Overlanding with Oasis in Kenya

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Day 249
After finally sleeping in a bed for a few hours we got up to met our truck driver Franko and fellow overlanders Nathan and Anita (from Aus). After a treating ourselves to a massive "big breaky" and sharing stories of our travels so far. We checked into our room and went for a walk to the local supermarket, after a couple stops to check we were on the right track we arrived in amazement at a huge modern supermarket with the works, something extremely hard to come buy in Egypt. Excited to be in a supermarket (things really had got bad) we raced around and grabbed essentials new toothbrushes and snacks (just in case the camp food left us hungry). A couple delicious hot apricot donuts later we wandered back to Karen Camp for our first briefing with Mel our tour guide. Carly thumped Jez in a game of pool and we settled for a couple pies and beer for tea.

Day 250
Day one of our first group tour on an OASIS overland truck for 10 weeks from Nairobi to Cape Town. An early start (and this was definately going to become the trend), we packed our gear into the truck and headed to Nairobi city to meet up with the rest of our crew, comprising of Aussies (just can't get away from 'em), a kiwi, a couple germans and some brits.
After the meeting, we headed to another massive supermarket for more essentials like beer and lunch. Back on the truck again we had a short drive to "Fishermans Camp" at Lake Naibasha
After a brief camp orientation we were back in the truck to Elsamere home of Elsa the lion and movie Born Free. A brief doco covering the history of Elsa and Joy Adamson and a massive afternoon tea we headed back to camp. Back at camp we had a how to "assemble and dismantle" our tent demo and a tour of our truck affectionally known as Barbara or Bab's. Our home for the next 10 weeks. "Barbara" our Oasis truck amazingly holds just about everything you could think of, individual lockers for bags, a pantry, cooking equipment and utensils, jerry cans of water, wood, charcoal, lights, chairs, tables, tents and esky's. Inside it seats up to 28 people, making it very comfortable for a cozy group of thirteen, with row of seats down either side facing each other and a beach section up top (when your feeling under the weather!). The sides roll up giving you automatic aircon and an awesome view and it's fitted out with IPOD dock, speakers and a library.
First night and Carly's Cook group was on duty they whipped up a traditional african camp meal of chicken sausage stew and ugali (a maise like substance that slightly resembles glugy mash potato).
After tea whilst sitting by the camp toasting a few marshmellows (Carly loves toasting marshmellows) we spotted two smallish hippo's rooming a little too close for comfort of our tent (Jez picked the location!). Hippo's are reportly the most dangerous African animal responsible for the most deaths. All this in mind, we were exhausted following a couple days on the go and strangely slept through undisturbed!

Day 251
After breaky, we selected some bikes and headed for Hells Gate National Park. We'd been told it was extremely variable what game you see so we left with low expectations and vague memorys of our sore butts from our previous biking expedition. With the pace and easy roll allowing us to take in the scenery, our first sighting was of the slightly ugly rock hyrax resembling a large rat without a tail. Spotting a zebra in the distance we were disappointed when our guide wouldn't let us ride closer, however once we got round the next bend, there were a large group of twenty or more zebra's grazing in the lowlands. After pics taken from every angle we continued along cruising past pumba's, gazelle, more zebra, and a giraffe in the distance. With a guide suggesting maybe it would be closer to the road when we come back
We arrived at the gorge, where we ditched the bikes and climbed, scrambled and crawled past the hot springs to to the the awesome view point overlooking the park. We detoured past one of the local Masai villages where we were treated to some traditional song and dance, a fire demonstration and viewed one of their circular very dark, small and smokey huts.

Back to the bikes we started out but were waylayed when one of the crew got a puncture. Puncture repaired we hit the road again. Our guide amazing us again, as this time the giraffe was right along the road! More photo's and we continued on back to camp stopping at a local rose nursary restaurant for some chicken and chips. Back at camp we were loaded onto the truck to "Kembo Camp" at Lake Nakuru. We set up the tent and enjoyed a beer and some Chilli con carne and rice for tea. After tea our English camp owners twelve year old son took us on a Chameleon tour, where he spotted and gave our the low down on Chameleons.

Day 252
Early start for our first game drive! We boarded two jeeps and set off for Lake Nakuru National Park teeming with anticipation and excitement. After a quick pee stop at the gate as were weren't going to be able to stop at whim like usual we headed in. Barely through the gates and we came face to face with a large buffulo who kindly moved off without a fuss. Shortly after our drivers radio was going crazy with excited swahili (local language) of which we could understand ...zip. Seconds later we were madly reversing and speeding back down the the road, still unbeknown to us what exactly we were chasing. We arrived at "the spot" just as all the other jeeps were moving off... bugger.. apparently there were a male and female lion playing in a small clearing near to the road. Still brimming with enthusiasm we continued on past herds of empala's of which the male has forty wives to himself, fighting off any other males who try and cut his grass .. literally. Past zebra's and more buffalo to our first stop for an early lunch at Baboon Hill. Within minutes we knew why. We set up in a small open hut and were soon joined by a huge baboon with a gapping hole on his hand (clearly lost a fight!). He quickly eyed of the group and the contents of the hut, despite throwing a couple banana's skins outside, he was not going to be distracted that easily. He swiftly jumped down into the hut helped himself to a pack of bread rolls, despite the screams and attempts to steal them back and leaped back over to take a seat and enjoy our lunch for 15 all to himself.
With lunch halved we jumped back in the jeeps and headed down to the lake. Spotting a huge rhino amongst a massive heard of buffalo (apparently mates!) everyone hung out the top trying to get a clear picture, slightly disgrunted we continued on. Only to spot a lone rhino wandering along the bank in clear view for everyone with our enthusiatic driver made a v line straight for him. Next spot was a giraffe oddly standing out in the open away from the tree's. By the bank of the lake we were able to jump out a safe distance from the mob of raging buffalo's; second to the hippo are reknown for being one of Africa's most dangerous animals. According to the locals buffalo's who are shot at but not killed, never forget the scent of their shooter and have been known to kill them up to ten years later.
By the shore we admired hundreds of birds, pelicans, white famingo's, an ugly bird that can only be likened to a "tip chook' and a magnificant eagle.
Back in the jeep, we past another single rhino lounging in the sun, more empala's, zebra's and buffalo's and a whole family of rhino's including two babies. But our heart were hanging for cats! All we wanted to see now was a lion. We stopped for another bite to eat by a beautiful waterhole and called into a flash motel built in the park for a cold drink and rest, as the wildlife are less active in the heat of the day (we were too). Refreshed we set off again hoping, wishing, praying to spot a lion after a couple of less enthusiastic messages on the radio and the sun's intensity finally dropping our time was running out. There was going to be no cat sighting today. Back to camp exhausted we compared photo's, boasted about which jeep saw more rhino's before crashing to bed to dream of the elusive cats!

Day 253
Straight into the swing of camping we dismantled our tent and hit the road set for "Eldoret Camp at Naiberi River our first big drive day. Driving through the Rift Valley which starts in Lebanon and passes all the way to Mosambque covering a massive 6000km. After a quick photo stop we stopped again in the town of Kampala for lunch and wandered through the local curio market being constantly but friendly harrassed to "come look sister". We pulled into camp just before five and headed down to the pool for a quick dip ( the water was freezing). Jez's first night on cook group and "Aussie/Kiwi/Anzac Burgers" were on the menu. With Jez in him element responsible for the fire/BBQ we taught the Pom's how to construck a real burger!
Afterwards we headed to the funky underground bar for a drink before bed.

Day 254
Another big drive day, up and at 'em early we were on the truck by 7am and headed for Uganda and our first overland border crossing. As we crossed into Uganda we instantly noticed the change in poverty, but it seemed the poorer the kids and family's were the bigger there smiles and the more vigorous their waving. Some children ran for miles from their shacks, fields or roadside games to wave to the big yellow truck passing with 13 Musungo's (White men or lady) hanging out the windows waving back at them. "Musungu musungu howareyou" they would yell over and over. But were startled with a reply of good and just repeated "howareyou, howareyou" the limit of their English vocabulary.
Between waving to children, admiring the magnificant scenery, reading we passed the time with a games celebrity heads (now Carly's least favourite game after confusing the English Prime Minister Gordon Brown with outrageous chef Gordon Ramsey, this entitled Carly to be the awarded the croc's (A truck award given each night to someone who does or says something stupid and in turn they must wear a pair of bright orange crocs until the next evening.)
We finally arrived a Red Chilli Peppers, and Carly's cook group's turn had returned again. This time we were cooking something more in Carly's repetoire a Beef stirfry.
The evening got wild with Bab's II being introduced a Beer Bong, the problem for Jez as it turned out was not the beer but the combination wine, whisky and vodka that pushed him over the edge and forced to retreat to the tent shortly after.

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