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Published: June 28th 2014
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14 June: Naivasha, Kenya
For a while now, we had had rain most nights and each time our tent was really wet inside. It ended up that we had two holes in our tent so our guide finally said we could get a new tent at the next campsite out...thank-goodness.
First full day of our optional activities after a hot breakfast of toast, beans and sausage (beans and sausage only for me). Then most of us decided to do the biking through Hell's Gate to the gorge there.
A bus picked up 11 of us around nine and drove us to the entry. Here they rented us bikes that looked very old. Mine had one of the better looking seats but the bike was quite old looking with what looked like gears on it but they didn't work. According to the sign, it was 7km to the gorge. After about the first kilometer, we got split up. I ended up waiting for Samantha who was just enjoying a nice bike ride with one of the older ladies in our group, Julie and another girl from California, Hilary. The four of us enjoyed the bike ride and got amazing
shots of zebras, giraffes, and wort hogs as many crossed the road right in front of us. Was neat to be so close to them. We reached the gorge after about an hour and a half to fin the other group had started the hike down the gorge. We found out that for the hike, you had to pay (later we were told the government regulated this because many people went alone and died because the gorge would flood and the people would drown) so for a group to do the long hike it was 1500 Kenya shillings (about $18usd). Since the other group did the same, we decided we had time as we'll. we started the trek down. For the first hot spring, we could do easy (a walk oath), medium ( a little climbing) or hard (tough climbin). We decided to do middle of the road. Note: with Julie being short, thought the entire hiking and climbing we did, she was an amazing trooper. First hot spring was a nice water fall with nice warm water. All the springs along the way were really nice hot water. From here we went trekking down the gorge where at a
fork in the road, started left. Along here we enjoyed seeing different spots of the volcanic blackened spots, the layers in the rock where the water normally raised to (for us, it was really low water so not problem). Was gorgeous. We then got to a place where there was a large group. One girl had fallen from the climb up the walk and had enjoyed her leg greatly. So another group behind us decided not to go on. How every, our guide was like okay let's go. We had a mic climb here up the rock. Thankfully there were some foot holds but far apart and was like rock climbing without a harness. I did it quite we'll and the others seemed to do great. The guid helped Julie up some but with short legs she still did great. For all our climbs along the way, our guide greatly helped us and I was impressed with his strength as many times he felt and looked like heap was pulling us up in a lot of places. As we continued down, we ended up in a little cove where it was difficult to continue. Was almost like a cave here
here was the inspiration for "The Lion King" of where Simba was chased by the hyenas. Then we headed back. Back at the fork we then went right. First we found out here though that the rock above us and the gorge area, Disney had come taken many photos and based the different parts of "The Lion King" off of this area so at the fork, you could see the inspiration for pride rock. Along he ghost side, we stopped a three little hot springs. The first was Luke warm, he second was boiling, the third,perfectly hot for a shower. After a further walk down the gorge we reached an exit point where we climbed a steep incline up to get out of the gorge. Then our guide took us a little walk back to our bikes. We saw the others there just beginning to bike back. But since we had time, the four of us were going to relax and eat our lunches first. However, there were so many monkeys attacking us,we decided to bike a little ways back and then rest to eat. We literally stopped about fifteen minuets on the way back to sit at the side
of the road at the national park and enjoy our lunches. Then we struggled to make it back the 7 kilometers at a slow incline. We arrived back a little before two where we met the others. The van driver then took us back to our camp.
Back at those camp, we had an our before our car was going I come pick six us up for high team and time at Elsamear's reservation and home. I decided to rinse off quickly and put on a summer dress for the tea. Then one of the girls who was feeling sick in the morning and ended up not on the bike ride, was doing laundry and asked if we wanted to add some. We did and so a few of us ended up helping out with laundry for a while.
The car finally came and Samantha two ladies fm London, Tessa and Vicki, as well as the older coulee, Dave and Julie, and myself, climbed into two cars for Elsamear's. Here we went first to watch the video on her. She is glamour for helping out with a lion named Elsa. From Elsa, she wrote the book bor. free
as well as the other to in the series based on her. Also learned she did the same for two other animals she ended up helping, cheetah and leopard. These books I also want to read now. Was very interesting to hear her story and her husbands from Kenya who was more involved in just lions. The other fact I learned was that she was actually stabbed and killed by one of her Kenyan staff where her husband was stabbed and killed by a villager. After the movie, we walked through the museum which showed some of her paintings of the animals as well as the various villagers she came across with all her safaris. From here we enjoyed tea with cakes and biscuits. I tried a few bites but will lay for that later :S but was a very nice time especially since, while there, it was pouring outside. We were all glad we weren't back at the camp for that. Lastly,see did a little walking around the grounds that over look the grand lake there.
Back at the campsite, we enjoyed a relaxing vending of fish and veggie rice dinner. Then most of us walked over to
the bar to sit by the little fire they had going outside.
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