The one where the Varanos come to visit (Kerry)

My parents have just returned to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania after a two week visit here to see us and their granddog Mosby of course.  They were our first visitors here and therefore our guinea pigs to see how much activity, altitude, and general African idiosyncrasies a couple of spry baby boomers can take.  They did very well and we feel confident we can handle anyone, so come and visit us!


After a few barks and some excited peeing on the floor, Mosby took right to them and loved all of the extra walks and attention and dog biscuits he received during their stay.

(note the permanent dirt stain on his nose from constantly burying his bones in our muddy backyard:)

We took my parents on two different safaris so we could compare experiences.  This was my first real safari in Kenya and Andy's first safari anywhere so we were very excited.  

We started up in Samburu, Kenya which is a desert and while it is not the primary location for safaris in Kenya, we chose to go there because it is less crowded and you have to work to see the animals.  We stayed in a wonderful tented camp with excellent hosts and we managed to see all five of the animals that are only located in Samburu--the gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe, the grevy zebra, the somali ostrich, and the beisa oryx--so we felt very fortunate.  Here are some photos:

Next we went to the Masai Mara where, as someone told us, it is like God took a suitcase of all the animals and dumped them there.  We saw everything (except a rhino) there and had a wonderful time. We stayed in another great tented camp and had delicious food too.  Here are some of our photos:

After the safaris we spent some time seeing the sights of Nairobi including the elephant orphanage, the giraffe center, a tea farm, and a flower farm.  Hopefully it wasn't too exhausting!

I should probably end here since this has become quite a long post.  We had a fantastic time with my parents and we miss them already.  Lord-willing we will see them in PA this spring for the birth of our baby!