We went out in search of more game in the morning, promptly spotting a couple of cheetahs (mother and kid) frolicking on the long grass. It was a toss us between the leopard and the cheetahs but i think the cheetahs win, that was the highlight for me.
On the whole, it was a very good safari experience, having been grouped with a pleasant bunch of people, as well as a great guide and cook.
On the way back, we stopped at the Masai village (1000 KSH if you opt to go). Here’s where you get a villager to show you around the village, and the Masai way of life. It’s very much catered to the tourist, but you do get to see them in their colourful red garb, dances by the men and then women (where you can join in) and see them demonstrate how they make a fire. You get to visit a Masai home, and of course go to the trinkets and handicraft back area where you can buy souvenirs. Other stuff include being introduced to various plants like the sandpaper leaf which as per its name is rough and used for smoothening surfaces, a mosquito replling leaf, and a leaf tha gives the red pigment used in Masai clothing.
Back in Nairobi, got my Kampala Coach tickets to Dar Es Salaam (leaving around 2am, the bus comes from Uganda and continues to Dar, 2900 KSH, includes one meal). I stayed half the night at New Kenyan (asked and got half price 300 KSH for half night).
Today we spent the entire day out in the park. Suffice to say, i caught all of the big five (Leopard, Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Rhino). The highlight would have to be a leopard going through a carcass atop a tree. This entry is best described in pictures.
The park was large, but everywhere you turned, there were other safari vehicles. However, there was plenty of wildlife to go around, so it wasn’t crowded.
Here’s a rundown of all the animals seen: Thomson Gazelle, Common Zebra, Masai Giraffe, Ostrich, Impala, Topi, Elephant, Wilderbeest, Yellow-billed Stork, Hartlebeast, Buffalo, Crown Crane (uganda’s national bird), Waterbuck, Leopard and carcass on tree, Black Rhino (endangered), Hamerkop & its nest, Warthog, Vervet Monkey, Vultures, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Cheetahs on carcass, Mongoose, Gnu, Dik Dik.
Tue 16th Feb, Masai Mara NP, Kenya The pickup was at 830am, and i realised that i’m going with Kairi tours instead, since New Kenya does not have any safari groups setting off today. There were seven people in total, a Finn together with two kids, a couple of Brit girls, a Japanese girl, and myself. All come from various tour companies. There must be some arrangement in place where anyone anytime can go on safari by getting various companies to group them together. Finally, the other two people in the van were the driver cum guide, and the cook.
The itinenary is as such. Day 1: Drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara NP, spend late evening on a game drive. Day 2: Game drive all day, we travel to the Mara river where the annual wilderbeest migration takes place. Day 3: Game drive in the morning, connect back to Nairobi.
This itinerary forms the basis of most safari tours. For the companies to keep costs low, they enter on Day 1 afternoon and leave on Day 3 afternoon. As park fees are valid over a 24 hour period, entering in the afternoon means they pay for 2 days of park fees. Also, accomodation is located just outside the park, near Mara village, in a stretch with many lodges. This way, tour companies avoid expensive park accomodation fees, yet tourists are still able to stay in comfortable lodging instead of having to pitch tents in the park camping areas.
On the way, we pass by a similar open-top minivan like ours, stuck in the mud on the road to the NP. It had been raining earlier and the road was in pretty bad shape. Reached the Lodge at about 5pm. I expected a budget safari where we need to pitch tents, but this was a nice pleasant surprise. There were permanent safari tents, with adjoining western toilets and hot water (they say, i didn’t have any during the three days i was there).
Ok, the afternoon game drive. Masai Mara is pretty huge, there wasnt’ much time so we went in to have a taste of the park. Wildlife was abundant everywhere, even in the drizzle. There were Thomson gazelles, impalas, plus we caught a couple of male lions and some african elephants. John our guide was excellent in that he constantly manouvered the van to get us the best camera angles.
Dinner was excellent, the cook George brought all the foodstuff from Nairobi, bought a sack of coal for cooking along the way, and made everything from scratch. I’ll be well fed over the next three days i’m sure, i was having double portions since there was so much leftover food (food for 7, of which 2 were small girls and i was the only guy!)
For want of a catchy title, ive decided to go with Fast Food & Photos, which was as exciting as the day got. Started the day in the internet cafe (you can get cheap ones at 30 KSH per hour, but the speed deteriorates as more people use up the bandwitdth, so it makes sense to go early when there’s no one). Next up was lunch, which was another quarter chicken and chips combo (150 KSH). The “Fast Food” chip shops are in abundance around town. This i must admit is a very unhealthy option for lunch, but it is one of the cheapest and most convenient you can get besides self catering. And the locals are evidence that this diet isn’t actually the healthiest around.
Next, i set out to find a cheap camera. A second hand camera without the cables and battery was around 150000 TSH, last i checked in Mwanza, Tanzania. And here, the New Kenya staff recommended Ebrahim Centre to get a cheap camera. I headed towards the electronics shop, and after some deliberation, got myself a Sony Cybershot older model 10.2 mega pixel camera for 8350 KSH, plus a 1 GB memory card for another 1500 KSH. Pretty basic functions, but that is all i need for now.
I booked myself on the New Kenyan Lodge run safari, which sets off tomorrow for Masai Mara National Park. This was a 3 day trip (300 USD). According to the staff doing the hardsell, the travel was by one of those open top vans, and accomodation was in their own safari lodges at or near the park, which looked pretty decent in the photos. There were 5 others setting off as well, with pickups at the other hotels, apparently. With my new camera, i could at least get some shots of animals. =)
The rest of the evening was spent chatting with various travel people in the place, Peter from Switzerland who gave me helpful Dubai metro travel maps, a Polish guy who’s name i can’t recall now, Charlie the S.Korean plus the many Japanese guys. On a side, i probably got to watch my budget a bit; it is spiralling out of control with the safari and camera purchase.
At around 7am, i made my way to the New Kenya Lodge. This was home, i’ve been here when i was in Kenya, and the familiarity meant i could drop my guard and just relax. Today i would spend time just relaxing, i wanted to get a cheap replacement camera, but it was a Sunday and many of the shops in the city were closed.
Instead, i surfed the net for safari options, stocked up on LOTs of stuff (noodles, drinking chocolate, bread, shampoo). I also see many of the familiar faces still here. The Jap duo just came in this morning, after a week and a half in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu. Justin and his dog were still here, they were supposed to leave in the morning to Dar Es Salaam, but he ran into problems with the coach company, got into an argument when they didn’t allow the dog (after reassuring him when he bought the ticket it would not be a problem). Instead he would leave tomorrow morning on a matatu to Arusha, halfway to Dar. The French guy with funky hair who works with some Agricultural firm was still here, and horny Pakistani old man was still around as well. Plus all the regular staff here, and i was comfortable.
Still contemplating whether to bother with a safari trip or just take it slow along the coast. I’ll stay another day and see what develops.
From Kahama to Mwanza. I took the TML bus, a four hour trip to Mwanza. I was asleep 80% of the time, but the time i was awake, we passed through town after town. Africans i realise can really balance anything, and i mean anything on their heads. The street vendors come up when the bus stop in town, carrying atop their heads anything from bananas, peanuts, fish and other assortment of stuff. Elsewhere i’ve also seen on their heads firewood, cloth, even a pickaxe!
Reached Mwanza at about 10am. After the events of yesterday i was a bit cautious. Slapped the hand of a pickpocket who halfway unzipped my pouch when i got off the dalla-dalla, i walked around the town centre looking for onward bus travel companies. It wasn’t such a big town, so i decided i might as well get to Nairobi, where all the amenities are there and i can relax. I couldn’t find the Scandanavian Express ticket office so i went for Akamba Coach. The bus leaves at 1pm (30000 TSH, 13 hrs) so i had a couple of hours to walk around and grab some lunch. There is a high concentration of Indians in this town, migrants who have set up businesses here.
From Mwanza to Nairobi. Again, more bus journeys, but this time the route took me pass the western edge of the Serengiti, so i was treated to a free mini safari. The scenery was spectacular as always, and i must declared that Tanzania has the best clouds i’ve ever seen. Oodles of fluffy clouds sitting on top of each other. As for animals, there were baboons, zebras and various birdlife.
At the border crossing, the Kenyan border official asked how long i’d be staying, he must be curious as to why this tourist is criss-crossing so many countries in such a short span of time. I had a lot of Tanzanian shillings on me, but the exchange rate at the border wasn’t good. One money changer guy tried to use sleigh-of-hand to swipe 10000 TSH from me, i just got pissed off by all these conmen, thieves and general jackasses, i shouted at them and stomped off. I’m trying hard not to be pissed at the general east african population, telling myself the actions of a few should not determine how i react to everyone, but it’s really taking some effort at the moment. There was one guy from Burundi, now an Australian citizen, after he fled there as a refugee and gained citizenship after 3 years. He came back to visit family and his sister in Tanzania, and was on the way back home via Nairobi. Nice guy, and i didn’t have the heart to tell him “Hey you, i got robbed by your countrymen yesterday!” Like i read somewhere, no one is interested to listen to your sob stories. “Half the people in the world don’t care about your problems, and the other half are probably glad you have them.”
I reached Nairobi at 4am, together with Acchi, a Jap guy who was on the bus with me, we decided to stay at the bus office till daylight. The hotel was less than 200m away, but there was no way i was going to walk there in the dark this time.
Wed 3rd Feb, New Kenya Lodge, Nairobi, Kenya Spent the day first with breakfast with the two german girls, then i went off for a spot of internet. Wandered around the city, much to say, but since i will be back in Nairobi at least once, I will leave it to a later entry (that and because this is so delayed).
In the end, I decided that i would make my way to Uganda after all, and bought a ticket on Kampala Coach for 1800 KSH. The coach departs tomorrow at 6am, and i would regret taking these early buses later on, just because they arrive in the late evening or when it is dark. Trust me, it is not easy to get around in a brand new city and orientate yourself when you have completely no idea where you are.
Took out some cash (both Mastercard and VISA exists here). After which, i decided to just take it easy today and caught a movie, Old Dogs, starring Travolta and Robin Williams. Price is 350 KSH, pretty much the same as in Singapore. Wasn’t a brilliant movie, i was planning to catch Sherlock Holmes, but couldn’t find a screen showing it.
The rest of the time was generally spent at the New Kenya Lodge, talking to the other travelers. This is probably the highest concentration of them so far in one place since Dahab in Egypt. The place would have been perfect if only there was wireless connection. =)
Tue 2nd Feb, New Kenya Lodge, Nairobi, Kenya Woken up by the same joker who brought us to the hotel, he just hangs around and gets under our skin. He tells us the checkout time is 9am and we need to clear. I can’t be bothered with him, but we needed to sort out transportation and so left the place.
The Polish guys left on the matutu for Nanyuki (200 KSH), the gateway town to Mount Kenya where they were headed. I went on a matutu, a seven seater van, (650 KSH) to Nairobi. Waited for the Aussies at the matutu station but they didn’t turn up so i left.
The journey was mostly on good road and way more comfortable than the last 4 days. I even managed to snooze a couple of times. We reached Nairobi around 3pm, roughly a 4-5 hour trip. Nairobi looks like a very modern city, more developed central district than the other central areas in other cities i based myself in. The matutu dropped me in the matutu area. I was a bit apprehensive about being in Nairobi, since it had the honour of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live in. I found the New Kenyan Lodge, a cosy little place with shared dorms at 500 KSH. There is a comfortable living room area where i can sit and watch tv and meet with others. The place is also popular with the Jap traveler crowd, so it must appear in those Japanese or Korean travel guides that i see the carry. So the hotel area i am in is relatively safe, as long as i watch my valuables and avoid going out at night.
Took a shower. It feels good to be clean. And i went out to the streets to get some food. There is a bit of a fast food culture here, with fish and chips, as well as chicken, being sold and ate at the counters, standing up even. Living costs can get rather expensive here though, since a decent fast food meal set me back around 440 KSH, for a quarter chicken and fries, plus fruit juice.
Came back before dark, with all the stories here, it pays to be careful. The hotel is a cosy place, where i meet other travelers to get info etc.
Mon 1st Feb, Nur Plaza, Isiolo, Kenya Woke up at 6.30am when they moved to unload the cargo. The locals remaining on the truck through the night got off with us and went off to find breakfast. I had mine too. Milk tea (in a mug like in Somaliland and not in those tiny chai cups elsewhere!) and mandazi, a slightly sweet bread thingy.
Here’s the plan for each of our groups. I was to go to Isiolo, and i ‘reserved’ my spot by leaving my backpack on the truck. The truck then went off elsewhere to unload. The three aussies wanted to go to Isiolo as well, but their bags were with them at the hotel where they spent the night. Bartek and Marcin wanted Lake Turkana, heading west from Marsabit. And Hilal was trying to get to Logologo, an hour south along the Marsabit-Isiolo road.
However, as usual, Africa time meant the truck didn’t reappear to set off. Hilal arranged to hitch a pickup since her’s was a short distance down the road, but even that didn’t materialise till a couple hours later than the appointed pickup time. Said bye to her. By lunchtime, we had all congregated outside one eating place, waiting for transport out. The Polish guys’ inquiries of transport to Lake Turkana met with laughter and “you can try” and “maybe in the evening”. A helpful fellow tells the Aussies a cattle truck is coming from the north into town and they should wait at the main road for the truck. Me, even though we are going the same way, i am unable to join them, since my bag was on the first truck, which was nowhere to be found…After more than an hour though, the Aussies were back at the eating place, tired of waiting for their non-existent truck. No one could give a straight answer to whether there would be a truck out. “Maybe there will be. Or maybe there won’t be” was the best i could get out of everyone. The fellow locals on board yesterday’s truck were also sitting in the eating place, so i figured as long as they were calm, it would be fine to just follow their lead.
Someone then mentioned the truck may not leave today, which led to the locals on board’s leader to go on a frantic hunt for the truck, to no avail. Finally at 3, the truck reappeared, we all, in spite of our plans, figured this is the best and only option out of town and all trooped to the truck now parked on the main road.
They told us the truck wasn’t leaving today. Instead, there was another truck, empty, going south. We will go on that truck (400 KSH each). Well, it started empty, by the time we set off at 4pm, it was a human cargo truck, and we were the human cattle. Passengers from all over town popped up and were seated in the container area, as well as on the metal railings on the roof.
We set off, and compared to the relatively comfortable ride yesterday on sacks of onions, this one was a minor nightmare. First the load was much less, so the driver sped through the rough bumpy road, resulting in all of us flying all over the inside of the truck. Secondly, there were no more sacks to absorb the bumpy shocks, so we got the full brunt during the journey. And thirdly, the dust, oh my! Since we were near the base of the truck, the dust was getting into the truck like nobody’s business. My nostrils were complaining, everyone was covered in dust. And it only became better when i slipped head first into my sleeping bag. That got rid of the dust, but it was too uncomfortable to do anything but hold on to the railings for dear life.
Reached Isiolo, thoroughly exhausted at 12.30am. We were beset by accomodation touts who offered to show us hotels. Too tired to argue, they led the way to an overpriced Nur Plaza Hotel (600 KSH for a double room). We bunked 3 to a room, me with the Poles.
Went down to their hotel in the morning. No news from the police station about their lost stuff. Everyone in town knew them, and some fella or other were claiming they caught the thief etc. But these were just suspects and they had no prove where the laptop went. They left their number with the police there just in case there was further development.
Introduced to Hilal, a spunky Israeli girl. She came into Moyale the evening before and got a visa extension to stay a week in Kenya. She had come from the south, got her extension at the border, and would be going south with us, but to meet with her friend in one of the towns below.
There was no bus going from Moyale to Marsabit apparently. All there was were trucks, gigantic cargo trucks with the interior caged by metal railings. These trucks transport anything from cattle, goats, to sacks of goods. The first trucks quoted 1000 KSH, but Hilal, who by then had been traveling in East Africa for 3.5 months had contacts from the previous truck and got all of us a good deal at 400 KSH each. We waited for the truck to come by. It was loading somewhere, so we waited at the steps. Along too came the Aussie trio of Stu, Steve and Mick, from Ethiopian Moyale, joining us on our truck. Minutes became hours and the 9.30 truck arrived only at lunch. Meanwhile, there were shady characters just sitting down on the steps with us, not saying anything. Some other local chased them away, telling us to be wary. Hmmm.
And so we left Moyale only at 2.30pm, sitting on sacks on onions, boxes of processed food, sacks of charcoal and other stuff piled into the truck at least 1.5 meters high. 7 of us travelers, plus about another 10 locals. It was impossible to get comfortable, the road was not paved, so despite travelling in a heavy duty truck, it was one bumpy ride. Progress was very slow, since the truck was pretty much loaded to the max. We traveled into the evening, then night. Arranging the sacks to make ourselves comfortable, we tried to get some sleep. It got cold as well, so the sleeping bag i took out was very much welcomed.
Reached Marsabit around 2 am. The rest moved to a nearby Kiasut hotel (150 KSH) but i stayed atop the truck, content under my sleeping bag. Hilal too, since i was using my sleeping bag as a blanket to cover both of us. Only problem was that we probably smelled of onions after that.
