Week 19

Our last few days in Kenya were spent in or near Nairobi with a focus on orphanages. On Tuesday we visited the Mully Children’s Family home in Yatta. Charles and Esther Mulli were very wealthy when God called him to rescue street children. Charles was abandoned by his parents at six years of age. Since they began, MCF has provided a home to about 7,000 children, bringing them in at all ages, caring for them and training them. They also bring in pregnant girls. They brought in a choir to sing just for us. Training is provided for all ages, even for the very young. The young children wanted their picture taken. 

Training centre for the youngest children.

On Wednesday we visited the Nairobi Animal Orphanage, the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre that was set up to preserve the Rothschild Giraffe. All were unique and very interesting. We also visited the Karen Blixen Museum. Karen wrote many books. Her most famous was Out of Africa which was made into a movie. At the end we stopped at a Masai market to pick up a few last minute souvenirs. What a pain! The Masai literally grab you and drag you to their display and almost demand that you “promote them” (i.e., buy something from them). We were glad when that was over.

Zeedonk - cross between zebra and donkey (not planned by humans)

Some baby elephants were covered with blankets to keep them warm.

 Warthog at the Giraffe Centre

 Karen Blixen Museum

At midnight we began our long flight to Warsaw where we have spent the last couple of days in transition before joining a Manitoba tour group in Ukraine. Was it ever cold in Warsaw, especially after our long stay in warm Kenya. After arriving we went to the top of the Palace of Science and Culture for a good view of the city and a view of a Leonardo da Vinci art display.

New stadium for 2012 European Cup (soccer)

On Friday we took a city tour that included a tour of the Royal Lazienki Museum – an outdoor park that included a statue of Frederic Chopin statue. 

Frederic Chopin statue

After many game drives in many Kenyan parks, we went on a “game walk” in the Royal Lazienki Museum.

We also toured tour Old Town Warsaw – the newest Old Town in the world. Warsaw was 90% destroyed during WWII under orders from Hitler. Old Town had an interesting museum of Madam Currie, winner of two Nobel prizes for discoveries that led to radiation treatments.

Old Town Square with restored buildings

 Gate to Old Town

On Saturday we toured the Warsaw Rising Museum – a museum depicting details of the uprising near the end of WWII that resulted in Hitler’s orders to destroy Warsaw.

On Sunday we will be travelling to Kiev to begin a new and final phase of our adventure – joining a large tour group from Manitoba.