So we boarded the flight in Joburg, headed for Kenya and mum was happy to hear that Kenya was 1hr ahead in time difference which meant our flight was only going to be just under 4hrs instead of 5. She loved the pillow & head rest covers as they had the Big 5 on them so asked the steward if she could 'souvenir' it at the end of flight, he went and got her 2 new ones instead. Our souvenir collection begins. Can't complain about Air Kenya, they were friendly, food was OK, drinks were served and we watched 'The A Team' which helped pass the time.

When we landed in Nairobi, there was Acacia trees near the runway so mum now feels she is in Africa (didn't really feel like it in Joburg). We were greeted by our driver who drove us to the Giraffe Manor. It was peak hour traffic but not as bad as it could have been. Mum was surprised by the amount of people walking along the road but I guess you have to get home some way.

At the Giraffe Manor out we piled and the manager Ginny came out to meet us. Our bags were taken inside (could get used to this attention) and Ginny walked us to the front door where we were met by Lyn, one of the resident Rothschild giraffes. We were ushered inside and the first thing we got to do was feed Lyn as she poked her head in the front door. What a welcome. After being given a tour of the manor which is just beautiful and a welcome drink we were shown to our room. I think it was one of the smallest rooms but it didn't matter as we weren't going to be spending much time there and we were one of 2 rooms with a terrace that we could watch the giraffes from.

Downstairs, we met in the lounge for pre dinner drinks & nibblies and met some of the other guests before being ushered into the candlelit dining room for a lovely 3 course dinner. So many different people and stories, with most people staying here before heading out on safari or just getting back. Back into the lounge for tea, coffee or post dinner drinks. Had an Amarula (similar to Baileys) in the hope it would help me sleep through the night. No such luck, I was again awake at around 4.30am and could not get back to sleep. Stupid body clock!!

Our wake up call with a pot of tea was at 7am but I had already been out on the balcony feeding one of the giraffes. There is a herd of 9 giraffes and they are considered wild. You are not allowed outside with them, just visit them through the windows or on the other side of barriers. Down at breakfast they have all the windows open and they put feed on the window sills so while you sit there and eat so do the giraffes. Just magical. We met Emma, another manager who asked us what we wanted to do for the day. As part of staying here, they arrange for a car and driver to take you around to local places of interest.

First stop was Karen Blixon Museum which is one of her former houses. I visited here last time and since then I've bought the book and movie of Out of Africa but still haven't managed to read or watch it. She wrote this book based on her life after she divorced her husband and met her lover (who was played by Robert Redford). We then went to Kazuri Beads which was started in the 1980's. It now employs about 345 local people, mainly single mothers and they hand make ceramic beads and pottery. They now distribute all over the world. They have a waiting list of people who want to work here and as well as their wages they get free medical care for themselves and their immediate family. Such painstaking work but they are trained in all facets of the job so they don't do the same thing all the time. Mum and I both bought a bracelet, they were only about $10 each. A really good cause.

Then time for something we've been looking forward to for a long time, a visit to the Daphne Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Some of you know that I've fostered one of their elephants since my last visit in 2005 and often talk about their work. It really is incredible how they take these orphaned elephants in and eventually rehabilitate them into the wild. The noon mudbath is much busier than what it was 5 years ago (thanks to the BBC's Elephant Diaries). They currently have 16 elephants in the orphanage and have divided them into two groups, the babies and the older ones although none are older than 2yrs old. The younger ones came in first, looking for their bottle of milk. They guzzle it down before trying to steal each others but no such luck. It's amazing watching the orphans interact with each other, pushing and shoving but also showing affection to each other and their keepers.

After about 30mins, they left and in charged the older ones for their milk. These were a little more rambunctious and one had a grand old time rolling in the dirt - no mudbath today as it was too cool for them and they are susceptible to pneumonia. All too soon time to leave and back to the Manor for lunch which was served on the outside patio. The giraffes and warthogs came up to the terrace also to be fed and with the warthogs this time there was piglets and it's great fun watching them run around.

After lunch we went to a craft centre and checked out a bronze gallery which had some beautiful items before heading back to the orphanage for bedtime. A bonus of being a 'foster parent' is you get to come back at 5pm to see them put to bed. You get asked to stand back and in they charge, looking for their keeper, stable and milk. Don't get in their way. They also have greens to nibble on and when they are ready they choose to either lie down on the hay or their mattress and the keeper puts another blanket over them to keep them warm. The keeper also sleeps in the stable as they are fed milk every 3hrs.

They also rehabilitate black rhinos here and they currently have two. Maxwell was born blind in the wild and would have no chance of survival so he will stay here for the rest of his life. They have built a bigger stockade for him. There is also Malim who was born about 3months premature and abandoned by his mother. Same with any premature baby, he has weak lungs and currently has pneumonia. He is wrapped up in blankets and also sleeps with a hot water bottle. Can only hope he gets well soon.

All too soon, time to leave and back for another wonderful dinner and drinks. Really could get used to this style of travelling. Managed to sleep through to 5.30am this morning - yeah!! Down for brekky once more and it was even better than yesterday. Gave Patrick a few kisses and even mum got in on the action. This is the person who said when we first arrived she could never do that (you put a pellet in your mouth and the giraffe takes it out with their tongue). They are so gentle and mum was even showing some of the other guests how to do it. After we had finished breakfast, they put pellets on our tables so the giraffes leaned over our shoulders to eat, you could stay there all day and watch them.

However, since our travel agent stuffed up, we had to pack our bags and move to another hotel for the night. Before we left, we were escorted over to the Giraffe Centre where we given some information on the giraffes and got to feed them some more. Our guide took us on a small walk through the bush where we saw some tree squirrels and birdlife. He also showed us many of the medicinal trees that are around.

Back to the Manor to say goodbye and Lyn was at the door once again. She welcomed us our first night and was there to say goodbye. It has been a dream to stay here for so long and the reality far surpassed the dream. It was worth every penny. We have been transferred to the House of Waine, a nearby small hotel which is also gorgeous. Our room is huge and I can't wait to try out the bathtub. We're about to head down to lunch and afterwards may try out the heated pool. We're going to have a relaxing afternoon because we head off on safari tomorrow and it is going to be busy. We are going back to the orphanage for bedtime tonight - who knows if we will ever be back to see it again.