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Vicky arrived on a Monday morning, which just happened to be a public holiday for Eid, so what would have been a very early start to get through the traffic to be there when she arrived, actually was a very quick 20 minute drive and then a bit of wait because we were so early. I had been out the night before, and somehow drank one or two whiskeys (why??) and hadn't had a huge amount of sleep - but figured Vicky wouldn't have either having taken the night flight.
She got through immigration really quicky for Nairobi and soon came out looking very fresh. I was freezing, the weather was drizzling and cold, not a great start. But so nice to see her, with her two bags, one her stuff and one case for me! She had stopped off at my flat before getting to Heathrow and we skype chatted while I pointed out things for her to bring for me. Still a fine balance with not having too much stuff here in case I don't stay but thinking there may be quite a high chance of me being here for a while longer so wanted as much stuff out here that also means I don't have to spend money to buy anything, especially when I already have it at home.
So we got back to my place in record time, and relaxed around the guesthouse. Kafui, my new flat mate was still there but wasn't around much as she had a dentist appointment. After a short rest, unpacking - it was like christmas, we then walked up to my local shopping centre - YaYa which is about a 15 minute walk away. Hopefully helping to acclimatise Vicky to the sounds and scenes of Nairobi - which I must admit felt slightly different being a public holiday. And although it had stopped raining, it was still not the greatest of days.
After lunch at Alexanders on the terrace trying to stay warm, a quick purchase of tusker T shirts for her boys - all done on day one..., we came back for a sleep. Then dinner at Blanco's - a new African restaurant which is quite close by and does the most amazing tree tomato mohito! Early to bed both due to the time difference, poor sleep the night before and beacuse we were being picked up at 6.30am for the drive to the Maasai Mara.
David our driver and guide picked us up, arrived early so not African time which was good to know. We had our own personal safari bus to take us to the mara and drive us around. The roads were realtively quiet that time of the morning and the drive was my familiar one - out towards Naivasha to start with with breathtaking views of the Great Rift Valley which we were soon to get into and take the drive through to get to the Mara. The roads are good tarmac to just beyond Narok - about 3 hours worth. But then we were on dirt for another 2.5 hours - and some very bad roads. But we got to see a lot of the country. Driving through the wheat-growing areas which I had not seen before - being harvested with combine harvesters - just like home although I am sure the models were quite a few years older. We then entered much more the pastoral maasai areas - with maasai in their brightly coloured red blankets wrapped around them, always carrying their sticks guiding their cows or goats through the grasslands. As it's holidays, a lot of kids were out with their Dads with their own sticks guiding a few goats or heffers.
The African massage certainly kicked in (travelling on dirt roads = African massage) but we started getting to the Mara and spotting the odd zebra or two, not to mention a couple of hyennas just crossing the road looking like they were definitely on a mission. All very new for Vicky who had never been on dirt roads like these, or seen wildlife like this. And still I love just looking out the window and seeing this beautiful country.
We arrived at Mara Siria in time for lunch. A bush camp with luxury tents - no frills but great service and really small - just 14 tents. Lunch was simple beef stew and salad sat with amazing views over looking the mara and the mara river - that was until a Chinese man plonked himself in front of us - in fact actually moved his chair to sit so we couldn't see the view! So the Chinese have arrived - the mara was full of them - but clearly they are not liking the dust - white gloves, face masks and scarves wrapped around their heads with just space for sunglasses. Now I have seen this before - but I hadn't expected this to be seen in the mara where you are camping and there is a lot of dust to be expected!
We then went on our late evening game drive with David in our safari vehicle with the roof up. The old style but perfect for the two us! The mara was a ever beautiful - the animals are amazing but I just love the landscape and the lighting you get - such big skys. I have never been this time of year and the migration of the wildebeast from the Serengetti to the Mara was in full swing. The lions, vultures and hyennas all looked very full! We saw a lot on that first day - a magnificant male lion feasting - blood soaked around his mouth. The antelopes - impalas, Thomsons, eland, water bucks and topis - and of course lots of wildebeast. The odd buffallo, giraffe and elephant but not too many. Oh and the sun shone - so we were a little red but not too bad. Dinner was tasty and quick and then off to bed early (containing a welcome hot water bottle as the temperature really drops at night) to read and fall asleep but admiring the stars before hand - simply stunning - layering of the stars in a way you never see in Europe. We were escorted to and from our tents as there are no fences around the camp so just to be sure - and probably to mainly make sure we didn't get lost. The tent had a toilet and inside shower - but you had to ask for hot water and they came round and fillled the camp shower up which had plenty of warm water for the two of us.
The next day we set off at 7 and decided to combine the two game drives into just one with a picnic lunch. A very long day in the sun but we got to see even more lions, even a muscular, beautiful cheetah with her cub, a couple of ostrich in the distance and even managed to nip into the serrengeti! We stopped off for a loo stop (they have a loo in the mara!) and to watch hippos - then onto one of the crossing points for the wildebeast. With about 30-40 other vehicles we pulled in - and saw all the wildebeast and a scattering of zebra just gathered and hanging around on the other side of the river. We had a good look around at the lone men on a mission for the perfect shot with their enormous lenses, the chinese covered up and the keen amateurs with cameras at the ready all waiting eagerly. Apparently the keen ones had been there since 7 in the morning waiting for the crossing to happen - it just takes one brave wildebeast to start and then they all follow. But they have to be brave, with the stench of rotting flesh in the air from dead wilderbeast with full rigormortis set-in laying on their backs in the river, legs stifly pointing upwards and vultures pecking away and circling overhead - all yesterdays casualties. We arrived about noon and within about 10 minutes - it all started to happen - the crazy wilderbeast leaping into the river, some breaking their legs and drowning and the rest just keeping on going on top of them until after about 15 miutes the logjam just got too much and they had to back up and stop. Then a bit of a break until another brave one made the move! The hippos enjoying their wollowing were somewhat annoyed with the disturbance and huffed and puffed around and a very large croc quietly made his way up to enjoy supper. So an amazing site to have experienced.
Lunch was a picnic in a remote spot - overlooking Tanzania. Vicky enjoying reading her book under the tree! Once into a book there is no stopping her. On the way back, a swarm of bees went right through the bus , a noisy black cloud - some not managing to escape. David came to a stop, quickly opened all the windows and David opened the boot and fortunately they all got out and escaped - but a bit of a shock! After a long day out, we got back to camp just before the heavens opened, so we had our lovely warm showers and a bit of a rest before Nyama Choma for dinner - lovely meat and amazing naan bread cooked in an oil drum.
The next day we opted to go for a bush walk with the Maasai guide rather than a game drive. So we set off early before breakfast for a couple of hours. Stunning views, good to stretch our legs but not a lot of wildlife around. Back for a delicious breakfast before the long drive back to Nairobi. But the drive was not too bad, I guess we knew waht to expect and having the tarmac on the second leg was better. So we got back for a very late lunch. That evening we went to a bar and met up with some of my friends and work colleagues - ate Tapas and had a few glasses of wine.
Friday was a day in Nairobi. We set off late morning by matatu to Karen so Vicky could enjoy the local travel experience. We jumped in the matatu and the free seats were at the back - not the most comfortable spot as the roof slopes down so you have to sit with your neck crooked but they sort of pad the roof. When I looked up, I realised there were four other Mzungus - so us whites were the majority - never been seen before!! Once in Karen we headed to Talisman, my favourite restaurant just for a very light lunch. They do the most amazing feta and corriander samosas. Then I hired a taxi for the afternoon to do the sites. Karen Blixen house, a bead workshop and shop and then onto the treat of the day - Giraffe Manor - an exclusive hotel that you have to email and kindly request an invitation for afternoon tea. Fortunately they had been able to fit us in, and once through the gates they treated us like we were residents and we got the 5 star treatment. Giraffe Manor is next to the Giraffe Centre which is the tourist stop - the giraffe just wander around - most of them have been rescued. So we sat down with our beers first and then our afternoon tea to enjoy the view. Soon the local warthogs were sniffling around, the local 'spy dog' kept us company (named spy dog by Vicky as he kept appearing over a wall just like in the movie - peering over keeping guard an dimportantly proteting his terrace from the warthogs). Then the giraffe came over - food was bought out so we could feed them. So very lovely for an afternoon tea setting. The food wasn't that great but the setting and service more than made up for it - very special.
Then we headed for more food - back to near work for proper Nyama Choma meeting up with Ute and her family before they flew home and some more work colleagues. It's where we had been with work before and had a great night out and good food. But this time the service was very slow, food really not that great - we were told the intestines were not tasty as they still had too much poo in them - mmmmm. So a bit disappointing....
Back up early the next day to head to Amboseli. I was worried that I had over booked - and we didn't really need to do another game park. But actually the drive was a lot easier - tarmac most of the way and less than four hours. The bush was very different - much more arid and when the clouds behaved themselves the view of Kilimanajaro was stunnning. The camp was much bigger, but the tents more simple. Great service and food, a lovely camp fire to have drinks around and pool to laze around in the day in between game drives. We had more of a 4x4 rather than traditional safari vehicle and John was our guide and driver this time. An older guy, much more talkative. He was slightly late picking us up, but found us ok. We stopped off first at Nairobi National Park to pay our park entry fees - apparently it is easier here than at Amboseli. Then the crazy drive down the Mombasa Rooad - with trucks coming up and going to Mombasa port and then through to Northern Africa. Lots of scary over taking...and we found out the next day that John had had very little sleep the night before because his in laws had come round which had meant he had not been able to go to bed and in the end resorted to sleeping in his car for an hour, getting up and having coffee and red bull to keep him going - glad we didn't know that before hand.
Amboseli is pretty small, much more dusty and arid and the animals seem to have a much harder time. But there are two swamps that mean there is always green grass all year round. This has attrated a lot of elephant and then of course you have the back drop of Mount Kilimanjaro. So good to expereince.
When we got back to Nairobi in good time, that evening we went to have dinner and stay with my friends Annie and Justin in Karen. A really lovely evening with good food and conversation and a relaxing next morning where I got to use Annie's running machine and we wandered around the posh roads of Karen - seeing big gates and imagining what the houses were like. We got to see later, as we flew over on our way to Lamu. Annie gave a lift to the local airport Wilson. It should have been a half hour journey - we allowed an hour. Good job as there was a huge traffic jam- with everything backed up. We eventually got through it and got to Wilson airport - trying to keep calm knowing that although you should be there 45 mins before hand, I have seen bags go onto the plane 5 mins before and it is so small it is a bit like getting a bus. When we arrived, Annie paused at one turning and then carried on - as ever the police saw this as an opportunity to stop her and try and say she had made a number of traffic violations. Unfortuntaely her driving license was being converted to a Kenyan one so in the office rather than in the car. So they were being very difficult. We parked up and as we were late, Vicky and I got out at Annies insistence and went to get our bags to do the rest on foot which was a bit of a shock to them. So they suddenly said Annie could drive on and take us and not do it again - clearly didn't think they were getting any money out of us! A quick bite to eat at the coffee shop and then we were on our way on a fairly small plane. An hour later we were in Lamu, our bags whisked away and taken to a waiting boat to take us to the guesthouse. Lamu airport is actually on Manda island, so you have to get a boat to Lamu. The guesthouse , Stop Over Guest House was a very simple affair but right on the water front in Shela the second village in LamuItwas spotlessly clean and just what we wanted. Lamu has a very different feel, Arabic north African feel and very muslim. We were in front of a mosque with call to prayer waking us up at 5 every morning, but to be honest we could have been anywhere on the island and still got woken up. A beautiiful room simply decorated with two lamu beds and mosquito nets, with bougainvillea on our beds every morning - a big vernadah with a day bed and lamu chairs where we were served breakfast every morning.
We found the posh hotel round the corner along the beach, Peponi Hotel where we tended to have lunch and dinner which was very delicious - not the cheapest but top quality food. It's also safe to walk around at night so easy to get to and from. We spent a morning on the beach - deserted and although cloudy very warm. No pirates in sight... We had a wonderful sunset dhow cruise sailing out into the bay and watched the sunset on the way back. We also had a tour of Lamu town. There are no cars in Lamu so people walk, take a boat or use a donkey. The donkeys just wander around the small tights streets. Walking around Shela felt like you were in a maize. High sided passageways, the odd donkey and just a few other people wandering around (mainly men) but very friendly and not too hastley at all. The passageways suddenly turned one way and the other and while avoiding the donkey poo, you easily lost your bearings - but we knew we couldn't get too lost. We were on a small island after all. The 40 min walk to Lamu town was interesting albeit a bit warm - walking along the coast. Lamu was bustling - we were shown the famous carved doors, coconut oil and sesame oil processing and the mosques and a filthy meat market with more flies than I like to think about. Then the obligatory stops and some shops where we made a few small purchases. So a short stay but a lovely break at the end of our time together. Home for a home cooked food and packing for VIcky and then she left for her flight the next morning with just the one slightly fuller case! Lovely to spend time with her, and for her to have seen where I live and to try and get some understanding why I want to try and stay out here for a bit longer.
That afternoon after she left I managed to get a lift to the Rift Valley Festival on the shores of Lake Naivasha - Glastonbury meets hippos - but that is a different story!!
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