Aaaaah! They're Giraffter me!

"Come on dudes, she's worth way more than six cows!"

This momma means buisness (two adorable cubs were tumbling about as she stared us down.)
Awkward majesty in motion.
What do you call a group of giraffes? A gaggle?

Kenya hear me now?

"Heeeemmya a deetseeeeda....Heema dada HeemaHeemadada.....From the day we arrived on the planet..."
Hope you don't have to squint as hard as I did to see the giraffes in the background.
Who wants some?
Sentient guardians of the dusk.
Nothing like the smell of elephants in the morning!

Nairobi's finest?

African skies anyone?
A rare glimpse of maternal spots.
On the way to Maasai Maara...
Opening for a show called "Nairobi's Finest"...no one will ever know how this came about.
How's your teacher to student ratio these days? Anyone wanna complain?

Sawa Sawa Kenya Kenya!

I wonder what bell hooks would say about this?
A Kenyan classic: remote boarding schools hundreds of kilometers from civilization.
An excellent argument for selectively breeding for female back hair.
The welcoming committee refuses tips.

Welcome to Kenya! Vegos need not apply.

A bientot nos amis!

Parting shots without parting hearts! We love our family in Brazzaville dearly and wish them the best until we can once again share some laughs, a bit of Maboke and a load of Primus!!
Some of the crew gettin B-Boy style at our going away party.
Our brothers in Brazzaville - "Nos freres d'autres meres"
The songstress becomes even more ethnically ambiguous in her Congolese accoutrements.
The interior of a classroom at the Salvation Army school next door to our little apartment. Chalk dust torture anyone?

Afreekan model of beauty

This photo was taken right after a loud explosion and directly before they began doing acrobatics while holding their enormous drums.
The gang - Eric, Benitte, Ruthe and Emmanuel - out at one of the most expensive restaurants in Brazzaville. Only in attendance to see the original Trezieme Rue get down, we were once again stupified by the incomprehensible stratification in this country.
Janna with gorgeous mother and daughter team that designed and constructed this elegant piece of wearable art.
Stoic and Incredible - Emmanuel is one of the greatest guitar players you've never heard - stay posted for his YouTube page.
Having a few of our famous Primus ablutions at a watering hole off the side of the main road.

An Obama-nation?

Some of the finest modern art in the country....yes, you guessed correctly, that is Franken-Stallone in the bottom panel.
A strange statistic: 100% of Congolese taxi drivers love Obama more than the 45% of Americans who are holding on to their contentment.
Movie night at the compound after purchasing a DVD player...Bruce Willis films are far better if you can't understand the dialogue!
Perhaps the first pizza made in an old engine casing...the taste of diesel was a beautiful accompaniment to the pineapples.
Teething devices for babies seem to be a bit more corporeal in other parts of the world.

Lizzards, riffs and raffs

Candid shots at the compound - preparing a Congolese meal for the family with Ruthe, Benite and Eric!
One of these things is not like the others.....in this lively little market, full of aggressively rusty drooping gutters.
There is no good explanation for this picture.
Is anyone else picking up on a decidedly racial subtext beneath this exchange?
A little bit of bluesy Americana to round out a face melting set of jazz, kwassa kwassa and rhumba by the river.

Down by the rivaside

Yet another triumph of simplicity and finesse...
Standing aside the chocolate river (names changed to protect the innocent) with our little tour guide that overcame her fear of the aliens to lead us to her favorite spot.
Trekking through the deep jungle (hehe) to find the elusive river of chocolate.
A typical village house in Kinkala (about 60 kms from Brazzaville) as we walked back to the Congo's tributary.
A rousing game of "baby-foot" (according to local vernacular) on the side of the road in the village of Kinkala...I was royally stomped.

Tailor made....

I have dubbed this enigmatic style of hair the "fro-hawk," any funk-punk bands can inquire for copyright.
"I must charge you for two shirts worth of fabric!" is what she might have said had she not been so beautifully polite and gracious.
Janna has been known to tame many a soul with her sweet voice and big smile!
Monsieur Boschong looking supafly in this classic piece of travel kitsch.
A little performance art to accompany the only form of public art kickin' around the city.