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Published: February 18th 2007
Can ‘Ya Say Kenya?
I have broken through my writer’s block. My apologies for taking so long to report home. I hope the “time lag” does not take away from the “telling of the story”. Also please note, when you get to the end of the blog there is a second page of pictures that does not show unless you hit page 2. Thanks for all the support from home. We miss you!
Arriving in Nairobi, Kenya in the middle of the night, our first task was to apply for our visas in a large room on the second floor of the airport. As I reached for the health form on the counter, where others were busily writing, I noticed a nice size cockroach walking across the stack. “Hmmm,” I thought, “this is going to be a challenging country.” Health forms completed, I was left with the customs men as collateral while Bryan went in search of an ATM. Our visas purchased, it was time to deal with getting a taxi, and we felt much the wiser and on our guard due to our Cairo experiences.
Our driver, Frederick, took us the long way through the downtown area,
Hell's Gate National Park
It was at the end of a 20 kilometer ride in deep sand that I had my "wipe-out".explaining the sights along the way, and answering all of our questions. Even though it was night time, the roads appeared clean, the city center well lit and cared for, and the buildings maintained. When Frederick dropped us off he didn’t ask for extra money for his impromptu tour, charged us exactly what the hotel had said would be reasonable, and offered his services as our taxi driver at anytime while we were there. We couldn’t help telling him we loved Nairobi already. Two days later, Frederick was our day long tour guide for the city, taking us to an internet café, shopping center, local handicrafts market, coffee shop, and safari company he recommended, and at the end of the day he only wanted 1500 Kenyan shillings, equivalent to about $20.
Using the company Frederick recommended we booked a 16 day safari tour that included 5 parks in Kenya and one in Tanzania.
“Excerpts from Safari Itinerary”
vs.
What Really Happened (WRH)
Day 1: Nairobi/Naivasha
“…drive to Hell’s Gate National Park located just beyond Lake Naivasha. Famous for its natural hot geysers, eagle and vulture breeding grounds, visitors have the choice of driving, walking, and rock climbing,
On the road to Masai Mara
As we purchased wood for cooking from the roadside, children rush from the bush in hopes of a handout. Bryan did slip this child a few coins but we weren't able to do that often because people surrounded out van every single time we stopped. cycling at extra cost of Ksh 500. You will spend the better part of the day walking in unique park with your picnic lunch en-route. Dinner and overnight at budget hotel.”
WRH: We did drive to Hell’s Gate and it turned out to be the only park on our safari that allowed people to enter unguided. Our driver/guide, Frances, dropped us off at the bike rental shack 2 kilometers from the park entrance and told us he would pick us up in 4 hours. We squished our mini-market lunch of dry muffins, bananas, tangerines, and fried triangle bread into my day pack and headed for Hell’s Gate.
By the time we arrived at the entrance my legs were already tired from trying to ride through the very thick dust/sand on the dirt road and I was a little disheartened to learn I had another 8 kilometers to go to see the geysers. We never saw an eagle or vulture, but we marveled at our first sighting of wild zebra, buffalo, warthogs, and giraffes. There was nothing between us and these animals and they watched intently as we passed. It was a surreal experience to have our very own
Bryan, Sara, Jacob, and Diana.
Our Danish safari buddies spent the first 7 days of the safari with us. It helped having another couple with whom we could commiserate and laugh. “National Geographic” moment. We would spend the next several hours in the heat of the day with Bryan’s sweaty back usually well ahead of me as I tried my best not to tip over in soft dust that was now as deep as 8 inches.
We arrived at the ridge of a canyon and began our hike down to see the hot geysers only to be stopped minutes later by a tall, skinny, Masai Mara tribesman, freelancing as a guide through the canyon. He was screaming at us from behind “Stop, not safe! Stop! You fall off the cliff. Follow me. Follow me. Not safe.” It was a little hard not to follow this toothless, smiling young man as he took the lead down the path. Along the way he proudly shared tidbits like: his bottom teeth had been knocked out as a young boy, as a right of passage, he could only afford to buy one wife, and that when he killed an animal with a poison dart they died faster than he could take off his shoe. He pointed out the hot springs (never saw any geysers) which ended up being a few little puddles about the
Masai Mara Game Reserve
We stood in the van and peered out the pop-up roof during our drives through the game reserve. size of our hands. We gave him a tip at the end of this tour and jumped back on our bikes.
I spent much of the return trip hopping off my bike and walking it through the really deep parts and listening to Bryan tell me we needed to hurry. Frances met us at the gate entrance and told us he’d follow behind in his van the last two kilometers to the bike shack. Not wanting to appear out of shape or as tired as I really was after 18 kilometers and a hike, I tried to ride my bike as fast as I could ahead of the van. I felt lucky when I hit a hard patch of road and was excited to really pick up some speed, thinking I must look pretty impressive with my hair blowing in the wind and my muscles straining against the peddles… but my Lance Armstrong moment was short lived as speed and sand do not mix. In the next soft patch I went over fast, skinning my knee and coming to a stop on my butt with the bike on top of me. Surprisingly, Frances just stayed in his van and
watched. Bryan was well ahead of me and unaware of my demise. Trying to save face, I waved and smiled, saying I was okay and worked to get up, but my legs were too tired and I fell back down. Frances remained in his van, watching from a few yards away. I righted myself and the bike on the second try and rode slowly the rest of the way to the bike shack telling myself I could cry when I got to the hotel and deciding I did not like Frances.
Day 2: Masai Mara
“You will be picked from Hilton hotel at 8:00 and leave for Masai Mara game reserve. Picnic lunch en-route. Game drive search of black-manned lions, elephants, leopards, cheetah, buffaloes and other plains game en-route. Dinner and overnight at the camp.”
Day 3: Masai Mara
“Full day spent exploring this unique park with a break for lunch at the Hippo Pool. Dinner and overnight at the camp.”
Day 4: Masai Mara
“Before dawn game drive and later return to the camp for breakfast. After breakfast have the game drive with lunch at the camp. Note you have the option of taking walk to
Masai Mara Game Reserve Cheetahs
The fastest animal on land, they can run up to 60 mph. visit the Masai village at extra cost of ksh 1000 after lunch or have the afternoon game drive.”
WRH: Hilton? We don’t remember the name of our “budget” hotel, but we do remember the cold water shower head that stuck out of the wall about a foot from the toilet with no seat.
It was an all day journey to Masai Mara along rutted, pot-holed dirt roads but on the way we picked up two more passengers, Diana and Jacob. A young, well-traveled couple from Denmark, they were to share the safari experience with us for the next 7 days and we hit it off right away.
We arrived at the Masai Mara Game Reserve too late at night to have a game drive on Day 2 but we were shown around our camp with cement block rooms, blessed mosquito netting, outhouses, and an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. We were introduced to our new guide/driver, also named Frances. I took more of liking to Frances #2, as I got the feeling he’d at least help me up if I fell. We had plenty of time on Day 3 & 4 to see all the animals (except a leopard)
Masai Guide
As our guide walked us to the village, he stopped to show us the different plants they use. This one had long, strong needles, used for peircing (note the large holes in their ears). listed on the itinerary. In fact, we kept an informal list of animals we spotted and filled an entire page.
Day 4 we opted for the afternoon walk to the Masai village. We were guided along the trail by a young Masai man who pointed out plants along the way that the tribes’ people used, such as needles for body piercing and velvety leaves for toilet paper. The village consisted of about 10 cow-dung, round huts, with twigs between them to form a circular enclosure, where they brought the animals at night. While at the village the Masai danced and sang for us, showed us inside one of their huts, made fire using sticks and a handful of dry grass, and took us to their school near by. The school was run in a westernized fashion with students being required to take a western name and wear uniforms. Usually only one child per family attended, as the other children were required to help with the cattle herding and work at the village. Before we left, Bryan traded his watch for two lion’s teeth and two blankets, both men holding their prize happily at the end of the deal.
Masai women in a dance.
We were told, if they are wearing an anklet it indicates they are married. Day 5: Masai Mara/Nakuru
“Morning game drive followed by departure for Nakuru, with lunch en-route to arrive in the late evening for dinner and overnight at the camp.”
Day 6: Nakuru
“After breakfast proceed to Nakuru National Park for a full day of game viewing with packed lunch. Lake Nakuru National Park was once described by American ornithologist Roger Tory-Peterson as ‘the most fabulous bird spectacle in the world‘”…
WRH: We skipped the morning game drive and headed straight for Nakuru as we had a long day of driving ahead of us. We arrived at a gated “camp” that wasn‘t a camp at all but more like a compound in the town. It had high cement walls with broken glass and barbed wire along the top. Jacob, Diana, Bryan, and I were the only ones staying there and we commiserated together over the scalding common shower, too hot to bath in, and the thousands of dead ants that lined Bryans and my bedding cover and floor (we concluded they must have just set off a bug bomb in our room). We wondered at the need for so many buildings in the town to require similar barred walls.
Bryan wearing a lion's mane headdress.
This Masai was extremely proud of his lion's mane headdress because as boys they kill the lion as a right of passage into manhood. Fortunately, the Nakuru National park animals and beauty of the surrounding land was far from a disappointment. Thousands of flamingo birds grazed along the shores of the lake and the sighting of a huge white rhino made Bryan and I forget about our accommodations. During all our game drives, we road in a van that had been modified to have a pop up roof. Frances #2 would drive with his CB radio on, listening for sightings, and the four of us would stand in the back, holding tightly as we bumped along, our heads looking every which way for a new animal to point out. The picnic lunch from the back of the van was watched by at least a dozen baboons and they provided for our entertainment as they tried to steal food and Frances #2 would chase them away with a stick. At one point, Bryan decided to give it a shot and in his best Frances #2 impersonation, picked up a stick and tried to ran after a particularly dominant male. The baboon just sat and looked at him as though to say “Right, nice try”. Frances #2 laughed and said the baboons could tell Bryan was
He that jumps the highest gets the girl.
Chanting, singing, and jumping, creates a rythmic dance that is almost hypnotic. a white man and they weren’t scared.
Day 7: Lake Nakuru/Samburu
“…bid farewell to Lake Nakuru… brief stopover at Nyahururu Falls, 237 ft. cascade. Through the foothills of Mt. Kenya we will proceed to Samburu Game Reserve. … apart from being the only location in Kenya where you will find Gerenuk, the reserve is renowned for its unique collection of other species of animals…”
Day 8: Samburu
“Before dawn we head out in search of Africa’s wild cats…”
Day 9: Samburu/Mt. Kenya
“…bid farewell to Samburu. …We will reach Nanyuki town where you will be dropped off at a budget hotel…”
WRH: We admired the falls briefly, as the itinerary stated, with Bryan stopping to hold a chameleon lizard on his palm (or with the little gripping feet, I should say the chameleon held his hand). The Samburu park’s Gerenuk look like a very long necked gazelle and they stand on their hind legs and reach for the highest young leaves on the bushes to eat. The campsite was by far our favorite with true tents and located within the boundaries of the reserve. Although the itinerary talks about Africa’s wild cats, we were never able
Starting a fire from scratch.
Twisting a stick very quickly between their hands lit a very small bundle of dry grass on fire which they gingerly blew on before adding kindling. to add the elusive leopard to our list.
Day 10: Mt. Kenya
“…proceed with a guide to the Mau Mau caves where our freedom fighters used to hide…”
WRH: We said our goodbyes to our travel partners, Jacob and Diana, who were headed to climb Mt. Kenya. It was hard to see them go because our whole safari experience had been enhanced by having their company.
Bryan and I were taken by a guide to the base of Mt. Kenya for a 14 kilometer hike to the Mau Mau caves. The weather was drizzly and as we headed out, our guide pointed out several elephant tracks and deposits along the way. The dirt path wound through the woods and about half way there the rain began to pour. Bryan kept looking back at me, and I could see he was wondering how I was going to hold up under the circumstances, but I didn’t mind the rain at all. I was thinking it was a welcome relief to being hot and it was actually kind of fun to be out there trudging along in the forest in the pouring rain. We climbed down to a river and
crossed a crooked stick bridge to the “caves”. It turned out to be more of an overhang in the rock that the rebels could use as a hidden shelter because the vines from the upper trees and plants created a canopy wall. Our guide told us that these freedom fighters (wanting independence from Great Britain) would make the long walk out of their hiding spot in the cover of darkness, raiding at night and then returning to this “cave“. We trudged back along the slippery path in very thick mud, gave our sandals a thorough washing, and slept well that night.
Day 11: Mt. Kenya/Amboseli
“Depart for…Amboseli has large herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, and a variety of other animals and birds which are attracted to this park due to its permanent supply of water that filters through the volcanic rock from Mt. Kilimanjaro. Amboseli was the location around which such famous writers like Sir Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark tailored their stories of big game hunting… On arrival you will head straight to your late afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at camp.”
Day 12: Amboseli
“Full day spent in Amboseli with a morning and
Young Masaii girl.
After taking this picture I showed her the view screen on the back of my camera so she could see the picture of herself. This brought a big smile. afternoon game drive. …overnight at camp.”
Day 13: Amboseli/Moshi
“After breakfast depart for Amboseli with a game drive en-route for Namanga the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Clear with immigration and catch a shuttle bus for Moshi, Tanzania.”
WRH: The all day drive to Amboseli Reserve took us through large coffee plantations and Frances #2 pulled over to show Bryan and me how coffee grows on the bush and when it is ripe to pick. Kenya is famous for its coffee and with it’s location on the Equator the harvesting season is all year long.
The last 4 hours were spent rumbling along another rutted, dusty, dirt road trying not to think about how badly I needed to use the bathroom. When we arrived at our camp site, located with-in the park, there was a large male elephant rummaging around. As we waited for him to move on, Frances #2 explained that as long as we stayed in the van we would be fine, but that young male elephants could be very aggressive. This was all I needed to hear to convince me I could hold it for a while longer.
Once it was safe, Bryan
Masai school room.
Usually no more than one child per family attends school while the other children herd the cattle and goats, and help thier parents in the village. Those that attend school are given a "Western" name and wear school uniforms rather than traditional Masai dress. and I dawned our headlights and headed for the out-house. Bryan gallantly stepped in first to check it out for snakes before giving me the all clear and heading for a bush next door. I slowly stepped in, using my light to shine around the door frame for spiders. So far so good, until I saw the seat was down on the toilet and I thought, “Shoot, Bryan, you didn’t check under the lid.” So, I slowly lifted the lid wondering if a snake was going to crawl out, and trying to shine my light down so I could see in. It was at this moment that a huge bat, trapped inside, flew out of the hole right at my face. I, of course, screamed, jumped back, and lost a bit of my up-till-now-excellent-bladder-control. Bryan called from outside the door wondering if everything was okay, as I screamed “It was a giant bat! You didn’t check under the lid! You should always check under the lid!” Bryan seemed to find this very funny and suggested I go find a bush instead. This was not an option for me, with the elephant close by and Frances #2 warning us not to
Bringing in the cattle at sunset.
The Masai believe that they are the rightful owners of all cattle on Earth, and therefore, sometimes take what they believe belongs to them from other tribes. go far. I was going to have to perch over the seat and hope nothing else flew at me. As I finished my business, a steady stream of big cockroaches started out of the hole and scurried around my dancing feet. Frances #2, the cook, and Bryan all enjoyed themselves over dinner with a good laugh at my expense, between bites and mosquito slapping, while I thought about men and their arrogant ability to pee anywhere standing up, and how much I detest out-houses.
Amboseli park was full of animals but the huge herds of elephants led by the eldest female are what stand out most in my mind. What also stands out is the passenger door falling off as Frances #2 drove us to the Tanzanian border town of Namanga. The roads of Kenya had been so rough they had rattled the door to the point of ripping the hinges out of the frame. With a few bungee cords in place we were on our way once more.
Day 14: Moshi/Ngorongoro
“…descend into the Ngorongoro crater…Ngamat wild areas…”
Day 15: Ngorongoro/Moshi
“…morning spent around Ngorongoro, after lunch depart for Moshi.”
Day 16: Moshi/Dar Es Salaam
“You will catch the 7 am bus from Moshi to Dar Es Salaam.”
WRH: Now in Tanzania for our last safari park visit, we were given a new guide for Ngorongoro. We spent only one day in the crater and the second day trekking on the mountain to view caves carved out by elephant tusks.
Ngorongoro Crater, is the world’s largest volcanic caldera at 610m deep and a 260km² floor. The steep sides of the crater mean that it has become a natural enclosure for a very wide variety of wildlife, including the “big five” of rhinoceros, lion, leopard (nope, didn’t see it), elephant, and buffalo. Lake Magadi is in the centre of the crater. Because Bryan and I had already seen so many large animals on our safari, we were focused more on the huge, beautiful, and unique bird species we saw.
The trek on the following morning was led by yet another guide who told us we were going to see something few tourist viewed. He took us along a wooded trail on the side of the mountain to a spot where a large elephant skull sat at the edge of a stream. There were
elephant prints all along the ground but he assured us that the elephants only came here in the evening. Along the bank was a cliff wall with small enclaves dug out by the tusks of elephants. He explained that they believe the elephants dig at the soil and then eat it for it’s minerals. Bryan and I weren’t sure if this theory was accurate or not, but it was clear to us that this seemed like an amazing place to be shown and felt like we had had the opportunity to get off the well traveled tourist path to view a hidden gem.
Day 16 did not find us on a bus to the city of Dar Es Salaam. We had decided to remain in Moshi, a small city at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Having viewed the mountain at a distance for over a week, Bryan was determined to give it his best try and summit the peak.
I settled myself down in a cozy hotel with a pool and some gardens, to read, work on the Turkey and Egypt blogs, and relax, as Bryan spent the next 5 days climbing. I’ve told him that the Mt.
Nakuru National Park Baboon
The baboons can be agressive when it comes to getting food. About 10 surrounded us during our picnic lunch, getting closer and closer to our food as we ate. The men had fun trying to chase them away with sticks. They seemed to know who was serious and who wasn't. Kilimanjaro blog will need to be one that he writes (don’t know if that will happen) but I will tell you, because he’s not one to brag, that Bryan not only summitted this highest peak in Africa (19,388 ft) but he wiped the signs at the top of all their snow and ice, because he was the first one to reach the summit on the 4th morning.
We could now spend 8 hours on the packed bus to Dar Es Salaam, with it plastic flowers strung across the front window, African music, 6 smelly, hot people per row and others standing in the isle, and a self-professed preacher standing at the front yelling his scriptures before take off. Bryan and I were unable to sit together but I was an easy target to spot as he occasional turned around to check on me, my blond head standing out among all the Africans. I think Bryan found it amusing that my seat neighbor spent half the trip asleep on my shoulder.
Our next major stop and another blog to come… Victoria Falls, Zambia.
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Sandi
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Can Ya Say Spectacular!?!?
OH MY GOSH!! You never cease to amaze us with your stories and spectacular pictures. It puts our lives in perspective- I think we take for granted our simple luxuries (ex: bug free homes and climate controlled houses). Thanks again for sharing your adventures with us :~)