Driving between national parks, we passed through lots of little villages in Kenya, with their version of strip malls.

The business names were a little… different. We started writing down the funniest ones. Note that somehow the word “butchery” is funny, no matter what goes with it. Strangely, Tanzanian business did not have the same quirkiness.

Here are our favorites:

• Amazing Funeral Services
• Caskets Galore
• Late Chemist
• Double Vision Bookshop
• Waki Motel
• Amazon Accommodations
• Plan B Highway Shop
• Happy Go Butchery
• By Faith Agrochemicals
• Twine Towerz
• Highway Butchery
• Divine Providence Computers
• Best Lady Hair Salon
• God’s Power Shop & Cafe
• Pivot Cool Bar & Butchery
• Silent Bar
• Travellers’ Butchery
• Nairobi Hardware (in a tiny village)
• Precious Dry Cleaner
• Bull Head Butchery
• Club Destiny Cafe & Butchery
• Kaka Butchery
• Meet & Greet Cafe & Butchery
• Honey Pot Bar
• Anointed Candy Shop

Cheetah, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Sorry, I’ve been taking another break from blogging. The safari was incredible, and also pretty strenuous. I’m happy to say that even with transAtlantic flights & a few 10 hr rides over bumpy roads, my leg (and the rest of me) did pretty well.

I’m getting ready for the 2nd trip to BC since we’ve been back, this one to Salmon Arms’ Roots & Blues festival.

In the meantime, I’m trying to catch up on posting all the Africa photos. Here’s a start… (Check out the sets: Safari, Nairobi and Africa, on the right-hand side.)

Lala salama (Swahili for “Sweet dreams.”)

Tomorrow, we’re off to TanZAnia, & probably no internet for a while.

Nairobi Kenya, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

HOLD THE PRESSES- Forget the giraffes- I’m going to be a GRANDMA! Congrats to Pete & Jo!!!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am!!!!

Yes, that’s me feeding kibble to a Rothschild giraffe at Giraffe Manor, where they breed this endangered species to return to the wild. I was amazed at how sweet & gentle they are- and how big!

We also visited Karen Blixen‘s house (Out of Africa fame) and the Kazuri bead factory which employs mostly single mothers, offering them & their dependents a worthwhile job at a living wage and medical care.

Our baggage has finally caught up with us, which is a good thing. (When you live out of a suitcase losing the suitcase is pretty dramatic.) Tomorrow we leave bright and early for the beginning of our safari! Connectivity will be intermittent, but I’ll post when I can…

Breakfast is served 6:30 am- 8:10 am. They LOCK THE DOORs at 8 AM. If you’re not in- no breakfast for you! And you have to sit @ your own table. We invited a friend (who had been assigned another table)  to join us & the waitstaff went ballistic. If you want condiments (except jam), you have to buy your own, which  are then kept on your table. That said, it is clean, safe & friendly, which is the important part. And thank goodness we’ve found a place just around the corner to get espresso. South Africans tend to drink Nescafe (ugh!).

This is MUCH better than the technical college we stayed @ over the wkend, where we had a room in Block C (no lie!) and I was afraid to take off my shoes. I have dipped my toes in the Indian ocean & found out there are 3 distinct clicks in the Zulu language. Oh, and guys from Swaziland are possibly the best dancers in the world! Even the accountants (or especially the accountants?)

But we were there with Sarina Condello for the Noah’s Child Empowerment Conference. There may be more info on her website, but let me just say it was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever been witness to. The sound of over 300 people singing the “Zulu National Anthem” is unbelievable. And we also had a drumming session (yes, over 300 of us playing African drums!)  The whole conference was to give the overworked, under or un-paid childcare workers a break, some fun and some new tools to use in their work with orphans of AIDS. I’ll have some pix later.

Next stop- Thurs- is Nairobi, where we’ll be staying 2 nights in a very swanky hotel. And then off on safari!

Off to Africa!

So, I’ve spent a little over a month in Toronto, which I’m loving. Obviously, the company is part of it, since I’m here w/my… I don’t know what to call him. Sweetheart, beau, boyfriend? At any rate, we’re having a terrific time. And that would be one reason the blog posts have not been as frequent.

We’ve been exploring the city, meeting up w/friends, and getting ready for more travel.

This one is a doozy. We’re leaving Sunday for about 3 wks in Africa. First up is a wk in Durban, South Africa where he & his work partner are presenting at a conference. Then, we leave for Nairobi and take off on a 2-wk safari!!! Yes, that’s right.

We’ll be seeing all kinds of animals & it’s also migration season for the wildebeests & zebras. And we’ll be stopping by Olduvai gorge, where some of the oldest human remains were found. Typical of me, that & the flamingos are what I’m looking forward to the most.

To get ready, I’ve been watching Planet Earth DVD’s & getting lots of immunization. And yes, I have bugspray & malaria pills. And a camera. I think I’m ready… I hope I’m ready…

Lady in window, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Click here for more pix… Still digesting the experience.

IMG_1559, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted… Lots has been going on. I realized a couple days ago that my blog is not just for my friends and family, but also for myself.

I met up with a friend for coffee and we were catching up on what all had happened in the last year. Often, friends who read the blog know more about what I’ve been up to than I remember.

(Thanks, DE, for noting that the extra pounds are probably directly related to the food pix I’ve been posting- esp the poutine.)

Anyway, some of what’s been going on:

• Went to Bernal for the winter equinox, which also this year coincided with a full moon & lunar eclipse. It was fantastic, and I love the town of Bernal a lot. We were about the only English-speaking tourists there. I’d been there on a daytrip before, but this time stayed 3 days. It was very calm & beautiful.
• Moved from my little casita in Colonia San Rafael to fancier digs in Colonia Guadiana. It’s a very nice house, and a VERY nice n’hood, but I sometimes miss all the racket. It’s a flat walk into town, which means I’m doing more walking & less taxis, which is great.
• Went on the Vagabundos trip to the beach (Rincon de Guyabitos) & finally got a bit of a tan. Went whale watching, stayed over in Sayulita w/a friend of senor’s. Generally a terrific lazy time, including a lot of fish-on-a-stick and coconuts.

Of course, there’s always a lot going on… The town is now gearing up for Candlemas, which is when the official gardening season starts. Last yr, it was pretty much wiped out by the rains, but this yr has been dry (normal), so I’ll get a better idea of what is supposed to happen.

Oh, and the chili cook-off is this wkend. Will report back…

Inukshuk sculpture Vancouver, BC

Sorry for the long absence! I was on a trip to British Columbia. Went to Vancouver, Victoria & then 10 lovely days in Tofino (on the West coast of Vancouver Island.) Had an absolutely lovely time with my dear someone, and the weather was faaantastic. (I think my weather curse has finally worn off!)

I did take lots of pictures, and boy, did we eat well. Can you believe I’d  never had Dungeness crab before? (I know, I know. But they’re kind of scary.) Well, I made up for lost time. Now I can eat one quicker than a sea otter. And oysters- raw, grilled, fried- you name it.

If you’re in Tofino & not into cooking for yourself, I can highly recommend the Wickininnish Inn and Sobo. At the Wick Inn (where they make their own butter- these guys are serious!), an eagle flew right past the window while we were eating. And Sobo has some of the best food anywhere. The polenta fries & fried oysters, oh my! For casual, go to the Jiggers fish & chip truck in Ucluelet- you won’t be sorry!

As my rental ends May 31, I found myself stressing out about “the future,” trying to plan & control things (b/c I’m so good at that!) But once again, the Universe showed me that it’s all taken care of, better than I could have dreamed.

With a LOT of help from my friends, I’ve found my next place to live. As of June 1, I’ll be back in Pt Townsend! Not only that, but back in my old apt, with the lovely red bookshelves! It will be such a delight to be back in familiar territory…

I called friends in Vancouver, WA & arranged to meet them for lunch. After all this traveling alone & meeting new people, it was really good to see some old friends. And it turned out that E’s daughter is a really talented artist, and I got to meet her & see some of her work.

Then got to Olympia, WA, called another old friend & chatted for a while.

April 26 I made a speed-trip to Pt Townsend to pick up some stuff from storage and had lunch with a friend I’d missed in my last whirlwind visit. We ate at The Spot, and had wonderful soup! I’ve never seen a “soup sampler” before (3 different kinds of yummy soup!) and it was great.

Then on to Seattle where P&J met me & helped me move all my gypsy stuff into their apt. Went out to dinner & saw their beautiful new house, and then “home” to my first night in my new digs in West Seattle.

April 27-29 So… I’m kind of settling in… This is the first time I’ve lived in a “city” (They tell me West Seattle is a place apart…) Not sure what’s next, but I’ve got all my gadgets hooked up & am getting the laundry done. I’ve gotten to see both of my boys & my DIL-to-be, which is great; I’ve really missed them!

I’m going to PT tomorrow… (storage again!) managed to get all my errands (oil change, haircut, etc) arranged so that I can be there on a Friday, which means (YES!) I get to go to Conversation Cafe and see a LOT of friends all at once. I need to do a post on Conv Cafe, b/c it’s one of my favorite things.

Can you believe… this trip was over 7000 miles, and Max the Prius did not have a single problem? I heart that car! And I did not lose one single electronic charger. And only ate fast food one time (Post, TX) I’m very proud of us! But I need a nap now…