Kenya Days 12 and 13 + Paris
I am late on posting about the last leg of our trip due to a bad head cold. I had to conserve my energy so that I wouldn't miss any of the game drives or activities that were scheduled for us!
Our last two days were spent in the Masai Mara in Kenya. This is located by the Mara river where the wildebeasts cross from Tanzania during their annual migration.
The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and the rooms were like normal hotel rooms but inside a canvas tent. It was definitely glamping! We could hear the monkeys and hippos right from our room. It was one of my favorite places we stayed because it made you feel part of the environment.
The highlight of the game drives for me was seeing a cheetah up close. We got an excellent view of his face and he was right next to our vehicle. It was truly an incredible moment.
Another exciting activity was the hot air balloon ride. Richard and Rick went in the balloon while David and I followed in the chase car since David did not meet the age requirement! Rick and Richard said they saw giraffes, hippos, and a pack of hyenas from up in the balloon! Our car met up with everyone and we joined the group for a breakfast in the bush.
We also got to tour a local school in the Masai Mara. This was such a great experience to meet other teachers and hear about their successes and some of the challenges that they face. Rick noticed some similarities included math and library. He even got called on to complete a math problem on the board! He also noticed that their daily schedule is different from his school and that there was less technology than at his school. David observed that the school had a cafeteria like his school, but that the food served is different. Overall it was a great experience and we learned a lot!
On our last night in the Masai Mara we were packing up and getting ready for bed when Rick said that he couldn't find Tigey (his stuffed tiger with baby). Richard and I turned the room upside down trying to find him to no avail. I suspected that Tigey may have gotten mixed up with the towels and might be with housekeeping. I called the front desk and they said that they would follow up and let me know. About 10-15 minutes later a staff member came by our tent...and he had Tigey! He told me that when he was turning down our room that monkeys got in and took Tigey. He then found the stuffed animal a few hours later on the other dide of the property, but could not remember what tent she had been taken from. He had housekeeping fill her with extra stuffing, sew her up, and launder her! We were all so thankful to the amazing staff at the hotel who tracked down and repaired Tigey. When we were recounting this story to my family the morning Uncle Ryan and Aunt Claire said they had seen a group of monkeys with a stuffed animal (they now know it was Tigey) in the trees and watched a monkey take a bite out of her butt! We all had a good laugh and are amazed that Tigey and her baby survived their adventure in Kenya!
We then headed back to Nairobi and flew to Paris later that night. Richard and I had planned an extended layover in Paris to help break up the trip home. We spent two nights in Paris and our only goals were to see the Eiffel tower, eat crepes, and visit the Louvre. I am happy to say we accomplished everything on this list along with a boat ride down the river! Richard and I were so happy to be back in Paris (first time since 2007) and take in all of the sights with our sweet boys.
