Back in Nairobi and on to the elephant orphanage

Brad and I went to our hotel and then over the the Fairview were we hooked up with some of the group. Together we ventured to the Sheldrake Elephant Orphanage near the Nairobi National Park. There are 14 orphaned elephants in their keeping and one baby rhino. One elephant was found only 1 day old in a ditch.

It is amazing to watch the keepers with the babies with such loving simplicity. It is all men and they are totally devoted to the elephants. Brad was a bit tired when we headed out but he was really happy he did go and said it is definitely worth the visit - especially if you are going to see your adopted elephant! To learn more about the work being done and adopt an orphan click on the link above.

Tomorrow we head out to the Mara so this is going to be my last post until we come back on the 28th. I should have some wonderful photos and stories to tell so stay tuned!

Photo captions: The eye of an elephant and this handle plays with the little boy who shows his budding tusks.

Post card from Mombasa

Yesterday we had another massage and this time did not go in the ocean.

Brad napped most of the day on a lovely day bed with the ocean breeze through his hair.

Today we travel back to Nairobi and hook up with the rest of the Safari group at the Fairview Hotel for dinner. Tomorrow we head out to the Mara.

Having a great time!

Wendy and Brad

Cattails Saga Part 2

HE WHO MUST PLAY WITH ME (HWMPWM) and SHE WHO MUST GROOM ME (SWMGM) at not home yet. I will make my presence known to them anyway. I am powerful and capable of reaching out the them from long distances to tell them what I am thinking. They know I am displeased and will make them SUFFER upon their return.

It seems they have found good hunting there they are. TASTY FLYING FOOD is all around them. I like FLYING FOOD. SWIMMING FOOD is also there. That is good to watch but I prefer FLYING FOOD. I wonder if they will bring some home for me?

Time to take a NAP on THROWN in FIRE ROOM but there is no heat from FIRE BOX. Why doesn't HE WHO VISITS THE HOUSE (HWVTH) keep fire in box for me? I will have to voice my complaint next time he shows up....

Mombasa Day 2 - Mixed emotions

Mixed emotions is how I would describe today. Brad and I had a two hour massage at Tulia Spa. We felt mellow and relaxed afterward. We had some lunch and headed to the pool after Bathing Suit Safari this morning, an adventure that was very successful.

After sitting around at the pool for awhile we decide to take our first dip into the Indian Ocean clad in new bathing suit. I wasn't in the lovely warm waters 30 seconds when a blue beaded string stuck to my hand. I tried to pull it off and it stuck to my other hand, then to my leg and then the other leg. By now I knew this was no ordinary filament! I headed to shore (only about 1.5 feet deep when this happened) and the locals came rushing up with plants. I had been stung by a jellyfish! I never saw the little bugger, only its tenicle which is oddly blue.

Several minutes later the stings really began to swell - they were already definitely painful. About 5 guys were rubbing plant on my hands, arms and legs. After about 5 minutes I finally headed back to the hotel area and the guard, who had never seen someone stung by jellyfish before, took me to a bar where they brought me first vinegar then hot water with salt for the stings. I was swelling quite a bit at this point but the pain was subsiding.

I went back to my hotel room and took a hot shower, which felt really good on the stings and took a homeopathic remedy. Brad and I took a nap in the room and I have decided that I will stick to the hotel pools from now on.....

Mombasa!

I found Brad at the airport and we waited for our flight to Mombasa. Once in the air I looked out the window to see Mount Kilimanjaro! That made the hassle of addition flight worth it right there. The mountain loomed large over the clouds. Safaris Unlimited are going to create a horseback ride to Kilimanjaro - I must get details from Gordie for my next Safari.

We arrived in Mombasa and checked into our hotel. Brad, after two overnight flights, immediately took a shower and went to sleep. I went exploring around the hotel. Perhaps the best way to describe it is like a Cruise ship on land. There are several restaurants scattered around and a couple of bars. Last night there were three live bands, one for a wedding, another for a business gathering and one at the dining hall.

We traveled half-way around the world to be entertained with Patsy Cline and Elvis tunes. it made Brad laugh. On the other side of our room we could listen to the night club DJ spinning tunes. It was stereo base beat until after midnight and Brad was fully awake due to jet lag.

I had signed up for wifi internet service (so I could write my blog) but our room reception was spotty at best. Since we were both awake we decided to go looking for a better signal. We found seats near the pond and reception was better but the waiter wasn't very friendly - he was a real crab and a bit stunned from having his photo taken. Later he scuttled off sideways to go for a swim.

During the day my explorations discovered camels on the beach, water sports and the spa. The Indian Ocean water is warm and today we will go for a long walk on the beach and a dip in the waters.......

Africa Wins Again - and so the adventure begins.....

There is an expression in Africa, AWA, Africa Wins Again meaning that anything can happen even when you think you have the best laid plans. It seems that Africa's influence traveled many miles beyond its borders today as we headed for Kenya.

I started out with a wake up alarm at 3:45AM for my 7AM flight. Little did I realize how small Munich Airport is. I was more than two hours ahead. Not even the check-in counters or passport control were open! I found myself a nice cappuccino and settled in to wait. My flight to Heathrow was uneventful.

Brad and I planned to meet at a British Pub near our departing gate for our flight together to Nairobi. We had gone on line and paid extra to ensure that our seats were together. When I arrived at the terminal I checked that his flight had arrived. They said it had come in at 6:30AM. So I started looking for Brad in the British Pubs, then all the restaurants and finally in all the seating areas.

No Brad.

We had agreed to meet at the gate if we missed each other for breakfast so I sat down and got something to eat. Afterward I headed to the gate and still no sign of Brad! Well now I started to wonder what was going on so I went back up to the service desk to have him paged. I found out that the service person checked the wrong arriving flight - from BWI, not Dulles (BTW they have no arrival screens in this terminal). His flight was delayed and he had just landed but he WAS NOT going to make our flight!

He did not bring his computer or have an international cell phone and I began to wonder how I would tell him I was going on. They put a message on the computer but I wasn't sure he would get it so I texted and emailed him in hopes that he would find a place to check email.They rebooked him on the evening flight to Nairobi which means he will have flown two overnight flights in two days. I hope he gets some sleep!

Sure enough when I landed I got an email from him. He will arrive at 6:30AM with plenty of time for our flight to Mombasa. So there is no harm done and Africa Wins Again.

Photos: my cappuccino in Munich and my view of the African coast as we flew over.

The Cattails Saga

I knew something was up! HE WHO MUST PLAY WITH ME (HWMPWM) brought out those caves again. HE piled up his REMOVABLE FUR and put it in the caves - right in from of my CLAW HONING devise. Who does he think he is????? I will kneed on the REMOVABLE FUR and maybe find a nice place to sleep...

SHE WHO MUST GROOM ME (SWMGM) has left home again. She brought out caves and also piles of REMOVABLE FUR. She has done this before this is always a

BAD SIGN.

Now I have to groom my own fur! I will show her.....

I will deposit a FUR BALL on my THRONE in the FIRE ROOM where she will find it.

HE WHO VISITS THE HOUSE (HWVTH) was here. Another bad sign for it means SWMG and WHMPWM will be gone for a long time. He is trained but does not come often enough. I will have to make it more clear that twice a day is not enough. Maybe I won't use the MULCH IN A SANDBOX but go somewhere else and then he will get the message.......

I will have to work on HWMPWM for my ALL THE TIME DOOR when he returns....

For now I must plan how to punish SWMGM and HWMPWM for going away. ^..^

Kindle recovered!

The taxi took Tina and me to the airport. He waited while I went in to reclaim my Kindle. It was at the Service Center as promised - hooray!

When I got back to the taxi the driver wasn't there so I waited inside the airport. After a few minutes he appeared. It seems Tina was quite overweight (her bags not her) for EU travel and so they charged her 150 Euros for the added weight!

I realized she did what I did (only once!). She booked her international travel but did not include the London - Munich leg. She booked that piece on a separate ticket with Lufthansa. When the entire trip is not on one ticket the European domestic portion is under EU weight rules. OUCH!

So if you ever plan to fly to Europe and want to try and save money by booking a piece separate from your international flight be careful because you are allowed much less weigh on the domestic portion. Sometimes it can cost so much you might as well book the whole trip as one so you can bring two 50 lb bags. Live and learn.....

I am not ensconced in the hotel and leave here at 4:30 AM for my 7Am flight.

Bad Tolz day 9

Today is our last day at the training in Bad Tolz. Last night we went to a traditional Bavarian restaurant for dinner. Almost the entire training was there. It was quite a lot of fun and the food was great. I loved the saurkraut! A could of people ordered the duck. In Ikoku's case it was almost as big as she was!

The waitresses were dressed in traditional clothing and the beer flowed from a keg. We all had a great time. Our group was doubly celebrating because yesterday afternoon in class we gave our presentation of teaching an Awareness Through Movement lesson to everyone. Now we can sit back and enjoy watching the other two groups give their presentations today.

This afternoon Tina and I are taking a taxi back to Munich Airport. I will pick up my Kindle and then catch a shuttle to my hotel for the night. Tomorrow I fly back to London, meet Brad and head on to Kenya!

Mia Segal & Leora Gastor

I am here in Bad Tolz to train again with a master, Mia Segal. Mia was Moshe Feldenkrais' only assistant for 15 years before he started training others to teach his work. She has been doing this work for over 50 years. She presents the work in clear simple terms so that anyone can understand that there is no mystery, simply good observational skills both with the eyes and hands.

It is this ability to observe that guides the practitioner as to where to put her hands and how much to do. Mia makes sure the practitioner sees the whole person, not just this knee or that shoulder, looking for patterns. It is Mia's gift to clearly demonstrate by example how to keep the work simple and clear. And this is what attracts me so that I fly across the ocean to spend more time with her.

Leora Gastor is Mia's daughter. She was just a baby when her mother began working with Feldenkrais. He was present in her home during her childhood and knows the work by living it all her life. Leora brings structure to the work. Together with Mia they have found the framework by which one can learn and become good practitioners.

I met Leora in the 90's in Connecticut. She asked me to give her daughter riding lessons. One time Mia came to watch the lesson. Little did I know that many years later I would be in training with these two marvelous women.

Sometimes it is amazing to sit back and watch how the connections in life play out with the ebb and flow of people moving through ones life. Who knew then that I would be here now? There was no way to predict but somehow listening and following I have ended up here - no complaints from this end!

Cat at home

At home Izzy is not impressed with the snow. She thinks the Bad Tolz cats have it easy.

All this snow and where are the birds? Well it seems this one may have crash landed but found its wings on take off.

(photos by Brad)

Bad Tolz cats

Last night, walking down to the old part of Bad Tolz to do a little shopping, we came across two cats. One on a ladder and one in the shop window. Almost missed the cat in the window because she was keeping herself very still while she watched the birdies (look closely at the photo). We think the ladder was supposed to go to the window but somehow must have slipped down. Now it is the ladder to nowhere.

The training is going well. We have projects to do as a team. This can get challenging at times but overall the process is positive. Most of us know each other and have worked together before.

Snow still falling but very small flakes. Seems like it is snowing everywhere in the world - well almost. I doubt we will see snow in Mombasa.

Who cares as long as we have hay!

Wonder what my horses think of the snow?

Well I think this photo by Joyce Harman says it all!

Tuesday's Day Off Adventure

Yesterday we had a day off between the two training segments. This gave us an opportunity to explore the area. Rob, a fellow student from the USA, has a car for four Americans piled in and traveled around the area with two another cars, almost half of the people in the training!

We were heading for a local castle but instead we got lost and wound up going along a lake that surprisingly was not frozen. The color of the water was incredible and it reflected the mountains around it - very beautiful. Then we went on to Franz Marc's home and museum of he paintings. He is famous for the Blue Horse, which wasn't there, but his donkeys were wonderful!

From there we traveled back home. Tina, my roommate and I went for hot chocolate and to find some groceries. Instead we found Tina a wonderful hat. There are many hat shops here in Bad Tolz as well as beautiful traditional Bavarian dresses and mens' clothes.

Today it is back to class for five more days. Time seems to be flying by.

Snow in two countries

This morning I woke up and looked at my watch. We had 10 minutes to get to class! Both Tina, my roommate, and I did not set our alarm clocks and overslept. No time for breakfast. We bolted out of the apartment and took few quick photos of the town with new fallen snow.

We got to class 10 minutes late and they were already in process. So we joined a group working on teaching a neck exploration ATM. When it came time for me to present I thought, OK I have done this before, I will be fine.... Then Mia came and sat with our group, watched me for a moment, asked me a question then called everyone over. Oh no! Now what?? She wanted me to phrase in questions rather than tell the person what to feel. Suddenly I got lost, not panicky, just lost my train of thought and that train was gone from the station bound for parts unknown.... never to return.

I stuttered, blanked, sat speechless (yes me!) and basically couldn't pick up on the thread. Ah well, now I know how my students Instructors feel when I interrupt their train of thought.

Later we did observation of differences with people lying on the floor. I redeemed myself because this I can do! I also had lunch which helped a lot, especially the cappaccino. Everyone was so serious and not talking about what they observed so I took the role of comic relief and played dumb. Finally people started to laugh and lighten up. What a difference! Humor makes learning so much easier.

Brad sent photos of the snow at home. It was more than the storm in December. He is going to have to get someone to come plow out the driveway tomorrow if he can. Izzy sat under the deck table because there was bird seed there and the birds would fly in, but now when she was there. At least she was happy to go out for a change.

Note to self: tonight go to bed early, set alarm clock, wait up on time!

ps: photo left is Bad Tolz, right Brad took at home. There are more photos on my Facebook page of both places.

Prius Recall

Seems that the Toyota brake problem now includes my 2010 Prius, which I bought in September. I love the gas mileage (average 50 miles/gallon) and with all the miles I drive that's important. I had noticed a little something with the brakes on rough patches of road but thought it was the ABS system. Apparently not.

The private inspector has checked the car out but she won't email me with her findings.

I guess I am going to have to go to the dealer when I get back.

Better day today

Last night I discovered I left my Kindle on the airplane from Heathrow to Munich. A Kindle is Amazon's electronic book reader. I can carry a bunch of books and it weighs the same thing before and after I download them, which really helps the packing situation.

I got on the computer (Skype - I love it!) first thing this morning calling Munich Airport to see if they perhaps had found my Kindle. It seems no one in Europe has ever heard of one. I had to explain what it is again and again. The airport people said they would look for it and let me know if they found it.

At lunchtime a classmate took us to a lovely Thai restaurant where I choked on the hot pepper - quite a scene! Fortunately I survived and went back to my room where our hostess was putting a note on my door that the airport had called, but she had no news.

So I called and talked to the person at the Service Center. He found it! Hurrah!! I will pick it up on my flight out since I have to go through Munich Airport again. The only downside is I don't get to read my books while in Germany but I am not complaining!

Good day at the training. We are working in teams and have to do a project together. We Americans seem to be the more outgoing in the bunch - big surprise!

And it looks like they are going to get 3 feet of snow at home this weekend. I am going to miss it - ah well, someone has be be away from home for it to snow, and Joyce is happier than a polar bear.

not the best first day

My first day in Bad Tolz and I spent most of it not feeling well.

After morning class I came back to my room and fell asleep until about 5pm.

Headache gone, feeling a bit drained but better we headed out to the grocery store

to get some food for the week. My roommate and I are similar in the eating department

so that's good! We found a cooked chook for dinner.

After chilling out for the evening I got ready to to settle in with my Kindle and read only to

discover that I must have left it on the flight from London to Munich. To leave something behind is so unlike me, I am a Virgo remember so I am obsessed with checking that I have everything.

I guess that tells me how tired I was on that flight.

Tried to find an email address for British Airways at the Munich Airport but there doesn't seem to be one.

I guess I will just have to call in the morning. Hopefully they have it in lost baggage. It is not the one that works in Europe so it isn't any good to anyone here. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Off the plane

I didn't get to send a message from the airplane other than 'on the plane' because we were taking off when I finally figured out how to blog from my iPhone.

So now I am in Germany waiting for my friends to arrive at the Munich Airport. I found an internet connection with my laptop and I have already Skyped Brad, (we did video chat!), a first for me with international travel.

As long as I have an internet connecting staying in touch with folks back home is going to be so much easier! And of course blogging....

We flew out in the snow storm that left 6" of snow and apparently more is on the way for the weekend. Well here in Germany there is snow on the ground but not much. Temps in the 30's so I am glad I brought my warm clothes.

I ate a good English Breakfast sans toast in Heathrow. I love the tomato and beans!

About to run out of battery and haven't found an outlet yet so time to post this and find a plug.

On plane

Whirlwind

Where have the days gone again???

Sunday night - finished manuscript and emailed back to publisher.

Monday - Feldenkrais lessons at office and getting all the stuff done

on my desk that was on hold until the book edits got done.

Monday night - up until 2AM packing....

Tuesday morning - still packing!

Tuesday afternoon - heading to airport....

OK so not out the door yet but just about.

so here goes!