Lake Nakuru National Park is located at around 200 km to the northwest of Nairobi. The road to Nakuru has recently been rehabilitated, which means that it takes around 2 hours and a half to get there, and the drive across the Rift Valley is pure pleasure.

We had been told that there might not be many pink flamingos because they had already started migrating south, but there were definitely more than just a few, still lingering around the Lake. They formed a beautiful pink rim around the lake, creating a breathtaking view!

We also saw many rhinos, buffalos, giraffes (from a distance), zebras, baboons, warthogs -love how they run with their tails straight up!

Zebras

Pink flamingos

Buffalos

Rhinos

Rhinos and zebras

Naptime!

A very colorful lizard

The newest shopping mall in Nairobi makes you feel like you’re in the US. It boasts many nice shops, cafés, a huge, well-stocked supermarket, cinemas, a food court on the top floor… And of course, the prices also make you feel like you’re in the US, a rather expensive city in the US, that is…

You come back from Kenya with the impression that Obama is Kenya’s new president. Obama’s face is everywhere: wall, bus, T-shirt, and of course kikoy, a cloth that locals wrap around the waist. A vendor in the City Market proudly sells Obama kikoys in a variety of colors!

Near Nairobi is a baby elephant orphanage, where they take care of baby elephants rescued all over in Kenya. The orphanage is open only one hour per day, during which the public gets to see the babies being bottle-fed and play with each other in the mud. They are so small and adorable! The elephants have a blanket and a raincoat on their back not to catch cold (some of them were sick when they were rescued). They all eventually return to the wild.

There was also a baby rhino who was born premature. At three months, it was only about the size of a normal one-month old, but was full of energy and running around the open space, eager to play with the public.

My first time in Kenya! I was in Nairobi for a training and took advantage of some free time to visit the city and go for a safari. Nairobi is probably the only capital city that has a safari park nearby. Indeed, the Nairobi National Park is about half an hour away from the city centre, and you get a curious picture of zebras and impalas just a few feet away from you and the office buildings in the back.

On the way back from Soavinandriana, we stopped on the road to buy some avocados and guavas. We bought a dozen of avocados and a huge basket full of guavas, which we brought back to the office and distributed to everyone.

It’s Mother and Child Health Week in Madagascar. Twice a year, in April and October, this campaign helps mothers and children catch up with their vaccination, get Vitamin A, deworming and preventive malarial treatment for pregnant women. A visit to local health centers in Miarinarivo and Soavinandriana gave us an idea of how things were being carried out.

Most of the mothers queing up for vaccination or other treatments are young and the babies in their arms are not their first! A 19 year-old mother with her third child, next to a 26 year-old mother with her fourth… Family planning seems to be something that they think of once they reach the desired number of children, which can be anywhere from 5 to 15! “Yuki, you’re very much behind!” Oh yes, I have a few kids to catch up…

Supposedly, greetings can be sent until January 31st so I’ve just made it in time! Happy New Year to all visitors of this website, past, present and future, known and unknown (by me)!

By the way, my son celebrates his two months of existence today!

The year 2008 is drawing to a close – happy holidays to everyone! It was a great year, a wonderful, terrific, amazing year! I had the superb experience of watching my belly grow for nine months and of feeling kicks, jabs and hiccups inside. I really liked my belly and towards the end I even felt a bit sorry to have to let it go, but what came out of it was a thousand times better, since I now have in my arms the most adorable creature! May the year 2009 be just as full of wonderful surprises and discoveries…

I’ve just put up a new website on our biking trip across the south of France.
If you’re interested, please look under “Links” or click here.