Tom says I have to post to the blog. We have had a lovely time decompressing here in Nairobi, and are much indebted to our wonderful hosts, Michael and Viviane Chung. It’s true there are enormous horniblls in the tree outside our window, right here in this crazy, mixed-up city. It’s rather incongruous. While there are other astonishing birds flying around Nairobi (three kinds of ibis, Marabou storks, irridescent sunbirds), we seem to be blessed with the Hornbill Tree–a mixed blessing for sure, as Claire says they are shockingly loud. I’m surprised by how green and sort of jungly Nairobi is, a city of contradictions. Gray air, green trees, kind people, rough streets (you don’t really walk anywhere), a casual sensibility twined with ridiculous beaurocracy. So much fun to take it all in. In our threesome, I seem to be the only one that loved visiting Karen Blixen’s (Isak Dinesen) house (not unexpected), about an hour out of town. Claire took one look at the leopard and lion skin rugs (complete with bared teeth), and proclaimed “These people are mean–I hate them!” And she left. The house is very simple and pretty, and the setting at the foot of the Ngong hills is gorgeous–so I got to indulge my little woman-author-in-post-Victorian-Kenya fantasies before a nice, long, jet-lagged nap. We’re packing up this morning before catching a small plane to Mombasa and the Colobus Trust–we’re looking forward to getting out of the city. Thank you everyone for all the warm wishes.

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