As per standard operating procedure for bus companies in Kenya, I'm told to report to the office half an hour before departure. I'm staggered to arrive at this time and find that I am the last passenger to check in and, once my backpack is stowed and I'm on board, we depart 20 minutes early. Is this Africa? The bus or the driver or the road or possibly some combination of all three are not that great, and every bump sees me having to hang on to the armrest to avoid heading skyward. However the bus is also not even half [View Full Entry]

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The two main hostels in Kampala are essentially the only people running budget safaris to Murchison Falls National Park, though at roughly $300 for a 3 day/2 night trip it's hardly bargain basement. Red Chilli's is about 20% cheaper plus they offer an upgrade to banda rather than tent accommodation, but I figure my chances of ending up with a bunch of drunken teenagers are significantly higher with them than with Backpackers' so I plump for Backpackers'. It also helps that I'm already staying at Backpackers', and their safari has the bonus of including chimp trekking. The rest of my group [View Full Entry]

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Though there are buses that go straight through from Nairobi to Kampala in barely more than half a day, I don't feel like spending that long in a bus of unknown comfort levels so decide to break up the journey half-way in Eldoret in western Kenya. Though the company I choose don't do international trips, their bus turns out to be surprisingly good with decent legroom and a mere 6 other passengers. The security check when we board is a nice touch, though having to undergo another one after the toilet stop in Nakuru is a little tedious. I've already done [View Full Entry]

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The bus from Isiolo has allocated seating and leaves on time. It's not the most comfortable ever and I have to stick my legs in the aisle in order to find room for them, but it's still a vast improvement on anything functioning in Ethiopia. It can hit 80km/h, possibly faster, and there's tarmac as far as the eye can see. A grin appears on my face without me even realising. A young local woman with enormous eyes and flawless skin smiles back as I amuse her baby with my mzungu gurning. My neighbour is friendly and doesn't stop talking the [View Full Entry]

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Breakfast gives a confirmation of my long-term traveller status - I've worn pretty much the same clothes for the entire safari, whereas everyone else has rolled out a new outfit each day. I'm not sure I haven't lost the ability to tell if I smell. We only have one game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. You can't stray from the tracks in this park, so there are several occasions when we see animals but have to frustratingly stay a couple of hundred metres away. The reserve is centred on Lake Nakuru, which is home to well over a million flamingos, [View Full Entry]

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I've been looking forward to my 4 day safari to the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru National Parks with a mixture of excitement and trepidation - excitement at being on the verge of seeing one of the most famous game reserves on the planet, and trepidation at sharing that experience with some strangers. One big plus of independent travel is that you can choose just how much interaction you have with others, but this safari will force me to be sociable for its duration. I wonder if I'll crack under the strain. I'm the first customer to be picked up and [View Full Entry]

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We leave early the following morning, the hotel security guard clearly sniffing around for an unwarranted "tip". It's more than a thousand metres above sea level here, and I have to wear my fleece until the sun rises, at which point the temperature rockets and I'm soon sweating. The road is possibly even worse than before. Patrik has seemed an independent, self-sufficient, type, and has said that this trans-Africa crossing has been a dream of his for a while, but I decide to offer to share the driving just for manners' sake. I'm surprised when he immediately accepts. I haven't done [View Full Entry]

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Two hours after my truck south is cancelled, there is banging on my room door and I am told that a private vehicle has arrived. I head outside to find a Landrover that I've seen somewhere before, probably Ethiopia. It's driven by a Swiss guy, Patrik, who is overlanding from Switzerland to Cape Town and he says he is happy to take a passenger - he can't guarantee that he will be going all the way to Nairobi, but will definitely be going at least as far as Isiolo, which is fine by me. English is a language he doesn't like [View Full Entry]

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The landscape as the bus continues south is plains with a patchy covering of trees, which I know will continue into Kenya. I see a small tortoise crossing the road, which the driver expertly navigates around. At the breakfast stop, a man shouts "China!" at me, which I can only laugh at - it makes no sense to me that with so many people here fans of Premier League football, which features players of every colour and shape, I can be mistaken for Chinese. A couple from the bus invite me to share breakfast with them. They are Ethiopian but have [View Full Entry]

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My final bus journey in Ethiopia is to be spread over two days, with just seven hours of travel on each day. Seven hours is a bearable duration, especially with the road being tarmac all the way to the Kenyan border. The bus does not depart full, with the engine housing acting as a seat for only two people. We depart at 6AM on both days and it's only one lane each way so there are numerous hold-ups while we wait to overtake slower vehicles, but these two days are arguably the most pleasant that I spend on Ethiopian transport. Since [View Full Entry]

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