at a place called "It's About Thyme" then came home to have one more glass of wine together. It's then off to bed and I immediately passed out - didn't even have to read myself to sleep.
Today it's pack, pack, pack! I have strict instructions from Evangeline to lay all the things I bought out on my bed before they go into the suitcase. That will mean more reminiscing since everything little item represents something we did together. Also have one more big stack of Hubert's cookbooks sitting on the library floor I need to organize and put on the shelves.
I have had such a great time here! I have never felt so at home and welcome in my whole life as I have here at Evangeline's. I've been treated like family, not a visitor, and I truly feel deep down in my heart that I was never a burdening presence while I was here. I'm starting to get very sad and a little teary eyed as I write this. It will probably be a least a year before I see my beautiful Evangeline again and that's a little hard to accept. So Evangeline, when you read this know I love you and know we will do lot's of talking on the phone when I get home!
Concerning the pictures that I have not posted I apologize but it has been almost impossible to upload pictures here. Xan has posted a few on Flicker but he has had the same issues I've had on the uploading so I will upload a bunch when I get home. I start my new job on Monday so I will be busy this weekend trying to settle in and dealing with jet lag. So anyway to all my friends in West Palm Beach - See you soon! Maybe I'll have a little "Africa" party when I get home.
Love,
Adina

Flicker Pictures

www.flickr.com/photos/xantheman

Jambo! This is Xan's Flicker site. He is currently uploading pictures to this site. It is a very slow process. To quote Hubert, "Welcome to Kenya"!

Nairobi - June 16, 2009

Pumba!

Jambo!
Today Lindsay came over and we headed to the Hawker's Market. It was so busy we couldn't even pull into the parking area so we gave up and went to Diamond Plaza (the Indian market) to get our vegetables there. We stopped for lunch and did a little grocery shopping at the Nakumatt (the super, duper, Super Walmart like grocery - you can buy everything from food,appliances to motorcycles!). I got Anna a little Kenyan teapot and some tea.
Came home and tried napping but the two teenagers in the house kept slamming doors. Felt like home. LOL!
Mid afternoon we headed to Karen which is just outside of Nairobi. Karen is named after the lady who wrote Out of Africa. We were meeting Evangeline's old college buddy Vicki who was there for a quick layover before flying home to LA. Vicki was really sweet. She was with some friends and relatives who are in the movie business. Very interesting group of people. They were staying at The Ngong House. Very beautiful place. The rooms were tree houses. See www.ngonghouse.co.ke. We also stopped at a couple of little shops:
Kamili Designs - they make and sell hand-printed and painted fabrics.
UniquEco - The Flipflop Recycling Company - everything made and sold there is made strictly out of recyclable products. - I got little bowel made out of old flip flops.
We scooted out of Karen just before the sun was setting, stopped at The Talisman for dinner. I got to have my favorite! Creme Brulee! The drive back to Nairobi was pretty intense in the dark but we did make it home safe and sound. I got a phone call from Jess - YEA! Had a great talk with him then off to bed. Tomorrow we are going to hit a couple of museums and hopefully meet a friend of Evangeline's at the school store to see if I can get a few more magazine necklaces.
Love,
Adina
PS - Judy I'm working on pictures! Hopefully today Xan will get them loaded on Flicker - I'll let you know when they are up! Just don't have the time or patience to upload them here. The picture of Pumba took about 20 minutes to upload!

Nairobi - June 16, 2009

Jambo!
Today it was go, go, go! We met Lindsay at Diamond Plaza to look for more Kurtis. In case you don't know what a Kurtis is: They are long tops made out of different materials that a lot of Indian women wear. We like the cotton ones with little or no bling. I got 2. We then had lunch at the local Indian restaurant. It was my first tasting of real traditional Indian dishes. I liked it but some was little spicy. We then headed to a jewelry store that Evangeline insisted I needed to see. The owner, Gemini, was there and I showed her one of the Kurtis I had bought and she immediately sat us down with some coffee and quickly pulled out 2 necklaces and some earrings that looked perfect with the Kurtis. They were very inexpensive so of course I had to buy them. Hint to Joe: I now have a very pretty ensemble that would be very nice to wear on a romantic, post anniversary dinner. She also had some beautiful jewelry made out antique African beads and gave us a little history on the different types of beads. Very lovely and interesting lady!
We headed to Village Plaza to the Nakumatt to pick up a few groceries and then headed home.
Evangeline and I made vegan tomato sauce and we had a delicious spaghetti dinner with Xan and Hallie. Evangeline and then polished off the bottle of wine and started reminiscing which led to a few tears. Hubert finally made it home and we fixed him a plate and visited for a while then off to bed. Tomorrow we are going to Hawker's Market. It's supposed to be a huge vegetable market. Hubert told me to where old shoes and clothes. Can't wait to see this!
Love,
Adina

Masai Mara - Just a Few Pictures

Giraffe

Lion Eating the Kill

Cape Buffalo - A Retired General

Antelope

Old Masai Woman

Giraffe

Wildebeest

Leah

Masai Mara - June 14, 2009

Adina, Latif, Evangeline, Xan and Halie

Jambo!
We headed out for our last am game drive this morning and had quite a drama unfold before our eyes. Latif spotted some lions stalking a zebra. It was the same lioness and her cubs we saw the other day. We slowly followed in the distance waiting for something to happen. Finally 2 of the other drivers cut through the bush behind where we knew the lions were lurking and this scared off the zebras. Letif was not happy! We then drove up through the bush and found the lioness and her cubs hanging out on the other side of a small gully. We all parked and turned off our engines and were enjoying watching them and taking pictures when down through the gully walked a Masai. We were like - oh no!!! He was walking right in front of the lions and of course they were very hungry since they didn't get a zebra! Letif immediately called out to him to come get in our truck. The Masai told Letif that he was running from some Cape Buffalo when he came up to two game drivers parked just above the gully and instead of telling him to get into one of their trucks they told him it was ok to cut through the gully! Letif drove him out to a safer area on the Mara and let him out. He then turned off his engine we just sat there discussing and wondering how this could happen and what awful thing almost happened. Needless to say, Letif turned off his radio, disconnecting all communications with the other drivers and we finished our drive alone without them. The only thing I can say is to quote Letif: "Some people have no humanity in them!". The whole event was very disturbing.
After the drive we had breakfast, finished packing and headed to the airport. Leah tried once more to get me to grab my bag and stay. I was so sad to say goodbye to her and especially Letif. While waiting for the plane to arrive Letif told us a little more about himself and his family. He is married with 5 children, the youngest 3 months, and also has his parents, mother-in-law and 2 brothers live with him. He had acquired some land and just finished building 2 houses when the political uprising occurred last year. Both houses were burned to the ground. It gives you a very clear picture of how hard life is here for a majority of the Kenyans.
We arrived safely into Nairobi, took a taxi home and started regrouping after the long trip. I think I forgot to mention that poor Hubert was unable to join us since he had a new kitchen to open in Mt. Kenya and another restaurant at the Northfork they are trying to open next week. We really missed having him along. I especially miss his sense of humor and adventure when he is not around.
While Evangeline and I were napping, Xan and Halie made some vegetarian sushi. We went to pick up Truffles and Jabari at the vet where they were boarded and came home and enjoyed a late sushi lunch. After that Hubert, Xan and Halie went out a finally bought a TV with all the bells and whistles. We ran out for a quick dinner and when we got back Hubert and Xan set up the TV upstairs in a common area. I missed all the hoopla since I immediately passed out in bed. I heard they had the TV up and running and were blasting the surround sound. I slept through it all. I haven't missed TV one bit since I've been here. Tomorrow we are going with Lindsey in search of some Kurtis at Diamond Plaza and maybe hit a museum or two.
Love,
Adina

Masai Mara - June 13, 2009

Evangeline after a Happy Nappy!

Jambo!
Today is Joe and mine's 28th wedding anniversary!!! Really wish he was here with me! This is the first time we have ever been apart on this special day. We did some texting - no calls. The reception is really poor when you get out of the city. Anna tried to call last night but couldn't get through.
Today was the same schedule: 6:30am 2 hour game drive, breakfast, nap or rest, lunch, nap or rest, 3:30 3 hour game drive, nap or rest, 8:30 dinner, glass of wine on the porch with Evangeline then off to bed with Mr. Hot Water Bottle. What a life!!!!
Our morning game drive was pretty uneventful. Letif tried so hard to find us some lions, leopards or cheetahs. He kept apologizing but we told him we were just thrilled to be driving around on Mara watching the sun come up and enjoying the spectacular scenery. We did see some mongoose, secretary bird and an eagle and of course herds of all the other animals. We told him there was no way he could top the lion drama we witnessed the day before!
On the afternoon drive we completed the Big Five - we went to see the Rhinos. The rangers keep them in a separate area because they are so highly prized for their horns and are very vulnerable to poachers. We saw one on the way in that had recently attacked a ranger's truck and he had had the tip of his horn clipped for this offense. The rhinos, elephants and cape Buffalo's are the most dangerous animals on the Mara. They have killed a lot of Masai.
At the ranger stations we actually got to get out of the truck and walk up to the an area where the rhinos were. They were pretty intimidating! I stuck real close to one of the rangers during the whole visit. We then hung out with a couple of orphaned eland who were very friendly. We actually got to pet them. They were so beautiful. On the way back we saw more elephants with babies, more Giraffes (Letif pointed out a couple of newlyweds necking), Impala, Cape Buffalo, Topi antelopes and lots of Dik Diks. Dik Diks are beautiful little animals that travel in pairs. They mate for life. If one of them dies the other will "commit suicide" if he or she does not have a baby or doesn't immediately find another mate. We also saw some warthogs. I love them! They are so ugly but so cute! Letif said they are called Pumba which is swahilli for stupid!
Tomorrow we go out for our last AM game drive then head back to Nairobi. Leah has invited me to stay and live with her. I told her I would love to but Joe may not like this!
Love,
Adina

Masai Mara - June 12, 2009 PM

Young Masai Jumping High!

Jambo!
We headed out to the Mara with Letif for our 3:30pm afternoon drive. I was really excited because we were going to visit a Masai Village! We first stopped at the place that the Hippos use to exit at night to graze. Saw some more hippos and a crocodile. Letif also pulled some leaves/twigs off a bush and said the Masai use it to brush their teeth. Everyone tried it out but me because Evangeline immediately let me know it was very spicy! Xan gave Letif a little demo on his yoyo. We then headed to the Masai Village. We stopped at a little "store" first that sells lots of carvings and artifacts. I bought Hubert and Jess each a Masai spear.
At the village we were greeted by the Chief. He was about 48 years old, dressed in simple Masai clothing and no jewelry. He lead us into the village where we were greeted by about 20 Masai women lined up singing. It was so beautiful! Then a group of male teenagers performed one of their traditional "dances" where they each demonstrated how high they can jump. This is supposed to be very attractive to the girls! They loved having their picture taken and want to see every picture I took. They also demonstrated how they start a fire. I have all that on video which hope to share soon. The Chief then took us into one of the huts. They are all built out of cow dung by the women. I found out that the women do almost all of the work! The men basically just tend to the herds and the women do EVERYTHING else! Not my "cup of tea"! The hut was very small with a small room off the entrance where they keep young cows and goats at night then around the corner was a larger room where they cook, eat and sleep. It was very small, stuff and very smokey. They have one small hole for a window. It was here that the chief gave us a little talk about his life. He has been the chief for about 20 years. His father was the chief before and he had 10 wives and 48 children. Our chief said he only had 1 wife and 6 children. I think he was a very savvy business man because it takes a lot of cows to keep a lot of wives and children. He spoke about his job as a chief - he said every morning someone is waiting outside his hut with a problem - no food, sick wife, etc.. He also has to settle all disputes which are very frequent in a village of 150 people. He seemed quite weary and said he hoped to "retire" in 5 more years.
We then went to an area where the women were selling and making their wares. They had beautiful beaded items. I had them attach a string of beads to my camera so I could secure it to my wrist and that was quite a fiasco due to the language issue. I also got a necklace and had to stop shopping because we still needed to give the chief a "little tip" since he had us pretty primed to do that.
We headed back to the resort, rested and headed to dinner then off to bed!
We did see some elephants on the way back so we only need to see some Rhinos then will have seen all of the Big Five!
Love,
Adina

Masai Mara - June 12, 2009 AM

Cheetah

Jambo!

We were awakened this morning at 5am by one of staff delivering coffee. I drank my coffee on the front porch and listened to all the birds and animals. There is one animal called the Hyrax. It is a very large ratlike animal that screams at night. Sounds like a human screaming. Very strange.
We headed off with Letif for our 6:30am game drive. It is really something to see the sun rise on the Mara.
Right away Letif spotted 2 hyenas running in our direction and we came upon a mother eland standing over her newborn that had been killed by them. Shortly afterwards we saw why the hyenas were running away. A large male lion approached and began helping himself to the kill. Shortly after that a female lion and 4 female cubs and one male cub approached. One of the female cubs approached the lion and begged by laying down and rolling around in front of him. For some reason he just got up and walked away and all the cubs began eating the kill while the mother watched. After a few minutes the male lion came back and the cubs all ran off leaving not a trace of the kill. Then he decided to go after the male cub. Letif told us that full grown male lions will often kill young males to eliminate future competition. The mother lion proceeded to follow and she would growl and try to confuse him. At one point even Letif and all the other drivers started to maneuver and try to cut the him off because nobody wanted to see the cub killed. This went on for quite a while and finally the lions all headed off into the bush. We did see the mother and the cubs another drive and looked like the little male survived.
After the am drive we headed straight to breakfast then back to our tents. We showered and got back in bed so we wouldn't be too tired to eat lunch. LOL! I couldn't sleep as usual so I enjoyed some tea and the hippos on our front porch. There are also Sykes monkeys that hang out in front of our porch. Evangeline calls them the "cheeky monkeys"!
Hope to have some pictures posted on Flicker soon. I have just about given up on trying to upload them onto this blog because it takes so long. (The picture above took about 15 minutes to upload). I also have some really neat videos (one of the big lion eating the kill) but may have to upload those when I get back home to my computer with a faster internet.
Love,
Adina

Masai Mara - June 11, 2009

Hey everyone!
I finally found a moment to visit the business center here at Masai Safari Club. Thursday we headed to the airport at 7am for our flight to Masai Mara (MM). It took 1 1/2 hours to get there due to the major traffic jams. Thought Hubert was going to get into a confrontation with one of the Matatu's who kept cutting him off. The Mattau's are the little tiny buses that provide the public transportation here. The drivers are very aggressive and rude. They cram tons of people in them. Glad I haven't had to use one!
We finally arrived at the airport and had breakfast then took off around 10am. (Crap! some lady sitting next to me is reading her computer out loud to everyone - go away!) Anyway we were the first stop so it only took about 35 minutes to get there! (Much better than a 6 hour drive!) We landed and were greeted by a group of Masai and Leah, a beautiful woman who I fell in love with. I can't wait to see her everyday to talk with her. She led us to Latif who was to be our game driver for our stay here. The resort is breathtaking! We are in tents with luxurious rooms inside overlooking the Mara River. There are always many Hippos in the river during the day. Our front porch gives a great view of them.
We then headed out for our first afternoon game drive. This is what we saw:
Impala, Grant Gisele, Thompson Gisele, Wildebeests, Hyena, Zebras, Giraffes, Impala, Eland, Leopard in a tree with his kill, Cheetah, Cape Buffalo and some Lion Cubs. Quite an experience! Latif is an awesome guide and very skilled at sniffing out something special. He is VERY determined to make sure we see ALL of the big five!
1. Elephant
2. Leopard
3. Rhino
4. Cape Buffalo
5. Lion
(Note: He said to add No. 6 - the Cheetah which is very elusive and we got to see one already!)
It was a 3 hour drive so when we arrived back it was straight to the tent to shower (best shower I've had since arriving in Kenya!) and changed and headed to dinner. We had a little lecture in front of the fireplace by a Masai. Very interesting - here's a few facts:
When they are around 7 years old they have their 2 front teeth removed - if they don't cry they get a cow. When the boys are 15 the big "C" happens - they get a cow for this also. He said that these days the girls are not circumcised unless they want it. Hope none of them do!!!!! The government no longer allows them to kill lions that used to be the big right of passage for the boys. The Masai only raise cows and goats and eat ONLY these animals. They never eat any wild animals out of tradition.
Anyway it was off to dinner and straight to bed. (Love those hot water bottles!)
Sorry there will be no pictures posted because I can't do that here. I am planning on posting all future pictures to my Flicker account because Xan said it was much easier to upload them to that sight. We will work on that Sunday afternoon or Monday and I will post the link here as soon as it's up.
BIG plans tomorrow!
Love,
Adina

Nairobi - June 10, 2009

Today was a busy day here in Nairobi. Xan's girlfriend Halie arrived safe and sound last night. This morning - more laundry, errands and even got to do a little more shopping. Bought some really cool items. I got Jess a snake made out of bottle caps! Think he will like it?
As of right now I'm all packed and Hubert, Xan and Halie are in the kitchen making sushi rolls. Wish you all could be a "fly on the wall" - Hubert is quite the task master when you are in the kitchen with him!
That's all for now just wanted to touch base before we take off for Masai Mara. We'll be back on Sunday so I hope to have some great stories posted sometime Monday although the end of my visit is coming up which I refuse to dwell on and although I do miss my family VERY much it will be hard to say goodbye to Evangeline. We have a list going for the few more things we want to do together before leaving so it will be quite a task squeezing everything in.
Talk to you soon!
Love,
Adina

The ARK - June 7 thru June 8

THE WATER HOLE AT THE ARK

We headed to the Ark around noon. The Ark is a rustic lodge built overlooking an ancient waterhole in the Aberdares National Forest. We stopped at the Aberdares Country Club to check in and had lunch on the terrace overlooking beautiful gardens. Phillip, the GM for the country club and the Ark sent us on our way behind another Ark truck with some tourists from Holland. We thought we were headed straight for the Ark but realized we were going on the 3 hour game drive instead. Saw some amazing sights - giraffes, cape buffalo, baboons - BUT during the drive Jebari pooped all over himself and I had to pee really bad. I finally whistled to the truck in front and they stopped the guide pointed towards the bush where we had just saw a bunch of baboons. I said NO WAY! Evangeline and I opted for the back of the SUV. I know you may think this "too much information" but it was really funny at the time. We finally arrived at the Ark - it was a big WOW! Very rustic with 3 levels of viewing areas over the watering hole. There were tons of elephants hanging out. It was very surreal. Our rooms were like little cabins on a ship with 2 small beds and a bathroom. Evangeline and I opted to stay together in one and Xan and Hubert and the poopy cat in another. They had to give Jibari a bath. You should see Hubert's battle scars. We had dinner, did some more gazing at the watering hole and animals then off to bed. Yea! Mr. Hot Water bottle was waiting for me! Love those things on a cold chilly night. Up very early, breakfast then back to Nairobi.
Hope to post some pictures today but I have to work some more on the cookbooks and shelves.
Love,
Adina

Mt. Kenya June 5 thru June 7

Jambo Everyone!
Trying to find time to blog has not been easy! We arrived back in Nairobi yesterday from Mt. Kenya and The Ark. We have been doing laundry, running errands and more shopping before we leave for Masai Mara on Thursday. Masai Mara is supposed to be the Big Wow!
Mt. Kenya was beautiful. We stayed at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club. This is one of the properties that Hubert is in charge of. Evangeline's British friends Steve, Lindsey, Lindsay's brother John and little Luke joined us there for 1 night. Here's some notes from the journal I've been keeping while I'm here:
June 6, 2009 (Happy Birthday Jess!) We headed out on our drive to Mt. Kenya but first made a stop @ the Masai Market. I bought more earrings, a Masai women statue, a Masai painting and Hubert and Evangeline bought a beautiful wooden bowel for Anna. The drive to Mt. Kenya included some very interesting sights. As we changed regions so would the items the vendors were selling along the roadside would change: coal, mangoes, potatoes, etc..) We stopped at an African Curio shop. Turned out all the items I had thrown in my shopping basket were very expensive. I only bought a straw hat I had fallen in love with and super glued to my head. I had to leave everything else behind. (Didn't need the stuff anyway). We drove on and stopped for a late lunch at the Trout Tree. The restaurant is built in the trees overlooking a trout farm below. We took off again and arrived in Mt. Kenya around 5:30pm. (Note: for us a 3 hour trip always takes 6 hours.) Mt. Kenya is breathtaking! See pictures! I finally got a phone call from Joe - Yea!!! Sounded like is surviving without me. Miss him a lot and really wish he could see what I am seeing! Had a very late but lovely dinner then off to bed.
I awoke in the morning around 6am and made a cup of tea and sat out on my patio and watched the sunrise. Tons of birds! Guinea Hens, storks, hawks - too many to name. When I went in to make another cup of tea 3 peacocks appeared on my patio. The sunrise was so bright I had to move inside. Got dressed and headed to the lodge to get some coffee. Evangeline appeared just in time to join me. We had coffee on the terrace facing Mt. Kenya with little birds sitting on our table. It was a Dude Ranch moment x 100!!! (Dudettes you know what I'm talking about!)
9 year old Luke joined us for a walk around the property. We saw a little chapel and then explored the Maze. (you know, like the one in the Shining). I used the movie mode on my camera and made a little documentary starring Luke as the narrator. He is a beautiful little boy - very smart and loves to talk! We all went to breakfast then went on an adventure with Hubert, Steve, Xan and Luke in search of the perfect fishing spot. It was a very bumpy ride. I almost ended up in Xan's lap a couple of times. Also almost broke my neck crossing a stream on wobbly rocks! Some local tribesmen then sent is on a "wild goose chase" - 10 x's more bumpy and no fish! We came back for a late lunch and then Lindsay's brother John and I sat in the bar and looked at some spectacular pictures John had taken. He loaded them onto my flash drive. I will probably post them on Flicker and give all you guys the link so you can see all of them. He really captured what I was seeing but can't get on my little digital camera to do.
I went back to my room and had a glass of wine and tried to take a nap. Failed at the nap thing so I took a long hot soak in great big luxurious tub.
Note about the Villas we were staying in: They are 2 bedrooms with a large living room in between with a fireplace. In the evenings the maid comes in and lights the fire and turns down the beds. They put a hot water bottle in your bed - It's a good substitute for my little warm Gracie pup who always sleeps with me. It is quite chilly in the evenings and mornings and warm during the day unless it rains which always makes it cool again.
Anyway the Des Marais' were all napping so I enjoyed the solitude with some tea and my journal.
After dinner I texted Jess to give me a call so I could wish him Happy Birthday! He turned 22 - can't believe he's all grown up now. It was wonderful to hear his voice!
Evangeline, Xan and I had dinner alone. Hubert was entertaining a group of food writers. (They were from such magazines as Vogue and Travel and Leisure.) I think he was quite successful with them. He can be VERY CHARMING!
Sunday we packed up and made a stop at the animal orphanage that is on the property. It was much more than I thought it would be. Very neat place with a wonderful guide. He truly loves taking care of the animals.
We then headed out to The Ark. Stayed tuned for some very interesting stories. I promise to post pictures as soon as I have time!
Love,
Adina

June 05, 2009

Yesterday we had to stay home all day since the SUV was in the shop. Evangeline and I worked on the study. Hubert has tons of cookbooks that need to be reorganized.
We are finalizing our packing for our trip to Mt. Kenya this morning, heading to the Masai Market then on the road to the mountains. Don't know if I will be able to blog while I'm there so it may be Monday or Tuesday before I post a new one. Hopefully it will be full of some great pictures.
Love,
Adina
Here are a couple of pictures of our exciting day!
Before the big clean up
Just a few of Hubert's cookbooks

Jambo!
Just a quick note. We did not do much today. First of all Mr. Jetlag appeared and bit me in the butt so after we walked Truffles I showered and hit the sack for a couple of hours. We have basically been doing chores around the house and went out and ran a few errands. Sorry I have nothing exciting to report but both Evangeline and I were ready for some down time. I did find a few pictures on my camera. Still working on taking better pictures. Anyway here they are. Tomorrow the SUV is going in the shop for some work so it will be ready for our trip to Mount Kenya on Friday. I should have some interesting stories and pictures when we get back on Tuesday. Also FYI - Tuesday is Evangeline's Birthday!!!
Love,
Adina

Evangeline and Hubert

Hubert cooking away!
Jibari the cat
Jibari
Upstairs balcony
My cozy bedroom

Nairobi - June 2, 2009

Jambo!
This morning Evangeline and I took Xan to school for his last exam and we visited the school store where they sell beautiful items made by very poor African women. ALL proceeds goes directly to them. I bought quite a few items there for very little money. I feel sort of guilty getting them so cheap. Note to my girlfriends in West Palm Beach: I will be bringing LOTS of neat little gifts home!
We came home and I worked on yesterday's blog then we went out to explore the Indian shops in search of Kurtis tops. We spent all afternoon cramped together in little hot dressing rooms trying on Kurtis. Once the shop keepers would figure out what size and style we wanted they would slam us with stacks to try on. I was so happy to be shopping again with Evangeline. She is so good at telling what looks good on me. Also she is real savvy with negotiating prices. I came home with a total of FIVE new tops! It was a very successful shopping trip! We also did a little grocery shopping and came home and when Hubert got home he made mojitos and started cooking. Evangeline and I were his sous chefs and we almost got fired a couple of times. The dinner was awesome and so were the mojitos! After dinner we closed all the windows and let Jibari (Xan's cat) out and let him wander around downstairs. He is really a little booger! Poor Truffles doesn't quite know what to think of this new addition to the family. The cat is pretty mean to her so I had to give her some reassurance the whole time. After that it was off to bed. Sorry I did not take ANY pictures today. We were too busy trying on all those Kurtis and I know you don't want to see pictures of us in our underwear!!!
Love,
Adina

Lake Magadi - June 1, 2009

Today we got up early, packed a picnic lunch and headed off to Lake Magadi as soon as Hubert arrived from Mt. Kenya. Evangeline's friend Lindsey invited us to go there with her family. It was a long (about 2 1/2 hours) drive up very crazy roads filled with potholes. I am trying to learn to focus on other things instead of watching the road ahead - It's pretty scary!

We arrived at Lake Magadi. Here's a little information about the area:

Lake Magadi is the southernmost lake in the Kenya Rift Valley, lying in a catchment of faulted volcanic rocks, north east of Lake Natron. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by soda and is well known for its wading birds, including flamingos. It is one of the hottest places on earth and lies in what is called the "Cradle of Mankind". The lake is recharged mainly by saline hot springs (temperatures up to 86°C) that discharge into alkaline "lagoons" around the lake margins, there being little surface runoff in this arid region.

Hubert made the comment "thanks for bringing me to the hottest place on earth on my day off!".
The scenery was beautiful. We saw a lot Masai and more goats then I have ever seen in my whole life. After walking around the lake for a while we drove on to the Hot Springs. Supposedly you can take a little dip in them but all we could manage was to walk around in the surface areas a little bit. It was Scalding Hot!!! 40 degreesC. Little Luke put on his swimsuit and tried to take a dip but just couldn't do it.
The best part of the trip was arriving at the springs - We were guided into a parking place (we were the only 2 cars there) like we were at Disney World. We were parked in the Dumbo Lot. LOL!!! Of course the guy wanted a 100 shillings for this service. There was a group of beautiful little Masai women selling their wares and they were really neat little ladies. The Masai fascinate me. They have retained all their traditions and cultural values. The are very friendly and always say Jambo! (hello) when they see you. We bought a few trinkets from them and took a great group photo with them.
After we left the springs we drove back to a little covered area for lunch. Lindsey had prepared a huge feast for her family all the way down to a homemade chocolate cake. Hubert and Xan were pretty put out with me and Evangeline when all we had was vegetable hummus sandwiches, chips and water. No beer or sodas - Hubert was giving us a lot of flack for that!!! When we drove up there were 2 teenage Masai boys. They were VERY shy! More of their friends showed up and I kept waving and smiling so they gradually moved in close to us. They loved having their picture taken! Lindsey gave them the leftover chocolate cake and at first they wouldn't take it. I don't think they had a clue what it was but as soon as one took a bite they all swooped in and devoured it all. I wish I had brought more food to give them.
We headed home (had to stop and buy Hubert a cold one first) and got back around 5pm and made a stop at the Nakumatt. This is a huge store kind like our Super Walmarts but even bigger. They are all over Nairobi. We ran home and showered off the mud and went to dinner. Had a great dinner at a sushi restaurant then came home and crashed. The day was quite an adventure!! Here's some pictures of our day:

PICTURES - 06-01-09

Housekeeper Millie














Evangeline and handsome Dr. Ameet














On the road to Lake Magadi















Arrival at Lake Magadi














Xan, Hubert, Lindsey, and Evangeline @ Lake Magadi








Flamingos at Lake Magadi

Lake Magadi

Hot Springs at Lake Magadi

Hubert, Xan and Luke at Hot Springs (REAL HOT!)

Masai Women at Hot Springs

Adina and Evangeline with our Masai Girlfriends

Very Shy Masai Teenage Boys

Hubert @ Dinner

Evangeline and Xan at Dinner

Nairobi - May 31, 2009

Hey Everybody!
I'm still trying to figure out better ways to post these pictures. Since I can't figure out yet how to label each picture here are descriptions of each picture from top to bottom:
1. Evangeline walking Truffles - we take her for a walk every morning.
2. Huge Bamboo Tree
3. Trumpet Tree
4. Mary the Pedicurist - Evangeline took me to the Village Market to get a pedicure. Isn't she beautiful!
5. Our pretty toes!
6. Pictures of the goodies we got at the Masai Market. The drive there was quite an experience! Since we had to go outside of Evangeline's usual territory it was a little unnerving for me! You wouldn't believe the deals we got! For example I got the 3 pairs of silver earrings for about $5. Evangeline is quite the haggler! (Couldn't take any pictures at the market - it was not allowed.)
7. Me with all the goodies!!!
Tomorrow we are going on a day trip to a lake that has lots of flamingos so you should start to see some real African pictures! Also Hubert is finally coming back from Mt. Kenya - I'm really looking forward to seeing him!

May 30, 2009

I arrived safely into Evangeline's arms last night at around 9pm. Great luck going through customs! They didn't even want to see in my bags. We took the taxi to the Northfork Hotel and had some wine and appetizers then on to Evangeline's house for one more glass of wine and lots of talking.
This morning I go up at 7am and had coffee with Evangeline, unpacked and showered then we went to the Village Market for lunch and window shopping. I did buy a neat little journal for about $6. We picked up groceries for dinner and then came back so Evangeline could meet with a contractor and the landlady about some issues she is having. (She has found out the landlady is not very nice!)
Riding in the car with Evangeline is quiet an adventure! She has learned to drive like everyone else here and they all drive like maniacs! LOL! Anyway it is now 3pm here and I just relaxing and working on my first post from Nairobi. Here are some pictures. Xan had to help me out a little bit but I think we got it figured out. The picture titles didn't show up. These are pictures of: Joe and I at the airport in Miami, me and Evangeline at the Northfork Hotel after she picked me up. The rest are some pictures of her house. I promised Rebecca I would send her some so here they are! The last two are of a cute little girl at the Village Market and the yummy lunch I had!