Kenya

August 15 – August 22

The 6 hour shuttle to Nairobi from Moshi took 7 hours. Immigration is a slow and inefficient process! However the drive was enjoyable. Kili peaked out of the clouds for a short while and the countryside was picturesque. The stalks from the harvested corn fields gave a golden glow to the scenery.

I met Gilbert, my guide, and we took a taxi to the house where I would be staying. Driving thru Nairobi, I noticed that all the signs and billboards are in English. Shell gas stations popped up everywhere.  Nairobi has a population of 4 million people. It is developed and modern in some parts but there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. I am not sure there is even a middle class.

I stayed in Runda Estates which is near the UN and embassy buildings. Many diplomats and government officials live in the Runda area.  I learned that the UN compound in Nairobi is the 3^rd largest in the world. A tree-lined drive led to the gated entrance of a large landscaped lot. I would estimate the house to be close to 5,000 square feet furnished with modern appliances and furniture. I met Iris, whose mother owns the house, and Nick who works for the family taking care of the home and property as well as cooking. Several renters work for the UN.

That evening Gilbert was to meet his friend who was renting him a car for our trip. I gave him the funds and we planned to meet the following morning. Gilbert called the next morning to say there was a delay. As I later learned, Gilbert paid the man the previous evening and he never showed up with the car. Gilbert had worked with this man several times before so was comfortable with paying him before receiving the car. Gilbert filed a report with the police. I met up with him around 11am. He was very distraught and I felt horrible for him even though it was my money that was stolen. We spent the next several hours trying to arrange for a car and finally were ready to go around 2pm.  As frugal as I am I could not let this incident damper my experience. I had to let it go and enjoy the rest of the journey. We spent the day around Johannesburg visiting the Giraffe Center and Animal Orphanage.

Feeding a Giraffe

More Feeding

Animal Orphanage

Animal Orphanage

I found Gilbert to be a delightful road trip companion and we had lots of laughs and good discussions. Stories of Kenya politics and government corruption filled much of our time. Gilbert is a genuinely good man whose story mimics so many who come to Nairobi from rural Kenya in search of a better life. His wife and 2 children live in rural Kenya with his mother. He struggles but is determined to return soon and has begun planning a farm.

The road we drove on is a major connecting road not only in Kenya but throughout the African continent. It is part of the Cape Town to Cairo road. However, I don’t think we ever traveled more than a mile without encountering potholes, speed bumps or uneven roads. According to Gilbert, instead of repairing this road, the president put money into fixing the road that goes from Nairobi to his home land.

HELL’S GATE

Zebras

A beautiful park with a “gorgeous” gorge. Driving through the park we encountered animals and beautiful landscapes. At one point we noticed these billowing clouds and a constant loud noise. According to workers at the site, the government was engaged in a geothermal drilling project to produce electricity.

We definitely made a good decision when we chose to hike through the Ol-Onjowora Gorge. Rasto was our guide for the 2 ½ hour hike. The Massai manage the Gorge hikes and the income is used for community development projects for 6 Massai villages that surround the park.

Rasto is 26 and the oldest of 6 children. His father has 2 wives and he is the eldest son. He acknowledged that it is important for him to set a good example for his younger siblings. He completed Form 4 of Secondary School and aspires to be a lawyer for the Massai. We engaged in a discussion about the impact of western influences on Africans. I asked what he thought has had the most negative impact.  Rasto did not have to think long before saying that media technology, TV in particular, was a negative influence. He also added that he finds much of the Western clothing styles to be inappropriate.

Rasto also clarified that the geothermal drilling will benefit Nairobi and not bring any electricity to their villages. In addition, the government offered no compensation to the Massai villages.

Gilbert & me at Hot Springs
One hot water pool could
 boil an egg in 8 minutes

VERY Steep climb in the Gorge

Gorge

Devil's Bedroom &
spot filmed in Tomb Raider

                                       

The hike had some very tough and tight spots that felt more like rock climbing than hiking.  On several occasions Rasto had to guide my feet and hands as we climbed down steep stone walls with footholds and tree branches used as makeshift ladders. I had to put complete trust in him. As strong as he was I was grateful to be a small person. I was impressed to learn that scenes from Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie were filmed in the Gorge. I was impressed to learn that she hiked in and out like everyone else.

NAKURA PARK

This park was teeming with wild animals and panoramic vistas. Many varieties of birds, including flamingos, could be seen up close as we drove along the lake. Baboons were everywhere – playing and grooming each other in the middle of the road, jumping between trees; we even saw them on rooftops in the parking lot. Park management left a bit to be desired. Road signs were scarce and those that did exist were often unclear and confusing. Several roads were also flooded and impassable. Despite this minor annoyance, we encountered numerous animals and spent over 6 hours in the park. Zebras and buffalos were the most plentiful. We found some lions but they were napping in tall grass so we could not get a close look. However, we did see rhinos within about 40 feet of our car!

Add caption

Birds along the lake

View of Nakura Park from Overlook

Rhinos

Nakura Waterfall

After leaving the park we decided to drive the 4 hours to Kakamega for an early start on the Rain Forest hike. Gilbert contacted a cousin in Kakamega about hotels and learned they were all booked due to a government. We stayed in a town called Eldorot and I was never so grateful to find a room. We drove about 3 hours, mostly in the dark. The road was “white-knuckle” driving all the way. I do not know which is worse – driving on this road or driving thru a “lake effect” snow storm near Buffalo, NY!

The mix of rural countryside and no road lights equals a pitch black night. No signs warned us of speed bumps; much of the road was uneven and very bumpy. Most alarming were the other drivers. The countryside is quite hilly. Because of their overweight loads, the trucks travel at a snail’s pace and cause traffic problems. To resolve this, the government (instead of setting weight limits) added “Climbing Lanes” for the uphill sections. These lanes appeared quite often causing me to wonder why the government did not just add a second lane for trucks. The “strategies” used for passing is totally terrifying. When there is a climbing lane, cars from the other side of the road will use our lane for passing and vice versa. The distance between oncoming cars and the passing cars is dangerously close. It felt like dodge cars in the dark. We also encountered several vehicles with no rear lights, one being a slow moving tractor.

Needless to say, we were both relieved to see the lights of Eldorot. We both agreed that a beer was just what we needed to calm our nerves and relax us for sleep.

KAKAMEGA RAIN FOREST

After the drive last night, Gilbert discovered that the tire nozzle had a slow leak. We got that repaired and returned to our bumpy road, this time driving through potholes that could have swallowed a small vehicle. Cars were driving on the berm or whichever side of the road contained the least amount of potholes. Lanes just did not exist. In one section we came upon several young boys filling potholes with dirt from the side of the road. We stopped and gave them some extra food for the efforts.

Arriving at Kakamega Rain Forest we chose the 4 hour walking tour and Ruth was our guide. On the nature hike we saw Colobus and Blue monkeys. There was wild ginger we were allowed to pick and eat. We also tried Guava which was one of my favorite juices in Tanzania. We hiked to a view point and up many steps to the top of a tower which overlooked the park. The downhill hike back into the forest was very steep and led us to a waterfall.

300 year old tree
Love the elevated roots

Waterfall

Wild Ginger

There is a village that butts up to the forest so we walked along the community road for the final trek of our hike. We met some children who gave us sugar cane. We finished our hike around 5 and since we were very close to Gilbert’s home, he asked if I would mind if he went to see his family for the night and he would pick me up around 6am for the drive home. We estimated it would take between 6-7 hours. We found a hotel for me and Gilbert made sure I was settled in and safe before he left.

Village House - Note greens in front.
This is the outhouse/shower

Me & Gilbert munching on sugar cane
n't tell my dentist!)

RETURN TO NAIROBI

6:00am passed as did 6:30 and 7:00. I tried to remain calm but after the kind of driving we encountered, it was hard not to think that something might have happened to Gilbert. My phone, which was supposed to work in Kenya, failed constantly. Attempts to reach Gilbert were unsuccessful. I paid a hotel staff for phone minutes and she tried to call but also could not get through. At this point, panic is setting in. I was mentally planning how to get shuttles or buses back to Nairobi, knowing that I had no idea how to get to the house where I was staying. Finally, a knock on the door and I hear Gilbert’s voice. I almost jumped through the door. His family was so happy to see him that they were up much of the night and he only got 2 hours sleep. He also forgot his phone charger; his phone died and he had no way to reach me. I was so relieved that he was ok I could not be upset.

A few days before leaving Moshi I had not felt well and was having intestinal issues again but the symptoms were different than the bacterial infection. I was not feeling better so Gilbert and I agreed that he would take me to a clinic in Nairobi before returning the car. We were unaware that it was the end of Ramadan which is a national holiday in Kenya and, although we were going to a Catholic Mission clinic, it was closed. Gilbert dropped me off at home and we planned to get together Tuesday to exchange pictures.  Also his wife and youngest son were coming to visit for a week so I would get to meet them.

When I got home I arranged with Nick to go to the health clinic the next morning. I then ventured up to the Village Market. It is a 30-40 minute walk and I thought I understood the directions I was given. I asked several times for directions and finally found it but knew there was a much shorter way home. The rest of this story is embarrassingly stupid on my part. I know I am directionally challenged so why I think I can try my own short cut and not get lost is beyond me. I ended up in the general vicinity of Runda Estates. I walked for a while with a nice young woman who was trying to be helpful but had me in a totally different neighborhood. I then met a security guard who got me going in the right direction but I mixed up the names of the roads and was starting to feel very unsure of where I needed to be. It was also getting dark so like the morning I was getting a bit stressed, to say the least. My savior came in the form of a bodaboda driver (the motorcycles I swore I would never ride – called pikipiki in Tz). I hopped on his bike and he got me home just as the sun was setting.

LAST DAY

Nick is like Gilbert in that he also moved to Nairobi to try and earn a better living so as to help his family.  He has only been here 3 months. His father is deceased and his mother is in poor health. It is hard for him being so far away. He sends half of his pay home to help with basic needs and school fees for his younger siblings and is trying to save the rest. His family also lives in a rural area and he wants to farm. He studied agriculture and hopes to return home soon.

Nick and I rode a matatu to the health clinic. These are the same as the daladala buses in Tanzania. However, In Kenya, there are laws that only allow a drier to transport as many people as there are seats and all passengers must wear seat belts. This cuts into their revenue but is far safer. As with all of these drivers, time is money. The driver came to our stop and I had one foot on the ground when the bus started to move. The conductor was on the road next to the bus and caught me. He hollered at the driver to stop so Nick could get off. Good thing we were near the health center; fortunately I did not fall.

I tested negative for bacterial infection but positive for parasites which means I drank some bad water or ate some unclean food somewhere. I am again on drugs. The tests and meds cost me less than $7.00.

I needed to return to the Village Market to exchange my money and print off flight info as my flight time had changed. This time I did not get lost and was quite proud of myself. Village Market is a very deceiving name. This place is a very modern mall that even has a water park attached to it. Gilbert came over after I returned home and we walked to his house to exchange pictures. He had told me he lived in the “ghetto”.  It reminded me of homes in Pasua except the buildings were more closely crammed together. He lives in two rooms separated by a sheet. I met his wife and youngest son, Samuel, who is 6. We shared pictures and tea. Samuel thought I was pretty funny when I tried to use my Swahili.

Although my time in Kenya was short I found the people to be very kind and eager to help. It was odd that when I tried to use my Swahili, people would respond in English. It is a very picturesque country and I thoroughly enjoyed being a tourist. Also, Gilbert received a call from the police that they had arrested the guy who was supposed to rent us a car. He admitted to taking the money but, of course did not have it anymore. I told Gilbert if he ever receives any of the funds to put it towards moving home.

LEAVING KENYA

I was picked up at 5:45 am and taken by taxi to the airport for my flight to Victoria Falls. It felt like déjà vu as I chatted with Paul, my driver. He moved to Nairobi with hopes of earning a better income to support his mother, wife and two children who live in a rural part of Kenya. I am not sure if anyone is actually from Nairobi.

My flight was good. Immigration and security were no problem. My only concern was that I had a 20+ hour layover in Johannesburg, South Africa. I booked a room for the night but had not received a confirmation that I would be picked up at the airport. As I was heading toward the exit I saw shuttle drivers with various names on cards and my name was on one of them. I was so grateful to meet Derrick, the driver. He was a lot of fun to talk to and will take me to the airport tomorrow. AND he moved to Johannesburg from a rural part of South Africa because there are more opportunities for employment.

Johannesburg feels like being in the US. It is very developed with modern freeways and the downtown looks like any downtown in the US with lots of tall buildings.

I found a very affordable Bed & Breakfast online which was adorable and I really wanted to stay there on my return trip form Victoria Falls to Uganda (another 20+ layover). However, I quickly learned the difference between “Airport Shuttle Available” and “Airport Shuttle Included”. I thought the shuttle trips were part of the price of the room but it turned out to cost more for the round trip airport transportation than it did for the room. Ouch! Furthermore, at the airport I was informed that they have a Tourism Help Desk where I can book a room when I return and get free shuttle service for much less than I paid.

Next stop – Victoria Falls