Tag: Kenya

This is a four part post. Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.

Day 10 We were off to our next safari camp at the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Our day began with a looooong drive leaving Lake Elementaita, heading towards Narok, where our guides had planned a stop to get gas and take a bathroom break. It took three hours to get there, and then another three and half hours (maybe more) to get to Sarova Mara Game Camp. The drive was down right awful once we exited the paved highway road and started driving the dirt road to get to Maasai Mara. After we had left Narok, it was only 30 minutes more of highway, then the rest was dirt roads, that were under construction none the less, and definitely the worst we had been on yet. I tried to take my mind off the pain I was experiencing, being bounced around and jarred all over the place, by talking with Shaddy, our driver. I always enjoyed our talks. He is Maasai, and had some great stories to share with me. His father was a ranger in Nairobi National Park, and he got to travel along with him sometimes as a child. He knew every animal, and helped me learn several of the Swahili names for them, especially the “Big Five”. He had the best eye for seeing animals, while he was driving, hidden out in the grass or amongst the bush. He told me of a time when he was walking home from school (as we were driving down the road that this story actually happened on) and he felt like something was behind him. When he looked back, it was a leopard stalking him! He ran home and made it to safety, but always feared leopards since then. He said a leopard will kill just for fun. After a couple hours, we had ran out of stories to share with eachother, and sat, stuck in the blistering heat of the van watching mile after mile of dusty, barren landscape pass by. All the sudden our van started making awful noises, and Shaddy had to pull over to take a look at what was going on. At this point, anxiety started to settle in, as there is no one for miles and no services for vehicles except back near Narok. After some discussion with my father-in-law, he put the van in reverse and out popped a rock from the brakes. And we were off again, desperate to reach our destination. With tears in my eyes (from pain) we finally pulled up to the gated entrance of the Maasai Mara game park, and shortly after arrived at Sarova Mara. We had barely enough time to throw our bags in our tents and eat lunch before we were back in the van, off on our first safari in the park. It wasn’t long before we turned out of the camps driveway that we saw a baby giraffe with its mother.

This is a four part post. If you need to read part 1 first click here. To read Part 2 click here, or Part 4 click here.

Day 6 After leaving Sweetwaters, we headed out to our next destination of Lake Elementaita, and watched as Mt. Kenya faded from view. One thing to keep in mind when traveling from place to place is that nothing is quick, even for seemingly short distances, unless you are flying. This day we drove for 5 hours or more. We made a lunch stop at Thompson Falls Lodge. When we got out of the van, we saw chameleons on the trees, and our drivers grabbed them and handed them to us to hold! The wait to order took FOREVER, and I should probably be called the Hangry Traveler (trademark coming…haha), because I don’t do well going a long time without food. To pass the time we walked down to the waterfall to snap some photos, but there was a caveat to our plan of keeping me distracted. This is where being hangry did me in. To get to the platform so you can see the waterfall, you have to pay a fee. It wasn’t cheap, I wasn’t happy. Then, we start taking pictures, and some faux Maasai street swindlers walked up with chameleons at put them in my boys’ hands. Then they asked if they wanted us to take a picture with them, to which we said yes, of course, not knowing their sneaky plan. Afterward, they asked for money, they had my camera, what were we to do? My husband started to get out some money, and he had a stack of cash to pull from to find a nominal amout to give them to be fair. Instead they grabbed to whole lot right from his hand. I was fuming mad, but when you are in a foreign country, what can you do? It put a HUGE damper on my day, and ate into our travel budget, for a mere 5 minutes to look at a waterfall. Now you know, so you don’t get taken. Travel tip: Don’t think anyone won’t take you for all you have for their little street act. Just say no.

This is a four part post. If you need to read part 1 first, click here. To read Part 3 click here, or Part 4 click here.

Day 3 began with an air of excitement. We were headed to our first safari camp in Nanyuki, which is located on the equator. Unfortunately, it was a three hour drive, so our excitement had to wait. I snapped some photos as we drove along the highway. Historically, Nairobi grew overnight, from a swamp to a major city, due to a railway being built through it to connect Mombasa to Uganda. It had very little time to set up good government, infrastructure, and buildings, considering this rapid growth rate. It is a peculiar city, where 1st world and 3rd world collide. I talked a lot with our driver, Shadrack, or Shaddy, as he preferred to be called, on these long days of driving. He told me how the police were not always trustworthy and could stop you to give you a ticket for any reason, but then extort you into giving them cash so they don’t send you to jail. Shaddy said they especially target tourist vans, because they know they are an easy target for a lot of money. Along with dealing with police stops, people stood in the middle of the highway and sold their wares and produce to travelers. It was absolutely a culture shock for me.