Sub-Saharan Sojourn

A quick and harried hello from Kenya!

We just got back into Nairobi last night from our 3 day safari into the Masai Mara, where we saw the Big 5 in just one day! We are still riding the high from our sheer dumb luck. We saw lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, rhino (i.e. the Big 5), zebra, crocodile, hippo, baboon and monkey, giraffe, hyena, and many types of bird and gazelle/deer-related creatures. Took loads of photos, which I will upload whenever I can find a public computer that will tolerate it - so, probably not till we're back in the states.

We also visited a Masai village and today we are going to the giraffe center and elephant/rhino nursery. We fly to South Africa early tomorrow morning.

The funniest thing about Kenya is that literally EVERYBODY (even the Masai, who live in remote tribal communities) knows that Obama won the election and they are constantly asking us how we feel about it, if we voted for him, if we're excited about the things he's going to do, and so on...we feel a bit like rock stars, through no real achievement of our own :)

We were fortunate enough to safari with three other women - two Aussies and a New Zealander - who were knowledgeable, hospitable and tons of fun. Always nice when you're crammed into a van together for long stretches of time. Overland travel is a treat for the eyes, but quite hard on the rump!

I've carried on for long enough and my time is up - more in about a week!

Hope you are all well!

EDIT 5 DEC 08: So, I have to eat crow and admit that apparently the cheetah is NOT one of the Big Five after all - it's the leopard. However, in our humble defense, Dan and I have seen souvenirs proudly proclaiming the cheetah as a Big 5-er, so we don't feel too clueless - seems even some natives are confused as well!

Things I Love Thursdays

Bicycle rides on the tandem. – Yep, that’s the one with two seats. Hubby sits in the front and steers and I sit in the back and pedal my buns off. We live right off the bike path and can follow it down to a pond with ducks and swans and geese.

Cheese. – A few that I’ve been itching to nibble these days: Amarelo (soft/semi-soft, goat/sheep, Portugal), Appenzeller Reserve by Emmi (semi-hard, cow, Switzerland), and Chaorce (soft, cow, France).

Simple chores like washing dishes and folding laundry. – I like to play at being domestic. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like a grown-up :)

Remy Zero’s Prophecy. – It’ll get your motor runnin’…

Tiramisu. – Once upon a time, I didn’t like coffee so I never wanted to give this dessert a chance when it showed up on the menu. But I am so glad that I bit the bullet one fateful day and tried it, because there’s nothing quite like the taste of whipped silk.

Little Known Facts

When I was younger…

I wanted to be left-handed. I even practiced.
I never let boys win on purpose.
In my eyes, Gadget from the Rescue Rangers was beautiful.
I wanted to be a veterinarian.
I thought that if I pressed long and hard enough, I could make myself a chin dimple.
I spent a lot of time pretending I was a dog. Or a horse. Or a deer. Ad infinitum.
I won the school spelling bee in 4th grade.
My favorite color was purple.
I found puppets, a la Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street, extremely creepy.
I had a lot of nosebleeds.
Four-square was for sissies.
I was attacked by a rooster.
I put on lipstick after I was dropped off at school because my mother wouldn't let me wear it.
I hated all green food. And I still do.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all the lucky ducks out there who will be dressing up and getting down this evening!

I haven't missed one in ages, but sadly I won't be able to dress up this year. But, there's always next year, so I've made this list of "stuff I wanna be one year" and it goes a little sumpthin' like this:

A Victorian lady
Joan Jett
A Grecian goddess
Brittany Spears in her I’m A Slave 4 U costume complete with snake
Rainbow Brite
A geisha
An assassin in black leather and spandex with a red wig
A Native American princess

Have fun tonight, partygoers :)

Things I Love Thursdays

Warm weather. – Brr, it’s getting colder and my genes say NO!

Black eyeliner. – If I could have only one cosmetic product, this would be the one. It’s versatile and straightforward, and it’s the only thing that works with my big dark eyes. Every now and then I flirt with a shimmery pastel eye shadow or cherry red lipstick, but my heart belongs to black eyeliner.

XMen. – Especially Wolverine and Jean Grey. Oooh, or a cross between the two??

Dogs. – Especially big ones, but I don’t discriminate. I share the love with all. Breeds I think are particularly lovely for their coats: Catahoula Leopard Dog, Blue Lacy, Hungarian Viszla. Breeds I think are fricking cool for their inherent badassness: Czech Wolfdog. And this girl is my favorite:

Secrets. – Not the kind that hurt people, but the kind that mean I made some semi-frivolous purchases online and didn’t tell my husband about it. Some call them little white lies. I prefer secrets.