The British Museum (filled with everything they stole from the rest of the world)
Exhibit A
I didn't buy them, don't worry.
Street Performer at Covent Garden
Trafalgar Square
Us, with no sleep, in front of Big Ben
The London Eye and the Thames River
The Underground
Westminster Abbey (Aaron's favorite stop in London)
Inside the Tower of London
One of the famous Ravens inside the Tower
Tower Bridge
The reconstructed Globe Theatre
Inside the Tate Modern
St. Paul's Cathedral
Desmond Tutu! His speech was amazing.
After Desmond Tutu's lecture with no sleep for a day and a half.
The outside of the Tate Modern
St. Paul's from the Millenium Bridge
An "inside-out" building. I can't remember the name, but it's a really unique building. All of the plumbing and air ducts are on the outside of the building.
A market in London. Also used for the Harry Potter movies. Recognize it?
Welcome to Kenya!
Two big stars in Kenya: Jesus and Tupac.
A retired Matatu.
A welcome greeting from the kids in Shankoe. When we drove into the village they were all waiting inside the gate singing. They prepared an hour long performance to welcome us. Aaron is trying to point out Gideon, who is in red.
This was no short performance.
A masai girl with a traditional girls headdress.
Gideon, our sponsor child, is in the front right. They were mesmerized by us (mzungus) and by the camera.
I was trying to video them playing a soccer game, but the camera was more interesting.
Gideon is in the front left.
The new classroom they just built.
I love their poses.
Torn between checking out the car or looking at the camera. When we left there were handprints over the entire car from them trying to see inside.
Aaron goes into the trunk to get sunblock while the kids watch.
She had an incredibly intense look, but was actually very sweet.
I'm pretty sure he is a local child who just came to see the Mzungus.
They gasped when Aaron put sunblock on his skin and then it disappeared.
I hit a kid in the head, and another kid hit Aaron in the head.
Gideon is great.
The school had both Aaron and me plant a tree with Gideon to signify new bonds of friendship between us and the school.
Us and some of the kids in the Shankoe project.
Aaron let some of the kids play with the camera.
Then he told them they could touch my hair.
Waving goodbye as we tried to back up the truck.
This girl made all kinds of awesome faces so we'd take more pictures of her.
Saying goodbye to the school was a long process.
Our driver had to back up very slowly because the kids were surrounding the car.
Gideon rode in the car with us to get closer to his village. Normally it's a five or six mile walk between his home and the project.
The women in Gideon's village ran up the hill to greet me with a song. The men are in the distance.
The woman second from the right is Gideon's stepmother. It felt weird to videotape them at the time, but now I'm so glad I can listen to it again.
Gideon said he was really excited to have us visit his home.
Gideon's father, outside of their home.
Us with Gideon, his father, and stepmother.
Everyone in the village wanted in on the action.
Us with Gideon, his father, and some other relatives.
Us with lots of kids! Gideon's family doesn't have any pictures of themselves, so they were really excited when we said we'd mail them prints. Everyone wanted to be in a picture.
Gideon and his dad. Notice his dad's traditional stretched ears.
Some of Gideon's uncles.
Me and Gideon's stepmother. His mom died a few years ago, and his stepmother has had two kids since.
Two years ago Compassion bought Gideon's family two goats with a Christmas donation we sent. Now there are over 14. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
The field in front of Gideon's house. His area is in the west part of Kenya, where the soil is more fertile and there is a longer rainy season.
Gideon's small village.
Random girl in the area who asked if I'd take a picture.
Like most older Masai men, Gideon's dad always carries one long stick and one short stick. They are used for herding cattle and are also symbolic of leadership.
No one knew what a "high five" was. Aaron is wearing the Obama bracelet that Gideon's dad gave him as a welcome gift.
Another girl from the village who looks exactly like a girl from a World Vision ad. She was so sweet.
Blocking our car as we tried to drive back to Kisii.
From our window as we were driving. It shouldn't be a surprise really, but we were amazed at the number of people walking along the road, all day long.
A town near Kisii with no garbage collection.
Inside the Great Rift Valley, where a lot of the Masai live. Kenya has had a severe drought this year that is expected to cause major starvation and economic hardship in the next few months.
Nairobi, from the top of the Kenyatta conference center.
Facing south. In the distance you can see Nairobi National Park and Game Reserve, which borders the city.
After half an hour of scheming we finally figured out how to get our handwashed clothes dry without paying the hotel to do our laundry.
View as we descended into the Great Rift Valley.
Verses like this were painted all over the place in Kenya.
Another view of the Great Rift Valley. As you can see the edge was a bit steep as we were driving down.
I think it looks just like him, don't you?
Yes we can, Yes we can. Obama mania.
Baboon.
Baboons were everywhere we went. The first day we took tons of pictures, but by day 5 they were just like the Zebras.
Anna and Weiley, friends on our safari.
Vervet Monkey
Pelicans in a tree at Lake Nakuru National Park.
At Lake Nakuru.
Our safari vehicle with a pop up roof.
Thousands of flamingos
A buffalo with a bird on its back.
A hyena with a flamingo dinner.
They are nasty, nasty creatures.
A little out of focus, but still very cute.
Lake Nakuru National Park
A male Waterbuck
A white Rhino. The black Rhino (which is the same color as the white, it just has a different shaped nose) is very endangered, so we never saw one.
The buffalo in Africa are nothing like American Bison.
A rare Rothschild's Giraffe.
If you look closely you can see tons of birds all over it, eating the bugs.
Our campsite at the Masai Mara
Entering the Masai Mara
The Mara was the most beautiful of all the parks.
A sausage tree.
Sunrise over the Mara
Part of the Wildebeest migration.
I kept telling them I just wanted to take a picture of the World Vision sign, but they insisted on being in the picture.
I wish I'd taken more pictures of all the stores in Kenya like "Blessings Hair Salon" and "Redemption Auto Parts." Even the matatus were named with religious phrases.
A Masai man waving as we drove past.
A Masai man herding his cattle.
A Masai village, with Bomas made of wood and cow dung.
Jackal
Wildebeest
Serval Cat, hiding in the grass
A leopard!
Get ready for the show. Rarrrrrr.
Our guide was really excited to see Lion's mating. Apparently we were very lucky.
After about five minutes they stopped, she did her business, and they went back to sleep.
A Guineafowl
Sunset over the Mara
Waterbuck and an Impala
Cheetah with a Thompson's Gazelle for breakfast. We just missed the kill.
Pumba is swahili for warthog. It's amazing how helpful the Lion King was on this trip. Disney really did their homework. "Simba" means lion and "Rafiki" means friend.
More cheetahs.
Later we got to see one chase a Thompson's Gazelle. It's amazing how fast they can run, but once they sprint hard they have to rest for a while before they can run again.
Zebras like to roll in the dirt to get rid of ticks. It's hilarious to watch.
Hippos!
Filberth, our amazing safari guide.
The "eagle" of the Masai Mara. I just can't remember its name...
A secretary bird. I'm so sad I didn't get a better picture because they are the coolest bird we saw. They have a little mini skirt that bops up and down when they walk.
Baby wildebeest feeding.
A male Ostrich.
The female.
A Topi standing guard as the others sleep.
A small pride of lions.
Masai men, dancing
The guy who jumps the highest gets the bride. Or in this case, the most cheers from the tourists.
A dance for the ladies.
Check out the beaded ear lobe on the woman in the middle.
A boma in a Masai village.
Lions eating breakfast. They usually hunt just after dark or just before the sun comes up, so it's hard to see a kill.
A huge vulture.
We saw at least 8 cheetahs on our trip, which is quite a bit. They're usually really hard to spot.
Masai giraffes.
Early morning game drive = Cold.
Our only flat tire of the trip. Who needs a jack when you have a big rock?
Rock piles as we entered Tanzania.
At the shores of Lake Victoria.
Boy by Lake Victoria who wanted to see a picture of himself.
A papaya tree.
Baby pomegranate
Sunset on Lake Victoria
That bird just sat there, like it was being paid to pose.
Sunrise the next morning from our tent.
We took a canoe ride out on the lake the next morning and stopped at a fishing village.
These storks were all over the fishing village. They are HUGE.
Inside the fishing village.
I went to take a picture of the boat they were building and this boy ran in front of the camera so he could be in the picture.
Then he pleaded to see the picture :-)
Fish for sale.
"Mzungu. Picture?"
Outdoor Pub.
Men transporting Sugar Cane.
There was a LOT of dust.
Elephants crossing the road. Probably one of the best parts of the safari was just sitting near the animals and listening to them eat and walk. Elephants are especially quiet and graceful.
*sigh*
They make cute little grunting noises when they eat.
Our campsite in the Serengeti
To the left of Aaron is our tent. To the right of Aaron in the background is the Buffalo who chewed grass right by our heads as we lay frozen in our tent for hours at night afraid to move.
Aaron and Filberth
Whoa momma.
We named her Cleave.
Leopard in a sausage tree. This was our second leopard, which is pretty rare. A lot of people travel to all the parks and never see one. Our driver had a really good eye and saw it from far away.
Yawning hippo.
Sunrise from our tent in the Serengeti
Lion kill, early in the morning. We saw two lions sneaking up on a herd of Thompson's Gazelles, then suddenly there were three more lions ambushing the herd and forcing them toward the other two. This lion caught a baby then played around with it for a long time, just like a house cat plays with a mouse.
The gazelle played dead, then the lion would swat at it to make it run, just so it could chase it.
The lion only had half a tail.
Game over.
Apparently we made a little too much noise watching the kill, so one of the females came over to check us out. Lions are known to slash the tires of vehicles in the park so we left pretty quickly.
An Acacia tree
Leopard # 3
She was playing with her food (a small Thompson's gazelle) when it fell out of the tree. As she ran down to get it a hyena smelled the meat from far away and ran to try to steal it from her. She got it back up in the tree, much to our relief.
Sunset over the Serengeti. The ground is black because they do controlled burns to help the grass grow.
Hot air balloons over the Serengeti. Aaron and I would have loved to do it, but at $425 per person it was out of the question.
Filberth, making fun of our accents.
He also made fun of us because of our excited phrases when we saw animals.
A Hyrax, I think.
A big cactus
Us in the Serengeti
Our friends in the other Land Rover
A Superb Starling
Gecko
Me next to an elephant skull
Johanna's dance off. The road to Olduvai was BuMpY.
Olduvai Gorge, the "Cradle of Mankind."
A dust tornado in Ngorongoro
View of Ngorongoro Crater
Two elephants with linked tusks at the entrance to our campsite.
Our campsite at Ngorongoro
Some zebras grazing in front of our bathrooms.
An elephant wandered into our campsite during dinner.
He just wanted to drink out of the water basin that the cooks use.
Our safari group at dinner, including friends from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Zurich, and Brisbane.
Ngorongoro was freezing at night. Thankfully my mom's sleeping bag was awesome.
On the crater floor.
Inside Ngorongoro Crater
Sunset at the Crater
Annabelle and Dan pose with the Cheetah
Migrating Wildebeest
Zebras with a hyena in the background
Crowned Cranes
Hippo, outside of the water. They usually only come out at night.
Sleepy lions
A Baobab tree
Our hotel room in Arusha, Tanzania
Traditional Tanzanian dinner, including fish...
Local chicken...
Fried bananas...
Ugali (a staple corn dish)...
and Greens.
Outdoor foot market on the beach in Stonetown, Zanzibar
Lamb, Beef, Octopus, Crawfish, Prawns, Kingfish, Baracuda, Lobster, and more..
Fried bananas, Zanzibar "egg" pizza, Cassava..
Outdoor food market in Stonetown
Fresh sugar cane juice
Making sugar cane juice
Bedroom our first night in Stonetown
Hotel lobby. This place was an old sultan's palace. It's amazing..
Breakfast on the rooftop
House where Livingstone stayed, now a national monument.
An old persian bath, built for one of the sultan's brides.
The wall carvings were beautiful.
Bananas
A "deformed" twisted coconut tree.
Tumeric
Coconut Tree Climbing Man
This guy is a local who climbs coconut trees for the "mzungus" just to get a tip. He said he sometimes does this 20 times a day.
He's almost to the top.
Getting our coconuts. This guy is nuts.
Jambo, Jambo Bwana, Habari Ghana?, Mzuri Sana....(Hello, Hello Sir, How are you?, Very well)
Ginger
Cinnamon Tree
A strange fruit that I forgot to write down.
Cinnamon
The shell of a Durian fruit.
Lipstick plant!
Another strange fruit I can't remember.
An orange tree
A “Tapioca” tree
Baby Star Fruit
These trees have spikes all over them.
Cloves
Coconut Farm
Baby Lime
Pepper
Our Swiss friend Daniel, with help from the Lipstick tree.
Nutmeg Fruit
Nutmeg
We were basically forced to wear all of these coconut leaf accessories that our guide's assistant made as we wandered around the spice farm.
Bedroom at Pongwe Beach, on the East coast of Zanzibar
The view from our room at low tide.
Beautiful doors, all over Zanzibar.
Aaron's legs, not mine.
We swam in the ocean once the tide came in.
Sunrise the next morning.
A stingray, caught by a fisherman with a spear.
He also caught this octopus, which the waiter from our hotel promptly took to the kitchen.
Fishermen dragging nets at low tide.
Our room is on the left.
All we did was sleep, read, swim and eat for two days. It was a great way to make up for 10 days of camping.
Looking for crabs and sea stars.
The old Anglican Church and Former Slave Market in Stonetown. The church was built over the former site of the whipping block.
Basement dungeon where slaves were hidden after the British outlawed the slave trade and the slavetraders illegally continued it on Zanzibar.
Hundreds of slaves were kept in this room.
Anglican church, over the former slave market site.
One of many signs celebrating Livingstone. He's a major hero in Zanzibar.
Doors to the church
Doors to a random building on the street.
Wall decoration outside the old fort
The old fort in Stonetown built by the Omani Arabs in 1700.
One of my last visits to a squatty potty. You'll be missed.
Doors inside the House of Wonders
View of the Indian Ocean from the top of the House of Wonders
Overlooking Fordhani Gardens
The streets of stonetown are impossibly complex. Everytime we left the hotel we got lost.
View over the rooftops of Stonetown.
Our room on the last night of our trip. This room was open air on two sides, with the shower to the left. This place was incredible....
Steps leading up to the "Harem Style" bed.
Window in the bathroom
Steps from the entrance room up to the rooftop deck.
View from the rooftop deck above our bedroom.
Bridge to the rooftop room.
Complete with a swing! And couches. The room was cheap by American standards, but I booked it over a year ago to make sure we could get it.
Mosque by our hotel that woke us up and sent us to bed.
Sunset behind the House of Wonders
Sunrise the next morning as we said goodbye to Zanzibar.
Greenland, from the plane.
Alexander Calder piece, on the streets of Chicago. We found this by accident and I knew right away that it was a Calder.
We had a long layover in Chicago so we took the train into the city for an hour.
Formerly known as the Sears Tower. They've renamed it the "Willis" Tower.
