SO today was a non-program day. Unfortunately the message didn’t get through to my brain and I therefore was wide awake at 5:50am. I gave up and on my way to the bathroom looked up as usual to admire Kili in the early morning light. Kili was there looking as beautiful as ever but so too was the full moon! A perfect bright circle as the sky went from gray to light blue and pink. I dumped my stuff under the sink and raced to get my camera I had left in the library last night. I spent the remaining time before the moon was hidden my clouds taking pictures. After brushing my teeth and tiptoeing back into and then out of my banda I put the pictures on my computer and fiddled around with photo enhancing software I have until the breakfast bell rang. This morning a group of people were going to Oloitokitok to get things from the tailor and the walk around the market (today was market day), another group was going hiking, and some stayed at camp. I stayed at camp and tackled the mountain of laundry that has been growing. Once all my clothes were clean (or as clean as I could get them) and hanging out to dry on the line I crawled back under my mosquito net and read until lunch. Last night I had voted to go to a lodge just outside Amboseli National Park to have their buffet lunch and go swimming in their pool. By 12:30 a group of eleven students, the two alumi, and a few staff members loaded two cruisers and we headed off. The lodge was gorgeous with high ceilings, open floor plans, and wonderful views of Kili. The buffet was good although the dessert table was less exciting than we had in the Serena Lodge in Tsavo. Still I very much enjoy the beef meatballs, the salads, and lamb on a stick. The eating area was circular with a central staircase going up to a small eating area with a viewing area at the very top. The lodge also had two large (but smaller than life size) giraffes overlooking the buffet which happen to be directly behind our table. I chose a seat that gave me an unobstructed view of Kili while I enjoyed potato croquets and pasta salad. After we had paid for the buffet, a group of us wandered to the bar located across the main walkway from the eating area. This area was full of comfortable couches and chairs around low coffee tables. The bar was dark wood with the usual glass shelves in front of mirrors as the back drop. Most of the students got beer and after perusing the menu I ordered a Bush Boy Cocktail. It’s the Kenyan version of a screwdriver: vodka, grenadine, and orange juice. It was very sweet, red, and came in a fun glass. Finally everyone moved to the pool and what a pool it was. It was a free form pool with a deeper inner pool connected to the pool deck via two small wooden bridges, a circular hot tub at one end, and a shallower outer ring of about 0.8 meters deep. The water was cool and very refreshing. For a while we swam, held breath holding contests, floated, and raced. Like the buffet we had a perfect view of Kili. I got my camera out and began documenting and somehow ended up being group photographer. We did get one really cute group photo of us group on one of the bridges with Kili shinning in the background. The pool was great and the pool attendant provided each of us with a small mattress to put on the lounge chairs which were lovely to stretch out on after swimming. I of course was under my towel to prevent my skin from turning frightening shades of red even though I had applied a lot of sunscreen. The other students headed back to the bar but I stayed at the pool enjoying the silence broken only by the breeze ruffling the acacia trees and the call of the doves perched in them. We left the lodge by 5:30 pm and drove to a curio shop a few kilometers from the lodge. At the curio shop they had carvings, jewelry, paintings, spears, masks, shields, drums, and all sorts of other things. Wandering through I saw lots of things I liked but none that fit my strict luggage requirements or small, and study enough to survive travel. I could also hear my fellow students at the front bargaining and not having much success. These two factors enabled me to limit myself to three small items when I checked out. I am not the world’s best bargainer but I was pretty happy with myself for these three things having gotten the man down to less than half his original price. Back in the cruiser we headed for camp with only a very quick stop in town to drop off a tire that needed to be repaired. I had just enough time to bring my laundry inside the banda before the dinner bell rang. Since it is Passover we had a totally kosher meal and one separate dish of pasta. I must admit to eating a large helping of pasta since the other options did not appeal to me as much and I have to tramp through another wildlife sanctuary tomorrow and will need energy. After dinner the Jewish students here led all of us through a one hour sadar service. This was really interesting since I had never been to one before. Each student got to read a part of the story and those that knew Hebrew sang or said the prayers. The administration refused to allow the traditional wine so we made do with grape juice. It was also not possible to get matzah out here so a few students had made true unleavened bread this afternoon which we tore into pieces. The real treat came when we got to eat cut up apples and walnut covered in cinnamon which is another traditional food for sadar service. I have not eaten an apple or walnuts since leaving the US so this was incredible! And now I am writing this in the library before going to sleep in preparation of a long day tomorrow.
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