I really had no concept of exactly what I would see or what it would be like before I arrived in Africa. I can now say that the color of the land, the changing light, the expansive landscape, and the culture of the people are nothing like I have ever witnessed before and in most part are still almost beyond description. Although, so much of civilization and environment is to some extent the same wherever you go, there are marked differences which will truly change your life once experienced.

There is great wealth alongside dire poverty. There is no public welfare and most all "assistance" in jobs, training, education or medicine for those not priveleged to afford these needs on their own are provided by private sources,both locally and abroad, to those fortunate enough to receive them. Most citizens take education very seriously and see it as a way to improve their condition of life. Unlike many African states, Kenya does provide public education for children to the 8th grade level. After that, high school and college levels are available only by great cost and are considered a premium goal.

Although I did not see or feel that crime or violence of any kind was existent, I was certain that like any metropolitan area, it was present somewhere in the communities. Upon returning and researching some of the things I saw, I did read in many resources warning the extreme caution one should take to avoid these circumstances. Maybe because I was with an organized group, I'm sure it was more controlled and safer. I don't know. Maybe, if visiting on your own, you would feel somewhat more concerned, but I did'nt feel that caution beyond what you might do in any other city was of any greater concern. It was paramount that people do feel fortunate to have their jobs and will not jeopardize them at any cost, even when interacting with rude and inconsiderate Americans. I'm sorry to say, that I was embarrassed on many occasions by the ungrateful and selfish demands and thoughtless interaction of many Americans with these gracious and polite peoples.

The hospitality industry is greatful for tourism and will go out of their way to make your visit as comfortable and pleasant as possible. I felt many of our own businesses could learn from the graciousness of these people in terms of transacting their own companies. This is something we have definitely lost in many areas of our own industry as well as our internal social behavior.

It is primarily evident that we have indeed built an incredible economy and lifestyle, take many comforts for granted, and are absently appreciative for the life we lead here in America. Many things we expect in living conditions and personal desires are indeed benefits and not necessities even regarding some of the smallest expectations, including pure drinking water.

Politeness and formality becomes less and less present in our culture. Greedy expectations and selfish desires continue to grow with lack of grateful acceptance as self-serving luxuries. The average working American lives in extreme wealth and luxury when compared to that of African citizens in the same employ.

The photos here were taken with a small pocket digital camera rather than professional camera equipment. There are, regretably, more poor impressions than desired, but, delightfully, many excellent ones of the incredible culture and wildlife found in Kenya, Africa.

Many of the photos are duplicated due to uncertainty of lighting, lack of zoom and other photographic equipment specialties, or other physical setbacks. Many more were taken in great degree from moving vehicles or objects in motion. A great many of the images of wildlife were taken in hopes of gaining the best shot out of many ... waiting, watching for the animals to move closer or to look directly at the camera.

The majority of the game drives occur at dawn or just before dusk when chances of spotting them are greater, yet do not allow for the best lighting in many cases. Disappointingly, many images of the wildlife appear much further away than they actually were or they surprisingly blend into the environment much more so in a two dimensional image than in real life.

However, the images here are a fantastic diary of a fantastic journey through an exotic and incredible land. I find that words ultimately cannot describe the beauty, or the differences, for which these photos are the best testament. Eventually, they will all be captioned with notes and information regarding the events, people, and places. For now, many of their titles indicate the locations or subject and are ordered in sequence of photography. In addition, I tried to maintain awareness of the sequence of events as closely as possible. Do scroll below each photo to check for any memos currently added. If you find a message, it will in most all cases be worth the effort in terms of information regarding the subject.

Debbie Schlier