Another Saturday, another trip to Nairobi! When someone leaves we all tend to pile into the free taxi for the ride in, and this weekend we went to the Giraffe Center, a breeding center for the endangered Rothschild Giraffes.
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| Hello pretty lady! |
A son (or grandson?) of a Scottish Earl founded it with his wife in their backyard, and it's blossomed into a major tourist and school destination. Giraffe Manor, on the same campus (which I think used to be their private residence), is a swanky, exclusive place to stay where the giraffes can walk up to your bedroom window or interrupt your afternoon tea!
The draw for us was the feeding platform: you get to climb up and meet the giraffes face to face!
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| So excited!!! |
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| Watch out for headbutts!! |
You also get a few handfuls of pellets which these ladies were all VERY eager to get to!
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| Well hello! |
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| How polite! Such nibbles! |
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| Whoa crazy lips and tongue! |
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| Greedy! Don't steal my secret supply! |
This young lady above, Hellen, was my main friend (Daisy, in the tree shot above, had tried to eat my whole hand in one bite--a bit too scary!). One of the keeper suggested I go for a kiss with Hellen, where you hold a pellet in your teeth and she nibbles it out daintily!
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| Giraffe kiss! |
While she wasn't dainty (she MAY have slobbered all over my face with her rough purple tongue...), it was hilarious, especially watching the other residents go in for smooches too! Apparently we all make awkward giggle faces while holding pellets between our lips!
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| Chin slobber! |
There are also a few resident warthogs lazing about down below the platform area--no idea where they came from, but they seemed to be enjoying the good life.
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| Silly pumbas |
We were happy to donate our money to keep the Center going, both through our admission fees and through some sales in the "zoovenir" shop.
We enjoyed some shopping, sight seeing, and lunch in Nairobi together before all heading off to different places. For me that was a bumpy matatu back to Naivasha, and a chill Sunday morning getting some wifi and enjoying some coffee at the local Java house.
One week left in the hospital!
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| Giraffe selfie! |
-M
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