Kijabe, Kenya

I have now been in Africa for only three nights... but have managed to fit plenty of activity in already. Thursday night I glided nicely onto the tarmac in Nairobi, made it quickly through customs, and was finally able to relax when all three of my bags showed up on the baggage carousel. My parents, John, and Joe were all there to pick me up. It was a wonderful feeling to finally be reunited with my family (and Joe)! Our house at RVA is not too far from the airport, about an hour drive... nothing like the 8-10 flights that I was recovering from. The house is cute and cozy. It is strange in a very magical way to land in this completely foreign place, to find that my family is quite comfortable and at home here. Sort of bizarre, but also very convenient.
Yesterday John, Joe, and our friends Shannon and Caleb, all rode the motorbikes down into the valley to Mt. Longonot to climb up and around the crater there. It was a long, steep hike with great views throughout. Afterwards, we went to the ranch (where Shannon and Caleb's family live) which is this unreal, perfectly beautiful piece of property. They live in an "Out of Africa"-esque stone house with a long, pleasant porch looking out on green lushness. They have two great dogs running around and a water hole/little lake just a short walk from their house. The swim was greatly appreciated after the long, hot hike. I changed colors as the thick layer of dirt shed from my skin... unfortunately not only did that signify that I was clean, but also that I wasn't nearly as tan as I thought I was. Not to worry though, it doesn't take long to get a tan in Kenya. The sun is shining, warm and pleasant, every day. Not too hot, not too cold.. just the right warmth, with a nice breeze.
I still have a lot of things to get used to here, not the least being the time change. I have not visited the dreamland too much since I left Seattle. Africa has kept me more than sufficiently entertained.. so despite the lack of sleep, low energy has not been a problem.