Nairobi National Park is directly outside of the city walls and is amazingly full of animals. It is touted, of all of the parks in Kenya, as the place one would be "most likely see a kill". This was our first official safari and, despite overcast skies and difficult photographical light, it exceeded all of our expectations. I had no idea we'd see so. many. giraffes. The fact that Benard's uncle Francis drove us in our own private matatu was a great experience, both during and after the park. When we returned to the city, we presented Benard with his very own Red Sox hat (hopefully to be worn when he comes to run and win the Boston Marathon someday soon).

After lunch, Benard treated us to a visit to the garden that memorializes the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings. On August 7, 1998, hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous car bomb explosions at the US embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The attacks, linked to local members of al Qaeda, brought bin Laden and al Qaeda to international attention for the first time, and resulted in the FBI placing bin Laden on its Ten Most Wanted list. The area is now a memorial to the 213 people who died that day.

It was very touching that Benard reached into his own pocket to pay for us to see it.