We were awoken at 5:30 this morning by an elephant shaking the tree right in front of our tent - what a cool way to wake up! We lounged in bed for a bit, then later enjoyed breakfast (we both had a very nice breakfast plate with fried potatoes, mushrooms, and two small very light pancakes - quite thin, and very tasty) along with fresh fruit. Susan had sausage and bacon with hers. We packed up and left Samburu at 8:30 for the drive south to the Ol Pejeta conservancy. We went through much of the same area as we had driving down from Nairobi, but for some reason it seemed quite different. It was a beautiful, very clear day, and we had a good view of Mount Kenya. At the start it was was flat ... read more

Greetings from the Samburu Game Reserve! We have had a fantastic first game drive. Our day started quite early. After a very nice breakfast in our hotel, we headed out at 7:30 for the long drive to the Samburu Game Reserve. We had a couple of stops, the first for a short break just outside Karatina for a bathroom break and shopping at the “curio shop“ if we wanted, and a walk in the adjacent gardens. We didn’t think we would buy anything, but we ended up getting a few things (one a batik print which I’ll get framed and put in my home office). The so-called curio shop is a cooperative selling many different locally made handicrafts. The drive from Nairobi to Samburu was very bumpy! There was a lot of roadwork going on, plus ... read more

“The windmill doesn’t care for the wind that’s gone past”- Dutch proverb We were very happy the rain stopped today! Apparently it’s not common for it to rain so much and so hard here in Amsterdam. Our B&B host Katrien said how unusual it was and how it might be related to climate change. But today was a lovely sunny (though quite windy and cool) day. We had a leisurely morning in our B&B, enjoying our breakfast, and then we headed out for our 1/2 day tour to Zaanse Schans. We walked to Centraal Station (I can’t believe how close it is now that we’ve figured out the direct route), then took the ferry over to Buiksloterweg. This free ferry makes frequent trips and only takes a few minutes to make the crossing. We walked a ... read more

The rain that falls today, doesn’t fall tomorrow.- Dutch saying Well, I’m not sure about that proverb, because the forecast is for rain again tomorrow. Ah well, we are used to rain and at least we got a mostly sunny day yesterday. We started the day very early, as we both woke up basically in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. It’s hard adjusting to the 9 hour time difference. Later we enjoyed a very lovely breakfast in our B&B. Katrien left us a tray with an assortment of breads and croissants, butter, jam, two different cheeses, boiled eggs, yogurt with fruit, sliced ham and roast beef, juice, and oranges. What a feast! There is coffee and a coffee maker in our room, so we also had some very good coffee ... read more

The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands- Sir Richard Burton I've used the above quote before, but it seems particularly appropriate for this trip. We are beyond excited to finally be travelling again! We are flying to Amsterdam tomorrow, where we will spend four nights. Our B&B is located in central Amsterdam, and we expect to walk to pretty much everything. We've got some activities booked, and hope to have some time where we can just wander around and soak up the atmosphere, since we've never been to Amsterdam before. I'm re-reading Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl", since we will be visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. After Amsterdam we fly to Nairobi where we spend a couple of nights before starting our Kenyan safari. We ... read more