Blogs from Kenya, Africa - page 244

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Africa » Kenya » Central Province » Kinangop November 16th 2005

Sunday started off a drab gray as I entered into Nairobi . The skies were gray and heavy with rain that sporadically dripped on the dismal, dirty streets. My friend and I had taken public transportation into the city so that we could attend a church service. We had to walk for about 20 minutes through the streets, the hustle and bustle of people, vendors selling their wares, cars, music blaring from radios and many other obstacles. I passed a couple of people that caught and held my attention. There were a few street boys in tattered clothing, devoid of color. There was one that seemed to be encased in a layer of grayness from the top of his dirt encrusted hair, ashen skin, down to the what was left of his shoes. His face had ... read more

Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa November 15th 2005

We arrived at the airport and the transfer to Mombasa was straightforward. The difference in the humidity was astounding as we exited the plane. So moist and the air was damp. We found our guide and I jumped in with a liverpudlian couple. The driver was a real tall athletic looking Kenyan. He was a good man it seemed. A wealth of information about Mombasa and really well informed on the English premiership. He was also bemoaning the tribal rivalries that undermine the Kenyan national team. The journey involved crossing a ferry out of the city and we were driving through very busy rundown areas with a Muslim feel on our way out of Mombasa towards the tourist resorts of Dinah beach on the Southeast coast of Kenya. We arrived at the Papillon hotel at about ... read more
A Baobab tree
Me
The pool at the hotel

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP November 12th 2005

12th November This morning we met up at 07.00 for the journey from Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara national park. Unfortunately I am feeling rather delicate due to the sensitive nature of my bowels. Which adds stress to what I am warned will be the bumpiest ride we go on. The roads are not expected to be good and there are many potholes and other obstacles. I’ve had an Imodium and rehydration sachet so I’m all bunged up and ready to face anything! We headed southwest about 300km. We branched off at Nairobi. We came down a fair few hundred metres which took us back toward the more barren flat landscape that had been seen at Amboseli in the south. Early on, not far out of Nakuru the landscape was varied and green. As we headed ... read more
Hippo's at Masai Mara
What a boy
Sunset at Masai Mara

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP November 11th 2005

...Jambo from Kenya.... Day 1 - Friday 11 November Woke up at 4:00AM, taxi arrived to take us to Heathrow after about 3 phonecalls..!! check-in BA and into the lounge. Flight was an hour late leaving. Arrive in Nairobi 9:30PM, go through immigration - no hassles & then a long wait for the bags (last ones as always..!!) Simon & Lawrence from Kenia Tours picked us up at the airport and took us to “Termial Hotel” in Nairobi town centre, driving past locals (women selling their wares..!!) Checked into the hotel (quite late by now, past midnight) and have a entertaining night - hotel was next door to a Disco so locals partying & music & car horns blaring till 4:00AM… another sleepless night. It was the first night we practise brushing our teeth with bottled ... read more
Masai Mara
Masai Mara
Masai Mara

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Lake Nakuru NP November 10th 2005

10th November At first light we made our way onto the minivan, bleary eyed and settled in for the initial return drive to Nairobi where we were stopping for lunch at the Jamuraga hotel which was very nice. We then continued north of Nairobi up towards the Serena Lodge at Mount Kenya national park. This was a fantastic journey leaving the bleak barren flat landscapes that characterised the environment to the south of Nairobi. The scenery was more vibrant, lush and green. Nick told us that in this area there were many small-scale independent farmers working small plots producing many different types of cash crop. All of these small plots were nestled into valleys and hills adding to the aesthetic qualities of the scene. Driving through Kentakai province there were dense clusters of coffee, mango, papaya ... read more
Waterfalls near Great rift valley
Want to see a Scorpion?
The Great Rift Valley

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP November 8th 2005

We set off early from Nairobi to Amboseli. Nick, our driver is excellent which is fortunate seeing as he’ll be driving us for about 8hours a day over the next week! I am sharing the van with 2 older couples, both farmers and also members of a closed harmony singing group although no sign of them breaking into song as yet! I have managed to bag the front seat next to the driver. We arrived at Amboseli national park at about midday. During the journey I did not see examples of extreme poverty. In many ways the streets, shops, houses and people milling, working and playing on the streets seem less of a hit on the senses than what I saw in Goa. I think that is partly down to the fact that in India the ... read more
Birdlife
The tribe
Elephants

Africa » Kenya » Nairobi Province » Nairobi November 6th 2005

My travels in Kenya were a mix of beautiful places and broken bones. The first week of my trip was spent at a conference called 'Mapping for Change' in Nairobi. There were 150 delegates from 50 countries as far apart as Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Malaysia, Botswana, India, Iran, Cameroon and many more. I made several new friends and look forward to working in this subject in a year's time. I took the opportunity to visit the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage over the road in Nairobi National Park and adopted a four week old baby elephant called Narripi. He had been found the week before by a Masai and he was lying in a waterhole and being attacked by hyenas. The Masaii walked 10 kilometres just to get help. At the time I saw Narripi, ... read more
buffalo
flamingo
hotspring

Africa » Kenya » Nairobi Province » Nairobi October 23rd 2005

October 23 Nairobi - glad I wasn’t alone…. Wow. We’ve landed and I’m finally in Africa. I could hardly believe it…. Until we got off the plane. I haven’t seen very many airports, but Toto, I was no longer in Kansas honey! I think french would best describe the feeling as we got off the plane... Une bouffée de chaleur dense est venu nous saluer a notre débarquement. L’air était si lourd. Et bien sur il y avait cet odeur, cet odeur qu’on ne peut retrouver qu’ici. Un mélange de sueur, d’humidité, de poussiere. It was a little scary going through those security visa/customs people. But we were lucky because they didn't try to get us to pay $50 USD for our visas (FYI if ever you have a stop-over in Kenya which is less than ... read more

Africa » Kenya » Nairobi Province » Nairobi October 22nd 2005

October 22nd Flight to Nairobi When we boarded the plane to Nairobi, the first thought that went through my mind was: OMG is this the right flight!? The 777, which is a huge huge plane, had at most 10 black people on board. Didn’t feel like we were heading off to Africa at all! Anyway… once again I was seated nowhere near my colleagues Melanie or Chris because the “wonderful” travel agent misspelled my name first time around and had to cancel then re-book my ticket… but once again I had a front-row seat, i.e. plenty of leg room! Nice!!! I have to say, I was a little annoyed to be seated between two strangers, one who had his jacket on my seat (way to make me feel welcome), but that was probably more fatigue and ... read more

Africa » Kenya » Nairobi Province » Nairobi October 18th 2005

Once upon a time, in a beautiful expensive plain in East Africa, there lived an elephant. Every day he would head to the local campsite where the owners would skim off the residue from the banana beer they made and leave it outside for the hungry elephant to devour. One day, however, they forgot to leave it out. The elephant had grown so accustomed to it that he couldn't go a day without eating the sweet bananas. He went on the prowl to find the goodies and came across the huge vat of banana beer and drank the whole thing! The next morning, the campsite owners found him sleeping off a monster-sized (or should that be elephant-sized?) hangover which lasted three days! That's just one of the many stories that our guide, William, told us on ... read more
Hippo
Taking a Drink
Lioness




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