Yesterday’s return trip to the Mayfield in Nairobi, Kenya felt like coming home to a palace. A shower had never felt so grand. I smelled food and realized my hunger. But as grand as those things were, my head still swam with all the sights, sounds, smells, and touches of Sudan. Was it wrong to leave? Had I played a journalist role there or a missionary role? So much I wanted to accomplish and didn’t. I guess that paves the way for a return trip, one in which I can work alongside my Sudanese brothers and sisters.
 
My lady friends from Canada who were volunteering at New Life Home, an orphanage for HIV positive and abandoned babies hugged me. They were like family to me. We exchanged stories and realized we were fast friends.
 
The next couple days of my trip are my husband’s treat to me: a safari in the Massai Mara. I experienced a wildlife treat. From the inside of a jeep, I saw every animal imaginable.

 

Zebras grazed with buffalo and warthogs. Graceful gazelles and leaping impalas with their gentle faces. Tall giraffe blinked and nibbled on tree tops.

Giraffes 

Lions slept by day, but the visible proof of their hunting skills greeted us in the mornings.

Sleeping Lions 

Elephants

Huge elephants, strange looking wildebeests, a cheetah with her cubs, a lioness with her cubs.

I ate breakfast along the Mara River while hippos voiced their displeasure.

Hippos 

Cringed at the sight of crocodiles. A baboon family played with their young, and birds of every size and color dotted the landscape. At night I could take a shower in my Hemmingway style tent and crawl under clean sheets.

Tent 

I don’t think I’ll take these amenities for granted for a long time.

You can view additional pictures of my Masai Mara Safari here.