Holland

I will never understand how airfare works, but somehow a 2 day layover in Amsterdam coming back from Kenya saved us $3000 on flights.

So we got a bonus trip!

We took a tour in a canal boat from 1901.

It was interesting and relaxing after our overnight flight from Nairobi.

The city is beautiful.

In the afternoon we toured the Anne Frank house.

She and her family, and others, hid upstairs in this building for 2 years before they were discovered. We had the somber experience of walking through the rooms they occupied and viewing the journal itself. The building next door is also part of the Anne Frank museum and had video interviews of people who knew her as a child. It was a pretty incredible add-on to an already amazing trip.

Daniel, bike tour guide extraordinaire

Our second day we took a bike tour through Amsterdam and into the countryside along the Amsel River.

Chloe wore Dutch Braids

Our guide said God created the earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.

Working windmill circa 1636

 We visited Rembrandt Hoeve Farm:

There are 50 farmers left in the Netherlands that still make Gouda the traditional way.

And Farmer Tim is one of three last traditional clog makers

Biking along the top of a dam between canals

We finished up our last day in Amsterdam with Indonesian Food (the Netherlands colonized Indonesia). Some of it was good, some of it not so much.

We preferred the pancakes.

SaveSave

Sundowner, End of Term, and Goodbye

After our Safari we returned to Building Hope Academy for a few more days

One of our last evenings we drove to the top of a hill to watch the sun set together

Chloe Murani Naomi Carmen Ily Tim

Rick's great-niece and her parents joined us for the Safari and returned to Building Hope Academy with us for a day and a half of volunteering. Ily got lots of attention for that blond hair of hers.

We were there on the last day of the term which was special

The children performed plays for their parents

Merry and several others gave speeches. Not only are they trying to educate children, they are trying to teach the entire community how to support education.

Awards were given to the top students in Kindergarten Top Class, and Classes 1 and 2

Some students knew the award was coming their way

I think Darius was surprised

Then we went outside for more speeches including farewells from us, all finished off with some singing and dancing:

Safari

We took 2700 photos in Africa, and most of them were of animals.

David has a safari guide business, and as someone born and raised in the area he was very knowledgeable and experienced. It was fantastic to go out on game drives with someone who had become a friend.

The safari lodge was luxurious, and the mosquito netting added ambiance. 

We watched 4 young cheetahs hunt together

Saw several Cape Buffalo

Found out we like hyenas

So many beautiful birds

Warthog babies

A heard of 50 elephants

Topi

Giraffe everywhere

 But even more wildebeest

Impala

A leopard

that climbed down from its tree and walked right past us

Ostrich

The vultures were creepy

Elan

 King of Beasts

Hippo

Zebra baby