Camping on the Lake

Early Monday morning we were on the road heading south to Lake Naivasha. First stop was Crater Lake Reserve. After a drive around the crater walls, we stopped for lunch in the presence giraffes and black-and-white colobus monkeys. Down in the crater, a few flamingos fed at the edge of shore, whilst two fish eagles perched above looking for their next meal to surface. All around the edge of the lake there was evidence of buffalo. Thankfully we didn’t bump into them as we wondered around on the plains and the crater rim (we found out later that two people were killed last year by startling a buffalo with her calf). We did however get within 5 meters of a few giraffes and cute dik dik.

Black-and-white Colobus playing in the Acacia trees

Crater Lake as viewed from the crater rim

After our walk on the wild side we head to our campsite to set up before dark, stopping briefly at Lake Oledion along the way. This lake has become home for thousands of flamingos that are fleeing the increasingly toxic waters of Lake Nakuru. And best of all, it was free to visit. For the next two nights we camped on the edge of Lake Naivasha, with only an electric fence standing between us and night-grazing hippos.

Flog loads of flamingos

Chapattis and vege stew for dins

As you drive around Lake Naivasha you can’t help but notice the seemingly endless rows of hot houses. Flower growing is big business in this region, supplying flowers to all around the world. Before we left on our trip we watched a documentary called “A Blooming Business” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cW_Zp6dnrQ) about the flower growing industry at Lake Naivasha. It’s sad that the industry that provides so much employment causes so much damage to the environment and workers because of greed.

The hot houses cover much of the lake front and are slowly draining the lake.

We got up early the next morning to make the most of the cool morning. After chowing down our uji (a thin millet porridge) we loaded the landcruiser with two mountain bikes and head for Hell’s Gate National Park (named after the thermal activity in the region). Yesterday was the walking safari, now it was time for a cycling safari. We followed the Twiga (giraffe) Circuit through the open savannah. Giraffe, zebra and warthogs freely roamed around us – keeping a safe distance from the invading two-wheeled creatures. As glided down the side of a small hill, we startled a small herd of buffalo. We squeezed hard on our breaks, skidding as the buffalo charged across the road 10 meters in front of us. Hearts pounding, we waited until all the buffalo had scrambled away. Feeling safe I hopped of my bike to get a photo of the buffalo and bikes. However, just then a few buffalo started warning charges at us. Adrenaline pumping, we flew down the hill for 100 meters. The buffalo were happy with that distance and allowed us to take a few photos before we continued on our way. After 4 hours under the oppressive sun we were happy to give up the saddle.

Fresh-air safaris

Buffalo's are no match for our bikes

After lunch and a short rest at the campsite we went for a drive to other end of the National Park. On the way through a small town we came across a mob arresting a man accused of being a thief. This was the second time we had driven into such a frightening and unsettling event. With corruption rife amongst the police, locals often take matters into their own hands, sometimes beating, sometimes killing the accused. It is a very complex and foreign situation that is difficult for a westerner to comprehend and process. Thankfully(!?!), we didn’t observe a lynching, if indeed it did occur in this instance. I am certainly grateful that in NZ we have a police force we can trust.

Wednesday morning we packed up camp and set off for our next adventure on Mt Suswa.

Heading West

We travelled by overnight bus to Nairobi. Despite our fears of being robbed of our bags in the night, we arrived at 5:30 AM with all our gear and having slept quite a bit. This was to be first of many overnight bus trips in the coming months. Nairobi is no place to wander in the dark, so we joined the rest of the passengers in the office until the sun rose almost two hours later. Rather than risk our lives in Nairobbery, we promptly boarded the next shuttle heading to Nakuru. The shuttle broke down just outside of Naivasha – when Dad Bartlett called to warn us of the turmoil in Egypt, which we only had become aware of just as we boarded the bus. After squishing into another full shuttle we finally arrived in Nakuru and took our final shuttle to St Andrews School in Turi. My pack could not fit in the back and was strapped to the roof!! Several times on the journey I poked my head out the window to make sure it didn’t fall off as we hit pothole after pothole.

There is always room on the roof

We were on the way to stay with the Johnson family, teachers from St Andrews who had visited Mwamba early on during our time in charge. Before they left, Adrian and Carol offered us a place to stay as well as a behemoth vehicle and camping gear to borrow. We arrived on the weekend that parents and families of the boarding school were visiting and camping onsite. It was full and hectic, taking up most of the Johnson’s time. However, they made sure we were well fed (BBQ) and entertained (talent show) before an afternoon nap. In the evening we enjoyed a performance of the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe that left me intrigued about CS Lewis’s atonement theology (seems like Ransom Theory in LWW). After Chapel on Sunday, Carol and Adrian sorted us right and proper with all the camping gear we could ever possibly need (including a potatoe masher and chapatti frying pan), ready for tomorrow’s adventure.

Most of the Johnson family at St Andrew's School - little slice of England

Kwaheri Mwamba na Kenya

On Friday the 29th of January 2011 we left Mwamba Field Study Centre. It was quite an emotional time to farewell the unique place we had called home for the past 6 months. Not only were we leaving the beautiful Mwamba, we were leaving behind many new friends, most of whom we will probably never meet in person again.
Two days before we left they threw us a special outdoor dinner party with all the tasty Swahili food that I now miss – chapattis, especially. Kenya really left its mark on us, as we did ours.

Our farewell feast - volunteer corner

Lynton’s A Rocha Kenya Top 10 (in no particular order)

• Beach – magnificently warm and practically private white-sand beach. We swam with the fishes at least 3 times a week.
• Ringing – holding amazing birds in the hand, removing them from nets and releasing them back into the wild. I even got to ring and measure a few. My wing lengths required the formula: x + 2 mm to give the true measurement.
• Food – chapattis, coconut beans, michicha, pilau, kachumbari, coconut with green grams = delish
• Epilogue – active, faithful, worshipping community: our church.
• Sailing/Snorkelling – swarms of fish, piles of coral and the odd turtle
• Safari – Twice at Tsavo East NP. Camping amongst the wild animals was cool though a little scary
• Volunteers – hanging out, laughing, and as Francis would say 'chatting'
• ASSETS – experiencing the programme first hand and seeing the good it does
• Visiting Francis and Janet’s families out in the villages, especially staying at Janet’s house for one night
• Managing Mwamba over the Christmas/New Years – So much fun with our awesome guests. We certainly could do more of that

Home

Three weeks ago today we arrived back on Kiwi soil. It has been 74 days since we left Mwamba – a journey that took us through eight countries on our way back to the Land of the Long White Cloud. Rather than leave the story ending abruptly at Mwamba, we have decided to post some post-trip posts to fill in the blanks. Enjoy.