Kentucky Christian University's Young Library Summer Forever Virtual Vacation

Welcome to the Eastern African nation of Kenya. On this stop along the equator, we visit a world-famous city, Nairobi!

We are, once again, south of the equator by a measly 90 miles. However, for the first and only time on this tour, we are not by an ocean!!! While Kenya's eastern border is the Indian ocean, Nairobi is much further inland, closer to the Central African countries of the DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda. We aren't far from a major water source though...have you heard of the Nairobi river? This makes sense as the word Nairobi translates to "cool water."

Speaking of cool water, Nairobi has a wet and dry season, just like our last couple stops, despite being almost 6,000ft. above sea level! Because of the elevation, the days are mild (typically low 70's) and the nights are cool (in the 50's). Many of us would consider these temperatures to be quite ideal.

Let's learn a little more about Nairobi with a fun travel video below:

You heard one of the web's most famous tour guides (Adventure Singh) give us the scoop on some of Nairobi's coolest attractions. Let's take a closer look at a couple he mentioned, then dive into some of the cultural exhibits available.

• Nairobi National Park

Here's some information on the park from the website lonelyplanet.com: "Set on the city’s southern outskirts, Nairobi National Park (at 117 sq km, one of Africa’s smallest) has abundant wildlife that can, in places, be viewed against a backdrop of city skyscrapers and planes coming in to land – it's one of the only national parks on earth bordering a capital city. Remarkably, the animals seem utterly unperturbed by it all...The park is home to the world's densest concentration of black rhinos (more than 50)...Lions and hyenas are also commonly sighted within the park; rangers at the entrance usually have updates on lion movements. You’ll need a bit of patience and a lot of luck to spot the park’s resident cheetahs and leopards. Other regularly spotted species include gazelles, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, ostriches and buffaloes...The park’s wetland areas sustain approximately 400 bird species, which is more than in the whole of the UK." It's hard to imagine that a quick bus ride outside the city can give you this Disney: Animal Kingdom experience! It's worth the trip alone to just experience this park.

• David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• Giraffe Centre

The next two experiences are lumped together as they are somewhat similar. As Adventure Singh mentioned, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a rehabilitation center for orphaned elephants. Not to put a downer on your virtual vacation, but we all know about the relationship between poachers, African elephants, and rhinos...Moving forward, this is a place where you can learn about and interact with baby elephants! Yes, you can play with and pet elephants. You can even adopt an elephant for as little as $50 a year and schedule play dates. This is not imaginary!!!

At the Giraffe Centre, you can interact with the endangered Rothschild's giraffes. It's kid friendly, photo friendly, and the giraffes may also help themselves to your food and beverages...but they pay in kisses!

• National Museum

The museum is much better than its generic name! Here is an excerpt of the museum from lonelyplanet.com:

"The museum’s permanent collection is entered via the Hall of Kenya, with some ethnological exhibits such as the extraordinary Kalenjin cloak made from the skins of Sykes Monkeys and a mosaic map of Kenya made from the country's butterflies. But this is a mere prelude. In a room off this hall is the Birds of East Africa exhibit, a huge gallery of at least 900 stuffed specimens. In an adjacent room is the Great Hall of Mammals, with dozens of stuffed specimens. Off the mammals room is the Cradle of Humankind exhibition, the highlight of which is the Hominid Skull Room – an extraordinary collection of skulls that describes itself as ‘the single most important collection of early human fossils in the world’.

Upstairs, the Historia Ya Kenya display is an engaging journey through Kenyan and East African history. Well presented and well documented, it offers a refreshingly Kenyan counterpoint to colonial historiographies. Also on the 1st floor, the Cycles of Life room is rich in ethnological artefacts from Kenya’s various tribes and ethnic groups, while at the time of writing there was also an exhibition (which may become permanent) of Joy Adamson's paintings covering Kenya's tribes."

Before we venture onwards from Equatorial Africa, let's take a look at some popular Kenyan dishes. Click the name of the dish to link to its recipe!

Ugali (Cornmeal)

From tasteoftheplace.com: "Ugali is a staple of the Kenyan diet, eaten by many on a daily basis. It is generally served as a side – the perfect accompaniment for stews, curries, or veggie dishes.

If you visit Kenya, don’t be surprised to see locals eating ugali with their hands, using it almost like a utensil. The proper way is to pinch a small bit off with your fingers, roll into a ball, and use your thumb to make a small depression for scooping up a bite of stew."

Mukimo (Mashed Vegetables)

From reluctantgourmet.com: "Mukimo is a must-have while in Nairobi and a traditional dish of the Kikuyu people. It is a side dish made by mashing beans, corn, potatoes along with some other vegetables and served with beef, chicken and just about anything. Not only is this dish quite tasty, it has to be nutritious."