For the past couple of days, I've been writing about a lot of reasons to leave your kids at home when traveling for a new addition to the family.

Terribly stressful, that trip to bring a child home ... all the meeting and bonding and leaving the orphanage behind stuff. Then there's the strain of travel with jet lag and different foods and being surrounded with abject poverty and beggars, and all that comes with spending time in a developing country that's almost nothing like the comfortable world of Wal-Marts and free education where doctors are in every town and water... more

On the topic of traveling for new additions in the company of your kids ...

We've been talking about taking kids along when traveling to adopt another, and the debate that goes with making a decision to take or not to take.

If you're adopting an infant, your hands will be full ... literally. A new baby will need to be the primary focus of its new parents as it adjusts to unfamiliar faces, smells, sounds and surroundings. Attachment... more

One solicitation for advice that comes up often on groups and forums where international adoption is the focus is from parents in the process of subsequent adoptions wondering whether or not to take the kids they have along on the trip for the new one.

Justifiably concerned over issues of health, parents ask about the safety of local food and water, preventative measures against easily contractible diseases like malaria and cholera, the likelihood of incidents of crime and random violence, war, official corruption and loads of other nerve-wracking... more

What the dedicated staff of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage does with baby elephants was covered in yesterday's post.

When the babies reach a bit more than two years, and when there are at least three of them at about this age, the process of releasing into the wild begins. Skills are taught daily during walks in the park, so not everything will be... more

Talking yesterday about the plight of some baby elephants, orphaned or abandoned by dire circumstance, I was leading up to a big and enthusiastic plug for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage.

Here is some of what it's about:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a small flexible charity, established in memory of David Sheldrick, famous Naturalist... more

We visited some orphans in Nairobi today ... orphans of a different breed altogether.

Elephants are like humans in many ways: they can live long lives of sixty to seventy years; the social structure is solid and important for survival; they communicate constantly with members of their family, and can even talk long distance with very low frequency sounds that carry for miles; infants are born almost as helpless as we are and must be cared for and taught necessary skills for years before able to make their own way in the world. And they are blessed (cursed?) with... more

As frequent readers know, shopping is a perpetual problem in Seychelles, so every trip abroad must include quite a bit of time purchasing stuff island dwellers need. Nairobi is a huge and modern city, so it is easy for me to stock up here on contact lens solution, dog wormer, extra virgin olive oil, shower curtains, yeast, coffee mugs and wine glasses, printer cartridges ... even a new pair of glasses. Malls are fun for us, and Sam enjoys bookstores almost as much as a safari, as they're as much an exotic experience for him as the African plains full of elephants. For Cj, a stroller... more

Since some of you are enjoying my rendition of our safari via your armchairs ... or, more likely, desks ... I thought I'd post some photos.

We have Sam and his hero, Calum, pretending to fish in a an elephant water hole in Tsavo National Park.

A shot proving that Cj was with us, even though just about everything went over her head. We will be reminding her of her first trip to Africa for a long time.

And a completely typical snap of the... more

Nancy Spoolstra, our very own RAD blogger, has a thing for zebras. Because I know this, I'm keeping a sharp eye out for zebra everywhere I go here in the land of zebra possibilities. As you can see, we've had some luck with zebra spotting ... striping?

Everyone seems to have a special affection for one sort of animal or another. Some are wild about reptiles, for example, a fascination I don't share at all. Back in my days of working with captive exotics in zoos, I occasionally would be required to fill in for someone... more

There are more than two million orphans in Kenya. Liz's friend, Barb, has adopted two, now nine and seven years old. Barb is British, but has lived in Kenya for more than twenty-five years and considers the country home. As often happens with ex-pat living, the love of a new home country comes hand-in-hand with a feeling of responsibility and a need to contribute, to help, to work for the good. She's now lobbying hard for a change to the residency requirements that make international adoption from Kenya so difficult and trying to get the powers-that-be to drop a ban on single... more