Adopting a Baby Elephant

I'm so excited! I posted on the Tripadvisor Nairobi forum asking advice on what Chris and I could do in our 24-hour visit to the city. A fellow poster informed me that, for $50, I could adopt a baby elephant through the Sheldrock Wildlife Trust. As an adoptive parent, on the evening of our arrival, we can visit our chubby little buddy at 5pm, meet the handler, and put our little elie to bed!! Yes please!!

You might not be able to tuck the little guy in at night, but you can adopt an orphan too! http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp

Tales of the Golden Monkey

Remember that show from the '80s? I don't remember much but I do remember thinking it was pretty cool ... It was a ripoff of Indiana Jones and was only on for one season. I think I need to watch a few episodes on Hulu. Anyhow, I digress, this is not the golden monkey I'm talking about!

We have a free day during our stay in Rwanda. One option for the day is trekking golden monkeys! These little guys are a subspecies of the blue monkey and are found only in the bamboo forests of the volcanic mountain chain that forms a part of the boundary between Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC. Hopefully we'll have pictures to post of these little guys.


Check out this site for more info: http://www.awf.org/content/solution/detail/3509

Safety Precautions

For those of you concerned about our safety while we're in Africa, Chris and I want to assure you that we have researched this trip for more than two years and have taken every precaution to ensure that we're safe.

First, we planned our trip through a travel agent. Usually we plan our own trips, because we love the thrill of exploring new places, but this time we left it to the professionals.

They carefully planned our trip not only to ensure our safety but they've also made sure we go to the best places to view wildlife. We will be staying in very nice lodges and luxury tented camps. We'll be traveling with groups and will have professional guides the entire trip. Fortunately, we will never be in a group with more than 12 people. Who knows, with the economy and the recent swine flu outbreak, maybe we'll have our own personal safari!

Second, our friend Veronique just completed her foreign service training and will be stationed in Niger as a foreign diplomat at the end of the summer. She gave us some excellent advice and is giving us contact information of an American stationed in the Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. We also registered our trip with the U.S. State Department. If anything happens in one of the countries we visit, the Embassy will know we are there, which makes us feel good. On a side note, it's pretty cool to know a foreign diplomat. Way to go, Vern!

Finally, we continually check the state statement department web site to ensure there are no restrictions on areas we'll visit. We also stay up to date on current affairs in Tanzania and Rwanda.

We are very excited about our trip, and we assure you we will take every measure to make sure we are safe!

Diane Fossey Foundation

We've all heard of Gorillas in the Mist, the story of Diane Fossey, a scientist who devoted and sacrificed her life protecting and studying the mountain gorillas in Africa.

Chris and I will be visiting Rwanda's Parc National des Volcans where Diane Fossey conducted her research. This will be a life changing experience and has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I can't wait to share stories of our visit with the mountain gorillas!

Please visit the Diane Fossey Foundation web site (http://www.gorillafund.org/) and see how you can help protect the endangered mountain gorillas. There are less than 700 of these spectacular creatures left in the world!

I Bless the Rains Down in Africa

We're going to Africa. We're really doing it and in less than 3 months. This is a trip of a lifetime and I want to make sure that I share our experience. We leave on August 18 and return on September 2. We will spend 10 nights in Tanzania and 3 nights in Rwanda. We fly from S.D. to Detroit and then on to Amsterdam and finally to Kilimanjaro. We are NOT checking any luggage!

To the left is a map of places we're visiting. I've broken it down into 7 areas:
1: Arrive in Kilimanjaro. Overnight in Arusha to recover from jetlag.
2: 2 nights in Tarangire, the 3rd largest park in Tanzania
3: 1 night at Lake Manyara
4: 2 nights in Ngorongoro Crater
5: 3 nights in the Serengeti
6: Depart from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi and then on to Kigali, Rwanda
7: 3 nights in Virunga Lodge in Rwanda.

I will try and post as much as possible while we're on our trip. Surprisingly, most of the lodges and tented camps where we're staying have Internet access. I hate checking email and using the Internet while I'm on vacation. I prefer to cut myself off from reality when I'm traveling, but I really want to capture every moment of our African experience.

I'll keep posting details as our departure date draws near. The one final thing we need to do before we leave is get immunizations. Ouch. I hate shots. :(