On the road!

We left Nairobi behind this morning but it seems to take a long time to actually get out of the city!!!  We were pleasantly surprised to have decent paved roads for most of the day.  We had a four hour drive to our destination and it was so interesting!  We travelled through lush, green farmland and it was awesome to see the produce stands along the road.  We also drove through small towns that awarded us with many interesting sights. We noticed that there are people walking everywhere!  Along every road is a trail formed by the people walking.   Our Land Rovers are quite comfortable.  They don't have air conditioning but if we keep the windows open the breeze flows through nicely.

We arrived at the Aberdare Country Club around 1:30 pm.  It is an amazingly beautiful place with gorgeous flowering trees everywhere, including pontsetta trees!  We had lunch here and then we travelled on a gravel road into the Aberdare National Park to our lodge, The Ark!  This lodge is an amazing place.  It is located in the middle of the jungle and it looks like Noah's Ark.  It has a large watering hole outside where the wild animals come for water and the minerals from the soil.  We are not allowed out of the lodge, other than to walk along a raised boardwalk leading to the lodge.

There are observation decks on each of four levels for us to,watch the animals.  We have to sit quietly, (this is killing me) but it is amazing!!  We have seen elephants, Cape buffalo, hyenas, wart hogs, various deer species and numerous birds.  There is nothing like sitting quietly on the deck with a glass of red wine and watching the animals as the sun is setting!  Paradise! It is so quiet and peaceful here!  Hard to even describe!

Through the night they will sound a buzzer in our rooms in the event that certain animals show up at the watering hole.  We are hoping for something exciting!

We have a great group! Everyone is bonding and having a blast!! I will add pictures of I can!!