Marty the motorcycling Giraffe Story13 Marty climbs Mount Kilimanjaro

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Story 13 Marty climbs Mount Kilimanjaro

As you know Marty the motorcycling Giraffe, works as a window cleaner’s assistant with his friend Peter Ngono (the window cleaner).

One Friday Peter told Marty that he could take the next week off as a holiday, as Peter has cancelled all the window cleaning jobs for the next week.

“Gloria is coming home from Mombasa” Peter told Marty “and I have planned lots of things for me and Gloria to do and lots of places to go and see”.

“That’s lovely” replied Marty “I hope you both have a really nice time”

Marty thought that he would like to use the time off from work to go on a really special adventure.

“I know” exclaimed Marty “I will ride my motorcycle to Tanzania and climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the biggest mountain in all of Africa”

The very next morning Marty was packed and zooming along on his motorcycle heading out on the very long road that runs from Nairobi to Arusha in Tanzania.

The Nairobi to Arusha road is very long and cuts through the African countryside and through several small villages that Marty whizzed by at top speed.

After several hours of riding his motorcycle Marty came to the large gates across the which means he is leaving Kenya and entering Tanzania

Once he was in Tanzania it wasn’t very long before Marty arrived at the hotel in Arusha where he met the other people he would climb the mountain with.

This included his Tanzanian mountain guides (William and Daniel) and two lads form Australia (Joe and Henry) and three Americans (Brian, Catie and Amy).

The next day the group of climbers were driven to the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro and they began the long climb up the massive Mountain. The climb would take them all week and the five climbers and the two guides would have to sleep in tents up a little higher up the mountain each night.

“We have never had a giraffe wanting to climb the mountain before” said William (one of the mountain guides)

“Oh I like going on adventures” replied Marty with a big smile.

During the climb Marty got very friendly with his fellow climbers from Australia and America as well as the mountain guides, as they helped each other up the difficult bits

of the climb and kept each other enthralled with the tales of the different adventures they have all had and the different places they had all visited before.

Night time on the Mountain was very cold indeed, and Marty was very pleased that he had brought with him the very long very stripy scarf he had made for him in London. Especially as his neck and head stuck out of his tent. Each night Marty would fall asleep trying count the millions of stars that lit up the night sky over Mount Kilimanjaro

For most of the climb the group were so high on the mountain that they were above the clouds, Marty thought the clouds looked lovely looking down on them from above, like giant balls of cotton wool.

As they climbed the mountain the group passed by some wonderful spots on its side like the Shira cathedral, the lava tower and the very steep Barranca wall, that they had to climb over (this was particularly hard work thought Marty).

At last they came to the final campsite where they would get there last sleep before making the very difficult climb up the steep slopes to the top of mount Kilimanjaro.

Brian, Catie. Amy, Joe, Henry and Marty were all very excited and very nervous as they set off for the big push to the top in the middle of the night.

As William and Daniel led the way, the climbers only had their small torches and the light of the stars to see their way up the mountain snowy and icy slopes.

Finally after hours of very tiring climbing the group reached the top of the Kilimanjaro.

All six of them let out a big cheer when they saw the sign at the top that read

CONGRATULATIONS WELCOME TO UHURU PEAK, THE ROOF OF AFRICA.

After the long climb down the mountain the group spent one more night at the hotel in Arusha.

The next day Marty said a big “asante sana” (thank you) to Daniel and William for helping him reach the top ,and  a great big “Kwaheri” (goodbye) to Joe, Henry, Brian, Catie and Amy and promised them that he would visit them all one day.

And soon Marty was zooming along the long road back to Nairobi, and back into Kenya, and back to Nairobi to see what more adventures could be found for

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Look out for Marty's next adventure "Marty and the Harambee stars" to be osted on Saturday 1st October 2011

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe story 12 Marty and the weekend at the beach (Peter and Gloria)

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe

Story 12 Marty and the weekend at the beach (Peter and Gloria)

As Marty and Peter were packing their widow cleaning equipment up at the end of long week of hard work, cleaning windows in Nairobi. Marty had an idea.

“I know Peter” said Marty “when we have finished here, why don’t we load up by my motorcycle and head off to the beach for the weekend! And on the way we can call for Emmanuelle and we can all go camping by the coast”.

“Great idea “shouted Peter excitedly “I could do with some fun on the beach”.

After they had finished work they quickly packed everything they needed for the weekend into the top box on Marty’s motorcycle and tied their tent to the motorcycle of off they zoomed out of the city towards Peter’s farm.

When they arrived at Peter’s farm, Marty shouted, “Jambo Emmanuelle, we are going to the coast for the weekend, do you want to come too?”

“Of course I do” replied Emmanuelle, “I am as good as packed and ready to go”

Emmanuelle went into his little farmhouse and a few minutes later, came out with his rucksack packed and he jumped on to his motorcycle and shouted

“Twende (lets go)” shouted Emmanuelle but then added “remember don’t got too fast Marty, or I wont be able to keep up”

The three friends were soon on their way, zooming along the road to Mombasa (a large town on the coast of Kenya)

As they reach the town of Mombasa they passed under the giant elephant tusks that spread across the main road into the town.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the campsite they were going to stay at for the weekend.

The campsite was right next to the beach and Marty, Peter and Emmanuelle stood on the lovely white sand, under the palm trees looking out to the sea. They were in awe at the large blue ocean that looked so beautiful with the setting sun glistening off the surface and lighting up the horizon.

That evening as the sun went down, Marty, Peter and Emmanuelle spent their time at the “Smoothie” bar that was set up on the beach.

Marty and Emmanuelle brought there smoothies and sat at a table looking out to the sea and had a good long chat.

Peter didn’t join his friends at the table though. Peter stayed at the bar talking to the young lady who was serving the smoothies.

The young lady told Peter that her name was Gloria Moshi and that she was from Nairobi too, and that she was staying in Mombasa for a while to earn some money selling smoothies, before she has to go back to Nairobi to go to college.

That night the three friends all climbed into their tent to go to sleep. But as his neck is so long Marty had to lie with his head sticking out of the tent,

Before he fell asleep Marty spent some time just looking up at the night sky and thought about how amazing all the stars looked. It was like he could see the whole universe.

The next day Marty and Emmanuelle had a great time on the beach, they chased the little white crabs around the sand, they swam in the ocean, went water skiing (Marty particularly liked water skiing) and went out on a glass bottom boat, over the coral reef and dived in the water and went snorkelling in the sea and saw lots of different very brightly coloured fish..

Peter didn’t join in with his friends much he just sat on the beach, looking gloomy and waiting for the smoothie bar to open in the evening, so that he could see Gloria again.

But it wasn’t Gloria who opened the smoothie bar that evening, but another lady, as Gloria wasn’t working that night. Peter looked very sad, but was soon smiling again when Gloria cam along to sit with him.  Marty, Peter, Emmanuel and Gloria sat at the tables into the bar, looking out across the ocean and talking into the early hours of the morning.

The next day the three friends had to pack up their tent, and get on their motorcycles and ride back to their homes.

Peter spent a very long time saying Kwaheri (goodbye) to Gloria while Marty and Emmanuelle laughed and teased him about being “in love with Gloria”.

Soon they were leaving Mombasa and heading off on the long trip back to Nairobi.

They all agreed that they had a great time at the beach, and Peter said that he thought it was the best weekend ever.

“We wonder why you think that” laughed Marty and Emmanuelle.

Marty then went back to his little house to get some rest, as he will be back working with Peter in the morning and he will also be looking for more adventures

For Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.

Lokk out for the next installment of Marty the motorcyling giraffess year of adventures : Story 14 Marty climbs Mount Kilimanjaro to be posted on Wed 28th Sept 2011

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe Story 11 Marty and Peter's very important job

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe

Story 11 Marty and Peter’s very important job

Marty is a motorcycling giraffe who lives in the big African city of Nairobi, Marty works as a window cleaner’s assistant with his friend Peter Ngono (the window cleaner)

One day whole they were hard at work, Peter was sitting on top of Marty’s head and cleaning the windows of one of the very tall buildings in Nairobi; a very important looking, very well dressed man came up to them

The man looked up at Peter and shouted, “Excuse me, but can I talk to you about a very important matter”.

So Marty carefully lowered Peter to the ground.

“Jambo” said Peter “I am Peter Ngono the widow cleaner and this is my assistant Marty, how can we help you?”

“Jambo” said the important looking man as he shook Peter’s hand.

The man told Peter and Marty that he is called Mr Rono and that he works for the Kenyan government in the State House and that he needs Peter and Marty to carry out a very special and important job.

Mr Rono explained that tomorrow afternoon there is a very important meeting of all the heads of states from all the East African countries taking place in the State house, both the president (Mr Kibaki) and the Prime Minister (Mr Odinga) will be there as well as the heads of state from Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Ethiopia.

“That sounds very exciting and important” said Marty “but how can we help?”.

“I was coming to that” replied Mr Rono “we have a major problem that you can help with, the State House’s window cleaner has retired and we have no one to clean all the windows in the State house. We can’t have all these important people arriving and seeing the State house looking dirty”

“Will you be able to come to the State House, first thing in the morning to clean the windows?  You will need to be finished before the first of the important guests start arriving at mid day.” Asked Mr Rono who added that Marty and Peter would be well paid for the job.

“Hakuna Matata” replied Marty and Peter and agreed to start work on the windows at 6 o’clock the next morning

Marty went to bed early that night, and was very excited the next morning as he rode his motorcycle to meet Peter at the State House.

The State House has so many windows, that Marty and Peter had to get to work straight away if they were to finish on time.

By half past eleven in the morning Peter and Marty were cleaning the last of the all the windows and the State House was looking lovely and clean and ready for all the important visitors to arrive.

Mr Rono came up to Peter and Marty and told them that they had done a very good job and that the President and Prime Minister would like to thank them personally.

Mr Rono took Marty and Peter into a large office in the State House where President Kibaki and Mr Odinga (the prime minister) were sitting.

The president and prime minister thanked Marty and Peter for all their hard work and told them that they had done a very good and important job.

Mr Rono then paid Marty and Peter for their work (and it was a very good wage indeed), and then they had to leave the State House before all the important guests arrived.

Marty was feeling very tired that night after working so hard to get all the windows cleaned in time, but he was also feeling very proud to have done such an important job and delighted that he had met both the president and the prime minister of Kenya. He was also very pleased with the money he had earned.

Marty fell asleep early and dreamed of what more adventures that could be found for:-

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Look out for  the next installment of Marty's year of adventures, (Story 12 Marty's weekend at the beach) to be added on Saturday 24 September 11

Marty the motorcyclying Giraffe story 10 Marty and the loch Ness Monster

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe.

Story 10 Marty and the Loch Ness Monster

Marty woke in his little house in Nairobi in a very excited mood; He was excited because today he is going on another adventure. Marty is flying out to “Bonnie Scotland” for a holiday.  He was sure that he will find lots of adventures in Scotland.

Marty rode his motorcycle to Nairobi international airport and soon he was sat on the aeroplane flying to Glasgow.

It was raining very heavily when he arrived in Glasgow so Marty brought himself an umbrella and caught a taxi to his hotel, which was near the city centre overlooking the River Clyde. Marty thought that this was a very nice hotel with a lovely view,

Marty found the people in Glasgow very friendly but he struggled to understand a lot of what they said to him, as he had never heard the English Language spoken in such a manner.

Marty went shopping “in Sauchihall street” in the centre of Glasgow. This is a very busy street, with lots of nice shops and lots of people walking around. Outside one of the shops was a very big man wearing a kilt and playing the bag piles.

Marty had never heard the bagpipes before and he thought that they made a very strange sounds but he enjoyed listening to the man playing them. After the man finished his tune Marty went to speak to him.

“Jambo” said Marty, “Och! Ye nae be seeing tae many giraffes aroon here” replied the bag pipe player who introduced himself as wee Jimmy.  “Wee Jimmy?” asked Marty, “Och aye” replied Wee Jimmy “ma da (my dad) is called Big Jimmy so I am called Wee Jimmy”

Marty and Wee Jimmy” sat on a bench in the street and chatted for ages. Wee Jimmy told Marty all about Scotland, the beautiful hills and lochs and all the old castles and ancient battle grounds. But what excited Marty the most was tales of the Loch Ness Monster.

So Marty hired himself a motorcycle (a big American bike, like the one he rode in Los Angeles) and set off on the long and winding road to Loch Ness.

At Loch Ness the local people told him that the Loch Ness monster doesn’t come out from under the water much and that he would be lucky  see her (some people said that the monster was just a myth and wasn’t real). But they told Marty that if he really wanted to see the monster he should go down by the castle at the side of the Loch at night time.

It was getting dark as Marty rode his motorcycle down to the side of the loch. Marty parked his motorcycle with the headlight shining across the dark rather spooky looking loch.

Suddenly the water started to bubble and shake about, and then a large head and long neck shot out form under the water.

Marty jumped back in shock and thought “it’s the monster!!”

“Och! Dinnae ye be afreed (don’t you be afraid)” said the Monster, “My name is Nessie and I am quite friendly”

“Jambo my name is Marty” replied Marty nervously.

Nessie told Marty that she had to come out of the water to see Marty because she had never seen a motorcycling giraffe before.

“That’s because I am the only one” said Marty proudly.

Nessie and Marty stayed up chatting all night. Nessie told Marty all about loch Ness and the Scottish highlands, and Marty told Nessie all abut Africa, Nairobi and the Masai Mara..

Marty ate lots of twigs and leafs as they talked and Nessie ate lots of fish and they both drunk lots of Irn Bru (a fizzy drink that Marty had gotten quite a taste for since arriving in Scotland

As the morning arrived and the sun came up and shone across the loch, Nessie said that she has to go back under the water.

“Goodbye Marty, it’s been lovely talking to you” said Nessie as she dived into the deep water.

“Kwaheri” shouted Marty “it was lovely to met you too”

The next day Marty found it difficult to get people to believe that he met the Loch Ness Monster, but Marty didn’t mind because he knew it was true.

Soon it was time for the holiday to finish and for Marty fly home to Africa.

Marty had enjoyed his stay in Scotland (and had even got used to the rainy weather), but he was looking forward to going home to Nairobi to see what more adventure could be found for:-------

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.

Lok out for the next installment in Marty's year of adventures to be posted on Wednesday 21st September

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe Story 9 Marty's friend Peter's big race

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Story 9 Marty’s friend Peter’s big race

As you know Marty works as a window cleaner’s assistant with his friend Peter Ngono (the window cleaner)

As well as being a window cleaner Peter is a very good long distance runner. Peter had been saving up his money and he brought himself a very expensive pair of running shoes.

“Wow “exclaimed Marty when he saw the running shoes “they are good running shoes I bet you run very fast wearing those”.

“Yes I think I can” replied Peter. And then he told Marty that he has been training very hard and that he wants to enter a marathon race in Nakuru (another town in Kenya).

“If I do well in the race, I might get picked to run for the Kenyan national team and maybe even get to run in the Olympics” shouted Peter excitedly

Peter then asked if Marty would give him a lift on the back of his motorcycle to Nakuru for the race.

“Of course I will” said Marty “and I will stay to cheer you on in the race as well, and also we can see if Emmanuelle (Emmanuelle Wangana, the farmer and a friend of Marty and Peter) would like to come”. Marty told Peter that Emmanuelle has brought a new motorcycle and could follow them to Nakuru

“That would be great to have my two best friends there to cheer me on” said Peter.

On the day before the race Marty and Peter set off for Nakuru, they stopped at Emmanuelle’s farm on the way.  Emmanuelle jumped on his motorcycle to follow them

“Don’t go too fast” Mart shouted Emmanuelle “I am not as good as a motorcycle rider as you and I will never keep up with you”

“Hakuna matata (no problem)” laughed Marty and zoomed off towards Nakuru.

Along the way they passed Lake Naivasha that has so many flamingos walking and swimming on it, that from a distance it looks like the water is pink!!

A last they arrived at the town of Nakuru. Marty and Emmanuelle got to work putting up the tent they were going to sleep in that night, while Peter studied the route of the race.

Peter told Marty and Emmanuelle that the race goes form the centre of the town down to the edge of Lake Nakuru and back to the centre of town for the finishing line, and said “it seems an awful long way to run”

“Don’t Worry you’ll be fine” said Marty”you ahve been training hard for this race and don’t forget that you have your new running shoes to help you go really fast”.

That night the three of them slept well in their tent, but as Marty’s neck is so long his head was sticking out of the tent all night long.

On the day of the race Peter lined up at the begining line with all the other runners, Peter’s race number was 32 and this was stuck to the chest of his running vest.

The race organiser stood on a high table and shouted

Tutu (Three) Mbili (two) Moja (one) kuanza mbio (Start the race)

And all the runners set off on the long race.

Marty and Emmanuelle rode their motorcycles quickly down to the lake, to cheer Peter on as he went past the half way line

“Come on Peter, keep going” they shouted as Peter passed.

They then quickly got back on their motorcycles and raced back to the finishing line to see the end of the race.

There was a big crowd at the finishing line and Marty and Emmanuelle were stuck at the back, which was ok for Marty, but Emmanuelle couldn’t see over the crowd.

“I know” said Marty” you can sit on my head, like Peter does at work”.

Emmanuelle climbed on top of Marty’s head and they both had a good view of the finishing line.

Soon the crowd gave a big cheer as the leading t five runners came into view. Marty and Emmanuelle cheered even louder when they saw that their friend Peter was in the lead.

It was a hard fast race to the finish line but Peter managed to stay in front of the others to win the race.

After the race Peter looked very tired as he proudly showed Marty and Emmanuelle his winner’s medal

 “Well done Peter” they shouted” and now you might be able to get to run for Kenya in the Olympics

“We will have to wait and see about that” replied Peter wearily.

It was now time to go home and a very tired Peter climbed on to the back of Marty’s motorcycle and off they zoomed...

Marty and Peter said “Kwaheri (goodbye)” to Emmanuelle at his farm and then headed back to Nairobi

At his house, Peter got off Marty’s motorcycle and said that he was going to sleep well tonight as he was so tired after the race.

Marty was very pleased and proud that his friend had won the race, and thought that going to Nakuru Peter and Emmanuelle had been a great adventure and he went back to his own little house wondering about what other adventures could be found for:-

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.

Next instalment of Marty's adventures will be posted on Sat 17th Sept2011

Marty the motorcyclying Giraffe story 8 Marty and the new baby giraffe

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Story 8 Marty and the new baby giraffe.

As you know Marty is a giraffe who lives in the big African city of Nairobi in Kenya and that Marty is a special giraffe as he likes to spend most of his time whizzing around on his motorcycle.

One morning as Marty was getting ready to go to work (Marty works as a widow cleaners assistant with his good friend Peter Ngono) the postman delivered a letter through his front door.

Marty was delighted to get a letter and even more delighted to see that it had come from his friend Gary the giraffe from the Masai Mara.

Marty was extra extra delighted when he read the letter, that said that his sister (Geraldine the giraffe) has a little baby girl giraffe called Georgina.

“I have a little niece, I am an uncle!” Marty said proudly to himself.

Marty was still very excited when he arrived at work and couldn’t wait to tell Peter his news.

“That’s lovely Marty” said Peter “and as we are not very busy, why don’t you take the day off and ride your motorcycle to the Masai Mara and visit your sister and the new baby.”

“Oh Asante sana (thank you) “cried Marty “that is really good of you Peter, are you sure you will cope on your own today”

“Hakuna matata (its no problem)” replied Peter “now off you go, and don’t forget to take a present for your new niece and something for your sister”.

“I won’t” said Marty, as he jumped off on his motorcycle and headed back to his little house to get ready for the ride to the Masai Mara..

Marty  rushed around his house getting things ready for the trip to the Masai Mara and thought “I know I can give the baby the large teddy bear I won on the pier in Los Angeles and I can take Geraldine some of the best tasting  twigs and leafs I can get”

So Marty tied the large teddy bear and a stack of twigs and leafs to his motorcycle and set off to the Masai Mara.

Marty zoomed of on his motorcycle and it wasn’t ling before he had left the city way behind and soon he was heading through the grassy plains of the Masai Mara

Marty liked being back in the Masai Mara, with all the lovely umbrella acacia trees and the large herds of wildebeests and zebra.

After a short while Marty could see his family and old friends of giraffes up ahead.

Marty stopped his motorcycle and got off and pushed it quietly up to the other giraffes as he didn’t want to wake the baby up an frighten her with the motorcycles loud engine.

All the other giraffes were delighted to see Marty.  And Geraldine was especially pleased to show of her new baby, Georgina.

Marty loved his new niece and was very pleased that she seemed to like the large teddy bear he brought her, and Geraldine enjoyed the twigs and leafs too.

That evening after the baby had fallen asleep, Marty told Geraldine, George and Gary lots of stories of the adventures he had found since moving to the big city. He told them all about working with Peter and his trips to Lake Victoria, London and Los Angeles. The other giraffes loved his stores and thought that Marty was having a very exciting time.

It soon became very late and dark and it was time for Marty to head back to his little house in Nairobi city.

Marty said “Kwaheri (goodbye)” to the other Giraffes and promised he would come back son to tell them more about his adventures.

Marty also said that when Georgina is big enough he will come back and teach his niece how to ride a motorcycle.

“Oh no” groaned Geraldine, and all the other giraffes laughed out loud

Marty waved as he rode off back to Nairobi to see what more adventures could be found for:------

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.

Marty the motorcyclying Giraffe story 7 Marty and the motorcycle race

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe

Story 7 Marty and the motorcycle race

As you know Marty is a very special Giraffe who lives in Nairobi in Kenya. And as you also know the thing Marty likes to do best is to whizz around on his motorcycle.

Marty has a job as a window cleaner’s assistant he works with his friend Peter Ngono (the window cleaner). One evening,  after they had finished a hard days work cleaning the windows of all the shops and offices in Nairobi, and Marty was loading all the window cleaning equipment  (Ladders, buckets and clothes) on to Peter’s van, Peter shouted to him “hey Marty come and have a look at this”.

Peter was looking at a poster in a shop window. The poster said:

GRAND MOTORCYCLE RACE

THIS SATURDAY AT UHURU PARK

BIG TROPHY FOR THE WINNER

Peter said to Marty “you should enter this race; I don’t know anybody that can ride a motorcycle as good as you”.

Marty thought that a motorcycle race would be very exciting and that he would love to win a big trophy that he could keep in his little house. So he agreed to enter the race.

On Saturday (the day off the race) Marty woke up very early as he was every excited about the race.

He rode his motorcycle to Uhuru Park (a large park in the centre of Nairobi), where a special race track had been laid down for the event. And registered his entry at the contestants desk where he was given his race number, Marty’s race number was number 12.

The race was due to start at 2 o’clock in the after noon and at 1 o’clock Peter and Marty’s other very good friend Emmanuelle Wangana (the farmer) turned up to cheer Marty on.

By the time the race was due to start a large crowd had turned up to watch, and Marty felt very excited and very nervous as he lined up at the starting line with all the other racers.

The race organiser gave out the last instructions telling the racers, that the first rider to complete 3 laps of the race circuit will be the winner.

The race organiser then started the race by shouting

Tutu (Three) Mbili (two) Moja (one) kuanza mbio (Start the race)

The motorcycles made a very loud noise as they sped away from the start and were soon going very fast indeed.

By the end of the second lap Marty along with two other riders ( number 4 and number 5) had raced into the lead, leaving the rest of the riders well behind.

The three leading motorcyclists were neck and neck through out the third lap and as they raced towards the finishing line it looked like the race was going to be a dead heat.

The crowd cheered very loudly at the exciting finish, and as the finishing line got closer, Marty stretch forward to get his head past the winning post. And suddenly the race was over

And Marty had won by a very long neck

Peter and Emmanuelle ran to Marty and patted him on the back shouting well done Marty champion motorcycle racer.

Marty was very pleased and very proud when he collected the winners’ trophy, and that evening he proudly out the trophy on a shelf in his little house.

Marty thought that the race wad very exciting but very tiring and so he went to bed early and wondered

What more adventure there could be for

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe Story 6 Marty goes to LA (USA)

                                                  Marty's year of adventures (52 storys in 52 weeks) continues with....

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Story 6 Marty goes to LA (USA) or Marty and the President

Marty woke up in his little house in Nairobi in a very excited mood.

Marty was excited because today is the day that he is going on a very special trip. Marty is going to Los Angeles in the United States of America

Marty had worked very hard in his job as a window cleaner’s assistant, and has been saving his money for a long time to pay for the trip. And the day has finally come for Marty to start his holiday.

Marty packed all his clothes into a large rucksack, checked he had his passport and aeroplane ticket and his US dollars that he had got from the bank in Nairobi and he got on his motorcycle and rode to the airport.

Marty arrived at the airport, parked his motorbike, went through passport control and was soon sat on the aeroplane. Marty was very thrilled as the plane sped along the runway (much faster than his motorbike can go) and took off into the sky.

It was a very long flight and by the time the aeroplane landed at LAX airport in Los Angeles, Marty’s legs felt very stiff and achy, but he didn’t mind because he had finally arrived in the USA.

Marty got off the plane and collected his luggage and left the airport. Outside he looked up at the hot Californian sun and thought   “good it’s lovely and hot here, just like back home in Africa”.

Marty booked into his hotel and went out to explore Los Angeles and to see if he could find any adventures to have.

One of the first places Marty went to was a motorcycle hire shop where he hired a large American motorcycle to ride around on while he was on holiday. It was a lovely big motorcycle with the stars and stripes (USA’s national flag) painted on the petrol tank.

Marty had a great time in Los Angeles:

He visited Hollywood where he saw the big Hollywood sign in the hill and the names of all the famous people alongside their star on the pavements (sidewalks).

 On another day he went to Venice beach, where he watched the pretty girls play beach volley ball and the strong men lifting heavy weights, he also found the street entertainers here very funny. He also went on to the pier at Venice beach where he won a large cuddly bear by throwing a basketball through a hoop, before sunbathing and swimming on the nearby Santa Monica beach.

Marty also enjoyed visiting the Marina Del Ray and looking at all the very nice boats there.

But the best fun Marty had in Los Angeles was going to Disneyland, where he went on some very exciting roller coasters and other funfair rides and got to meet all of his favourite cartoon characters.

On the day before Marty was due to fly back home he went for a ride on his big American motorcycle, through the busy streets of Los Angeles. He came across a school with a big banner across the front gate. Marty stopped his motorcycle so that he could read the sign which said:-

“COLOMBUS SCHOOL WELCOMES PRSIDENT OBAMA”

“Wow” thought Marty “the president of the USA is visiting this school, I must wait around, how exciting will it be if I get to see the president!”

As Marty parked his motorcycle up against the school wall. He couldn’t help overhearing someone on the other side of the wall shouting “Oh No! What are we going to do now?”

Marty stretched his long neck and lifted his head over the top of the wall and looked in, he saw the school principle and janitor stood next to a broken flag pole, and they looked very worried.

“Jambo” said Marty and the principle and the janitor both jumped back with surprise to see a giraffe.  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No not really” replied the principle sadly and explained that the president of the USA is coming to visit the school today, and the school flag pole I broken. How can we have the president here with no flag pole to fly the stars and stripes on?”

“I can help” said Marty “if I stand up straight you can tie the flag to the little horns on the top of my head and I can act as a flag pole.”

“Oh do you think you can? That would be wonderful l, thank you very much” said the principal “wako karibu yake hakuna tatizo (your welcome, it’s no problem)” replied Marty.

Quickly the principle and the janitor carefully tied the flag to Marty, and Marty stood up nice and straight and proud and the flag was soon waving nicely in the wind.

All the children lined up nicely and soon there was a big cheer as the presidents’ limousine pulled up outside the school.

President Obama climbed out of the limousine and the children started singing “the star spangled banner” (the national anthem of the USA). Once the singing had finished the president went to speak to all the excited children and then spoke for a while with the school principle.

The president came up to Marty.

“I hear that you saved the day and that you’re here on holiday” said the president.

“Yes Mr President” replied Marty “I come from Kenya in Africa”.

“Really?” said the president “My father came from Kenya”. And then he told Marty he was a hero and gave him a big shiny medal.

Marty was very proud to be a hero and get a medal, but even more proud that someone from his country could have a son that could be president of such a great country like the USA.

The next day it was time for Marty to go home, Marty took his American motorcycle back to the hire shop and head off to the airport to catch his aeroplane home.

Marty loved his holiday in America but he was glad to be going home to Africa, home to his little house in Nairobi and most of all home to his own motorcycle.

Marty sat back in his seat on the aeroplane and wondered what more adventures could be found for:-

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe.