Giraffes, Baby Elephants, Beads, and more

On Saturday, I went to town with Kennedy and his sisters. We ate at a fabulous and very cheap Ethiopian place downtown. For the 4 of us, it was 1130 KES, for food and drinks, which equates to a little over $12 USD. Crazy cheap!
We hopped a bus to the giraffe center. Along the way, we passed a lot of shops/huts along the way. There were massive areas where folks were making furniture, both wood and metal. I was amazed at the intricate detail I saw in the pieces. Men were welding and carving right there and creating things you would find in a fancy furniture store back home. I was told they make everything right there by hand, and you can get a nice dresser for around $240 USD, which is far below what it would sell for in the states. Too bad shipping that would cost me a fortune.
As we road along, we passed by a combination of a pub and butcher shop, which seemed odd to me, but not as odd as the hotel/butchershop next door to it. lol!
We passed women "mowing" the lawn by swinging a blade into the grass. They did a damn fine job too!
When we got to the giraffe museum, I was given a handful of food and was able to feed the giraffe. The giraffe will kiss you if you hold a piece of food between your lips. I didn't do it at first, then decided, "I'm in Africa!" I didn't want to regret it, so I did it and I'm glad I did. I can now say I was kissed by a giraffe! :)
On Sunday, I went with Twinkle & Julie, two girls from the states who are at my camp. They had a herbalist professor friend and an AIDS education friend taking them around. We went to the elephant orphanage and saw baby elephants get fed. They were so cute and small! I learned that a lot of them are orphaned due to poaching and falling into wells. There are still a lot of issues with poachers, so I must pass on the plea I heard there, and beg all of you never to buy ivory.
We went to Nairobi National Park from there, but it was later in the afternoon, so we didn't see any lions. We did see some ostrich, antelope, giraffe, and I think caribou. There were so many beautifully colored butterflies, but I was too slow with my camera to capture them.
From there we were going to visit a rural village, but traffic and time got the best of us and instead we stopped at the University Benson teaches at. We drove through the campus which was just like one in the states. Got back around 7:30pm and was passed out by 8:30pm....what a wild girl I am!
Today, I got up and got on a bus that I thought was going to take me to the Karen Blixen Museum (the chick from Out Of Africa). I got on a different bus than I had on Saturday to go to the giraffe place, and apparently it doesn't turn down the road I needed to go down, so I ended up staying on it. As I realized I had stopped seeing signs for Karen, I was not sure if I was on the right track. I thought nothing looked familiar, then I saw some things that I thought did....they weren't. I ended up taking the bus to the end of its route, which put me in the middle of a busy market & bus stop. I asked the guy who collects money on the bus (no it's not the driver here) and he put me on the right bus back. When I got off at my correct stop, I was told I had to walk down the road. I double-checked those instructions in a shop & they were verified. I was told it would be about 3K, which I believe 2.2K = 1 mile, so I had a bit of a trek.
Taxis offered to take me, but I wasn't in the mood to haggle or be ripped off, so I hoofed it. Boy, it felt long. Along the walk, I passed by some insanely fancy houses. I thought, "Hey, I could live here", then I thought, "Gosh, how do people live here with the famine all around them?"
I took a right along the way to stop off at the Kazuri Bead Factory, where women handmake beads from clay, hand paint them, and make them into jewelry. They also do a lot of pottery there. A lot of the women there are widows, and at this factory, they are taken care of. 80% of there medical is paid by the factory. Pretty nice. I got some bracelets there, which althought I don't often wear bracelets, I think I now must make an exception!
I ran into some folks from camp, including one of the camp's taxi drivers and she offered me a lift to the Karen Blixen Museum around the corner.
When I arrived, it was pretty cool to see all the stuff there. There were things from the movie, and "Knuckle Mountain", where she buried her boyfriend was in the distance. It really did look like knuckles! :) I bought a couple of tiny bowls there, which were beautifully handmade.
I got back to camp and ordered a burger. Which, although it came on sliced bread with cucumber, shaved carrot, and some form of unmelted different cheese, I scarfed it down. I needed protein, big time! I've been having some appetite issues and that is the most I've eaten since I've been here. I'm glad the appetite is coming back! :)
I'm probably going on a safari on Wednesday with some girls from camp, so I will most likely not have any access to communication. I will be gone for 3-4 days. I might post before then, but if not, don't worry mom! Love you guys! Take care!