Hakuna Matata from Zanzibar!
June 18, 2024
As the kids would say, “new country unlocked”!! We are so excited to start exploring Tanzania and get some time in, as Bowen said, “the most beautiful water he has ever seen”. Despite being Peyton’s favorite animal by far, we will say, it is a breath of fresh air to be around water without the possibility of hippos :).The past couple of days have been some of the best of the trip. We arrived at Camp Carnelley’s with smiles across our faces ready to feast. Camp Carnelley’s is a lake side lodge that had multiple cabin style rooms where the kids all stayed together. The kids all enjoyed their lake front view with late night porch conversations. When we arrived, the kids were pretty hungry so we walked over to the Carnelley’s restaurant which was equipped with couches, a fire pit, and most importantly, a menu that they could order whatever they wanted from. One of the biggest laughs of the trip came at our departure from Carnelley’s when, while loading the van, monkeys started to appear from the trees. We were in the leader room organizing our group gear as we heard Amber screaming and quite literally running for her life. The tiny, cute monkeys absolutely loved making her, Anderson, and Peyton run around the camp. To the monkeys, they were definitely joking around and of no real harm, but to the girls, it was a genuine battle of cat and mouse. On our way out, we decided to take a stop at a Marina and surprise the kids with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha. Spencer’s boat was blessed with Edu’s fun facts about wildabeasts, hippos, and pelicans. We all saw plenty of hippos as well as a baby one, perched up on a rock surrounded by its family. Gretchen’s boat definitely cared less about the animals and more about the experience, ending the boat ride with a song and a picture with their guide as if he was a long lost friend.
The next day, we hopped in the van and headed to the Maasai Mara village camp. There the students were greeted by Maasai warriors. After a quick lunch and some time to settle in to our nice tents, we went out on a hike to complete warrior training. With cows roaming the fields and camp sights (literally only feet away from their tents) the kids learned about Maasai culture and their way of life. During the training, the kids learned how to throw spears and shoot a bow and arrow. It was pretty obvious that Wright would have been the best Maasai warrior given how high he can jump. All of the kids had a blast climbing a giant tree and getting to see the views that the Maasai tribe gets to see everyday. We ended with a delicious dinner and Moonup before heading to bed to rest up for a big day!
The next morning, we began our first full day at Maasai by helping the tribe members clean up their village. We walked all around their land picking up trash while listening to music and get to know the Maasai guys better as we walked, which turned into a game of Gretchen and Spencer asking the kids if they knew songs from “back in their day”, while the Maasai guys laughed at the stark differences between American and African music. Woods especially had fun showing the group some of his favorite songs! Once we got back to the camp the group played soccer with all the Maasai warriors. The teams were American’s vs. Maasai. Georgia did a great job up at striker and Hunter absolutely killed it on defense. Gretchen, Sydney, and Sally were technically in the game, but made the decision to take this time to soak up the sun and chat. The strategy worked with both Gretchen and Sally assisting in two goals by the ball basically bouncing off of them into the correct position. Everyone played great!
The next day was the village visit day!! This was definitely a big highlight. With Spencer and Gretchen dressed in full Maasai clothing, the group was greeted with a traditional welcoming ceremony. Anderson described it as one of the “coolest things she’s ever experienced,” and wanted to do it all again. Amber had a blast trying on a real lion skin hat and Wright, again, jumped higher than almost all the Maasai warriors, impressing everybody. Peyton, after the ceremony, immediately gravitated towards all the small children. Georgia and Sally also spent time laughing and playing with the kids while the rest of the group tried making a fire. Hunter and Woods had a great bonding experience while making the fire. We tried some Maasai food that we helped cook and also helped repair one their houses. Finally, the kids had the opportunity to visit the village’s market where each stand was operated by a different family. Sally and Woods impressed the group with their bargaining skills, while Bowen was too sweet to try and argue the price. Everyone loved grabbing gifts for all of you back home and we’re excited for you to see some of the stuff they got you all! After lunch back at camp, we headed to the local school in the Maasai village for the afternoon! This was definitely another highlight of our trip. It was so cool getting a glimpse into these kids’ day to day lives as students! After their class was over, our group followed all of the Maasai kids out on to their soccer field behind the school. Our activity for the last day of the stay in Kenya was a hike up to the lookout peak of a hill next to the camp. The group loved some good hiking and talking time. We have done so much together but getting some time away and just get a good active hike in was awesome. Only about 20 minutes into the hike, we got to see some giraffes from a distance. A few minutes after that we spotted a giraffe about 30 yards from us.
The next morning was full of bittersweet goodbyes to our new friends in the Maasai tribe. We had a long day of traveling and celebrating Bowen’s 17th birthday ahead of us! We started by hopping in some safari vans and headed to an airstrip nearby to fly to Nairobi. Soon, our 13-passenger plane arrived and we loaded in! Bowen the birthday boy got to ride in the cockpit with our pilot, which may have been the coolest birthday present ever. (Spencer was super jealous but had to play it cool). After a short and scenic flight over the plains of Kenya we landed in Nairobi, where we quickly transferred to another plane that was taking us to Zanzibar. We soon landed in Zanzibar, and took a quick bus ride to our hotel leading to an early bedtime to rest up for the first day of scuba diving tomorrow!! This trip has been incredible and we feel so lucky to have such an awesome group of kids. We can’t wait to make the most of our last few days together!
Jambo from Kenya
June 11, 2024
JAMBO from Kenya everyone!! I know you all have been eagerly waiting for this update, and Me and Gretchen, off the bat, want to say that we honestly don’t know how a group can get much better than this. This is both of our second summers and already, just a few days in, can tell how special this group truly is. To say these past few days have a been life changing for us and the kids is an understatement.
Kicking off the trip, Georgia and Peyton arrived fashionably late to the group meet up due to a backup in the passport line (after getting to know them, this seems very fitting for both of them). The group all spent an hour or so getting to know one other, playing the name game in beds and group tents and breaking the ice with some early laughter. We then transported from Nairobi to our stay at the Wildebeest lodge. The kids were surprised with comfy, forest integrated lodge. Hunter was quick to get a taste of home by ordering a sherly temple at our inaugural dinner, which then started a trend, resulting in four others grabbing one as well. After getting settled in and finishing dinner, we began our first Moonup (a daily wrap up and reflection of the day) discussing our individual goals for the trip. The instant maturity from this group was revealed through well thought out and honest goals from all. Bowen instantly admitted he was terrified of the ocean and wanted to get over his fear. Amber discussed how she wanted to embrace living in the moment and focus on having the time of her life without distractions. Wright emphasized how excited he was to see all the animals and experience a different culture than the one he is uses to.
The next morning we transferred to what we would describe as the most magical place in the world, Ol Pejeta conservancy. Ol Pejeta is where we would spend our next four days. On the car ride over Spencer’s bus occupied the three hour transfer playing 20 questions, saying riddles, and doing quick speed interviews to get to know everyone more. I mean, who would have known that Peyton would change the sound of her sneeze to a lion’s roar if we would have never asked?! The group also shared a buzzer beater 20 questions game by guessing Edu’s object of “dental floss” and the last possible guess. In Gretchen’s van, the other half of the group played the rhyming game. After a few minuted of total confusion, Woods really showed off his ability to think on the fly, making everyone laugh with the random words he came up with. Sydney also kept Gretchen’s car laughing by joking and keeping a positive attitude despite feeling insanely car sick. Once we arrived at Ol Pejeta, the 100,000+ acre conservatory, the group was welcomed with sightings of Zebras, Buffalo, and Elephants. Again, this is just on the ride from the entrance to our cabins. At our cabin’s Edu quickly asserted his dominance on the ping pong table, defeating Wright, Bowen, and Spencer. (Spencer did not take this lightly and will be back for revenge later in Zanzibar). The Leaders of the Day, Sydney and Bowen, lead Moonup and kicked it off with a banger of a question, “What is everyone’s favorite pop culture moment?”.
Day three was where our adventure turned from just an adventure, into a life changing experience. The groups were divided in half into two huge Land Rover safari cruisers. Spencer’s van was coined ‘team lion’ and Gretchen’s, ‘team monkey’. We were absolutely blown away by what we saw. We managed to see all of the Big 5 apart from Leopard on our first trip out. The pictures do not do it justice at all. From the giraffes munching on the tops of trees, to the Hyenas laughing and protecting their cubs, we all stunned at what we were experiencing. Georgia, Sally, and Woods were obsessed with the Hyena cubs. We wouldn’t have been surprised if Sally hopped out of the truck to try and take one home. Georgia loved hearing Edu explain all all the random facts he knew about the animals. She even said she doesn’t want to go on a safari without him because it’s just too fun! Anderson was a delight to have in our group with her constantly positive attitude and her amazing camera skills. She kept the group excited by turning her camera around and smiling so hard after snapping some great pictures of a male and female lion devouring a buffalo they had killed the day before. The whole car ride, Wright was taking in all the beauty and really just soaking in the once in a lifetime views. He was most likely dreaming about the times where these animals were okay to be hunted. After we returned the group was almost in a state of shock. Woods, Edu, Amber, Sally, and Hunter all described that day being the coolest day of their entire lives.
The next day, we started out the morning with a drive through the conservancy to its outskirts, where several local communities are located. With various animals sightings on our way to the community, the group arrived in high spirits and ready to help in any way we can! We began by planting over 300 trees, which quickly aided in the group’s ability to work as a team. Sally and Wright spearheaded organizing the planted trees while the rest of the group packed dirt and seeds into individual bags. Georgia was stoked to get her hands dirty, even saying she could “be here all day”. We think she may have been the Lorax in her past life. Peyton had a blast attempting to get as close to a group of ducks as possible. She actually got pretty close before sprinting away in fear, which gave the group a big laugh. Bowen, her trusty sidekick, was ready to protect her at the blink of an eye. The duo brought a great energy to the activity that spread throughout the entire group. After gardening, we had a quick snack of pancakes and juice boxes before heading to a different part of the community, to a spunky and kind man named Gilbert’s house. He taught us the process of making stoves out of clay, from sifting the dirt all the way to shaping the stove itself. Part of this process involved mixing the dirt and water to make the clay itself. To do so, we took off our shoes, dumped the materials on a tarp, and started dancing on it. Gilbert played African music and the kids showcased their dances moves on top of the clay to mix it. Woods and Edu were the stars of the show, salsa dancing in the mud and attempting to interlock toes with others. We had a brief intermission to play with Gilbert’s trio of three-week-old puppies. All of the girls immediately fell in love, and Amber had the group laughing as she lifted one in the air like Simba, singing the Lion King song and everything. Once we were finished making the stoves, we had a picnic lunch with Gilbert and said our goodbyes.
Upon returning to Ol Pejeta, we chilled for a little and ate dinner before heading out on a night safari! This was such a unique opportunity and one we did not take for granted! We managed to fulfill Sally’s dream of seeing a leopard almost immediately after getting out into the conservancy, which was an awesome start to the night. We also came across a herd of about 100 buffalo, and then found two lions enjoying a fine dinner of a buffalo. As we were driving to each spot, Georgia kept her van entertained with a variety of riddles and games. Anderson was especially good at figuring out the riddles and smiled every time she got one right. Peyton practiced some good EB (expedition behavior) by letting Edu borrow her jacket as the temperature dropped quick. The group got a good night’s sleep that night and prepared for the northern white rhino enclosure visit and lion tracking the next day.
Our final full day at Ol Pejeta, we started by heading out to see the last two remaining Northern white rhinos on Earth. We even had the chance to get out of the vans and be in the enclosure with them! This was definitely the closest any of us will get to wild rhinos and was a surreal experience to say the least. We then went to where the rhinos sleep, and got to work cleaning up their area for them. Edu, Sydney, Wright, Sally, and Anderson impressed the group with their grass whacking skills- the picture of athleticism- although Anderson and Sydney’s form could maybe use a little work. Amber and Peyton raked hay out of the rhinos’ beds, making a comfortable area for them to rest! Hunter and Woods took on the responsibility of scooping about 65 pounds of rhino poop out of the enclosure, which was a bonding experience to say the least. Woods was sure to let everyone know that they absolutely cannot claim that they helped scoop the poop of the last two rhinos in the world, like him and Hunter can. After finishing up in the enclosures, we went over to visit Baraka, a blind rhino protected by Ol Pejeta from various predators and external factors that he could be exposed to in the wild. When Georgia asked our guide who Baraka’s best friend was, our guide proceeded to call out Baraka’s name, and the rhino immediately woke up from his nap and started looking around for his favorite caretaker and best friend. Our guide also informed us that Baraka loves to listen to music! After saying goodbye to Baraka, we stopped at a gift shop and a fossil museum before heading back to Ol Pejeta for lunch. That afternoon, we set out to track lions. The group split up into the Girl Bus and Boy Van, as this was the only van set up we hadn’t tried yet. As a plot twist, Spencer went with the girls and Gretchen went with the guys. Spencer had a blast chatting with the girls and Gretchen loved bro-ing it out with the guys. Peyton and Amber loved laughing about which animals had the best ‘aura’. Bowen and Woods took initiative on operating the devices used to track the lions, which consisted of a satellite and small walkie-talkie-esque computer that caught the frequencies of the lion pride’s location. We searched and eventually found a male and female lion feasting on a zebra, as well as four pregnant females napping nearby. This was by far the biggest WOW moment of the trip so far. We were not promised to see any lions and ended up all getting to see something the guides said not many people get to witness that close.We are currently leaving Ol Pejeta and on our way to the Maasai Mara tribe! Tonight we will be staying at Camp Carnelley’s, a lakeside camping lodge with a full restaurant attached to it (that of course the kids don’t know about). We will surprise the kids with their own choice of food and dessert! They have honestly become so close in these few days and we are just so excited to see how much closer we are all going to become.
We’ll see you guys later!!
Below are some notes the kids wrote to all of you!
Hunter- love you guys so much and Africa is awesome!! Cant wait to tell y’all everything that we have done we have so much more to do. See y’all soon👍🏼
Bowen- Hey Y’all I love you guys so much this trip is so so cool i cant wait to tell you. I have seen so many animals from ABC to XYZ. I have met so many cool people everyone is so amazing. I am sad I wont be there for my birthday and fathers day. I cant thank you enough for sending me on this trip.
Anderson- Hey mom and dad! I miss yall and love yall so much!! I have absolutely loved this trip it has been like a dream. We just left Ole Pejeta and all the animals were amazing!!! Thank you so so much! Tell the dogs I love them and I’ll see you soon!
Edu- Mama, Papa. I’m eating well and having fun. All the animals have been so cool.
Amber: Hey ma and pa! Just letting you know that I am having the time of my life, I’m absolutely thriving and the food is amazing. I love you guys so much, cant wait to see you. Tell the squad I said hello (and happy fathers day!!)
Woods- Hey mom and dad im having so much fun! This group is so amazing. Everyone is so close and it makes it so easy to have a good time. Our leaders are so cool. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. It has been the best trip of my life. Love you both so much. See you soon❤️
Wright- Hey mom and dad, I love yall so much and hope you are having fun on your trip. Kenya has been amazing and the animals here would look great on the wall. The Antelope and gazelles have beautiful antlers and we will soon be traveling to the Maasai tribe and Zanzibar. I love ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ yall!!!!
Georgia- hey gene pool! This is the coolest thing ever and I cannot wait to show y’all everything. mom you are going to pee yourself. I love yall and thank you so much for sending me here!
Sally- hey fam! Currently living it up in Africa! I’m having so much fun and cant wait to tell y’all all about it! Tell my friends I miss them so much! Love y’all!!Sydney – hey mom and dad!! I miss you guys so so much and cannot wait to give you guys and Luci a big fat kiss when I get home! Africa is insane and seriously out of this world getting to see all the animals and how they are in their daily lives. It has surpassed my expectations by so much. Tell Christian I miss him so insanely much and cant wait to see him! I hope he is having fun working and fishing! Tell stephen he would love Africa and I wish I could watch him kill it swimming and I’m so proud of him! Tell nonnie harwell gpa and mimi that Africa is CRAZY and the pics are gonna be so cool! I love yall and miss yall!
Peyton – hey heather, jhit, morgan, and carson… also whatever friends are tuned in. This is seriously the happiest i have ever been. Africa is amazing. The best place I’ve ever been to. We need to visit. I love love my group. Everyone is kind, chill, and loving. We all got so close in 1 day it was crazy. The amount of animals we saw in the 4 days was amazing and seeing the culture here is amazing. I can not wait to experience the rest of the trip. Thank you gran and papa for sending me on this trip. This is the best thing of my life. I already know i will be doing one next year. I love you guys so so much and miss you guys!! Cant wait to tell yall all about here!!
Safe arrival in Nairobi!
June 6, 2024
Hello Kenya + Zanzibar Families!
All students have landed safely in Nairobi and the group is headed to their first activity! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
