After returning from a wonderful visit with family and friends in the US, we quickly jumped back into the Kenya world. My first week back, I traveled to the Kenyan tea country (Nandi and Kericho), visiting tea plantations. The landscape was incredibly beautiful; it looked like rolling rows of thick green velvet. I toured a tea factory, learned about the tea producing process and returned with a variety of flavorful teas.
The following week, Don and I ventured to Central Kenya. There we visited various youth groups to learn about their burgeoning businesses – poultry farming, manufacturing banana powder and chips, and managing a sanitation facility for the town. While there we were fortunate to stay at the Treetop Lodge in the Aberdares National Park. The lodge was made famous by the young Princess Elizabeth who, while staying there, became queen when her father, King George VI died on the night of 5th Feb 1952. What made this safari experience unique was the watering hole that surrounds most of the lodge, which attracts various animals including elephants, rhinos, warthogs and wildebeests. Large windows allow residents to watch the animals from just about anywhere in the lodge, including one’s bedroom and the dining room. Plus, if you wish, the management of the lodge will notify you during the night when specific animals roam outside. Fortunately for us, we saw each species before we turned down for the night.
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| A Kenyan tea plantation |
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| Tree Top Lodge |
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| A view from our bedroom in the lodge |
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| Enjoying the game drive |
