After finishing at the border post, we headed towards another camp on Lake Victoria in Kenya. Kenya took on a different look than Tanzania, even though we had only gone a few miles. More business along the road, less open spots. The cars and trucks even looked different, more decorated and flashy. Some even had blinking lights set into their grills, which is more than a little confusing. It became clear that they weren’t police cars, just regular citizens dressing up their cars! As we headed towards the Kenyan coast of Lake Victoria, we could see that this part of the country was heavily populated, much heavier than across the border in Tanzania. Crossing the bridge to Rusinga island in Mbita, we encountered a lot of pedestrian and motorcycle traffic. Everyone was singing, chanting, and waving leafy branches. Slowing to a crawl for safety, we crept towards the edge of the lake. At one point, a motorcycle, with 3 people on it, swerved right in front of our front tire and I was sure I would run them over, even as I slammed on the brakes. Luckily, the driver straightened up and turned down the road as we lurched to a stop. The procession turned off the road just a quarter mile further and we had clear going the rest of the way. The staff at the camp told us it must have been a funeral, the waving of branches and where they turned off the road, towards the cemetery, were the clues. After a long day on the road, we were looking forward to relaxing in camp for a couple of days, only to be told that the cost of camping doubled if we wanted to drive to the campsite! This would be our most expensive night of camping in all of Africa, so we opted to head towards Nairobi after one night. Our friends Jason and Shanna would arrived in about a week, so we could get some chores done before they arrived.
The next day, we started our drive across the Great Rift Valley towards Nairobi. The place we had hoped to stay the night to break up the trip was full, so we decided to push on to Nairobi. All seemed well until we turned onto the highway that climbed the eastern escarpment of the Rift Valley. 17 miles up the hill took us over 2 hours! Any slow truck or bus on the snaking road held up traffic for miles. Only about halfway up did we discover we had been trapped behind one truck towing a broke down truck at a snail’s pace. The slow drive introduced us to just how crazy Kenyan drivers can get. At one point, on a two lane road, we were passed on both sides, a taxi van driving in the ditch, while a truck blew its horn headed the other way. Once we found a place to pass safely we pulled around and made much better time up the rest of the hill. We pulled into camp after 7:30 PM, in the dark. Luckily, their pub was open late and we were able to get dinner before collapsing in bed. Nairobi sits above 5000 ft, so it was cold and cloudy most of the time we were there. So much so that we moved camps to get to a more open campsite to maximize our sun exposure!
By the time Jason and Shanna arrived, our to-do list was complete and we could set off on Safari. Since their visit was only a week, and their first time in Africa, it was decided to see the Maasai Mara, a National Park that is the northern extension of Tanzania’s Serengeti. Driving down the escarpment, the traffic was much lighter and we could see the Rift Valley stretch out before us. Once we turned off the highway and headed towards the park, we started seeing wildlife. Along the way, we stopped to watch a couple of spotted hyena, which we had not seen much of on our whole trip. Within an hour, we had seen a dozen, during daylight hours no less. Jason and Shanna enjoyed seeing them and all the other animals; zebra, wildebeest, warthog, and Thompson’s gazelles. We enjoyed all the wildlife too. It doesn’t matter how many game drives you’ve done, they never get old. The last 50 miles of road was bumpy dirt road, rutted from traffic in the wet season, that took us 5 hours to cross. Another late arrival in camp. Our friends had booked a room, so we said goodnight after a quick dinner and set up camp. In the light of day, we could really appreciate the magnificent views that the lodge offers over the Mara. We even had zebra in camp that morning.
After breakfast it was agreed that we would take a half day game drive that afternoon. The rest of the day was spent lazing around camp and taking in the view. After driving through the gate, our guide headed deep into the park. Upon seeing a group of elephants about 100 yard off the road, he stopped just long enough to tell us that we would see more elephants tomorrow then zoomed off down the road. Jen and I looked at each other in surprise; here our friends were in Africa for the first time and this guide just blew by and elephant!? What just happened? The way he was driving, he obviously knew where he was going, and was intent on getting there. He pulled up along a tree just in time for us to see a lioness climb it’s sloping trunk to join another in the branches! As we watched her get situated, we realized that another lioness was hidden in the foliage even higher up in the tree! Here we saw three tree climbing lions in one tree. A young male sauntered over to the tree and as he prepared himself to climb, two of the lionesses growled and hissed at him, as if to say “Girls only, pal!” He got the clue and wandered off to lay in the grass not far away. It was getting on towards the time that they close the gate to the park, and our driver apologized as he pulled away from the lions, saying we would see more with him the next day. We talked excitedly about the lions over dinner and hit the sack early, our drive started at 6:00 AM the next day.
Taking a different route into the park down a trail along the escarpment to a smaller gate, we got to admire the expanse of the park on the drive in. The guide did indeed stop for a more leisurely viewing of the elephants, at least until it became clear that the matriarch of the group didn’t want us around by flapping her ears and advancing on us. The guide read the signs and we left before she became too upset. On the way to Hippo Point, he found another couple of lionesses, napping the day away. In the near distance, a group of curious giraffes kept edging ever closer, as if to say “Is that really a pair of sleeping lions over there?” At Hippo Point, we could see a massive pod of hippo lounging about along the bank, some in and some out, of the water. We watched for a bit before heading towards the south end of the park and the Tanzanian border. On the way, he pointed to a tree and said that was where we would normally have lunch. Under the tree were two other safari vehicles, and two or three lions! However, he turned off, down a hill towards the river. Coming around a bush, he pointed to a cheetah sitting on a rise, then proceeded to get within 20 ft of her! We ate our lunch as we watched this cheetah, and her juvenile cub, watch over the plains for their lunch. She moved from one termite mound to anther, sitting atop looking for something to hunt. Unfortunately, we had seen that a group of Thomson’s gazelles were just over the rise that she kept moving away from. They weren’t getting any closer, she wouldn’t get lunch and we wouldn’t get to see her hunt. We left her surveying the plains and headed for the bridge on the border.
At the bridge, our guide told us about how, during the Great Migration where hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra move north from the Serengeti, the river would be choked with dead wildebeest that either the crocodiles got or were simply killed as the mass of animals descended the steep clay banks of the Mara river. Crossing the bridge, he pointed out a croc, easily 12 feet long. Jen and Shanna didn’t see it at first and when we came back across on the lower bridge, were shocked at the massive reptile. On the way back up the park, we came across a male lion half napping in the shade of a tree. His name is Scar, for the scar on his face earned in some fight over the years. He still runs a pride of lions in the park, but this is one of his favorite napping spots. Heading back to the lodge, we could see big groups of elephant and buffalo in the swampy parts of the park. Another evening rehashing the fantastic animal sightings in the Mara before heading to bed.
With one more night at the lodge, we took the morning off and I was able to install a transmission breather that Jason and Shanna brought over for us. The lodge mechanic was a big help and we got it together in time to head out on one more afternoon drive. This time, we found the lions before they were awake, and had fun spotting them in the tall grass by their paws stuck up into the air as they napped, or their tails swishing above the grass as they rolled over. Soon enough, they woke up and treated us to another show of tree climbing. Acting just like house cats, 5 lions climbed into the same tree and snuggled on the same branch! It became clear that the branch would hold them, so our guide headed towards the gate, only to find the same group of elephants from the day before. This time, the matriarch was right by the road and didn’t seem to care about us. We were within 15 feet of her as she gingerly plucked grass with her trunk. What an impressive show! The next morning, before leaving a family of giraffe came right up to the lodge. After sneaking around the trees and bushes to get photo of them, we set out for Lake Naivasha, at the base of the escarpment and only a couple of hours from Nairobi.
The camp is right on the lake and we enjoyed falling asleep to the sounds of hippo. We spent the next day in Hell’s Gate National Park, the park that the scenery for Disney’s The Lion King was based on. The park is set in a system of massive basalt canyons. Driving through the pretty scenery, we found a hike through a gorge at the north end of the park. Hiking through the stream bed where it cut through the lava flows reminded us of the differences in parks here and at home. No hand rails, no steps cut into the rock nor poured in concrete, and ample opportunity to slip on the wet, mossy rocks and twist an ankle added to the feeling of adventure. After finishing the hike, we headed back through the park, and it’s geothermal power projects, to camp. That night, a hippo came right up to the fence to munch on the grasses there.
The next day, we headed back into Nairobi. In an effort to avoid the heavy traffic on the escarpment road, we opted fo a different highway into Nairobi. Just as we were pulling out of the town of Naivasha, we were pulled over in a police stop. He asked for my driver’s license and our insurance paperwork then looked over the Jeep and trailer. He was sure that our right brake light on the trailer was out and said I must go to the police station to pay my ticket and get my paperwork back. Following his directions to the station, we could tell we weren’t getting any closer to town, so turned back. I found a place to park and went to talk to him. He changed his tune and pointed in the opposite direction, telling me where the station was. “It will be $50 to handle it at the station, or we could handle it here, as friends” he said. I asked if friends get a receipt. His response was that receipts were done at the station, but did I really need one? I said I did, not wanting to support corruption. After winding through the town, we finally found the station, about an hour later. Here, I learned that I wasn’t paying a ticket, I was paying bail and had to return to court that week to settle this! I asked if that was necessary, the desk Sargent confirmed that was how it was. I chose Wednesday for my court date, in the hopes I could get the remaining work on the Jeep completed by then. At least they gave me back my documents after taking my $50 bail money. The rest of the drive to Nairobi was without incident.
Upon returning to camp, we found Paul and Julie, the Australians we traveled with in Namibia were already there. After greeting and introducing them to Jason and Shanna, we sat around for a while, sharing stories, swapping photo’s with Jason and Shanna before they had to leave. Just before dinner, we said goodbye to our friends as they headed to the airport. It had been fun spending a week with them, showing them Africa for the first time. They loved it and talked about bringing their girls back, when they’re old enough to appreciate it. When we started this trip, we thought we might have more friends and family visit. As it turns out, Jason and Shanna were our first, and probably only, visitors. Sharing our passion for Africa and newfound nomadic lifestyle with close friends from home was a special treat for us.
Jason and Shanna also brought a bunch of stuff we couldn’t find in Africa; parts for the Jeep, new clothes that actually fit us, and a couple of other goodies we decided we couldn’t live without. Now, I had to put some of that to use, fixing a leak in our power steering pump. I dug into that project, hoping to finish before my court date on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it proved tougher for me to get out and repaired, and the Jeep was not ready on Wednesday. Thankfully, Paul offered to drive me back to Naivasha to court. Heading out early in the morning, I was not sure what to expect. On the drive down, Paul told me stories of his time growing up in Nairobi, spending time on Lake Naivasha, and how everything has changed in the 40 years since he left. Once at the courthouse, I found my way to the right courtroom. I was early, so I sat to wait. The room started to fill up, quickly. By the time the bailiff barked something in gruff Swahili, which I took to mean that the room is full and the stragglers would have to wait in the hall, I was pushed to the end of the bench with only a quarter of on cheek on the bench! I could tell that standing would not be tolerated, so I braced myself to hold onto that scrap of bench. Luckily, once the judge came in, I was the second case called. After offering my explanation (a loose connection to the light), and stating that I was able to fix it, the judge said “2000 shillings ($20) or one month in jail.” “2000 Shillings sounds good, your honor. Thank you.” was my response. I was sent off to another room behind the courtroom and told to wait.
I could see holding cells in a corridor off my waiting room, and watched as they brought people out of them and lined them up for court. After about an hour, one of the bailiffs asked if I had someone to pay for me. I let him know I had a friend waiting in a car out front, but had no way to get ahold of him. He thought about it for a moment, then brought over another bailiff. Writing down my name, he asked me for the 2000 shillings. This he gave to the other bailiff with my name. The other bailiff disappeared and he told me that that bailiff would pay for me. I wondered how much this “service” would cost me, but after another 30 minutes, the bailiff returned with a receipt and they sent me on my way. While he was away, they brought me my bail receipt, with the 5000 shilling note I had given the desk Sargent stapled to it. I hadn’t realized I was in holding until I could pay my fine! Back in Nairobi, I was able to complete the repair on the Jeep, and we made plans with Paul and Julie on where to head next. All fixed, we decided to head to Lake Magadi to see the flamingo’s that nest there, then head north up the Rift Valley to Lake Turkana, one of the more remote places in Kenya. We had only been in Kenya 3 weeks and already we had seen tree climbing lions, cheetah, met our first American visitors, and I had been in jail! Kenya was turning out to be an adventure for sure.
