Kenyan Adventure, Day 4

Up at the ungodly hour for a vacation of 5:45 for a 6:30 game drive.  This was before sunrise, and Mt Kenya was completely clear.  This is literally the view from my tent.  Had to look it up, but Mt Kenya is a strato-volcano and is classic in shape.  It is the second tallest mountain in Africa, at 17057 feet, and has a few small glaciers on it---on the equator, no less.  It rises so abruptly from the plain it looks unreal, and remember, we are already at close to 6000 feet here at the camp.  It is totally massive, filling the whole horizon.

 More to follow

Kenyan Adventure, Day 3

Changed modes of transportation today---traded our bus for Range Rovers, four to a vehicle, ours driven by our fearless driver Samwise (Reminds me of "Lord of the Rings"), otherwise known as Sam.  We set out in light traffic (it being Sunday) to the Nanyuki region, which is north and a little west of Nairobi.

Still looks a lot like California, but much more populated.  I'm surprised by the impact of man on the landscape, there is nowhere you can look that has not been touched.  No wild life anywhere, and very few birds.  No wonder the animals have to be in a preserve.

Eucalyptus grown as telephone poles

The drive took four hours, with one rest stop at a souvenir shop.  The final stretch of road reminded me of back country Yuba County.  Totally dirt with wonderful dust from our passing.  Very dry here as the rains which were supposed to start last month are still not in evidence.

Sam, our fearless (needed in Kenya) driver

 

Entrance to Preserve, sound is wind.

 

The preserve where we will be staying is called Ol Pejeta Conservancy (a map can be found here http://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/uploads/assets/map.pdf) which is 90,000 acres large.  They boast they are largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa which reached a population milestone of 100 black rhino in 2013. It also houses the three remaining northern white rhino in the world. The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is situated here, and provides a haven for orphaned, abandoned and rescued chimpanzees. It is the only place in Kenya where these great apes can be seen. The Conservancy is host to the "Big Five" among a large selection of other African animals, which makes it a popular safari destination. It also operates a successful livestock program, which serves to benefit local pastoralists and wildlife. The big five are Cape buffalo, lion, rhino, leopard and elephant.

Entrance to Conservancy, notice the weaver bird nests

We had lunch, soup and then a buffet style selection.  Food is very good, western, indianish and usually one or two Kenyan dishes.  Stir fry if you're so inclined, so, lots of choices and good for a buffet.

After going to our tents and relaxing, we went on a game drive, which means, drive around looking for game. 

The inside of the permanent tent

The outside of our tent

Memorial to the rhino killed in the park by poachers

Southern white rhinos-who are grazers

Kenyan Adventure, Day 2

Today was very tiring, all day out, bad traffic, but lots to see.  Did not expect traffic to be as bad as it was on a Saturday, but there you go.

After breakfast we were on the bus and headed to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage which is located in Nairobi National Park near Nairobi.  This is where orphaned elephant and rhinos are raised to be released back into the wild.  Founded in 1977, it is an international charity known as the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. 
You have to admit, baby elephants are adorable.

Wart hogs everywhere

Next to the Nairobi Giraffe Centre.  It was established in order to protect the endangered Rothschild giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi, that is found only in the grasslands of  East Africa.  With a raised platform, it is easy to see eye to eye with a giraffe, although you have to be careful or they'll swing their heads and hit you.

Eye to eye

 

A different viewpoint

And the normal viewpoint

 We then drove to the Karen Blixen Museum, former home of Karen von Blixen, author of "Out of Africa."  We ate in the lovely garden restaurant where the food was excellent, and then left for the Kazuri Bead Factory.

KAZURI, which means “small and beautiful” in Swahili, began in 1975 as a tiny workshop experimenting with the making handmade beads.  The mission is to provide and sustain employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of Kenyan society, mainly abused single mothers.

Hand made and hand painted, over 5 million beads are made a year.

After shopping at the factory, we drove back to the museum for a tour of the gardens, part of which we'd seen when we ate at the restaurant, and of the house.

After 6 o'clock by this time, we drove back to the hotel in typical, awful, traffic.  So full from the meal at Tamambo, we skipped dinner and packed up for the trip to the next destination .

Kenyan Adventure, Day 1

Nairobi Intercontinental could be a hotel anywhere in the world. Adequate rooms, but with a better than average breakfast buffet. It is right in the center of the civic area with no place to walk to close by.  We were told not to go walking around, and if we wanted to go somewhere to take a taxi.  

Interesting that in Kenya you are not allowed to photograph any government building or person in uniform.  Security is high, just like in India.  Screening to get into the hotel, with your hand baggage going thru x-ray.  They did have an incident with a bombing in 1998 at the US Embassy and again in 2014 at a market. The site of the market bombing was turned into a park.

One of our first stops was a street lined with "afro style," their description, not mine.  Fabrics, ready made clothes, teeshirts, knicknacks, sure got that out of our systems early.

We then drove around the Parliament building, President's home, etc, but no pictures...remember, against the law to photograph government buildings. We then drove to an overlook for a panoramic view of Nairobi, and then off to the National Museum of Kenya.

The National Museum of Kenya was a disappointment:  scores of school kids running around, poor acoustics, and just plain hot.  However, that being said, the Hall of Man was great.  Lots of fossils, good explanations, a nice diorama, and less school kids.

Went to an Italian restaurant for lunch, interesting choice, but the food was good and way too plentiful.  Had so much Pat and I skipped supper.  Traffic here is very similar to India, but with no animal transportation and less bicycles.  Lots of people walk.  Traffic jams everywhere, and it takes you three times as long as it should to get anywhere.

Pat, Quinn, Scott, me, Nairobi skyline

So tempting, and so cheap

Duncan, our guide, and our transportation

Turkana boy

Diorama of early man

Lines of kids, waiting to get into the museum

Nairobi skyline

Traffic, different, yet the same as Delhi

Kenyan Adventure, the beginning March 2017

Well, this has certainly been a poor start to this adventure.  Here I am, second whole day in Kenya done and no posts to show for it.  I'm going to catch up to the first day and promise to try to do better.

I've decided the worst part of any adventure is getting to the country involved.  Plane travel is tedious, onerous,  occasionally fraught with fear...am I really going to make it to my connection (Frankfurt comes readily to mind.) oh, did I mention tedious?

I drove to Sacramento and spent the night with Pat Cattell-Storms, my partner in crime for the duration.  Her neighbor drove us to the airport, and we were in good shape except for worrying about whether JFK was going to be open because of a huge snowstorm in New York City.  Arrived in Salt Lake City and we were still good to go, and did actually make it to JFK with piles of snow along the runway.  Cold, cold, cold.  Took a taxi to hotel because we did not want to fuss around taking the SkyTrain to the pick up for the hotel shuttle...cold and windy out.

Did take the shuttle back to the airport the next day, even colder,  I think the temperature was 28°, but with the wind chill factored it it became 10°.  

Checked in with Lufthansa and waited around for three hours, in which time Scott and Quinn, Pat's son and grandson finally arrived via Miami and La Guardia.  Snow related stuff again.

Not too long a flight to Frankfurt, arriving there just as the sun came up.  Interesting in that it had about 50 (no exaggeration) Hashidic Jews on the flight, the majority having never flown before.  They had no concept of social mores regarding moving about the plane, standing in the aisle, sitting next to women, etc.  Rude by our standards. They stood in the aisle praying and not letting anyone through to use the lavoratory....like I said, interesting.

 Had a four hour layover, which is just about as much time as you need to find your way around the airport.  Finally found our departure gate and waited some more.  Smaller plane parked way, way out on the tarmac.  Seven hours to Nairobi, but by this time we were all very tired of planing, so it seemed endless, plus I think they've taken any spare inch they can out of both the aisles and seats, very uncomfortable.

Arrived in Nairobi at 10PM, and were met by our guide, Duncan.  Drive to the Nairobi Intercontinental was thus in the dark and not very interesting.  Hotel room is not great but is more than adequate, so off to bed.