Mar 20, 2013 - My Tip to Kenya

Today I landed in Kenya. When I was there I saw someone propose and I thought it was funny because there was a necklace in the box. Apparently in Kenya they give necklaces when they marry instead of rings. After that I decided to learn a little bit more about Kenya. I found out that women wear big heavy necklaces to hole their neck up straight because they have weak necks and cant hole their head up hat well. If they take them off they will break their neck! There weren't any malls there. So they had to take the wool of sheep and bring it...

Jan 15, 2013 - Giles-Hansen-Wispinski family time

It was exciting to meet Krysta and Steve at the airport after their long flights from Kelowna - Calgary - Amsterdam - Nairobi. Chelsea had the use of a Red Cross car so Sven helped her navigate her way through the city to the airport . Next day we visited an elephant orphanage where baby elephants as young as one month old are hand reared after losing their mother to poachers. They are eventually released in Tsavo National Park once they become self sufficient. We also visited a giraffe park where Rothschild giraffes are kept and where you...

Jan 15, 2013 - The Masai Mara

We finally set of for the Masai Mara. Our guide David has been warning us about the “African Massage” (code for rough roads) but it was not as bad as he led us to believe. This is part of the homelands of the traditional Masai people and we see numerous villages built the same as they have been for centuries. Most of the Masai we see along the roads seem to have cell phones hanging from leather belts next to their swords & knives. We have already seen the big 5 Big Five - Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion & Leopard. These 5 are those most...

Jan 12, 2013 - On Safari

Our guide is David & the driver is Alex. They are very friendly and knowledgeable and really made our journey enjoyable. We leave Nairobi and drive through the central highlands area. It is hilly, lush, green, with fertile red soil where coffee and tea are grown. In Kenya, tourism is #1 and agriculture #2 in the economy. The temperature is just nice, not too hot & no bugs so far. We passed thru Nyeri Town where Lord Baden Powell is buried (he lived nearby). For our first night on safari we stay at The Ark Hotel, a unique lodge that...

Jan 11, 2013 - Jambo!

We arrived in Nairobi one day before the safari started so we hired a car & driver to take us around. We started at an elephant orphanage for the daily public feeding. Most of the elephants are orphaned because their mothers are killed by poachers for ivory. The keepers feed the babies SMA baby formula - each baby gets 24 kg of the powdered formula per day. These orphans stay here up to 5 years. Elephants get tusks at 2 yrs old, they live up to 70 years and usually die due to starvation because they loose their teeth. Next we drove to...

Dec 25, 2012 - Northern Kenya

Once we crossed the border into Kenya, we had a bumpy full day drive through semi desert countryside to Marsabit, with very few people seen and little traffic all day. Our accommodation for the night provided a bucket shower with water heated over an open fire. The Chinese are in the process of building a road to link Ethiopia to Kenya, with port access at Lamu. Next day we continued from Marsabit to Samburu Reserve where we camped right inside a village. There was a thorn bush perimeter to keep out wild animals with 25 families within the...

Dec 23, 2012 - Und schon wieder vorbei :(

Heute haben wir das letzte Mal unsere Zelte zusammen gepackt und unsere Taschen in den Truck geräumt. Sechs Wochen gehen doch am Ende ganz schön schnell vorbei. Um ca. 8.00Uhr waren wir an der tanzanischen Grenze ... Der letzte Grenzübergang auf der Tour. Wir waren alle schon eine ganze Weile fertig und wieder zurück im Truck, aber Francois fehlte immer noch. Im großen und ganzen war das nicht ungewöhnlich, da er immer noch zu seinen Papieren den Truck an- und abmelden muss, aber heute war es so lange, dass Maryke ihn irgendwann suchen...

Oct 31, 2012 - IHF Nakuru No. 2

Our busy days have continued at IHF. It is so heartwarming to be greeted by lots of hugs again after our one night away from the center helping with the famine feed and lots of children saying "we missed you". Boys and girls surround you for a "grandmotherly and grandfatherly" hug, they are quite affectionate. It feels quite an accomplishment in the mornings to have eighty something children all heading off to the various schools! There are always last minute things - broken shoes, ink for their fountain pen, needing a new book, can't find...

Oct 27, 2012 - Pokot Famine Feed

We did an interesting trip last weekend up to the Pokot region for a "famine feed". It was a 4am start in a large truck with 9 - 90kg sacks of unga (maize flour) plus 9 large sacks of cabbages. We took four of the older boys to do the negotiating and translating as this is the region where the parents, grandparents and siblings of most of the children at IHF center come from. We had breakfast at Marigat two hours into our journey, then continued for another two hours off the road on bumpy tracks that connect the villages. There has been...

Oct 16, 2012 - IHF, Kenya No. 1

We flew from Istanbul, overnighted in Dubai, then on to Nairobi next day. Nairobi hasn't changed from what we remember from five years ago. It is teeming with people, cars, buses, matatus (14 seater vans). There was a traffic jam getting from the airport into town to the matatu station. Then the matatu had to stop at the police station, and we all had to get out to be security checked. It was night by the time we arrived at IHF (International Humanity Foundation) Center in Nakuru, a four hour drive from Nairobi. We were greeted by so many...

Jun 22, 2012 - The day before we go

Friday 22nd June Nearly ready to go Hans Theisen arrived last night from Denmark and will take part in the first leg to Vic Falls. Boerge, Hans and Thomas will leave Saturday morning 23 June - headed for Moshi, Tanzania our first stop on the 47 day long Journey. Boerge will drive along in Peter's car to Lusaka - from where he will return. The Savosnick and the balance three of the Hansen family will fly to Lusaka and meet up Saturday the 30th.

Jun 15, 2012 - Getting Ready

Nearly ready. Have a broker organize the Carne. However Kenya AA just called me to tell me that the photo copies of my passport, AA valuation and logbook were so poor could I please deliver new copies. Of course on the day I wanted to collect. Welcome to Africa, always cutting corners. Did I mention the broker is getting paid? Decided not to touch the engine injectors so close to departure. Ain't broke and not smoking. Some theory about extra power. Peter.