Adrienne Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I have just returned from three months travelling through Africa and Europe so I thought I would share some photos with you. They are not all lovely scenic pics, there are some very real life stories shown in these. Please feel free to ask any questions. I will post them over a number of days as not to bore you. We flew via Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok - Nairobi - Johannesburg to Victoria Falls Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls in their glory The bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia and the gorge below it Our hotel - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 :spop: stunning I think Liam also 'owes' us some photos of the Amazon..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 We then flew to Nairobi. We did not stay in the five star tourist hotels. In fact the driver who later dropped us back to our hotel said that never in his 25 years had he dropped tourists in the part of Nairobi that we stayed in. However it was a 3 star but only cold water and no toilet seat. Our view from the hotel and the surrounding streets. This is the true view of Nairobi, it is not necessarily the Nairobi that tourists get to see. In the second set of photos we visited some mission schools in the tin slum area of Nairobi. No water, no sanitation. The children we met are beautiful, friendly and talented. They were happy to see us and sang and recited for us. A lot of the songs were from their life experiences; orphaned by HIV, poverty, child abuse. Nairobi streets - you will note the mud. This was only the very beginning of the wet season but there is no drainage. by our hotel school suitcases stacked on the roadside for sale The slum area, we are talking hectares and hectares of tin/cardboard buildings here One of the mission schools, the buildings are on the left and the play area is where the children are sitting. this was the Library - a single sack of books holding text and library books. I say was because 3-4 weeks ago the school was broken into and the books stolen a class of young children, up to 35 inside a tin room about 5x6 metres Lunchtime - the children lined up and waited patiently for what is for the most of them, their only meal of the day Spot me in this photo. This was half the school. Those lucky enough to be able to pay the NZ equivalent of about $6 had the necessary gumboots. We had to buy some too but left them behind for the volunteers who run the school and teach there. No paid staff here! It was a very thought provoking, humbling and worthwhile experience to be able to meet the children and the workers there. We visited 5 out of 6 of the schools run by our contact in Nairobi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostknife Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 alsome photos but good to see you back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 I want to send them books now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 So sad but so inspiring, nice pics Adrienne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 when I was 5 years old my dad worked in the missions in Nairobi, first time I have seen photos of there tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 So sad but so inspiring, nice pics Adrienne. It was, very much so. I thought after visiting India 7 years ago that I had seen the worst but in fact Kenya was by far in a much worse state. The people there are lovely, even wandering in the streets near our hotel we did not once feel at risk. We are hoping to assist in the slum areas in some way. While a lot of people say that the task is too big, even if you can assist one person then you are making a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 After Nairobi we flew to Kisumu on the edge of Lake Victoria which we used as a base to visit our sponsored child Oscar, who is in the Rangala Family Project run by Childfund. Oscar was orphaned at the age of 4 and has been cared for since then by his step uncle (same father as Oscars father but from his no. 2 wife. Oscars mother was the no. 1 wife) and step uncles wife who have three young boys and another child on the way. We took gifts for Oscar - Oscar only asked for one item from a list however we were able to supply all and we were also in a position to be able to pay his school fees for the next two years which is when he will finish secondary school. They are a lovely caring family and we were so happy to meet them. Pics - Oscar with my husband - his caregivers - their family Lake Victoria local scenery and at on display at the local park a view of life in the Kisumu/Rangala region, children walk kilometre after kilometre to school. People sitting on the roadsides were everywhere, just watching life pass by Cichlids at the aquarium in Kisumu. Tanks were not well looked after. These cichlids were also found on my husbands dinner plate at nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Wow to the beauty :bounce: for others! Thanks for sharing...looking forward to more pics! Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 We headed to the Mara, a drive which due to the rain the night before took 6 hours instead of the normal 1 1/2 - 2. Arrived mid afternoon and headed straight out on safari until dusk. The next day we had two more drives and visited the Masai Village. Not a way I would choose to live -no water, no electricity, very dark smokey little huts which they share with the young stock and a lot of very smelly manure filled mud. Oh, and flies everywhere, in the kids eyes, up their noses, in their ears. However, who is to say they would be better off if they moved into a city like Nairobi! We were fortunate to see 4 of the big 5 on the game drives plus a lot of other animals and birds Masai Village Some of the animals/birds - the leopard, one of the big 5 rarely seen a pair of cheetah, out hunting at dusk hippo, nearly as wide as they are long water buffalo elephant and the classic photo - giraffe at sunset the Ugandan or Crown Crane as it is more commonly known Eagle? and last one - Ostrich, not quite with its head in the sand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 wow, more amazing pictures Adrienne. Looks like an awesome trip you must have had. :thup: :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 I LOVE the elephant photo !drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 We then headed to Lake Nukuru (known for its pink flamingo) via Lake Naivisha (where Out of Africa) was filmed - Lake Naivisha Lake Nukuru - more pelican were present than flamingo white rhino - solitary and a grazer of scrub black rhino - found in groups and a grass grazer 2 of 3 lioness sleeping up in a tree, waiting for the nearby zebra to come under them for shade baboon - the first of many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamBro Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 awesome pictures! people dont realise how good we got it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Off to Zanzibar, Tanzania (also known as the Spice Island) lovely beach resort, somewhat marred by the hawkers if you set foot on the beach. Lovely Stone Town. Dozens of lizards in the hotel grounds. This was our break before heading for two weeks of safari through the Serengetti and Ngagorongoro Crater. incredibly effective taxi service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 :thup: :spop: Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Next stop Serengetti - vast expanse, there was no way I could photograph it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Now where have I seen that bird with the white eyes before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Those penguins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Ngorongoro Crater - at 10,000 ft high on the rim it made walking up the slight slope from our room to get breakfast very hard work. Even on the crater floor its 7,500ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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