Notes from Africa: Day 8

Day 8
July 17, 2011

My birthday in Africa! It was a terrific birthday. Cathy and the kids gave me cards and gifts before we left. We got up early for our 7:30am departure for the air strip. One last drive through the park, and we arrive about fifteen minutes later. We waited on the air strip for about a half hour for our plane to arrive. Again, we were on a Dash-8 airplane, this time from Air Kenya. The flight to Nairobi was very nice. We then switched to a bush plane- this is much smaller than the Dash-8 as it only holds about twelve passengers. Cathy, Jon, and Sarah sat directly behind the pilot and co-pilot. Our pilot, Alan, explained everything, including putting the seat belt on. Although Cathy and Sarah were nervous, the flight was fine and it was fascinating watching them fly.
Once we landed, it was about a twenty minute drive to the Mt. Kenya Safari Resort. This is a gorgeous property, with an amazing view of Mt. Kenya. It consists of 120 acres, with a swimming pool, tennis court, golf course, bicycling, horse back riding and more. A great facility for our only three night stay during the trip.
After arriving we walked over to the William Holden Animal Orphanage, located on the property. This is an incredible place. It is not just for orphans, but also injured and endangered animals. When you arrive, the first thing you do is pick vegetation from the gardens. This will be for interaction with the animals. We were allowed to pet and feed all kinds of animals including an ostrich, gazelle, different types of monkeys, and tortoises. Other animals that we could not directly interact with include a cheetah, wild cat, mini hippos, and owls. The monkeys are a blast- they will climb right on your for corn. The pictures are amazing!
The rest of our day was free. Since we are here for three nights, we unpacked for the first time- so nice! We took a great nap, and then went for a bike ride. It was a bit rough terrain and up and down quite a bit, so quite a workout. Good for us! We then cleaned up for a nice dinner in the lodge. It was a sit down dinner, which was a nice break for all of the buffets we have been having. After dinner, they brought out a cake and sang happy birthday to me in Swahili! Quite a treat! We then went to the bar for a drink before retiring to our room, where they had the fireplace burning beautifully for us. It is a tough life!