Tea Farm

When Zula and I arrived in Kenya late February I knew of several places I had to share with her.  One of the places is the Kiambethu Tea Farm about an hour of Nairobi.  I have done posts on this beautiful place in the past, but I will share here again.  Fiona, the owner of the farm welcomed us into her living room as she tells the "tea story" of her family.  Her grandfather started this farm in 1910.  We sadly learned that our dear Fiona tragically lost her beloved husband last November when he was involved in a car accident.  She is carrying on, but her grief and heartache was obvious.  She is such a dear woman of God.

Joining Zula and I that day was Debi (left) and Joanna.  Debi was visiting Joanna.  Joanna is also a Global Outreach missionary here in Kenya.  They met in a cancer survivor support group.  I love having these Godly women in my life -- plus they are alot of fun!

 

Before we ever got to the "tea" on the this tea farm, we were struck by the beautiful English garden in front of Fiona's house.  My grandmother, mother, and sister would so enjoy these beautiful flowers and plants.  I wish I knew all theiir names, but I don't.  I just enjoy the stunning array of beautiful colors.

This is a colobus monkey.  They are frequent visitors to the farm. They aren't tame, but they are definitely used to people and if you have a banana handy, they will pick it out of your hand.  It is always fascinating and thrilling to get this close to nature.

Zula, bravely handing this monkey a banana.

He's sitting in a papaya tree.  I'm sure he is convinced there is more food available from the visitors!

This is an actual tea farm.  The "dots" you see are the pickers standing waist high in the tea bushes.  They carry large open baskets on their backs and as they pick the tea, they throw it over their shoulders into the baskets.

Carnivore

Shortly after Zula and I arrived in Kenya, we joined several friends and went to the Carnivore restaurant for lunch one Sunday afternoon.  It is a place we often take our guests to because it is a unique African eating experience.  In addition to beef, chicken, pork, lamb, they also serve game meat.  This has changed through the years due to protection of the wild animals, but there are still some interesting items on the menu.

Zula standing beside the menu board.  The next picture will give you a better idea of the menu.

The "wild" selections on this particular day included Crocodile, Ostrich Meat Balls, and Ox Balls!

This is the huge charcoal grill where the various meats are prepared.  They are cooked on swords.

The meal is one price for all you can eat.  They bring the entire piece of meat on the sword, fresh off the grill and slice it at your table.

The process continues until you put down your little surrender flag!  We were all stuffed at the end of the meal, but it was an enjoyable experience shared with friends!

Happy Reunion

Zula and I arrived in Kenya late Tuesday night.  The next morning, I couldn't wait to get out to the propety to see my guys and all the improvements they made while I was gone.   We arrived and got hugs from everyone!

I was greeting the ladies who showed up to wash clothes.  Jeremy stood by with a big grin on his face as I greeted them.

Next was Shadrack.  He is easily one of the kindest men I know!  He is always respectful, a hard worker, and eager to please.

I never get tired of watching the animals come to the watering troughs.

Jeremy showing me the improvements made to our pit latrine.  A shower and sink were added while I was away.

These animals are headed to the watering troughs.

Zula captured this picture of my guest room -- which was her room for the next two weeks.

This is my dining room and through the door is my kitchen.

My kitchen with a wall of windows!  I love this kitchen.

This is a view of the back of my house while standing in my tiny back yard. 

It was indeed great to be home again.  I've been here for four weeks now and am still trying to settle in.  I do love the feel of my own bed after being away for a year!  As I've always said -- there's no place like home!

Maasai Mara

I finally returned to Kenya the end of February.  A friend from my church in Oklahoma traveled with me, which was a new experience for me.  For 10 years, I have traveled back and forth between Kenya and the U.S. by myself.  I have always believed a shared experience is a richer experience, and it turns out that traveling internationally falls into that category!

My friend's name is Zula.  She was wonderful and enjoyable -- a very good combination.  I will be sharing more about our two weeks together in future posts, but for today, I will share our wonderful time in the Maasai Mara.

Another missionary friend, Joanna, and her guest, Debi, joined us for a two day trip to the Mara. We sat and watched this group of elephants for a long time.  Its so fascinating to see them in their natural habitat.  We were close enough to hear them chew!  If you look closely, you can see the legs of another elephant behind the bush.

Cape Buffalos are not pretty animals, per se, but they are massive and can be quite mean and aggresive if they feel threatened.

We got to the Mara River and met with a Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) Ranger who took us to the river to view hippos and crocodiles.  Along the way we came across hippo footprints.  This is Debi's foot beside this print showing you the size comparison.

This crocodile was about 7 feet in length.  We were happy he was across the river!

After we got back to our tour van and started driving away, this hippo was seen just beside the road.  He probably came up out of the river we had just been walking beside.

I get a thrill every time I see a giraffe.  They are just so graceful and elegant looking.  All four of us had cameras and choosing only one picture to put on this post was difficult.

Impala's were plentiful.  We enjoyed every group we saw.

The rhino is becoming so rare to see, so when we drove up to this black rhino, we felt blessed indeed.  Poaching is a huge issue for these magnificent animals and their numbers are shrinking at an alarming rate.

These naughty little monkeys are fun to watch, but a pain to be around when you are trying to enjoy a picnic!

Our driver/guide, pointed out this leg hanging out of a tree.  When a leopard kills an animal, he drags it up into the tree to eat to keep it away from other predators.  I guess he got full before he finished his meal.

In the ten years I've been in Kenya, I have never seen a leopard until this trip.  We were so thrilled when our driver took us to see this incredibly beautiful animal. 

We were so blessed to see lions on this trip.  Three different prides on three separate games drives.  In all, we saw 41 lions!  It was amazing.  On the last day, we saw them in action as they were stalking their prey.  But they are very patient, and our driver said we had to go after about an hour of watching because it could easily be several more hours before they actually made their move.  We were disappointed, but understood that we needed to move on.

This next picture is out of order as it belongs with the first picture, but I wanted to include this baby with his mother.  They are so much fun to watch.

There are so many pictures I didn't include.  With a slow internet connection, it takes a lot of time to upload pictures.  So I hope you enjoyed what I did include.  I feel so blessed to live here, doing what God called me to do, but also in a position to enjoy His creation!