Christmas Holidays!

Well I am a bit late with this Christmas update but here it is.  During the Christmas Holidays my Sister, Hinke and my Dad were able to visit.  Hinke came from three weeks while Dad only came for a week.  It was we were able to visit a few of the places that we used to go when we were young.  Hinke, Damaris, Dad and I went on the Nairobi Safari walk, which is a fun nature trail with wildlife and nice scenery.  It was the first time that we saw albino zebras.   It was also fun to show Hinke and Dad around the Maf hangar and show them the plane I fly.  Sadly I wasn’t flying while my dad was here so he couldn’t come for a ride.  We also visited with Damaris’ family a bit and took a day trip to lake Naivasha and Crater lake.  For some reason at the crater lake the flamingoes were having issues and many of them were dead.  Some sort of bird disease.  We also saw a lot of eland and some Giraffe out in the small reserve.  Getting out of the city is always a lot of fun. 

The week flew by and Dad was soon off to Canada again.  It was sad to see him go so soon.  This left only Hinke, Damaris and I.  I took a few days off work and we headed for Tanzania to visit friends in Arusha where we used to live.  It was a lovely drive down and with all the rain we were amazed at the flowers and greenness all around.   Arusha itself is crazy busy these days.  It is a major tourist town with a new tour company around every corner.  We stayed with friends there and had a fun time going around town seeing the old sites and houses.  But it really has changed!  The highlight of the visit was a trip east of Arusha.  A good family friend of ours Juma and his family live about 20 kms out of town.  Juma’s son Athumani and I played together for years from the time we were Two years old.  It was tricky to find the place and we ended up at a posh spa/polo club on a flower farm.  Eventually we found Juma’s place and it was amazing to see the family again.  Eventually Juma and Athumani arrived and we had a good time chatting about old times.  Athumani reminded me that I was a bit of a wild boy.  Can’t say that I remember many of those stories J.  The contrast between the Polo club and Juma’s house was stark, but a very important reminder of the huge discrepancy in Africa between the rich and the poor,  and actually Juma has a nice house!  While we were in Arusha we visited other friends as well.  In fact it was such a whirlwind tour that I was tired when we got back to Nairobi.  But, it was great to meet old friends for Hinke and I and also important for Damaris to see an important part of my history. 

Hinke left for Canada on the 24^th of Dec.  Not exactly the preferred departure date, but all that she could get with an air miles ticket.  We celebrated Christmas with the Gshswandtners on the 24^th and then drove Hinke to the airport.  It was a strange Christmas with so many new experiences.

I even posted a few pics this time.  The first one is of Hinke Dad and I when we went to the Nairobi safari walk.  Damaris and I got to pet a cheetah.  Then there is a picture of Hinke and I in front of the Clock tower in Arusha where we used to live, and the last one is a view from a house where friends of ours used to live. 

Camping and Mountains!

Well it is time for another update on life in Kenya.  Since my last entry I have been flying the 206 solo into northern Kenya.  The weather has been a bit trickier than it is supposed to be.  We have received lots of rain in many areas of the country.  So it has been challenging to make it to my destinations.  On one flight to Kalacha and Marsabit I was forced to turn around due to low cloud poor visibility and rain.  So I had to land at a different strip than planned.  It was called Laisamis and I have flown past there a few times, but I wasn’t sure how wet it was.  Fortunately I wasn’t the only one out there.  Another MAF pilot in the Cessna 210 was also out there and landed there before me.  So I joined him there a few minutes later to wait out the weather.  Well in the end we scratched the plan to go to Kalacha and I ended up staying overnight in Marsabit—again.

Well before I tell you about my holidays I must make a disclaimer.  By the sounds of this next few paragraphs you may assume that I don't work, but that is not true But, I wanted to take a bit of time off while Damaris is still around so we did a 3 day trip to Lake Baringo and a 5 day trip to Mount Kenya.  There I said it.

In other news I the unger’s, Damaris and I went on a camping trip to lake Baringo in the rift Valley.  It rained most of the time, but we had glimpses of sun and it ended up being a very fun trip.  When it rained we hauled out the settler’s board game and when and during a lull in the rain we had time for a quick boat ride to see the hippos, crocs and multitude of birds.  It is supposedly one of the most amazing locations for birds and I must agree.  One lady who works there has a world record.  She saw 300 species of bird in 24 hrs—nuts!
 

I also just came back from Mount Kenya with Damaris, her father, Walter and some friends.  We made it to the top, but along the way we saw everything from rain, sleet, snow, fog, and beautiful sun.  Mount Kenya is a big mountain and reaches up to 4,985 m.  It has beautiful peaks and valleys.  I must admit that I felt sick above 4000m, but Damaris was as tough as nails.  Was good to see what we are both made of J.  We sayed in huts along the way: Met Station, Makinders, Austrian Hut and finally the Meru Bandas on the far side of the mountain.  We went up the Naro Moro route and down the Chagoria route.  Chagoria has breathtaking views of tarns and valleys.  It rained so much that the road was a mess so the Landrover that came to pick us up had some trouble.  Check out the pictures and videos on the blog as well.   

Almost there!