The final day takes us back to Nairobi

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Awoke several times as it was very hot overnight and there were lots of sirens going off all night long. The noisy music from the daytime continued all night too. I got up at about 6.45am, showered and breakfast of scrambled egg and sausage. This was to be the last breakfast in the old colonial sports club surroundings sitting outside and enjoying the hot, cloudless sky. I watched the ground preparations for today’s match with interest: the groundsmen began by sweeping the sunken strip and then placing large sheets of hessian along its length. Several sheets later and a canvas topping was laid down. Finally, a heavy duty coir matting was laid down the middle of the strip and secured using nails through beer bottle tops into the rock hard ground beneath. Next the white crease markings were painted in approximately using the vaguely visible marks from the previous game. More about these later!

I walked along to the post office and the market area for one final visit. Betty saw me and sold me a small bag. I withdrew some more money from the ATM at Barclays and noticed, whilst queuing that even the security guard on duty was selling mobile phone top-ups! Walked back to RVSC and finished packing my case before taking it along to Room 18 which we could use for the day. I had been asked if I would umpire the game between Rift Valley Sports Club, Kenya and The Whalers CC, London - International Duty!

Rift Valley batted first and proved that the outfield was extremely slow. Many certain ‘fours’ only got a hasty ‘two’ as the long, thick grass slowed the ball up rapidly. The boundaries had been set extremely long and the small rope (which only went part of the way round the boundary) was not visible from the square! The pitch was playing quite true in terms of the line but there was some variable bounce around. I no-balled a slow bowler from Whalers for transgressing on the back foot; then we investigated the lines and discovered that they had been painted 4” too narrow at each end! The RVSC team were short of players and so Andy filled in and Chip “guested” a brief appearance! It was good to see Jared playing - he had even brought along his own fan club - girls from East More School! Tabitha arrived and watched the match with interest. It was extremely hot going and several breaks for water were required as RVSC made their way to 107 for 9 wickets from 35 overs.

We agreed to play straight on as lunch was not ready and so we had the first six overs of the reply. Lunch was then served inside the main restaurant which had been lain up with tablecloths. Meat and fish curry, rice, poppadums and fruit! All this food in the middle of a game! I allowed 25 minutes for lunch but it took 45 before everyone was back on the field of play! The RVSC openers were very pacey and gave The Whalers openers plenty of food for thought. However, wickets fell as the bowling changed round and, in the close finish, The Whalers came out on top. This had been a great stage and opportunity on which to umpire. Great fun!

Following plenty of water and a swift change we loaded the minibus and departed Nakuru at about 3.30pm. I had a good long chat to Colonel Sam before leaving and was invited back to stay with him whenever I would like! We left Nakuru on the really busy roads, past the glue boys and matatus and up to the really dusty roundabout. We drove past Shiners, Roots and Greensteds schools. Nothing outstanding happened on the early stretch of the journey except that the barging and overtaking of the matatus resulted in forcing one large lorry off the road. Davis showed us where he lives in the blue roofed house beyond Greensteds and there was a final view of the flamingoes. We passed several men holding onto the backs of lorries getting a free tow up the hills - even along the level!

Our journey progressed past numerous fruit and vegetable stalls where the produce had been attractively displayed in buckets, bowls and on wooden shelving, through villages where ladies carried things atop their heads and children played in the dusty conditions. Passing some of the so called ‘hotels’ I wonder what is actually inside them! What facilities and charges would be levied if we were to ask for a bed for the night? Homes are built out of blocks of stone, wood and metal with a variety of rooves to suit. The colourful top-up shops abound. There were fantastic views of the distant mountains as the cloud and sunlight gave great visual impact to the landscape with the shadows and dark and shaded areas. We saw several large herds of zebra, cattle and even more blue clad police with their yellow stinger bars conducting roadblock checks. Mile after mile we pass large areas of grassland with the periodic group of young boys and/or men watching over their grazing animals and controlling them by the deft wave of a broken stick or twig. The heat is great and several of them are also perched in the shade for some respite. At one of the toll stations we slow down and run the gauntlet of the people running out to sell their pink and yellow milk through the windows of the van. Further along the road there is a large group of baboons eating fruit and picking each other clean. Various gazelle and goats are also seen, as is the Greensteds bus returning from Nairobi with the victorious cricket team who had won their National Cup semi-final match the day before. By now we were crossing the Morlewa River and were just 100kms from Nairobi. There were several camps of displaced persons from the violence earlier in the year.

We begin to climb back up and out of the Rift Valley with Lake Naivasha to the right of us. Some of the stalls that we are now passing are selling skins and drums in additional to various items of basketweave but we don’t stop; the journey continues to get to Nairobi before dark. At Nadinkoro there was a St John Ambulance bus pulled up on the side and I estimate that we are now doing about 60/70kms per hour along the improved road surface. The silence in the bus is tangible - all have their private thoughts on the last two weeks and I, for one, am feeling really sad to be leaving so many fantastic people and places behind. A double rainbow appears to the left of the bus as we approach Limuru and then we enter another shower of rain. What is the pot of gold at the bottom?

We arrived in Nairobi at about 6pm and went straight to the Sarwit Centre so that we could meet up, briefly, with martin. He had some ICC certificates which we needed to collect. From there we drove the short distance to the British Defence Attaché’s residence where we have landed in absolute luxury. This large house in extensive grounds with security at the end of the drive and dogs roaming around is to be home for the next few hours. I have a double bedroom with ensuite shower and bathroom with a beautiful white double bed complete with mosquito net tied like a four-poster bed. I enjoyed a long, hot shower and changed ready to go out for the evening.

David drives us in the minibus as John can’t get us all into his bullet-proof BMW. The roads through Nairobi are amazingly busy and we are regaled with tales of car hijacking, muggings and other thefts. The traffic police are obviously in charge of the major junctions and it is clear that they are creating more havoc then assistance.

We arrive at Carnivores Restaurant and its mile long drive. We are immediately welcomed by the sounds of many frogs croaking very loudly. The restaurant was open plan and our table was near to a pond. The meal began with vegetable soup and was followed by beef and pork sausages, pork ribs, chicken gizzard, pork, beef, lamb, ostrich, ostrich balls (!) and crocodile. All these barbequed meats were brought round to the table by the waiters on metre long skewers and swords, placed tip down to the plate and the requisite number slid off for you to enjoy! There was a large selection of dips and sauces to accompany the meat, along with a jacket potato and salad. The rapid delivery was amazing and it was not too long before we tipped the flag over to signify that we were full. Desserts then followed! I had a Black Magic Coffee and Chocolate cake. Even sharing the meal out and paying for Davis and john it only cost 3,500/= each. John’s tales included stories of pirates on ships in the Gulf of Aden and his recent trip to northern Kenya and Sudan to deal with issues with terrorists. He is the Number 3 person in the country and so we felt honoured to be in such esteemed company. He had previously been defence attaché to Northern Ireland.

The return journey was much quicker and we were soon back at the residence and locked in behind the six bolts, chains and panic buttons. We were asked to sign the Guest Book and we had a quick look at the military photos and other memorabilia before going upstairs and locking the gate behind us to bed. I had received some lovely texts and messages of support from many, many people during the last few weeks but the conditions and a full and buzzing mind meant that I did not sleep too well - too many things and people to think about.

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