Kenya (weeks 28 & 29)
Kenya offered more awesome wildlife, great conversations with old friends and new, and some much needed downtime.
First, we spent 8 days traveling with another overland group, stopping at nature reserves and a Samburu village.
The wildlife was, once again, exquisite. We found more of the same animals, some (like buffalo, hippo, and rhino) we got even closer to than before. Some were new or of different variations, like the delicate looking gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, and Kenya's reticulated giraffe. Some got too close for comfort, like the lone bull elephant who found our camp on his way to the river (we all stood watching, waiting to see if he'd advance, charge, or turn away; thankfully he chose the latter and crossed the river), and the multitude of baboons who, as soon as our guard was down, would run in and grab what they could of our food.
First, we spent 8 days traveling with another overland group, stopping at nature reserves and a Samburu village.
The wildlife was, once again, exquisite. We found more of the same animals, some (like buffalo, hippo, and rhino) we got even closer to than before. Some were new or of different variations, like the delicate looking gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, and Kenya's reticulated giraffe. Some got too close for comfort, like the lone bull elephant who found our camp on his way to the river (we all stood watching, waiting to see if he'd advance, charge, or turn away; thankfully he chose the latter and crossed the river), and the multitude of baboons who, as soon as our guard was down, would run in and grab what they could of our food.
One day, as we pulled into the "baboon picnic site" at lake Nakuru (a terrible idea from the start), a big male jumped into our safari jeep through the open roof and grabbed at the seat pocket in front of me. When I tried to shove him off me, he bared his giant canines, so I let him take our lunch but managed to yank Luis' bathing suit back from him when he turned away. More baboons made off with some camp food at Samburu Nature Reserve; we'd chase them off with sticks (the local guards used sling shots), but they were quick about taking advantage of any little opening in our defenses and got away with a few loaves of bread and some cereal. At night, the baboons and other monkeys (mostly vervet and/or colobos) would chatter, shriek, and make the darkness feel quite eerie.
We found some impressive little bugs throughout Kenya; not included in the photos below was a tiny off-white scorpion we discovered nestled into a groove under our tent in the faint dawn light.
We found some impressive little bugs throughout Kenya; not included in the photos below was a tiny off-white scorpion we discovered nestled into a groove under our tent in the faint dawn light.
The Samburu village turned out to be a very friendly and welcoming place where we were encouraged to interact with anyone in the village. We stayed one night, camped between their semi-permanent huts. After an introduction to their semi-nomadic pastoral way of life, the children led us down to the river for a dip, then back to the village to play and chat. They told us that they share wealth communally, and, for once, I actually believed it; money exchanged for handicrafts and tips we left when leaving were collected by various people but never hidden from the others, never tucked away in a pocket or sleeve. Everything seemed open and transparent, all families of similar wealth and health. When I spoke to a young man still in high school, he said he preferred village life over city life; he wanted to be with his community rather than in the city, where he sees people unhappy, always rushed, and always short on money. He did, however, admit to wanting a job in the nearby town if he could get one. This feeling seemed to be echoed by a few other young men we talked with throughout the evening.
After nightfall, the men gathered around the fire to sing and practice the iconic jumping dance. Relatives of the Maasai, the Samburu also practice jumping, wear similar cloth, and beautiful beaded necklaces. We were invited to join in their second dance, which alternated between dancing around the fire and dancing/singing with partners. The dance is difficult to describe; suffice it to say that the singing was deeply moving, full of energy, and the dance was many times more difficult to imitate than it seemed. The whole experience was rather entrancing. We had a fantastic stay with the Samburu.
After nightfall, the men gathered around the fire to sing and practice the iconic jumping dance. Relatives of the Maasai, the Samburu also practice jumping, wear similar cloth, and beautiful beaded necklaces. We were invited to join in their second dance, which alternated between dancing around the fire and dancing/singing with partners. The dance is difficult to describe; suffice it to say that the singing was deeply moving, full of energy, and the dance was many times more difficult to imitate than it seemed. The whole experience was rather entrancing. We had a fantastic stay with the Samburu.
Without our Ethiopia visas, we had to turn back from Samburu County and head down to Nairobi. Five out of nine truck passenger were unable to obtain visas; it was nice to find out that we were not the only ones to have this problem. After much deliberation, Luis and I decided to spend our last week in Kenya relaxing on a beautiful beach (before jumping into the craziness that is India). So, we took the brand-new Chinese-built fast train from Nairobi to Mombasa, then drove another 45min south to Diani to our beautiful and welcoming AirBnB. In all honesty, we spent much more time by the pool at Villa Mapenzi than on the actual beach, wanting to avoid getting hassled by the beach boys selling tours, services, or knickknacks.