US AID dairy farm

HiOn the way home from samburu we were fortunate enough to stop and see another one of jens projects. US AID took applications from over 400 people wanting to improve their agricultural business and 21 projects were selected. The livestock market we saw was one of the them along with the dairy farm ran by a women named Agnus. We were greeted by a lady that has a dairy herd of 10 cows, laying hens, boilers, and a few of every animal. She is the only person in northern kenya to have purebred milk cows and produces some of the best milk and yogurt. Agnus was awarded a grant to build a new dairy barn to hold 20 cows and a chicken house to hold 2000 laying hens. It is quite a project as they needed new power and water ran to the site. She currently has 14 employees but will increase to 16-18 at the new site. She isn't even in the new buildings yet but she is already looking towards what is next. She is quite the entrepreneur. She is so appreciative of the US people for helping to increase her supply so she can feed more people.

It was amazing to see and hear her positive attitute. Against all odds she is making a difference to her community and soon to her region and beyond. Her yoghurt is better than anything I have ever tasted and she will hopefully soon be selling it in stores. What an inspiration to us all.

We continued on our journey home to Nairobi where we will get to relax for a few days.

Samburu elephant tent camp

Our last destination on this leg of our adventure is samburu national park where we will be staying at the elephant tent camp. After paying our park fees we made it to our camp for the next few days. The elephant tent camp is just as it sounds but we stay in 5 star tents and eat good meals. Safaris are usually active in the early morning on late afternoon so upon arrival we settled in and had lunch before we left our our safari at 4:00. I must mention that we have had the same driver/guide and vehicle since we left niabroi. Here the drivers are with you 24/7 along your drive which is awesome to have as they know the animal locations and local language. So Thanks, Joshua. While waiting to leave for our safari an elephant walked right past our tent and we had monkeys trying to get in. We are literally in the middle of no where but have Wi-Fi of course.

On our afternoon safari we say a bunch of different types of gazelles and antalope. Elephants. Giraffes. Zebras and birds. But to see the big five we needed to find a leaphord and lion. With no luck we headed back to camp for supper and to get up early to try again.

The next morning we left at 6:30am for our morning safari. After a short while will spotted a leaphord walking in the dried up river. It was beautiful. It doesn't tale long for word to get around that a leaphord had been spotted as vehicles came from all over.

They are experiencing what is expected to be the worst drought in 60 years.  Huge rivers are almost completely dry. Many animals have moved on looking for water while some die from lack of water. It is a very sad situation with no man made fix available. I ask all of you to add Africa to your prays for rain as they desperately need it.

After seeing the leaphord we were pretty excited but little did we know that we would be finished up seeing the big 5 with a lioness hunting a small zebra. We could tell the lioness had babies recently. Of course once again vehicles came from everywhere to watch the hunt which slowed the lioness down. After a while of watching and waiting we decided to leave her be.

At the night hunt we were fortunate enough to spot another leaphord along with seeing the same lioness and her kill, a small zebra. They are beautiful creatures.

Along with seeing lots of monkeys and baboons  (Lyndins cousins) we ended our day at sunset with drinks.

Tomorrow we take off back to niabroi after we stop at a local dairy to see their operation.

USAID Livestock Market

Today we are spending the day at the US AID cattle market which is one of Jennifer's projects. The building of the market was completed in January of 2017 and the first market was held in May. The market is home for locals and brokers to buy and sell goats, sheep, cattle, camels, and donkeys. It is very similar to the Waverly animal swap that we attend a couple times a year. The animals are first brought in through the screen area. Vet inspections are not common here and are only used when requested. With herds roaming it would be hard to keep accurate records. The sellers then gather their animals in a group and wait for a potential buyer. The buyer and the seller make the transaction themselves. Some animals are bought for local consumption and some are bought to be shipped to bigger cities. We received a tour from the project manager and livestock coordinator. Will was able to offer insight on how we do things and we were able to gain insight on how things are done here. There are a lot of similarities since this is a us project.

The cattle are sold per head instead of per pound as we do back home because of the lack of scales. You buy what you see here where we have some sort of records on vaccination back home.

The locals are taking great pride in the market so far which is helping establish a more consistent pricing structure. The women feel safe going to market alone because of security and not having to carry so much cash due to bank on-site.

It was quite an adventure to learn about how our market system is beginning to work in Africa. I am sure it will be am adjustment to the people but hopefully the outcome will be successful.

Lyndins safari

Today we took the day to please lyndin and Samuel by going to the animal orphanage by mt. Kenya. It was the best day yet. Lyndin absolutely loved this place. The animals are all rescue animals and live and wonder in the orphanage. Lyndin got to feed monkeys, baby buffalo, and ostrich. She made friends with the tour guide and got personal treatment. We saw Cheetahs, hippo, llamas with a day old baby, a variety of monkeys, antalope, leaphord, and so much more. There was a 152 year old tortious that lyndin was able to sit on. I really wanted a picture of that as I remember seeing my mom riding a tortious. It was great to see her run and play and be happy like she is when she is home on the farm. I will be adding pictures once we are back home.

Tomorrow we head to our next destination and visit the cattle market.

Safari

We woke up early to get a good start on our animal search. I love checking cows but this was pretty amazing. Ol pejeta conservancy is Huge with hundreds of different wild animals. We started by first seeing Angola cows which are Wills favorite, imagine that. They have huge horns that grow straight up. They are native to Uganda but they brought them to the conservancy to produce embryos to put into their native cows. Their native cows are mostly dairy breeds so they are hoping by using the embryos they will get more beef influence. I forgot to mention....this is also a business trip which you will hear more about in the coming days.

Next onto the rhinos. We were fortunate to see both black and white rhinos and even a baby that was only a week old. In part of the conservancy they have a blind rhino that they rescued and you are able to feed and pet. Lyndin was alittle afraid but stepped right up to feed it with daddy's help. That's my girl.

We say hundreds and hundreds of zebras, gazallas, impelas, worthogs, cows  and bush bucks.

Along with elephant families, cape buffalo, hyenas and a couple gariffi. It was pretty awesome.

They have a chimpanzee conservancy within the park. You are able to see some of the 36 chimps that make that place their home. Chimps are not native to this region so they are acquired through caught smuggling, poachers killing mother's and babies are displaced and other unfortunate circumstances. To make a donation to help the chimps Lyndin became a junior member.

After 6 hours of safari we headed back home to roast a goat. Yum!

The equator

On the way to our destination we got to stop at the equator. A gentlemen showed us how 20 meters north of the equator the water goes down clock wise and 20 meters south it goes down counterclockwise and on the equator it goes straight down. Of course it is a tourist attraction so for 600 shillens you can get a certificate stating you were there  along with pictures, so we did it as we will probably never see it again.

We piled back in and onwards we go.

After going up some small hilly roads we made it to our house for the next few days. This place is up on top of the hills with nothing but miles and miles to see. We are able to see mt. Kenya right from our bed. It is completely different then the beach house as it has windows and doors and it gets cool out. They haven't had rain since April so it is getting very dry and thru are not expecting relief till December. We complain when we don't get rain for a couple weeks, imagine 8 months.

We settled in and had supper and made our plans for the morning.

And we are off...again

After a peaceful night back at the house in Nairobi we woke up and started packing for our next adventure....Ol pejeta conservertory near Mt. Kenya. First we got to experience the market as we needed to get good and supplies for the trip.

The mall is basically just like ours back hone but they have butcher shops for meat, grocery stores for fresh fruit and veggies and small clothing shops and knick knack shops. Nakama is like the Wal-Mart of Africa which basically everything you could need and prices similar to American goods. Will and i got pop to bring along which will be a nice treat. They ever had a pizza hut street car but i didnt have enough time to try it. Maybe next Friday when we go to the misai market (farmers market/flea market)

When we arrived home our safari truck pulled up. This thing is right out of the movies. Our driver, Joshua, we be with is for the next five days as we enjoy seeing the sight and animals of kenya.

Our three hour ride to our destination was very interesting. We got to see corn fields, coffee fields, del Monte pineapple fields which will be imported to the usa, logging farms, tree farms, rice fields, cows, goats and chickens everywhere. Roadside markets selling fresh local fruit, coal, rice. They are a year round growing season so they can usually get two crops depending on the rain. They are currently in a mild drought so water supplies are limited. Jennifer said in may they had to truck water to their house in order to have a water supply.

No matter where we go people are always trying to sell you something. So people are high and want to be very persistent while others let you be. When I think of a third world country I dont expect everyone to have cell phones and modern convenience but they are very modern here but about 15 years behind us. The music they listen to is the music I listened to at the skating rink 15 years ago. They have car washes and televisions and most places have Wi-Fi. Golf courses and dominos pizza. Their water is full of bacteria but they still drink it so they are sick alot. Jenn keeps saying there are the haves and the have nots. When we went to knokama it was like shopping at shopko back home.

But then you drive through the villages and you see such filth and poverty, but they could be the riches people around.  Kids go to elementary  school and depending on the parents finances go to high school and beyond. Jobs are limited as there is way more people than jobs so unemployment rates are way high. The cost of labor is so cheap here so the women and the men both work depending on what jobs are available. It is a different world in most ways but in some ways not so much.

Goodbye beach

Day 6 we said goodbye to the beach. What an awesome adventure. We got to experience things you would only dream about.  Like seeing turtles go to sea. Sand and water for miles. Monkeys everywhere you turn and just all around tranquility. We ate our last seafood lunch and took off to the airport. After an hour flight we were greeting by our driver and headed into rush hour. Can you image 5 million people all trying to go somewhere at the same time? It is CRAZY. Horns honking, motorbikes going in and out of traffic, pure crazyness. I still can't get over how dirty it is here. Even the air is dirty. We can't drink the water as it is full of bacteria  so bottled water it is.

The country is trying to make some improvements to infrastructure and running water and electrically lines to help improve quality of life but like I said, they add 1 million people a year.

August is election month which happens every 5 years. In the 2007 election there were multiple attacks and people as two tribes were pinned against each other. That really put a stop to tourism and it still hasn't recovered. They are expected this election to be a peaceful on but they still but everything on high alert and discourage and sometimes forbid travel into the country. We thought Trump and Hillary were bad. This is a million times worse over here.

Tonight we have some time to unwind and repack for our next adventure which we leave for tomorrow afternoon....stay tuned.

Our beach week

We arrived safely to a beautiful 4 bedroom house that could be in a magazine. It is all open and authentic. There are no windows and locks on all the doors to keep the monkeys out, yes monkeys. There is a pool right in the social area which we are learning is stressful with Lyndin.

Of course we jumped right into the pool after settling in. Lyndin loves the water and has no fear of it. She has learned to jump off the edge into my arms and would love to do it without me catching her, I'm sure.

Part of this adventure is getting to eat fresh seafood for lunch and dinner prepared by the personal chef. As you should know, will and i love seafood and lyndin has followed in our footsteps. The previous day we place our order with a local fisherman as to what seafood we would like for the following day. Lobster. Grouper. Parrot fish. Oysters. Calamari. Crab. Red snapper. Everything was so delicious. I can say that we will be seafood out of awhile after this trip.

The beach is just a short walk from our villa. It is beautiful and no one in sight. Actually most of the hotels and resorts are empty as the election is in August. And in 2007 there were attacks amongst the tribes and it got bad so tourism basically stopped. It is trying to bounce back but very slowly. The beach is nothing like I had seen before. Water for miles and the tide is so unique. It is never in or out at the same time. The locals seem to know exactly what time it will be high or low tide but we couldn't figure it out.

Starfish Island

Day 2 we went on an adventure to starfish island which is a tourist attraction and conservation area established by a local fisherman named Siaid. Did you know that starfish came in a variety of colors and some even have 6 points? Because of the unique colors locals would sell them to tourist as souveniours and the starfish population declined. So Siaid gathered the local fisherman and asked them to not sell the starfish and instead establish an area for them to live for the future generations to enjoy. After years of trying he finally succeeded and picked a small sand beach that can be seen at low tide to gather the starfish.

Upon arriving to starfish island you go around a gather the starfish you can see and place them in the center of the island. Here you could play with them, take pictures, and Siaid told us all about them. It was a neat experience and we have never seen a starfish in person let alone a colorful one.

Day 3 was a rainy day but we were still able to enjoy the beach and the pool inbetween rain showers. We decided to take a taxi to town to see some sights. We stopped at a restaurant that was right on the beach and got to see parachutes jump from the plane and land on the beach. It was cool.

Day 4 we went with Siaid to a snorkeling area he knew. When he said we had to walk to it. We had not idea what he meant. Through the weeds, down a cliff and a long ways in the water but we finally reached a pool that was perfect for snorkeling. I was the first to try it out. Man it is a different experience when bottom is 10 feet below you, but i managed to do a few laps and see some unique fish. Then it was wills turn. He jumped in and how a mild panic attack so quickly got back out. He was able to enjoy it in the shallow water where he was able to touch ground. You defiantly have to be a good swimmer to snorkel. We were not really fans of it just because of not be able to touch bottom.  So we traveled back to the villa just in time for supper and bed.

Starfish Island

Day 2 we went on an adventure to starfish island which is a tourist attraction and conservation area established by a local fisherman named Siaid. Did you know that starfish came in a variety of colors and some even have 6 points? Because of the unique colors locals would sell them to tourist as souveniours and the starfish population declined. So Siaid gathered the local fisherman and asked them to not sell the starfish and instead establish an area for them to live for the future generations to enjoy. After years of trying he finally succeeded and picked a small sand beach that can be seen at low tide to gather the starfish.

Upon arriving to starfish island you go around a gather the starfish you can see and place them in the center of the island. Here you could play with them, take pictures, and Siaid told us all about them. It was a neat experience and we have never seen a starfish in person let alone a colorful one.

Day 3 was a rainy day but we were still able to enjoy the beach and the pool inbetween rain showers. We decided to take a taxi to town to see some sights. We stopped at a restaurant that was right on the beach and got to see parachutes jump from the plane and land on the beach. It was cool.

Day 4 we went with Siaid to a snorkeling area he knew. When he said we had to walk to it. We had not idea what he meant. Through the weeds, down a cliff and a long ways in the water but we finally reached a pool that was perfect for snorkeling. I was the first to try it out. Man it is a different experience when bottom is 10 feet below you, but i managed to do a few laps and see some unique fish. Then it was wills turn. He jumped in and how a mild panic attack so quickly got back out. He was able to enjoy it in the shallow water where he was able to touch ground. You defiantly have to be a good swimmer to snorkel. We were not really fans of it just because of not be able to touch bottom.  So we traveled back to the villa just in time for supper and bed.

Lazy day

Our first full day in kenya was a lazy day. We slept till 11:30 am to catch up on our lack of sleep the last 2 days. Then Lyndin and Samuel were able to play outside and just enjoy the beautiful 70 degree weather.  After supper we were off to bed early.

Saturday June 17 we left for our first adventure. A week at the beach. We had a crazy car ride to the little airport. It was the first time that I got to see kenya in the daylight. Crazy. Scary. Sad. Dirty. Are the words that come to mind. The cars have the steering wheels on the opposite side and drive on the opposite side of the road. There are no stoplights or stop signs, just round abouts and their horns telling other cars to make room. Speed bumps keep the speed down but also make for a bumpy ride. There are a lot of people walking right along with the cars and they do not move for the cars at all. I dont know how many times I could have reached out of the car and just touch someone. When the roads are full and you have to stop and wait your turn there are people everywhere trying to sell you things. They have some very good entrepreneurs here but unfortunately costs are high and profits are low. It is sad how dirty this place is. Trash is everywhere and people live right among it. They build their houses out of whatever they can, tires, tin, wood, trash.

Arriving at the airport is completely different then home. There is security EVERYWHERE in Africa. No matter where you go you are searched or scanned. In reality they are protecting the people from their own people. There are places that we are not allowed to go that is why we always have drivers. It is indescribable how much security there is. You would think that security detail alone would produce enough jobs, but i just learned that Africa has 38 million people with 1 million more added each year. I guess when you don't have a job you have plenty of time to procreate.

There is minimal security at the airport compared to other places. For instance there are three guarded gates just to get to Jenn' s house. At the airport we basically walk right on to the plane with whatever we had.

We had a one hour flight to Ugunda which would take 8 hours by car. After arriving we were greeted by the driver and started on our way to the villa. Let me tell you...i will never complain about our gravel roads again after traveling these dirt roads. The last turn closest to the villa is almost completely washed out. You would never completely understand how poor this country is without witnessing it yourself.

We made it.

Leaving Tuesday night June 13th for Minneapolis mn for our hotel and car babysitter while we are gone went very smooth. After a pretty unsuccessful night sleep it was finally departure day. We had most of the day to kill so i decided to treat myself to a pedicure and manicure while will and lyndin layed low. 2pm it was time to move our car to long term parking and head to the airport. After walking right through security all we had to do was sit and wait. Since Lyndin was out of her routine she took a nap so that helped time go by. We were able to board the plane early in order to get Lyndin' s carseat secured and ready to go. For the first flight we had seats in the middle row. That was a tight fit especially with the car seat. But non the less it worked. Lyndin did great on take off and loved having her own tv screen and movies to watch. We were provided supper and breakfast which wasnt the best but after the second  flights food we found out it was awesome. 8 hours later and little sleep for us all we were on the ground in Amsterdam. We had a 4 hour and 20 minutes layover and let me tell you it was the longest layover. Lyndin was dead tired and fighting sleep and through a huge fit. No matter what we tried she would not stop. It was a rough couple hours for will and i but as soon as we got in the plane lyndin was sleeping and quiet. International fights are terrible compared to american flights. Terrible food. No charging ports and they kept the lights on.  9 hours later we landed in niabroi kenya around 10:15pm their time.

We had to go through immigration as soon as we got off the plane. We we escorted to the front of the line since we had Lyndin with us and basically walked right through. After waiting for luggage we were off to look for our driver. 25 minute car ride and we arrived to grandma linda and antie Jenn waiting for us.

Our next adventure!

V56 Farms is about to embark on our next adventure. At least for 3 weeks that is. The other half of V56 farms lives in Kenya, Africa. Will's sister, mom and nephew reside over there due to his sister's job so we are getting the opportunity to travel there to see what their life is like over there. Will has been over there twice already but as a young single man and not with an almost 2 year old and wife. So tomorrow night after work we are traveling to Minneapolis, MN to spend the night before we take off. Our first flight is 9 hours long with a 4 hour layover and then another 9 hour flight. My nerves heighten just from typing that. I am hoping Lyndin leaves her attitude at home and traveling goes just fine, but with her you never know.

We spent this past weekend prepping friends on the cows, chicken and sheep/goat chores. Tried tying up some last minute projects and packing, packing, packing. Packing wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as we will have laundry available and summer clothes fold up smaller, but just the fear of forgetting something can become overwhelming.

We have all our shots done, passports ready, visa's verified and two days of work left before we take off. Stay tuned for pictures and updates!