I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICA

I just wanted to take the time to mention some very nice things that happen on a daily basis that we don’t bother reporting about, & some experiences that have dazzled me on this trip:

-          First of all, to my favorite niece Josie:  Today, we visited the Jane Goodall Chimp Sanctuary. I remember when you were reading about Diane Fosse’s work with chimps over the summer & kept texting me words in Swahili.  I wish I would have paid more attention because everyone speaks Swahili here & I could have a great conversation with one & all if only I could remember the word for “grandmother living in a forest”.

-          Every person we’ve run into is so incredibly friendly.  All you hear are calls of “Jambo” (“Hello”) as you walk around.  And once they learn your name, they never let it go.  Every corner I turn, it’s either “Clara, Clara, Clara”, or “Mr. Matthew”.  It never fails to make us smile.

-          Every time we go on a game drive, we drive through the dusty roads of the bush where red dirt flies all around us.  We never think we’re covered in it, even though the roof of our jeeps are removed & we’re standing up the whole time to better see the animals & take pictures.  But we’re always proved wrong upon our arrival back at the hotel.  There are staff members who wait for us to pull up, armed with trays of orange juice or champagne, & these wonderful damp, hot towels scented with either green tea, citrus, eucalyptus, or lavender.  We all wipe our hands & faces with the towels, & then discard them in a big silver tray or woven basket.  When we look down, we all have a good laugh at  the bunch of dirty red towels that have been heaped together.

-    I'm sure you've all heard of the "Big Five" in Africa (elephant, black rhino, leopard, cape buffalo, & lion).  It's a real coup to spot these animals.  Within 3 days of our safari, we saw all of them.  And I'm just now realizing how very rare this is.  I've been hearing stories about how people come to Africa several times (one lady came 27 times!!!) & never saw the Big Five.  I marvel at our wondrous good luck.

-          When we arrived at our hotel at the Ngorongoro Crater, we were greeted by a bunch of Masaai warriors who did some traditional singing & dancing for us.  My God, what a beautiful sight & sounds as they jumped around in their colorful tribal outfits, masks, spears, etc.  See for yourself: 

-          We’ve been lucky enough to catch the beginning of the migration.  During our drives through the Serengeti, if you look in the distance, all you see are never-ending black lines that swarm across the plains.  This swarm is made up of 1.8 million wildebeests & 1 million zebras making their way across Africa.  You would be in awe to see this & there’s no way pictures do it justice.

-          At night in the Serengeti, when the day is done & Matt & I return to our room, we open the doors to our balcony & just sit, look, & listen.  All you can hear through the night are the throaty roar of the lions & the shrill laughing of the hyenas (or, as my 6 year old niece Elsie says, “hy-henas”).  It’s wondrous.  The last night we were there, there was an electrical storm.  What an amazing sight to see lightning streaking across the sky, followed by animal sounds.  This is the one thing I hope I never forget about this journey.

-          At this same resort, since the hotel is situated right in the middle of the Serengeti plains, you must call the front desk & ask for an armed guard to walk you from your room to the dining area.  There’s animals all around & it’s not unusual to find lions taking a dip in the pool.  It’s quite different from any Motel 6 we’ve ever been to.

-          During our drive from Nairobi to Kenya, we stopped for a bathroom break & visited a place that sells African masks, hand-carved animals, African art, handmade African jewelry, etc.  One of the boys who works there was wearing a cowboy hat.  He saw Matt’s ball cap & asked if he’d be interested in trading.  Matt said his head was too big for the cowboy hat, & he didn’t have another hat to wear that day in the blazing sun.  The boy said that was all right, but you could tell he was disappointed.  I told him if he gave me his address, I PROMISE to send him a ball cap upon our return to Pittsburgh.  I wish you could see how his face lit up.  He couldn’t grab a piece of paper & pen fast enough to give me his information.  Then another guy came along …… “Can I have one too?”.  I said yes, of course.  Then a third one popped up …… then a fourth.  Pretty soon we were up to 8 people, & I said I had to get out of there before anyone else came up asking for a hat.  Everyone out there who knows me well knows I will certainly follow through with this.  Matt & I will send a dozen hats to these sweet guys.  And I just love this example of how our lives touch others.

-          On Christmas day in Kenya, we visited an animal orphanage.  This is for animals whose parents have been killed, or they’ve been too badly injured to live on their own, etc.  What a wonderful place.  Matt & I made a large enough donation to have our names on a plaque there.  When we wrote down what we wanted engraved on it, I put “In honor of Charm & Mitch”.  I really love knowing that our names will forever be imprinted on a little piece of Africa.  Besides the time we spent Christmas with Matt’s sister Liza, her husband Peter, & their 4 kids in Puerto Rico during their year-long sailing adventure, this was the most magical Christmas of my life.

-          The hotels we’ve been staying at --- OH MY GOD.  I’ve never known such luxury or opulence in the middle of a desert or the middle of an African bush.  The one we’re at now, the Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club, is so unique.  They’ve got peacocks that roam freely.  And I mean inside the building too.  They’ll just wander through the bar or the dining room.  When we left our room this morning, there were 4 of them standing there as our own little welcoming committee.  However, with the good comes the bad.  When we eat dinner here in the evenings, they have a cheesy little duo who sing for our “entertainment” pleasure.  These 2 look & sound like they should be on a Saturday Night Live skit.  See if you agree with me:

-          One other thing about this hotel:  it bisects the northern & southern  hemispheres.  One man put on a demonstration for us.  On one side of the equator, he poured water into a funnel & we watched it go down --- clockwise.  We all moved 50 ft. to the other side --- same demonstration --- the water moved counter-clockwise.  Pretty neat.  Our tour director, whom I’m madly in love with to put up with all of our different personality quirks (but honestly, we’re in with a grand group of people & we’ve all made fast friends with one another), arranged for a ceremony for us which included Masaai warriors.  We all danced with the warriors down “Equator Row” & were simultaneously on both sides of the equator.  We were handed certificates proving we stood on both sides.  Incredibly corny, I know, but I loved every minute of it:

-  Are you sick of me talking about these hotels yet?  Too bad.  One more thing.  I think Matt mentioned that because of the elevation at the Ngorongoro Crater, the nights are a bit chilly.  While we’re at dinner, the good folks who do the turn-down service put hot water bottles in your bed so the sheets are toasty warm when you turn in for the night.  At the Fairmount Mt. Kenya Safari Club, not only do they do the same thing, but we also return from dinner to a roaring wood-burning fire in the fireplace in our room.  All through the night, there’s a soft glow in the room & you hear the gentle crackling of the wood.  A very nice touch.

-          Our days are exhausting & we rarely have free time, but again, those of you who know me best know I wouldn’t have it any other way.  No beach bum am I!

Before I take my leave, here’s a couple shout outs:

SUE WRAY:  I got your nice email, & I am furiously stealing hotel pens for you left & right to add to your collection.

COUSIN PATTY:  No matter what your stinking brother says, I loved your heartwarming post.  Thanks so much for reading our blog & letting us know you’re out there thinking of us.  It really means a lot!

JACOB-DOLAN CLAN:  I know how much you loved receiving Matt’s comments on your blog during your sailing adventure, & we just adore you for returning the favor.

RIEDEL FAMILY:  I got your email.  Thanks for giving me good news about Cindy’s dad.  I don’t know why you’re suddenly unable to post comments.  Matt says to just set up a Google account.  If anyone has advice for Dawn, please leave a comment.

LOUISE & LEO:  So glad you're enjoying our blog!
ANDY CANOVALI:  You kept your promise!  XOXOXOXO

I love you all & miss you!  How I wish you were here with me!

-  Clara