Sunday, May 15

The Tourist Circuit

We hired a driver today and hit the tourist circuit near Nairobi.  Sometimes you just have to do that; there is a reason tourists flock to these places.  Who can say no to baby animals???

On the way there we speculated about the animals we might see.  Can you guess what we are?








The animals themselves were slightly more exciting.  But I'll tell the story in photos:
Shaking hands with Benny the spot-nosed monkey.  Very soft little old man hands!

Hanging out with a teeny little dik-dik.  Full grown!

Feeding an ostrich....a grabby guy.

Orphan baby elephants coming out for their lunch.

Mud party!

I swear, he is finding peanuts in there.

tight with the giraffes.  don't be fooled - she wouldn't stick around one second after the last pellet disappeared

Giraffe kisses - with whisker burn!

Crocodile meat (which I promptly spat out)

i actually consumed ox testical. 
For lunch, after a hard day of animal petting, we hit up carnivore restaurant.  For a set fee men wander around with sticks and swords of meat and offer to slice a hunk onto your plate.  Lamb, miss?  Turkey?  Ostrich meat balls?  Yes please. It isn't my typical haunt and I was basically meated-out after the first pass but it was pricey and i was feeling adventurous so I pressed on.  The exotic meats on offer today were ostrich (gamey but good), camel (my fave of the  day, so tender with great spices!), crocodile (the most repulsive - full of cartilage and the strongest fish taste I have experience...not my cup of chai) and a few organs of which I tried ox balls.  Yes, testicles.  And I have to admit, it was the second-best tasting item of the meal to my surprise.  I still gagged a little knowing what it was....

5 comments:

Beth said...

love the photos. and the animals. and your shirt!!!!

way to be adventurous with the ox balls. now i know to avoid crocodile! *shudder*

Shanz said...

I love you & Hil doing the animal poses. ;)

Unknown said...

I've always wanted to try crocodile, glad to know I can pass on that one but I'm intrigued by the camel. Anthony Bourdain would be proud! Looks like you're having fun; I'm enjoying reading about everything :)

Who's Who in the Soo said...

I love the photos! I'm so jealous of you hanging with a dik-dik! Those things are so cool, and I love them. Also jealous of the giraffes!

As for the meat buffet... you are a million times more adventurous than I am, lol

Katie V. said...

beth: thanks! We got the shirts at the Indian mall here. We thought they were uber cheap until we found out what the *real* exchange rate was. They were only kinda cheap then

Shanz: can you figure out the second picture???

Heather: def avoid the croc. Although, apparently others did not experience the giant chunks of cartilage. I totally forgot to link Anthony in my post....and he WOULD have been so proud!

Sarah: I'm not that adventurous, i had to be convinced to try it. I couldn't believe that it wasn't the worst thing I had ever tasted.