Jambo!

Sorry I am just posting...we finally got internet connection tonight! yay :) But I am going to backtrack to the beginning...

So, after 20+ hours of travel (rain delays, 8 hour flight to Amsterdam, 4 hour layover, more delays, 8 hour flight to Nairobi), we finally made it to KENYA!!!

Customs pic tradition...didn't get yelled at this time!

Flights weren't too bad...pretty much felt like a hot second compared to the 14 hours straight to Hong Kong last year. Not to mention KLM offers complimentary drinks... the Heineken and Bailey's didn't hurt :)
Customs was a breeze, but we had to wait eons for luggage. Finally met up with Josh, the Medics to Africa coordinator here. We all piled in the vans and they transported us to the guest house in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi. Judy & Stella, the women of the house, welcomed us with juice and a traditional, homemade meal. We were all exhausted, but something besides airplane food was much appreciated! Kenyans love you to take seconds at meals...and I love the excuse to. The guest house was beautiful and we felt so welcomed there. Slept like babies.

Our group outside of the Nairobi guest house

In the morning, the women made us breakfast out on the lawn and then we set out to explore Nairobi for the day. First stop: Giraffe Center!!! This place was amazing!!! The giraffes are in a natural habitat and have tons of space to roam. Definitely NOT a zoo. There was a gazebo for visitors to walk around and the giraffes would come right up and stick their heads in. We each got 2 handfuls of food, and the giraffes were ALL about it. My kind of animals.
We started feeding them, and then the guide took it to whole new level and dared us to kiss the giraffes. Clearly, I took him up on the offer...(mom, does this fall in the "Good Decisions" category? Don't worry, their tongues are antiseptic :) There were two social giraffes...Eddie and Stacy...Eddie was classy, but Stacy earned the nickname "Sloppy Stacy." Interpret how you will.  (I think the picture will explain). Despite the ridiculous amount of slobber, it was great. Not gonna lie, I added "Kiss Giraffe" to the bucket list, simply so I could cross it off.

Me & Sloppy Stacy

 Then we went on a nature walk with a guide who showed us all kinds of natural medicines, foods, poisons, even "toothbrushes" that you can find in the forests here (chewing on a certain branch makes Kenyans' teeth incredibly strong for eating meat, but using the wrong species can do the opposite...yikes). Oh, and the tribes use certain plants for toilet paper. Oh baby. Charmin Ultra has got nothin' on these leaves!

Giraffe Center and Nature Walk

We spent the rest of the day exploring downtown Nairobi. This city is bustling! There is a ton of character, especially because it was Kenyan Independence Day (celebrating the end of the war, not officially a Republic yet) and we saw their State House. We drove by Kibira, the biggest slum in Africa. It is just crazy to see the slums first-hand. Martin (our driver) said they fight the government when they try to put in sewer systems, etc because as soon as the gov't creates projects to improve the slum, the cost of living increases. Facts about how many people truly live there are up for debate, but we heard anywhere from 550,000-3.2 million. Either way, it is far too many.

View of Nairobi City

Of course we requested a traditional spot for lunch. I proceeded to order goat...which unfortunately, was almost inedible. I definitely needed one of those tooth-strengthening toothbrushes from the forest in order to eat it :/ Oh, aaand it had a wart with singed hairs. Tried to forget I saw that. Extra protein? But I did try a Tusker...local beer named after the brewmaster's brother, who was killed in an elephant stampede. So, that made up for it. #liquidkcals.
Jetlag was definitely in full gear today, so the rest of the afternoon was spent taking an incredible nap, playing Cards Against Humanity, eating, showering and passing out again.