Jambo from Kenya! by Gilda and Kassandra

Jambo from Kenya! The 13 of us had two relatively easy flights in the past 48 hours. Some of us were a little insane due to the lack of sleep, but now we are settled in and relaxing in the Masai Lodge, 45 minutes away from Nairobi Airport. Before our five-hour flight from Egypt to Kenya we spent the day sight seeing in Cairo. We hopped on a bus with our tour guide Sue and zoomed off to the Egyptian Museum with incredible ancient artifacts. After this we traveled to a suburb called Giza where three gigantic pyramids stand (only three out of one hundred and eight in all of Egypt). After snapping our photos and climbing the two-ton bricks that composed the walls of the pyramids, half of us ventured on a camel ride. Casanova, Lawrence, and Mickey Mouse grunted and spit as they carried five of us around the pyramids. Next we went shopping at the Egyptian Cotton Shop, The Papyrus Institute and The Bazaar where people bought things like bags, jewelry and beautiful papyrus paintings. As the sun went down we took another bus ride to a lively and crowded bazaar where we sat down to a delicious meal of lentil soup, lamb, vegetables and rice pudding. From there a police car escorted our bus to the airport in order to evade the traffic and make our 10:45 flight to Nairobi. Once in Nairobi, at about 3:45 am, we were escorted to a bus and then taken to the Masai Lodge. After 45 minutes of bumpy, narrow roads, we finally arrived at the very quiet Masai Lodge. From there we got our beauty sleep, showered, and made our way to breakfast where Rae told us the plan for the day. We played group-bonding games and then headed off on a hike to the Glass Factory. But first, we had to face the challenge of crossing a narrow, rocking, high bridge (like the ones you see in movies). Although it was pretty intimidating, everyone finally conquered that challenge and moved on to see some really cool glass and ceramic pieces. We all were pretty scared to go back across the bridge to head back to the lodge but we all knew that 1. There was no way to get back to the lodge besides going over the bridge, and 2. Why else are we here if not to face some challenges? We returned to the Masai Lodge anxious to swim in the pool or face our jet lag with a nap. After dinner everyone was ready to say his or her goodbyes and go straight to bed. Can’t wait to journey to the Oloika tomorrow!!!