Ammon:
Woke up and had to eat quickly cuz we had to leave to the Giraffe Centre. We got there, and they gave us a bowl and we got to feed the giraffes. Then we went to the elephant orphanage and on the way there we saw some baboons on the side of the road. I got to pet a baby elephant 2 times and then we left. We went to the bead factory and there were women hand-making beads. We left and went back to the hotel.
LaReita:
That pretty much sums it up. While doing the brief tour prior to getting to feed the Giraffes, the guide allowed us to hold some bones, including the skull of a warthog. She pointed out the hole for the brain, about the size of a quarter. Warthogs are called “Pumba” in Swahili, just like in the Lion King movie. She then expounded how forgetful they are with their small brains. Pumba will start running from a predator, but after 5-10 seconds, will turn around and start running towards their predator!
Here’s the political joke she shared – Kenyans call their current President “Pumba” (along with other names), because he has forgotten all the promises he made to get elected. Whenever we got a new driver I mentioned this. The driver would loudly laugh because I knew something about the people’s dislike of their leader.
Sheldrick Trust Elephant Orphanage was a delight. They only open for 1 hour once a day, so you have to get there early to get a good viewing spot. To see God’s creatures so lovingly cared for was touching. The Elephant Orphanage was founded by a British-heritage, Kenyan-born husband/wife duo. I got the book Daphne Sheldrick wrote about her life living in colonial Kenya. I’m half-way through reading it and it is fascinating!
“Boda Strong” is a glass bead factory where glass beads are fired from the mud of Mt. Kenya. I especially loved seeing women being employed (instead of hawking on the street), including one woman with her Downs Syndrome son, both working on creating bead products. There is still the stigma that special needs children are ‘cursed’ and often will be abandoned on the streets (best case scenario). Worst case scenario is they will kill the child. Fortunately, the stigma is slowly changing.
In the photos for today, there is a short video of the Down’s Syndrome son dancing as the ladies are singing. So sweet, especially considering how his life could be drastically different.