Next Stop: Africa & Madagascar, Sept 8 -18

This is the Animal Planet portion of the trip!! Did I mention lemurs? After a night in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, it's off to the much anticipated Madagascar, the island off the southwest coast of Africa. Only 2 flights a week on Air Madagascar (AirMad) to choose from. My goal was to get to the Berenty Reserve on the south end of the island and, after a month of work, I found a great American tour group that put together a trip for me to the Berenty Reserve.***** After 5 days in Mad, it's back to Nairobi Africa and the highlight of the trip - one night at Giraffe Manor. In the gorgeous manor house (built in1932) and 120 acres, the owners have been taking care of orphaned giraffes since 1974. The giraffes are so tame that they will put their heads through the open windows as you are eating your meals. There are only 5 rooms in the manor that are available for booking, and I was incredibly lucky to be able to get my one night there. One of the bedrooms is furnished with all of Karen Blixen's ("Out of Africa") furniture that she gave to the owners before she left Africa. My second day in Nairobi, I hope to visit Nairobi National Park, just south of the city. It's interesting that Nairobi is a city of over 2 million people and yet the city is a short drive from roaming Zebras, elands, impalas, gazelles, warthogs, ostriches, giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, hippos, etc.. There is a fence that bounds the park but it's not unusual for animals to make a break for it. *****Leaving Kenya, I fly to Dar Es Salaam ("haven of piece" in Arabic) in Tanzania for one day before leaving for Russia. The exotic island of Zanzibar is a ferry ride away from the city and one last African adventure before heading to Moscow.**** Happy Trails, Marion

Giraffe Manor - Nairobi, Kenya, Africa