Back online in Ethiopia!

Well well, this might be a glitch in the system, or maybe some internet policies have changed, but for some reason I can get back on my blog! I'm not going to ask too many questions about why that is, so I'll just write some updates instead...

The rest of my trip in Kenya was fantastic. I saw some more wildlife, visited Hassan's rural home near Mombasa, walked through the narrow streets of the island of Lamu, where the some of the first Swahili people lived, and swam in the Indian ocean. Check out photos below:

Arrival at Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya and between east and west, covers over 10,000 square km!

This hippo was hanging out with his/her buddies a ways down the river and swam within 20-30 feet of us to check us out!

Me drinking from Mzima Springs, a natural underground spring that emerges at Tsavo. Very refreshing. I've never been able to drink directly from a natural spring before. Take that, Poland Springs!

   

This eagle was just hanging out with a big piece of meat near the dirt road we were driving on. It was at least 3 feet tall.

Saw this elephant as we were leaving the park. It was the cherry on top of a great day!

 

Arrival in Mombasa. Hassan said that I can't say I've been to Mombasa until I saw the Elephant Tusks. Here they are! I was officially in Mombasa!

 

Hallar Park is an area of reclaimed land from an old quarry. They keep animals here in natural settings, but besides the giant tortoises, and some monkeys, the animals were being raised in captivity. Was a departure from  the seemingly wild and free national parks, but was still a cool place to visit.

Me with one of the giant tortoises. We were having a moment...

Crocodilians!

After Hallar Park, we went to the beach, where we took a little boat trip to some nearby coral reefs.

One of the guys running the boat service dove into the water and caught a sea urchin!! Apparently they only hurt when you get pricked by one of those big spikes.

On the way to Hassan's rural home for lunch.

Tasty meal of (freshly slaughtered!) roasted chicken, tomato salad, and ugali (maize meal) prepared by Hassan's mother. It is the culture in that village to slaughter a chicken for a visitor. I felt like I got the royal treatment! So many thanks go to her and her family for having me!

 

 

 

 

Hassan's mother (left), sister (right, seated) and brother's wife (standing). The women were so beautiful and strong.

Their children were beautiful, too.

Spent a night in the island town of Lamu. There was distinctive Swahili, Arab and Portuguese influences from different periods. There were these beautiful doors everywhere...the Arab influence.

Major mosque on the island.

 

 

 

I saw very few Muslim women in Kenya who wore the full-coverage burqua before I got to Lamu. Reflective of the strong Muslim influence there.

There were no cars in Lamu (except for 1 or 2 government vehicles). Otherwise, there were only goats, donkeys and people in these narrow streets.

Men praying in a mosque.

You had to take a boat to get onto and off of the island. There were some great views of  the dhows, which are traditional Arab sailing vessels, and mangrove forests (in the background).