Indian Ocean here we come!

Part 2 of our family vacation was a 5 night trip to the beach.  We used a missionary specific travel agent in planning our trip and got a pretty good deal on an all-inclusive family resort (I’ve never been to an all-inclusive before). 

The morning after returning from our safari we set out early for the Nairobi airport and took a one-hour flight to the coastal town of Malindi on the Indian Ocean.  Here is it’s location in relation to the rest of Kenya. 

 

From Malindi we drove slightly south to the town of Watamu to Turtle Bay Beach Club, which was located directly on the beach.  There was a large swimming pool with 3 separate kiddy appropriate areas that we greatly appreciated! 

 

 

 

Our netted room

 

This was a very different vacation than others we have taken because it was pretty much a full relaxation  vacation.  No sight-seeing, no running arond.  Just swimming, laying around, reading, eating and sleeping.  Ian made the comparison to being a walrus, which is true except for the whole reading part.  Here are some pics of the family enjoying themselves as walruses: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

baby went everywhere....but that's another blog.

 

 

drying off after a day in the pool

 

enjoying the evening breeze after sandcastle building on the beach

 

A family early evening dip

 

 

 

With weather in the high 80’s and I’m guessing about 60-70% humidity, we had all of the warm weather we’d been hoping to find at the beach.  The evenings were gorgeous with a wonderful ocean breeze and plumeria scenting the air and dinner served in the outside dining room, or seating by the pool which we enjoyed for a few nights.  It was wonderful to have fresh seafood and a selection of American and European foods to choose from!  We all filled up at every meal!  I think Ian’s dad liked the Shepard’s Pie and porridge the best,  Bonita liked the fresh crepes made every afternoon for snack, I loved stir-fried shrimp and I think Ian sampled about everything, even if he didn’t love any of it! 

It was a wonderful time.  We even managed to pick up  some souvenirs from the vendors in shacks right on the beach just beyond the hotel property.  Kikoy wraps, woven scarves, carved soapstone, carved ebony, jewelery and the like.  Some things we just didn’t quite need, but it’s hard not to give a dollar or two when you know this might be their only sell for the entire day.  I can handle an extra gecko and hot pink hippo carving I suppose! 

We were so thankful to get to spend together as a family…it’s been about a year since we’ve traveled away from home (Thika or Portland) and taken time off work, so it was much needed and appreciated! 

Here’s to all of you getting some much needed rest, relaxation and family time….

 

Our evening game drive in photos

Hyena resting

Vultures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat (Lion) napping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overseeing the female hunting at sunset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset in the Mara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water buffalo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playing zebras

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonita insisted I post the fresh kill....cover your innocent child's eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sleepy boy...we were so close I expected to hear him snore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re going on a “fari” to see Dinosaurs!

Or at least that was Lucy’s version of our trip.

Since arriving in Kenya in May, the extent of our exploring has been limited to day trips within driving distance of Nairobi.

We have been looking forward to Ian’s parents visit because it means we have a wonderful reason to take some time off from work to explore a little more of Kenya.

 

We live in the Central Province of Kenya, specifically right outside of Thika.

 

Our vacation started with a few days of family recuperation in Thika, and then our driver from ACTS (African Christian Travel Service), George, picked us up on Tuesday at 6:30am. We were driving in a private van to the Masai Mara National Park.

 

George was great because he knew all of the back roads that Ian and I haven’t been able to figure out on our own. We traveled from Thika, to Ruiru, towards Kiambu and dropped into the back part of Limuru. Limuru is beautiful, lush and green. This is a typical picture of the countryside where there are numerous tea (and coffee) plantations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Limuru we traveled above and then down into the Rift Valley through the hot water town (supplies geothermal power producing 15% of Kenya’s total power) and Narok (their municipal council governs the Masai Mara Park). Along the way, before we got into the park, we saw these baboons and also many Thompson’s gazelles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about 7 hours of travel, 2 hours at least by incredibly rocky, bumpy dirt roads (that no American would dream of traveling by for any distance….think back roads of Idaho mountains riddled with huge sharp stones or an out of control massage chair), we arrived in the Masai Mara and at our accommodations: Sekenani Tented Camp.

Here we are walking from the dining area across a suspended swinging bridge to the reception area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is our tent from the outside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we had a quick lunch and then went out for an evening game drive….I’m gonna make you wait until tomorrow for the pictures because they will make a wonderful blog all by themselves!

 

Big weekend…

Big weekend.

Megan comes back to Kenya from her adventure in the US

Ian’s parents arrive for a visit from Portland:

And, this wonderful loaf in the oven that we are expecting turns 15 weeks new!  It is a relief to be over so much of the tiredness and nausea that I have had so far!  Some of you have asked how pre-natal appointments go here in Kenya & for the most part, they are very similar to those in the States, at least at the private hospital I go to http://www.agakhanhospitals.org/:

I have a wonderful physician who grew up in Goa, India who sees me for all of my pre-natal visits, and she also delivers all of her own babies.  Amazing in this day and age!

This is where I’ll go to deliver and recover:

Specifically here:

Looks pretty much like in the States huh?  Overall, the cost is less than a delivery in the States, but because our international insurance does not cover maternity (you had to have that well in advance of getting pregnant), we’ll be saving our pennies for the months before the big arrival.

We’ll have a regular appointment the first part of December, and then an ultrasound around the end of December/first part of January where we can find out the gender.  I’m still on the fence about finding out the gender—-with a lot of encouragement from my friend Eve to save the “surprise” until the actually day.  I told her that a 1 1/2 hour drive to the hospital on the big day was about all of the surprise I needed.  What do you all think?  Should we or shouldn’t we find out?  You know, Ian and I  like to play games and place bets on just about everything, even our precious children.

 

 

Our mini vaca

 

Our night away into Nairobi for our anniversary was fabulous.

As I said before, we began our evening with dinner at Cafe des Arts.   They have a wonderful patio dining area that is covered by a large tent cover.  It is a lovely place to relax and enjoy good food:

Ian was pretty excited about his dinner, he even looks like he's glowing a little

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s an up close of his shredded lamb, slow cooked for 9 hours, then put into a patty that is refrigerated and then grilled just prior to service:

Lamb with mini roasted potatos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I choose the spinach quiche (I love quiche) in hopes of saving room for dessert.  The dessert turned out to be pretty standard European dessert…a little dry and not quite sweet enough.  Next time, I’ll go all out on the dinner itself.  Here I am in a blanket shawl the restaraunt owner gave me when it began to storm outside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a wonderful time, and we still enjoy being together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we found our way to the Serena Nairobi which was wonderful.  I had to take a few pictures of our accommodations as this is the nicest place I’ve been a quite a while.  We felt pampered, and relaxed and renewed.  It was the perfect was to spend the rest of our anniversary.

Ian relaxing in the air conditioned room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived in our room it was pretty darn cold so I started to hunt around for the thermostat.  It was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND!  Ian even had me look in the closet.  So, finally, I sat on the bed in defeat and looked over at the nightstand.  And what do you know?  There on the nightstand was the REMOTE CONTROL for the air conditioning!  Never seen that before!  It was great.

 

This is the fabulous bathroom that was pretty much my favorite part of the trip.  That gives you insight into our every day bathroom situations, because  a bathroom is not generally my favorite feature to point out:

 

The fact that there was cold AND hot water faucets was amazing and the granite and marble didn’t hurt either.

 

Here was the other half of the bathroom, which was equally as handsome:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then the view of downtown Nairobi from our room:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only question left to answer is:  When can we go again?

 

You can buy me with mail

I truly can’t believe the way you all spoil us with mail.

I love it.  It is really one of my favorite things.  The kids too.

So, thank you’s go out to these recent package senders:

Bonita May (mother-in-law with a flair for getting as much as she can into a flat rate box)

Carol Barnum (mom who gets the prize for the most random collection of things that are amusing and fun like a toy mosquito on a spring)

Vicki Moore (a co-worker of Ian’s who sent a wonderful package with something for everyone..I really should met you rather than just hearing about your “presentations”! )

and Anna Goodworth (for thinking ahead and sending the most adorable Gymboree outfit for Lucy’s birthday next month and fun stuff for Eli)

 

This isn’t to say that you have to send us stuff to get a mention in the blog, but you do get a bit of a sweet spot in my heart!

 

Doctor Update

Sorry that I wasn’t able to write yesterday when we returned home from the doctor and Nairobi.  We have been fighting random power outages for about a week.

So I had an appt. with a wonderful ob/gyn yesterday.  She was everything I had prayed she would be:  knowledgeable, empathetic, encouraging….

But she did confirm that I was in the process of a miscarriage, and sent me for an ultrasound to double check  and it came back in agreement.

It is hard to believe that we were in this position not even a year ago.   In God’s grace, he makes this load easier to bear having had that experience.  My heart was guarded during this pregnancy, and perhaps because of such, it makes it easier to process this loss  and continue on with all of the craziness that is everyday life…kids that need to be mediated, laundry, picking up the never ending  mess, food.

The OB/Gyn didn’t have an explanation for the 2 miscarriages in a row, but I will go back in another week for a repeat ultrasound to make sure everything is ok and then we will run blood tests….she has several ideas on what we might do to better support an early pregnancy so this doesn’t keep happening.  We’ll see how all of that goes.

Thank you to all of you for you prayers of support and healing for our hearts.  If you know us, you know that we love kids and I especially love babies.     Continue to pray that the physical aspect of this process goes smoothly and with less pain than last time.

 

Lake Naivasha

So, if you’re savy, you’ll have found Megan Steele’s blog that she is writing while here in Kenya and you can have twice the reading pleasure!  On days that I seem just too worn out to get anything onto the blog…it is nice…because she has often written one!

Anyhow, this is about a week late, but I thought I’d share some pictures from our Lake Naivasha adventure last weekend starting of course with a stop for coffee at Java House:

 

We then drove up from Nairobi through Limuru, a beautiful lush farming town:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Limuru, we drove up until we reached the end of the Great Rift Valley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rift_Valley_Province.  Truly, pictures do not do it justice, but here’s a go of it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we approached the town of Navaisha where we made a brief stop so I could go to the bathroom….ahh, my first experience with a squat toilet.  Lovely.  I don’t have a picture of that, but imagine it on the side of a service station, with a raggedly old wooden door, padlocked from the outside (latched from the inside thankfully), with a hole in the floor, a pull handle and NOTHING else.  Pretty darn gross, but when you’ve held it for 3 hours, sometimes you take what you can get.

 

Ian and the kids then hid from the 7 cats at the YellowGreen Restaurant that ended up jumping up and stealing chicken off of Megan’s plate:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then after lunch, off to the lake that we accessed from the Naivasha Country Club:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, so I’ve been working on this darn post for like 4 days now, and it really looks like this is all of the pictures that I am going to successfully load on here.  It was a beautiful trip and we had a great time.  Megan has a great picture of one of the hippos we saw on the lake on her blog.

 

Perspective

There are things daily that frustrate us.

Computers, waylaid plans, people who don’t do what we expect or want, whinning kids.

I was just reminded of what is truly important though…..not by anything an particular, but just one of those moments, probably the whispering of the Holy Spirit.

What is important:
Our loved ones, particularly communicating in some way that they are important and valued. By us and by God.

Finding the time to set aside the frustrations, taking a breathe, and just taking a moment to soak in all of the things that do go right.

To all of you, thank you for:
Your prayers
Your encouragement
Sharing humor with us
Doting us with cards and packages
What you do to support Orphans Overseas or the Salvation Army and in turn these people surrounding us
Living life a little more dangerously

 

An exciting evening for the kids.

 

Guess what Ian's watching....

 

Eli’s on the edge of he seat for…

...for moderately inappropriate adult humor clown guy at Eli's first Kenyan kiddie birthday party.

Tired out from a great party....loving the paper car mask.

Oh yeah..our other child..shee had a great time too.

So exciting, last week we were invited to our first child birthday party.  It was on Wed evening here in Thika for a boy, Jay, in the kid’s class.  It took us over an hour to find the place, it’s less than 10km from our house.  The directions were less  than detailed and we asked about 10 people for directions each of them pointing us in another direction. 

It was at 1 of the 2 athletic / social clubs  in town so you’d think it would be an easy place to find.  Well you, along with us would be wrong.  When we finally found the place it was down this tiny, dirt alley that you could never guess led anywhere.   Well it did, and we arrived about an hour and 15min late.  Didn’t seem to be a problem though.  We were warmly welcomed.   It looked like most of the people at the party were children, family or staff of the Imani School. 

The fesivities started with a magic show by a clown who at one point used some really inappropriate adult humor…but only Ian and I seemed to catch it thank goodness.   No Copperfield, but the kids enjoyed the show.  Then there was cake, a full meal, and some fun kid games.  We made lots of freinds and Eli got another invite to come to another boys house on Friday.  His new buddy Maanav.  By the end of the party, the kids were very tired, overstimulated, and just plain done.  We went home and put them right to bed, clothes, masks, candystains and all.  It was a great evening for them.  A tiring but good evening for us.  It was great to meet some friendly adults in our community who are well established and welcoming.  Most of these families are from India, but have been established in Kenya for at least 3 generations.  They are generally business people of some variety or another.

On Friday we had a playdate with Maanav at his house..it went great.  His mother Poonam was so welcoming, they have a beautiful home that you would never guess could exist here in Thika.  Huge back yard with regular cut grass, a swing, slide, teeter totter.  Very nice, and very refreshing to be welcomed to their home.  They live there with 11 family members total, so you can imagine that it  is a pretty large house.  Two brothers, their wives, 5 children and the grandmother and grandfather.  The grandfather designed the home…which would fit right in at Forest Heights there in Portland.  Travertine floors, granite counters, multiple stoves, fancy furniture/decor.  They have the most lovely garden with manicured flower beds that were done all up in different geometric patterns.  You name it.  And everything spotless and clean.  I know that we have the rich and the poor there at home, but the contrast here is so incredibly drastic, and it feels like we are attempting to straddle both worlds.  It is good though to have connections throughout the community to draw on.

Just for a little contrast to the party pics…here’s a lone Maasai watching the traffic jam at the roundabout.