That night, two curious hyraxes appeared on the steps of our dining room hall. One landed on our table (remember rats on steroids?)! Well, now that we were old hands with wildlife, we just shooed them off and went on with a delicious meal. Oh, did I mention bats? They flew overhead ridding us of insects. So, I would look up and see bats, look down and see rats and then have another sip of wine. I've come a long way.

Galdessa was a hard place to leave. It is hopelessly romantic, but then I had no inkling of what was to come.

I do want to add to the exotic array of birds, from the tropical bau bau that awakened me one morning to the ox pecker, the pale-chanting goshawk and many more — some I've made up out of sheer amusement, such as the horn-footed horseblower and the finely goosed thrasher!

Another charter flight and down we came onto a field with again, nothing in sight. A short drive later, however, and suddenly we're on the Indian Ocean in Diani near Mombassa. There, through a portal, is the blue sea and the white sand. A soft wind swirls around us and we are now at rest for three days — to walk, swim, shop and reflect in the most beautiful spot imaginable. Here are villas and suites of all sizes, a massage tent on the ocean that we all took advantage of, and again we dined at a beautifully carved table, laughed and toasted our heroic guides and ourselves for our curiosity and successful merging of such diverse personalities. Through all of this we were made keenly aware of the great need for equipment and support to keep this beauty going, and we must because it is our roots. While in Diani, some of us went for lunch nearby and got to ride camels down the beach. I fell in love with a baby camel named Tomas who was in training. He tagged along all on his own taking notes as he went. The longer I stroked his neck, the calmer he got and then I planted a big kiss on him and reluctantly left him. I was smiling from ear to ear.

We took a charter flight back to Nairobi. Our schedule there was to stay at the Karen Blixen Lodge for the day (named after the great writer Isak Dinesen). We lunched and then drove to the Sheldrick Foundation to commune with the baby elephants that had been saved after poachers had killed their mothers. It was heartbreaking, and at the same time uplifting, to learn from Daphne Sheldrick, David's widow, about the work being done to nurture them and send them back when they develop a strong sense of independence. There we were hugging them, leaning on them, waltzing with them, blowing into their trunks and feeling joyous.

Did you know that you can blow into their trunks and they will remember you forever? Of course, if you've just had scampi, they'll try to forget you! Once you've caressed an elephant and gazed into its eyes, you're lost. There is no way to understand how anyone could harm these loyal, noble, highly sensitive creatures. After the elephants, we went to see the giraffes at Giraffe Manor and I got a nice wet kiss from a lovely lady giraffe, felt her long fluttery lashes and soft neck and bade her farewell as this was the end of our journey.

Leaving Nairobi was bittersweet. This was just the beginning of a trip that had so many other considerations, like the children of Africa and all the many ways to help in that area. We had a gathering at Karen Blixen's. There were cocktails and thank you's to the IFAW members and our devoted guides. We were all filled with the sweet air of Africa. As an aside, even in the middle of the bush the elephant caretakers knew Vivian Alamain and even at the airport the ticketing agents ran to me with open arms and big smiles — Days of Our Lives! I was stunned. I am Vivian of Africa! What a discovery! It's fine with me, as long as I can return.

La La Salama (Swahili for "Sleep Well")!