The only real hiccup in our travel plans occurred today……..we arrived at Victoria Falls airport knowing we would have a delay for our flight to Nairobi, but we had no idea it would stretch to over three hours……….thought we would be lucky with lounge access……..the lounge in Vic Falls airport is really just a collection of chairs in a closed in room, with substandard AC, a couple of TV’s, some questionable sandwiches, and some absolutely no way chicken things (I think it was chicken), but hey, it’s free booze. Our best estimate for arrival at Giraffe Manor somewhere around 2:30am, which is pretty much what it turned out to be………landed in Nairobi, cleared customs in a heartbeat, driver was still there to pick us up (amazing), pulling out of the airport we almost sideswiped a couple of zebras, and I thought, shit we just paid good money to go to Botswana for this………anyway, the boys at the manor were there to greet us, put a shot of something in our hand, and get us upstairs to bed…..3am, and by the way, the giraffes usually wander over to the house at 6-6:30. Jutta and I are asleep in a heartbeat, and I am still unconscious when she sneaks out of bed at 6:30 to go visit her friends.
Could have used my kikoi in the lounge tonight
Giraffe Manor has a long and interesting history, reaching back to those colonial days when Brit’s and other Nationals owned substantial property in Africa. The short story is that it was a Scotsma, Dunn was his name, I think, from the Macintosh Toffee family (love that stuff, but it dislodges my implants if I eat it now) who built it back in the 30’s, I think, and it was supposed to, and does, resemble a Scottish hunting lodge. This guy leaves in the 60’s, again, I think, Google it OK, and moves to South Africa and builds another one just the same down there. There is a bit of a limbo before a husband and wife buy the joint to set up a sanctuary for Rothschild Giraffes who are facing extinction, and they start the program which still exists today, and along the way, teach the giraffes some behaviour you would not expect from this animal. Once again, the pictures tell the story, but the handlers, who are also your waiters, are fantastic. The property has since been sold to a group called Safari Collection, I think, can you tell my attention to detail is not what it used to be……..lack of sleep. Safari Collection owns four places in Kenya, one of them being the manor, another in Samburu country which we are booked at next, another in southern Kenya, and one called Solio, a rhino sanctuary. The only way for us to get into the manor was to book at another camp, hence the Samburu booking, but when Jutta heard of the rhino place, and we hadn’t checked that box yet, no question, we were going. Just a couple of emails to Mike in Toronto and it was arranged………we are going to Solio to check that box.
I drag my ass out of bed around 7:30……..Jutta is just wired as she has been downstairs having photo ops with the giraffes for the past hour…….I have to admit, it is very very cool, and also quite unreal.
The area just down the road from the manor is where Karen Blixen had her coffee plantation……..remember “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford…….great film, and it happened right here…….there is now a museum, her house, a restaurant, all things “Karen” everywhere you look. We will try to visit on our way back through Nairobi.
Sitting down for lunch, I decide to try and identify as many things as possible with giraffe motif
We have the whole day ahead of us, but all I can manage is a trip to a local market, while Jutta is off to the giraffe info centre with some of the other guests……..it is out of the bag that it is my birthday……….they delivered a cake to the wrong guy at lunch, and I had to fess up that it was me. There appears to be a plan brewing for a celebration this evening, but I have already told the group that if they intend to sing, they had better do it BIG like we do in Collingwood……….might have scared them off. We meet a lovely couple at dinner that night Kathy (Kenyan born…….I think), and her husband Jimmy (Scottish, no question), who now live in Edinburgh around the corner from my brother. Travel agents BFS………but great folks who really know their stuff…….Gran Prix Cruises!!!!!!!……might take a look at that. There is some singing led by the waiters, but nothing like the boys choir from Cwood………I am given a drink called a DAWA………poison, but I am asleep in half an hour.
More giraffes this morning before heading to the airport for our flight back into the wilderness.
Some parting shots from a short but very memorable stay at Giraffe Manor…….a totally different experience from being out in the wild, but very worthwhile………all the rooms at the manor are named after giraffes.
HUGEBLOGSITE 