sailing and safari

This weekend was my first trip with the Mountain Club of Kenya, sailing in Naivasha. I never thought that during my time in Kenya I would ever be hanging out in a sailing club, but expect the unexpected in Kenya. We drove to Naivasha Saturday morning and I was immidiatly shocked by the amount of wildlife around the sailing club. There was a huge field with hundreds of water bucks, zebras, hippoes and wildebeast. I went for a walk through the field where the animals were grazing and walked right up to a giraffe. I could have touched it I was so close. Then I went sailing, what a rush! I was standing completely horizontal off the side of the sail boat to counterbalance the wind in the sail and we were moving fast. Sunday I was supposed to go hiking at hells gate national park, but it was canceled so I went with some others to Lake Nakuru National Park, home of the pink flamingos and rinos. This place was amazing, I walked right up to a rino, he saw me and turned and looked right at me. I quickly took this picture and ran back to the car because I did not want to see what he was going to do. The German ladies I was with thought I was nuts but it was real fun. I can't get over the amount of wildlife everywhere. In Canada it is a big deal to see wild animals, but here they are everywhere. Everyone at work is telling me that I am turning into a tourist.
A couple of weeks ago I went to a Kenyan wedding. I was the only muzungu (white guy) there and it was hilarious. Some of the kids had never seen a white person and their reactions were priceless. Some were so happy and others ran away from me. I think I was a guest of honour, they wanted me to give a speech. Fortunatley my collegue told them that I would not. But the camera filming the ceremony seemed to spend a lot of time on me. Anyway, the couple getting married had recently found out that they would be able to immigrate to America. This was seen as a blessing to the entire village and they were so grateful for the opportunity. It really helped me appreciate the priveledged lifestyle I enjoy.
Thats it for now.... busy busy busy.