Of Tribesmen and Scotsmen

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We awoke at the very civilized hour of 9am and we rented two bikes. They wanted 500 KSh for mountain bikes so of course instead we rented the 1-speed pieces of shit for 250. I was begging for more speeds on that hilly road until it ended and we hit pure sand.


We carefully made our way through the herds of cattle and a lot more sand to the Crater Lake Reserve. The way wasn't so clear, as we were standing in 2 feet of sand surrounded by cows, so we asked directions. The Masaai tribesman herding the beasts was the only guy around, so Mike tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, we were both a little startled at the size of the spear he was sporting. But he was very friendly and did give us directions after we bridged the language gap.


Saw giraffe, orex, gazelle, hartebeast, zebra, monkeys, impala and more types of birds than I've ever seen. Finally we found the lake and it was so civilized. A classy and comfortable wood and wicker bar sat on the neatly-kept shore of the crater lake. It was incredibly quiet, we heard almost nothing but the calls of the exotic birds. Then back up 109 steps and the long stretch to the campground. My bike and I were fighting each other the whole way. The best treat of the day was a hot shower and the bagpipe serenade (the guys from the Scottish Guard invaded and kept the party going strong all night.)


Mountain bike rental: 600 Kenyan shillings.
Half-price admission to Hell's Gate National Park + small bribe to park official: 1300 KSh
Passing perilously close to a herd of wild water buffalo and getting away safely: priceless

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Photos

BBQ, anyone?
Mike with a zebra carcass found in Hell's Gate NP.