So after a 3 day safari to the Samburu Wildlife Reserve, we're back in Nairobi. The safari was surely the best part of the trip so far and I have a hard time imagining anything better. We saw every animal from the Lion King aside from zebras. We were even lucky enough to see a leopard up in a tree, a sight that 80% of people who visit Kanya never see. My favorite animal, of course, was the giraffe. Samburu has a species called the Reticulated Giraffe, and is the only place in Kenya where they exist. They are a beautiful deep auburn color and were so amazing and beautiful. Our camp site was constantly invaded with Black Faced monkeys who were very curious of us and liked to steal things from our camp, such as tea bags and sugar and run into the woods with them! There were also baboons who showed quite a bit of interest, though our safari guides would chase them into the woods with sticks before they could get very close. It was amazing and wonderful and I suggest anyone with an interest in wildlife make it a point to go on a safari at some point in their lives. rnrnYesterday Beth and I took a day trip to a few places in Nairobi with Ken, the owner of the hostel at which we're staying. First we went to an elephant orphanage that rescues baby elephants who have been orphaned for a variety of reasons, often from their mothers being poached for their tusks. The elephants are cared for by a human mother 24/7 so the mothers can feed them (Isomil baby formula), cover them with blankets when it's cold (they are very susceptible to pneumonia), put sunscreen on their ears (normally they are under the shade of their mothers), and even sleep with them. Eventually they are released back into the wild once their behavior is accepted by a elephant tribe. After that we went to a breeding facility for Rothchild Giraffes, which are endangered from human destruction of their habitat in Western Kenya. We were able to hand-feed the giraffes and I even got kissed by a few! It was a dream come true! After that we trekked thru the muddy bush looking for Jock, a 6 meter tall giraffe who is the largest living animal on Earth! Unfortunately all we found was a lot of mud, as Jock was nowhere to be found. It was still really cool and our guide, Ken, answered all of my many questions about giraffes and Africa (Did you know a giraffe's heart is 1 foot by 2 feet in diameter?!). We ended our day trip with a visit to a bead/pottery factory that employs single parents. It was cool to see them all working in the factory. They were very friendly and loved to have their pictures taken. We ate dinner at a famous Italian place in the city center called Trattoria with amazing Italian food. Unfortunately I was going on 24 hours of a very upset stomach, but I couldn't resist and suffered stomach pains later, though it was worth it. Luckily I'm feeling much better today. rnrnTonight we are taking a train to Mombassa on the South East Kenyan coast. It is supposed to be breath-takingly beautiful there and will be a nice change from the concrete city of Nairobi. A girl from Taiwan who went of the safari with us will be coming along and it should be a good time. Unfortunately I can't upload pictures from where I'm at, but I have many that will be coming in the near future.