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Published: June 13th 2017
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Geo: 0.01945, 37.0744
DAY ELEVEN (Monday, September 14, 2009)
I hear the drums echoing tonight.
Today was moving day. Breakfast … and then hit the road. Martin drove the four of us, plus Pat and Ann Cashin of Marco Island, out of Samburu and along many long, ugly roads through Isiolo, Timau, and Nanyuki. Along the way we passed through an area with lots of green houses – they grow carnations to export to the world. We knew we were close when we could see Mount Kenya, which dominates the skyline; it's 17, 058 feet high.
This property – the Fairmont Mount Kenya Club -- is very British … reminiscent of colonial days. It was once owned by William Holden, who established a 1000-acre game reserve. Famous guests have included Lyndon Johnson, Conrad Hilton, Bob Hope, the Aga Khan and Mrs. Anwar Sadat.
This is a significant change in properties. It's elegant. There are no mosquito nets; there are parquet floors and Ritz-type baths … all the luxuries I've come to know and love on previous trips. It's not air-conditioned, surprisingly, but during our stay, it wasn't needed.
For an unusual reason, we got upgraded to a two-room suite so we have a river location, two baths, a sitting area, etc. Perfect for my late night blog typing which keeps Patrick awake.
There has been Wi-Fi everyplace we have gone. In Serena hotels, it costs $5 per hour if you have your own laptop. Here it is free but the intermittent service costs you in terms of aggravation and lost material. Uploading photos is agonizingly slow.
The hotel has a lovely mahogany bar, gorgeous landscaped grounds, and BEST OF ALL, it has two golden Labrador retrievers who are pets and can be walked. I guess they are also the noise makers at night to alert security staff. Very, very cute. Really filled my need for a dog fix.
There are also pet peacocks and, for some strange reason, a pet turkey.
There is a lovely pool, a hedge maze, croquet, badminton, horseback riding and a variety of games that keep the British amused.
We had lunch on the patio, followed by an equator ceremony at 2 pm. The hotel sits RIGHT on the equator … the line runs along the lawn and through the bar.
The ceremony began with all of us watching water being poured into a font to see the Coriolis Effect in action at the equator. The water drains clockwise
north of the equator, and counterclockwise south. Same is true of the direction bark grows. We watched it 10' south and then moved 10' north to see petals in the bowl swirling the opposite direction than they had on the other side of the line. Amazing.
We were presented a certificate and escorted to the chief of the Maasai. We then had our photos taken on the equator.
At 7 pm a local tribe did traditional dances. It was a miracle, but one woman actually got Patrick up on the floor dancing her tribal dance. AND I got a photo! Dinner with Anne, Barcy, Stephanie and Carol followed.
A note about dinner: Tonight we ordered off a menu and were served dinner at our table. Very unusual for this trip. Almost all dinners involved the same arrangement:
- Waiter arrives and asks for beverage order. At the same time, he (never once we see a woman on the wait staff) offers two soups – one a cream soup and one a broth.
· Following soup, we head to a buffet, where there is a salad bar, a choice of entrees, vegetables, breads, fruits and desserts.
· Waiter returns to offer coffee, tea, etc.
So tonight seemed very
special; and it was. The food was yummy and so was the service. I am going to like it here.
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