My first views of wild African Elephants
There is a small family group of Elephants in the distance. Seeing them in the landscape is something new for me. I’ve …
Black-Backed Jackals
We’re out on a safari drive in the Masai Mara in Kenya. Our guide and driver, Gladys, is an expert at spotting …
Even-toes
Animals with hooves are either odd-toed or even-toed. The odd-toed ones are horses, rhinos and tapirs. The even-toed ones are cattle, antelope, pigs, giraffes, camels, sheep, deer, and hippos. …
A tiny Dik-Dik on my lawn
Here at Mara Ngenche Safari Camp, in the Masai Mara in Kenya, the luxury is slightly overwhelming. When I booked on a …
A gorgeous Three-Banded Plover and a Lilac-Breasted Roller
We’re in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. I think it’s an indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser. Gladys is our local Kenyan guide for four of …
On safari in the Masai Mara
The twelve of us who have been volunteering in Kenya for Kenya Connect for the past eight days have been whittled down …
The rooftop retirement party and the revelation of my Spirit Animal
It’s been a hectic week volunteering on a literacy programme in Kenya for Kenya Connect. I’ve had little time to process all …
Muthoki Country Lodge and a Grey-Headed Kingfisher
Muthoki Country Lodge has been our home in Wamunyu for the week, with luxurious tents and fabulous food. We have four-poster beds …
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, the National Bank of Kenya, and the Reading Road Rally
We’re out in Kenya Connect‘s Institution Bus on a road trip for the Reading Road Rally. It’s part of my volunteering in …
The boy who would only play with sand
Before I came to Kenya, my colleague Liz told me she had been to a special school on her last trip. She …
The water carriers
To many of the children here, being a superhero means carrying heavy jerrycans of water back to their home to help their …
Birds in the garden of Kenya Connect
While we are volunteering in rural Kenyan schools we return to the headquarters of Kenya Connect each day for lunch. It’s meat …
An early bus ride into rural Kenya
The morning starts with an early Institution Bus ride to Kenya Connect‘s headquarters and we transfer to a four-wheel drive vehicle. Eventually …
Common Bulbul calling “doctor-quick doctor-quick be-quick be-quick”
There’s just time before sundown to visit the lake a few hundred metres from my tent. One of the most common birds …
Fifty people under a tree
Our volunteer literacy programme with Kenya Connect today is for a group of parents with children from 0 to 5 years old, …
The goat-sellers of Wamunyu market
We’re heading to Wamunyu Market on our way back to Kenya Connect’s headquarters building. It’s clearly an experience our Kenyan partners want …
African Woolly-Necked Storks at the lake
It’s the evening after a busy day volunteering in Kenyan schools for Kenya Connect. We have dinner together at Muthoki Country Lodge …
‘I Love Trucks’ on a school visit in Kenya
My colleague Liz suggests I might like to read to the literacy class today. I’d love to. If only I’d had chance …
Birding back at camp
There’s very little daylight left after a full day volunteering in Kenyan schools, but I intend to make the most of it. …
My Kamba name is…
My English name is David, but everyone here needs to have a Kamba name. We’re amongst the Kamba tribe here in one …
Our first Kenyan school visit
We’re at Kenya Connect‘s Headquarters in Wamunyu. We’re preparing for our first school visit. I’m cutting out 60 Elmer the Elephants in …
Kenyan faces
There are many things to love about Kenya. The sincerity of the people. The lack of cynicism. The beautiful faces. Kithoto Women …
Basket weaving with Kithoto Women Group, Kyeengai
We are on the Institution Bus again, in rural Kenya, headed out from Wamunyu along dirt roads to Kithoto Women Group in …
Mr Bonface’s Curio Shop
We’re having a visit to Mr Bonface’s curio shop. It’s a gloriously arranged tin shack with a beautiful Zebra painting on the …
A visit to the Wamunyu Handicraft Cooperative Society
Our volunteering in Kenyan schools doesn’t start until tomorrow, yet we have a full programme of activities planned. One of our first …
Welcome to my tent for the week
We’ve arrived in Machakos county in Kenya after our journey from Nairobi. We’ve passed one of the largest shanty towns and seen …
Mango and matcha with a Black Kite display
It’s lunchtime on our trip to Wamunyu in Kenya and the out-of-town shopping centre is modern and wholesome. There are security checks …
Bushbuck
There’s what looks like an East African Bushbuck on the forest edge. They’re elusive and solitary and brilliantly camouflaged. It’s unusual to …
The fascination of Anubis Baboons
Being a Baboon seems like quite a fun lifestyle. At least if you’re a male. There’s a nursing female carrying an infant …
Elephant bath time
It’s Elephant bath time at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. There’s excitement in the small, quiet crowd as a herd of …