Our stopover at Nairobi was essentially dictated by the schedules of our flight arrival and our safari departure the next morning. We had changed our plans slightly to allow us more time in Nairobi. But until the last moment we had kept our plans for Nairobi open.
We used our time in Nairobi to catch up on our sleep and to enjoy some surprisingly scrumptious Indian food at the hotel. And in the middle we jumped out to visit Bomas of Kenya and Giraffe center. Well, we could have visited some more attractions if we had let go of the sleep or food or both. And given that we were embarking on our safaris the next day, we did not opt for visit to Nairobi national park.
Bomas of Kenya
Bomas of Kenya gave us a brief glimpse into the culture of tribal Kenya. Boma means enclosure. So the name was fitting as they had recreated the village scenes for almost all tribes in Kenya. The quirky huts and enclosures the tribal families hinted on the social hierarchy of the members of family and how they might have stayed. And all the tribal societies seemed to be polygamous with separate huts for wife #1, #2 and #3.
We also got a chance to watch the exciting tribal dance forms from different regions of Kenya. The music, costumes and dance steps all were unique to each tribal culture and so different from anything else. In the last dance of the Masai tribe they even pulled me to take part as a jumping dancing partner. However, the highlight of the performance was the amazing acrobatic show. They performed great stunts, astounding us with their strengths and flexibility alike. And our hearts jumped to our throats with their play with fire.
Giraffe center (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife)
The Giraffe center is home to around 6-8 endangered Rothschild giraffes and gives you a rare opportunity to feed them by hand. The entry fee goes towards the care of these animals.
We took handful of the pellets and climbed on the platform. We waited as the caretakers banged the utensils signaling that food is here and attracting the animals. It took some time as the giraffes seemed to be full from all the feeding throughout the day and didn’t want to go for another snack. But slowly and surely one of the imposing frame was goaded to come to us. And later another one joined them.
The giraffes are such massive creatures and they look even bigger up close. Such gigantic head with an enormous black tongue. And, feeding was so much fun. Yes, it was frightening at first and then felt icky when the coarse tongue slurped at the pellet in our hand. But, once the initial shock was over we enjoyed feeding them one pellet at a time.
If we had the time and the money, we would love to spend at least a night at Giraffe Manor which would be like a private home in the middle of the giraffe land. You could spend as much time you want watching and interacting with these majestic creatures.
Do you have a story to tell about your Kenyaexperience? Drop in a comment or send us a mail. We will definitely reply. All the interesting tales will be published in a special feature.
