33: Bogoria to El Kharama (Kenya)

Scenic pictures Here:

Flamingo Pictures Here:

Wildlife Pictures Here:

Week 33 Update:

Lake Bogoria, Lake Baringo, Nairobi (again), Nanyuki, El Kharama.

Day 225:

Waking up to birdsong in the early morning is one thing, but that day we were woken up by a troop of Vervet Monkeys who believed the rain cover of our tent was a trampoline. They had great fun pulling and tugging on the poles and plastic cover and sliding down the sides. They had a little fright when I peaked out from the tent and barked like a big dog, so scattered away into the trees. The hour was perfect for us as we were on a mission to get into the park early.

As we drove out of the gate and turned towards the park we also noticed that the road, as could be described as a road, stopped right there. The pot holes had taken over and the driving speed decreases accordingly. We had to make a forced detour to the park gate, stopped at the office and paid our dues. It was fairly expensive, but I had a specific photograph in mind and paid it with a smile. Lake Bogoria was famous for their spouting geysers of boiling water and I had planned the desired photo with myself, Catt and Maggie in front of the biggest one of these. It was so prominent that it was even marked on the maps as the place to go. The morning was clear and blue and the light perfect, so I was fairly excited about this.

As we drove into the park I had a serious case of Déjà Vu. Analysing this I realized that the environment around us was actually very similar to the Augrabies National park in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It was arid with sparse trees and rocky hills and very little life around it. That was until we saw the lake for the first time. I had to wipe my eyes a few times as I could not believe what I was seeing! Flamingos…. Millions and millions of Lesser and Greater Flamingos and the road was leading right up to them. I had to smile about the way the universe often showed us things and gave us experiences when we least expected it and how we often worked really hard to find the things we wanted to see without success. We were not at this lake to see any birds, yet there they were in perfect, brilliant early morning light! I instantly swept the idea of the thousand or so photographs I had taken at Lake Nakuru out my mind and started over. Everywhere you looked was a mass of pink and the birds seemed to come and go at regular intervals.

We let the flocks be for after a little stalking exercise and moved slowly along the lake shore towards the geyser. We found the sign to the geyser easily. It was about 40m off shore and half under water. In fact, Flamingos were swimming around the sign as they could not stand in water that deep. The place where the geyser was supposed be spouting high into the air was obviously also under water and instead of the show we had expected, we saw a slight movement in the surface of the water and a few bubbles every once in a while. I was, to be honest, a little disappointed. We met a local guide who told us that the level of the lake was the highest it had been in more than thirty years and that was the reason for the lack in action.

We had paid for the day, so we decided to explore the park in it’s entirety despite the level of the water. We followed the road along the lake shore and encountered more Flamingos that I could have believed existed in the world. The big colonies were around every corner and sometimes even got spooked by our arrival. At one such place the closest ones started taking flight and it took eleven minutes before the whole colony was airborne. The spot where we had seen them first still had ripples on the water from the last ones making a running start by the time the ones who took flight first arrived back in the same place. Another fifteen minutes later the whole colony had returned and landed, completing the entertainment for the two travellers who were no longer disappointed in the park.

We drove on an over a steep hill and around a bend in the road to find that the road was flooded completely. I could not see the bottom, or the road or the other side so there was simply no way I was drive into the lake. We had to turn around. The track was rocky and so narrow that it would not take two cars at a time, so it took no less that a 42 point turn to get us to face the other way. We found the crazy colony again and watched them take flight and arrive back for another half an hour and took many many photographs. We drove up another steep hill where I stopped and decided to sneak up to the colony to take some photos from above. As I stepped out of the car I heard a loud hissing noise that resembles escaping air or fluid.

PUNCTURE!!!! Or that was my first thought. I walked around the car and inspected the tyres and found that they were all fine. My eyes widened at the thought of a burst or cracked radiator, but I really could not remember the temperature needle rising at all. I popped the bonnet after checking the gauge again and saw some green fluid around the battery compartment. I immediately thought it was antifreeze and my mood sank into darkness. I meticulously checked the pipes and the radiators and did not find any leaks, so I felt a little better. I let the engine cool and checked the water level and found that to be full as well. It was not the radiator. When I touched the battery the intensity of the noise changed so I deduced that the new cranking battery we had bought in Nairobi had sprung a leak. I snuck up to the edge of the cliff and took my pictures.

On the way back to the car I started feeling a slight tingling on the skin of my foot, so that only confirmed my suspicion of the battery as it could only be a little of the battery acid that could cause that irritation. I jumped into the driver seat and turned the key and to my surprise the car started perfectly. We decided not to have the broken battery have an influence on our day. We could, after all, just use the deep cycle to start the car if we needed to. We ventured to the end of the park at a place called Fig Tree Camp. We left the main road and crossed s mall stream. I did not turn the car off, but used some of the water there to wash the acid off the wiring and the battery tray. We engaged 4 wheel drive and climbed some steep slopes in a dense forest until we reached the camp.

It was awesome! The massive Figs lined the lake shore and provided a deep and cool shade. It was horrifically hot next to the volcanic lake that day, but it was cool and pleasant there under the trees. I drove to the end of the road and found a couple of Mzungus who camped there for the night. There was another fresh water stream with the sweetest water you can imagine, so I drank my fill. I had not turned the car off at that point but had noticed that the hissing had stopped, but the aircon had stopped working. I though that the battery was obviously flat by that time. The couple told us about a nice walking trail along the lake and where there were some steam spouts and another horde of Flamingos. We instantly decided to venture there. I turned the car off, removed the battery and washed it down. I could not find the leak, so simply put it back, locked the car up, grabbed some cameras and walked off.

It was mid morning by this stage and it was horrifically hot! We had no thermometer but I guessed it was well into the mid forty degrees Celsius. The walk along the lake shore was pretty and easy and beautiful though. We found the steam spouts and the Flamingos and managed to get some really nice and interesting photographs. I felt a little vulnerable to say the least. The place where we were walking was an active seismographic zone after all and I had obviously seen one too many movies about volcanoes spontaneously erupting for no reason at all. At one point one of the team pipes spurted some water and a few drops landed on my foot. It was boiling hot, but apart from the temperature it felt like a chemical burning sensation. The alkaline content was obviously high enough to irritate the skin.

Back at Maggie in the cool shade of the massive Fig Trees I took my shirt and shoes off and sat in the stream. The water was cold and refreshing, so I stayed for a while. I washed the lake water off my feet to make the burning stop and once we had packed the cameras back into the car I hopped into the driver sear with the key in hand. I smiled at Catt and said: “Let’s have a look then” and turned the key. The glow plugs heated up and the engine roared into life without any hassle at all. I was pleasantly surprised, but could not work it out. I couldn’t really believe that a battery which had leaked at least a cup full of acid could still provide enough power to start the engine. I didn’t mind too much though.

The drive back along the lake shore was fairly uneventful apart from the fact that the aircon did not work any more. We still saw the masses and masses of Flamingos and found the newly graded road over the hill. It looked like someone had simply driven a bulldozer through the bush to create this road. It was not graded yet and rough as hell, but it was the only way. We drove to the sight of the first non existent geyser and stopped for lunch. We lazed away the heat of the day and watched the comings and goings of the massive breeding colony of pinkness as well as the locals. There were very few tourists around, but school busses of Kenyans arrived at regular intervals. It was quite nice to see the local people travelling to see the amazing things their country had to offer. We watched them boiling eggs and water over one of the steam pipes and as the afternoon grew longer the clouds rolled in. By 16:00 we decided to move on, but not before I made a proper inspection of the cause of the green fluid.

I crawled under the car and checked around the battery. I checked the radiator and the pipes once again and eventually I found the culprit. There was a small metal pipe that had taken 14 years to rub through on the battery tray itself. It was, predictably an aircon pipe. That explained the fact that the aircon stopped working and why the car was till starting. It seemed an acceptable problem and would not change our travel plans for the next day or two. The light was flat and the skies grey so we decided to drive back to the Bogoria Spa and stay the night. We jumped into their natural hot spring (Tiled pool fed by nearby spring) and bathed the day’s dust, sweat and worries away.

Back in the camp site we were joined by a couple from Nairobi. We cooked a fantastic dinner and chatted about the adventures of the day while they went to the restaurant and even before they got back Catt and I was fast asleep!

Day 226:

The Monkey alarm woke us early and the ritual of the big barking Dawie with the long beard chased them away without incident. We dozed off again and eventually only woke up around 8am. Our camping companions were trying to change a flat tyre on their BMW while we were having coffee and when I saw that they were just not managing I offered some help. The man had managed to break their jack and there was simply no way our bottle jack was going to fit under the car. The high lift came in handy though and we had his tyre changed in no time. He was fairly impressed.

Catt and I did not have far to travel that day so we decided to take it super easy! We went for a swim in the large pool and eventually had a shower when it was hot enough. We left the lodge at 11am and headed further into the Great Rift Valley. The last lake we had planned on visiting was Lake Baringo, a fresh water lake famous for birds, Hippo and Crocodiles and Robert’s Camp was recommended. The road was terribly pot holed and we rarely managed more that 40km/h, but the total distance was only 39km, so it really did not take long.

The lake was inside another conservation area which we had to pay a small entrance fee to and the gate offered the perfect place for the local guides and touts to ambush new arrivals. We were met by Sam the boatman. Sam offered us a boat trip on the lake and to he promised to feed some Fish Eagles for us. I was impressed and keen. The price was high, but it was not every day that you could have an opportunity like that! We told him that we would consider it and let him know.

Robert’s camp was all it was reported to be. The large grounds had rough ground, but huge shady trees. It was right on the edge of the water and there were a few huge Crocodiles in the camp site when we arrived. The camping price was very cheap at $5 each so we did not bother looking for alternatives. The mid day sun was beating down with great vengeance. The afternoon’s plan of action was to avoid it as much as possible. We had our lunch in the shade while being surrounded by an obscene amount of feathered friends. We counted forty seven species in an hour. We strung our hammocks up between the trees and commenced operation “sun avoidance”.

By 16:00 we had made the decision to use the services of Sam the boatman for the sole purpose of feeding some Fish Eagles. We walked into the village and found Sam after a little while. I told him that we wanted to see their boats and find our where to meet the next morning. Sam was fantastic! He had his finger on the pulse of everything that was happening in the village and around us and he was a marketer of note. He told us that he understood the differences between Africa time and Mzungu time that he would meet us at the gate to the camp at 6:30am Mzungu time the next morning. We walked to the boat launch place which took less than five minutes. The boats were the same as the Robert’s Camp boats and came complete with the same brand of life jacket. The price per hour was half though. We were happy, so made the deal and paid a deposit.

On the way back Sam took us through the village and explained the structure and the daily lives of the villagers to us. I saw this as an added bonus and a privilege you normally paid for in Kenya. He did not have to do it, but seemed to get some kick out of showing us around. We saw the building they used as an office and some photos previous clients had taken before he walked us all the way back to Robert’s camp. I liked him a lot.

In the camp site the Crocodiles had disappeared, but were replaced by a couple of motorbike travellers from Australia and a couple of Israeli back packers using public transport to get around. After dinner we were invited to join the group around a camp fire. They had just entered Kenya and we were on our way out, which they knew, so I was fairly convinced we were enlisted to get fresh information about the lay of the land. I did not mind one bit though. That was, after all, the best and easiest way to get current and accurate information on countries while travelling. We had spotted a few Hippos in the camp site, but none in between us and the tent. I was very happy not to be sleeping on the ground like the rest of the gang in the camp though. It was almost midnight by the time we managed to tear ourselves away from the tea and chatting.

Day 227:

The alarm woke us up early and jumped out of bed, made some coffee and took a brisk walk to the gate. We arrived outside at 6:29 and Sam was waiting for us. He was very proud to tell us that he had been there for ten minutes, in case we were early. We walked through the village and were joined by his business partners. I did not feel 100% comfortable about being outnumbered, so firmed the grip on my heavy tripod and told Catt to stay close. I did not like the atmosphere either. Something felt off.

Sam however took us the boat we saw the previous day and the captain was there and the motor started. I asked him how many people were going be on the boat and he confirmed that it was only going to be him, the captain and the two of us. My grip on the tripod relaxed a little bit. As we climbed aboard the oldest man told me that I had to pay the rest of the money right away. He seemed almost aggressive and I had no trust in him at all. I told him that the deposit was supposed to buy fish, which was not on the boat and that I did not bring any money with me. I told him in no uncertain terms that we had made an agreement with Sam and not him and that we would not hand any money to anyone apart from Sam. I ended by assuring him that we would also not pay Sam the balance of the fee until we got back to the camp site. Sam frowned and shouted some aggressive abuse at him. He turned on his heal and let us float away. I was slightly relieved to say the least.

The captain motored us along the lake shore at a snail’s pace and it did not take long to see what people travel to that lake for a spot of ornithology. The bird life was prolific and intense! Everywhere you looked you saw something different and the sheer number of individuals was mind blowing. We were also the only boat on the water and the sun was just about to creep over the horizon. I was excited! We passed a couple of fisherman who moored onto our bigger boat and provided us with some bait for the Eagles. Their small floatation devices (I could not really call them boats) were made from Balsa wood. It was incredible to see! The only Balsa wood I had seen before then was in hobby shops and in thin small plank form. These canoes were made from logs of Balsa lashed together with ropes. It was ingenious! The other interesting thing was that these guys did not fish with nets. They had balsa wood floats with fishing lines and hooks on them which they soaked over night. They reckoned that that yielded much bigger fish than the nets could and required much less effort. Trust Africa to find the way requiring the least possible amount of effort to fish. I decided against asking him about the use of TNT. He offered to pose for a photo, which I took and then asked for money for the photo. I explained that he had to make that deal before kindly offering to pose and refused payment. He didn’t really even seem to mind and we wished each other “save travels” as we moved away from him.

We found the eagles shortly after and stopped for a chat about tactics. The sun was in the worst possible position and the clouds had gathered around. I did not really know what to expect, so we had a test run. Sam threw the fish about twenty meters away and by the time I saw the Eagle and pushed the button I was taking photos of ripples on the water. They were FAST! The Eagles also approached at a much flatter angle that I had ever anticipated, so the sweeping up of the fish took only an instant. At that time another boat arrived and Sam got all excited. He explained that the fish get full fairly easily and that if the other boat fed them too much, we would be wasting our time there. I explained that I paid a big fee for the chance of decent photographs and with the sun behind the clouds; I was actually wasting my money. He understood instantly and instructed the captain to moor onto the newly arrived boat. “We’ll waste their fish on another trial run” he cleverly proclaimed.

The second go was better. He counted down from 3 and I hit the shutter release on his command and before the Eagle entered the frame. The angle was all wrong, but the concept worked. The other boat left, we waited for the sun and as it stuck the first rays out onto the mirror like water we had another go. Sam three the fish, the captain whistled at them and the Eagle came low and fast over the water. Sam counted down, I hit the shutter button and everything was over with half a second. I managed two frames, but only from behind. We had change tactics. The sun was still out though, so we had another go. I was starting to understand the movements of the birds and managed to predict the timing a little better. I managed 5 frames that time, but still not what I was after. We floated closer to the land and tried to get the Eagles to approach us straight on, but they had other plans. The clouds had also thickened to form a grey, dull and completely overcast sky. Sam looked disappointed. He told me that the weather was always good, until a photographer came along and then the clouds come too.

We had two fishes left. I told him that a little patience and a little planning was all that was required. We need to get lucky with the light though and I kept looking into the clouds, hoping to find a break It came half an hour later with a tiny hole through all the fluffy white stuff. Sam threw the fish, I stood up and pre focused on the water. He counted down, I pushed the button and it was all over in a flash! I looked at the viewfinder and the preview and smiled broadly! I got it! The sequence that photographers dream about! It was seven photographs showing the approach, the catch, the lift and the departure of the magnificent bird. The light was far from perfect, but I was ecstatic with the result! We had one fish left and one Eagle who still wanted it. Sam lobbed it into the water and the last guy came along to pick it out of the water. He flew away from us with the prize, looking over his shoulder and the fact that he came and went by the wrong angle for us did not really matter.

Sam took us back to the mainland and walked us back to the camp site. I gave him a Canon Camera cap and told him that that was not something you could buy in a shop. I explained that the company gave those caps to photographers only and that any photographer who came along would instantly recognize it. It was all true and he smiled from ear to ear. We paid him the rest of the money and he did not ask for more. He did not ask for a tip or something else. He was happy that the deal went smoothly, thanked us for our business and walked off into the village. Africa can really learn from people like Sam and I wished him all the luck in the world. He really did have the potential to become Mr. Tourism in the area without trying to hard.

It was 9am and it was insanely hot already! We had a hot shower courtesy of the pipes being heated in the sun and started the big Diesel engine shortly after. We had made the decision to backtrack to Nairobi to have the aircon fixed before venturing into the deserts of Northern Kenya. It was not an easy decision, as it seemed like we were attached to the city by an unbreakable bungi cord, but we knew it made sense. It was only a four hour drive, so we got stuck into it without delay.

We had one stop close to Naivasha for lunch and arrived back at Jungle Junction by mid afternoon. We greeted Duncan who smiled knowingly, but did not comment and walked into the house, expecting a mass of abuse from the people we had met there before. Andrew and Lucy were there and glad to see us. Steve and Mark from Australia was back there and Lutz the German who had been waiting two months for new door seals for his Land Rover. There were some new arrivals we met as well, but felt strangely at home. In the late afternoon the Irish arrived as well which turned the place into one of those in pronto parties legends are made of. We faded long after midnight.

Day 228:

We were up early and packed down and ready to take on the day. Chris arrived at 9am and I walked into his office to ask advice. His first reaction was to ask what went wrong. I told him and asked him about a suitable repair place. He obviously knew the perfect one, which was obviously in the industrial area down the horrible hill and through town, but we had little choice. We waited for the traffic to die down a little and set off, reaching the workshop at about 10:00.

It struck me that no one in Nairobi seemed to believe in making appointments. If you had an issue you needed resolving, you simply drove to the required fixer and stand in a cue. We told the work shop manager that Chris had referred us and he showed us right in. We parked Maggie, took the battery out and I showed him the problem. He immediately set two technicians onto the task and we were simply allowed to sit in the car and read our books.

The technicians expertly disassembled the broken pipe and fixed it. The re assembled it and then removed the filters and condenser. The man called me over to see the bucket full of bugs, dust and mud that he cleaned out of my aircon and smilingly said that it needed it. They put everything back together and tested the system by creating a vacuum. The successful test was followed by a re-gassing and a temperature test. I had never in all my years of driving cars felt an air-conditioning system that cold! The cost was not insignificant, but for $150 I though we had received fantastic value! We rolled out of the workshop before 13:00.

We stocked up on some vegetables and wine and arrived back at Jungle Junction before mid afternoon. We met Bob and Anne Finch. They were from Australia and had taken much the same time as we had to travel to much the same places. They were very keen on driving the Lake Turkana route as well, but decided against it for lack of travel companions. We asked about their time frame with some interest. It seemed that they only had to do the immigration admin before leaving Nairobi and that they wanted to spend a couple of days on the Rift Valley lakes before heading north. That meant that we could actually feasibly travel together, which in our minds was still preferable to a solo trip to such a remote area of an unknown country. We decided to spend the next day in the city and leave the day after regardless of their time frame.

That evening we had dinner with Andrew and Lucy again. We decided on a variation of the stick bread feast we had a week or so before. This time we cooked some pork sausages on the fire. The sausages were then skewered and used as the base for wrapping the dough around. The bread was cooked over the same fire, with the sausages inside and the dish was accompanied by tomato sauce and grated cheese. It was mouth watering! We feasted late into the night and simply could not get enough of the food or the conversation. It was another night of partying in the jungle bus we had no plans for the next day so did not really mind that much…

Day 229:

We got up after nine and found a relative deserted camp site. Most of the bikers had moved on the day before and the Finches were off into town to do their admin. Andrew and Lucy were around, but about to leave, so we had the espresso pot all to ourselves. The morning was slow and lazy and every time I tried to do something productive my train of thought was interrupted by Guido.

Guido, his wife and two children had travelled from Germany and had arrived the day before. They were driving a big 4 x 4 truck that looked ancient and that was falling to pieces. He was trying to fix a few things, but needed an extra pair of hands. It seemed like he did not want to pay for the services of Ben, the reliable and friendly mechanic, and I was the only other male around. I reluctantly got stuck in. The biggest problem was the replacing of the fan belts that was used by the air brake system. There was no tensioning bolt and you had to remove the pulleys, take them apart and somehow assemble the whole lot with the fan belts intact. There was no workshop manual and no obvious way to do this. We managed to get one belt on, but broke the second and had to wait for a spare to arrive by motorbike courier. It became a challenge for me and while the family had lunch I stumbled onto the solution. It involved two G-clamps and tightening small bolts across from each other in the same way you would tighten a wheel. Guido was suitably appreciative and impressed. I really hoped that one day I would come across a similar system on a similar truck so that I could impress the owner by showing him the solution right away.

Bob and Anne arrived back in the late afternoon and confirmed that they were leaving the next day. The timing worked out for us a swell, which was really handy. We had found out that a friend from the UK, Ed Paxton, was in Nanyuki at the time. Nanyuki was a town at the foot of Mt Kenya and the detour was not so much that it did not make sense to go and see him. Ed was a military man and Nanyuki was used as a base for the British Military to train some troops. We were not too sure how we would find him, but had a cell phone number and had sent him a smoke signal via email.

Tuesday night in Nairobi was also “two for one” pizza night. We did not bother dipping into our own stores and ate Pizza and dr4abnk some beer while watching a movie on the big flat screen TV in the house. It was all incredibly normal and civilized and I would lie if I said that I did not enjoy it. We went to bed suitably inebriated and happy with the idea of leaving Nairobi the next day, for the last time… again….

Day 230:

We did not get up particularly early as there was no real need to. We closed the tent straight away as we were expecting the usual morning rain shower to hit any second. We showered and shaved and had some coffee in the house and a minute or two before I wanted to suggest that we pack the rest of our stuff away the heavens opened. The rain came down in buckets and waves and looking out the window we could hardly see Maggie. She was only 20 meters away, but the visibility was almost nothing. We did not dare go outside.

The rain lasted for about an hour and by that time the yard had turned into a flood disaster zone. Chris arrived boasting that the school run that normally took fifteen minutes took him ninety minutes because of the rain and advised against any movement for the morning. Our travel direction meant that we had to drive through the centre of the city, so we instantly decided to follow his advice and made some more coffee. We chatted to our friends and discussed travel plans and timings and swopped some advice with Guido and his family. We had an early lunch and waited for the camp site to dry out before moving Maggie onto the gravel. The Finches left at 10:30, we left at 13:00.

By that time the sun was out and the traffic light. There was an incredibly amount of road works in the city as they were trying to solve the massive traffic problems, but we made good time eventually. The fist 20km took us an hour and a half, but after that the roads were clear. We briefly stopped at a place that advertised fresh trout and confirmed that we could not fish or sleep there, so we moved on. In Nanyuki town we started looking for accommodation. The theory was that if Ed did manage to meet up with us, it would be in town. The first hotel was expensive and did not offer camping. The second camp site was cheap, but an absolute disaster of a place. As we headed back to the centre of town the phone rang though and it was Ed. He directed us to the place they were staying at, about one kilometre from where we were, so we headed that way.

Kogoni lodge was a pleasant place out of town and after a short phone call we managed to get permission from the owner to camp in the grounds at a reasonable rate. We could use the toilets of the restaurant and we figured that we would be able to scam a shower in Ed’s room if we needed to. While waiting for our friend we met the village drunk.

Actually, I think he was probably the country drunk. His name was Angus and he was slurring by the time we met him, but he insisted on buying us a drink. I did not mind the invitation that much and I had always found it mildly entertaining to meet someone that drunk in the afternoon. They normally pass out before they become a nuisance. Angus and his friend were on a sales trip and they told us that they supplied the local flower farms with fertilizer. AHA! I exclaimed and told him that it was him who was responsible for killing all the wild trout. He took great offence and produced the latest Iphone to show me pictures of the fish he had caught just the previous week. His slightly more sober friend interrupted and told us that he felt guilty about killing all the wild trout and that actually started a programme of stocking fish in the streams again. I naturally asked if they would show me the pools, but apparently I was just not drunk enough to be part of the special gang who had access to the fish.

Angus also told us many times that he was forth generation Kenyan and that his white skin should not fool us. He said that he was wildly patriotic and told us about how excited he was about the new constitution. I asked him which part of the constitution he liked most. For him it was the fact that he would be allowed to have duel citizenship because he was actually Scottish… I did not laugh out loud, but it was hard.

Ed arrived shortly after and joined our table. Angus insisted on buying another round, which we did not argue with, but frowned quite badly when Ed asked for soda water. Ed explained that he did not drink alcohol when he was on assignment or training, which he obviously was at the time. Angus’s response was to ask my friend, the very high ranking career soldier if he was an alcoholic. I though t we were about to witness a sporadic killing. I defused the situation by asking Angus if he was an alcoholic. To our surprise he admitted to being just that and said that he sometimes fell off the wagon a little bit. He grew quiet and left shortly after. We did not mind that too much either.

Catching up with Ed was fantastic! We found out that he had left the service, but he was still training soldiers. He was working for a company who had a “laser warfare” setup which was the closest thing to real war without actually killing people. They were responsible for setting up the exercises in the deserts of northern Kenya and when he showed us the maps of where they were doing these I smiled. It was the area we were planning on driving though and an area we had thought to be slightly dangerous because of tribal conflict. He told us it was perfectly safe, and I believed him. We had dinner in the restaurant and were about to go and pitch our tent in the rain when Ed’s college told us that they had a room spare. Their company had basically paid the owner to build a hotel room block which they had inhabited for a few years. They worked on a rotation system, and as it happened, the new recruits were only arriving the next day. We did not protest and gladly took the key.

The room was huge. It had a massive double bed with the thickest and most comfortable mattress we had seen since leaving our own house in South Africa. The en suite bathroom had fancy expensive Italian tiles and taps and everything worked perfectly! The showers were hot with lots of pressure and they even provided soap and shampoo. It was five star treatment and came complete with free broadband wifi. I could not believe our luck! It was a cold night next to the mountain, so the air-conditioning came in quite handy. I saw it as perfect justice! Her Majesties’ government were ultimately responsible for paying for our comforts, but we were charged £65 for a letter of introduction for Catt, so we were just getting that back…

Day 231:

For the third day in a row we were in no hurry to leave. The bed was simply too comfortable to leave quickly and it took ages to drag ourselves out of the nice hot en suite shower. We had to both agree that even after more than two hundred and thirty days on the road; we still somehow preferred our own bed in the tent to other beds with unfamiliar lumps. It was the ability to get from the bed to the bathroom and back without getting dressed that we missed.

We abused the electric kettle in the kitchen to boil water for our morning coffee and had a long chat to the guys who were working with Ed. Ed had already left for the bush, so we missed a chance to thank him and say good bye. Apparently he did not want to disturb our luxurious slumber at 5am. The guys explained their systems and maps to us and I have to say that I was impressed! The way I understood things, they could simulate anything from shooting soldiers to artillery to air strikes and the wounded soldiers would have their weapons disarmed so that they could not join in the fight. The whole thing worked on mobile antenna stations and it all seemed very “star wars”, but very clever. I cringed at the idea of a computer virus or system shut down though.

We left the lodge around mid morning and drove back into town for final stocks. We filled up with fuel and paraffin for our stove. Catt needed to post some stuff home so we also found the post office. As I parked in a side street in the dust a man in a yellow coat walked up and demanded money for parking. I laughed… I actually laughed. I tried to find out why he wanted payment of about $0.50 for a place with no markings, no surface and no other cars parked. There was no gate, no security and no meter. He explained that the local council charged for parking in the town and that that money was there to maintain the roads and the parking areas. I laughed again, sent Catt off to the post office and drove into the market to find some charcoal. As I was driving I passed dozens of people wearing bits and pieces of British Military uniforms and saw boots and bags for sale on the street sides. That parking payment was obviously some idiot Politian’s personal brain fart in an attempt to extort more money from unsuspecting people in town to line his silky pockets and fill the tanks of his $250 000 Land Cruiser because it was blatantly obvious that it was NOT used for maintaining the roads or building parking areas. I hated that town and could not wait to leave!

Our route took us off the main roads and into the bush. We unceremoniously left the tar after ten minutes and started passing huge herd of Camels. They were a little out of place, but who were we to comment about it? We dirt road turned into a bush track before long and shortly after we found the sign we had been looking for: ELK was written on a big flat stone on the side of the road and that was our destination for the evening.

ELK actually stood for “El Kharama Ranch” which was part of the title of a book written by Chris Harvey. The first part of the name was “Don’t take this road to…” and I really enjoyed his humour and writing style. He talked about camping at the ranch and taking a nature walk with a guide and it was perfectly located for us. We drove 11km off the main track we were on and stopped at the camp before lunch time. We were greeted by Murray Grant. He was the son of the owners of the ranch and the husband to the lady who ran the hospitality side of things. He invited us to have a seat in the lounge while he phoned the missus to ask about prices. He did warn us that their camping rate was quite high. While he was away we decided that double the normal rate would be acceptable as the place was prolifically beautiful!

When Murray came back we were sitting on a huge sofa covered in the raw hide of a cow. He said that he was glad that we were sitting down and told us that the price for camping was about… wait for it…. Wait for it… $120. I stood up, thanked him for the information and told him that we would leave quietly. He did explain rather rapidly that they tried their best to discourage camping. Their Banda’s were priced at $50 per person and were fully serviced. He explained that the lodge was actually closed at that time and they had sent the staff on holiday. He then said that we could make an offer for the room and that we could self cater. My answer started with an explanation that we had had no income from half a year and that we had far to go. We could offer him about $30 for the room in total, but even that was expensive for us. To my great surprise he accepted. We were stoked!

We were put up in Banda one, right on the edge of the camp and right on the river and the only other camp inhabitants were other friends of his on the opposite side of camp. The banda was fantastically decorated with big pillows and massive bed with an even thicker and even more comfortable bed than the night before and the en suite bathroom was breathtaking! The built in stone bath was fantastic and the water was HOT! He did warn us that he was working on a cold water pipe, but he would let us know when that was fixed. We were happy, but only started giggling once he left. We had our lunch and relaxed by the river and chilled out so much that we basically sank into our chairs. I finished the book I had been reading and edited some photos and even did a little writing. I could not believe our luck, but did not argue with the universe at all.

In the late afternoon Murray came by to tell us that the water was fixed. We tested it and he was happy and he even invited us to his house for a drink. We met his friends and I had to stop myself from salivating when I spotted the bottle of ice cold Beach House wine on the table. That was one of my top three dry white wines and I had not had that pleasure in seven months either. He must have followed my eyes as he offered me a glass instantly and assured me that there were more bottles where that one came from.

Murray ended up being a very impressive person! He was a sculptor by profession and an amazing one at that. He showed me some Bronzes that he had made of elephants and Buffalo that was so life like it was scary. I commented on a set of Impala horns on his wall which made him show me his studio and trophy room. He was obviously quite an accomplished hunter as well. He boasted a set of Buffalo horns which was so heavy that the two of us could not lift it! I forgot the measurements but it was high up within the record books. He also had a set of 30 inch Impala horns which were equally rare and equally impressive. He admitted that he had traded guns for cameras a few years before and that he enjoyed taking video and photos and sculpting more than shooting. That was similar to my history, only I can not sculpt. The last thing he showed me was a full size and very life like Leopard that he had mounted in a tree. That was the positive that he sculpted to make a mould from, but he had decided to paint it in true colours and leave it there. The statue was so real that it had been attached by live Leopards a week before and had its tail broken off. Murray seemed proud of that and I understood why.

It was time for us to thank our host and leave for the evening. We had a half kilogram fillet to cook and I was particularly looking forward to that. We made a small fire by our Banda and Catt rustled up a honey mustard sauce from absolutely no where. We feasted on the offerings and spent the rest of the evening drinking fine red wine by candle light in a hot stone bath. It was almost too good to be true.

If I had to do it over again:

I would have preferred to drive the lesser travelled road to Bogoria and stay at Fig Tree camp and that would be my advice to travellers after us. The Bogoria Spa had nice facilities, but the place didn’t really have any soul and it was twice the price of what camping in Kenya should have been. At the time the decision was made Catt really wanted a sit down toilet and a hot shower, so it was perhaps the right choice for us.

At Baringo Robert’s Camp had offered an island excursion which we did not do. For a charge of $20 a person they would transport you by boat to their island camp where you could have an "eat all you can" buffet lunch and swim in their natural hot spring infinity pool. We paid about $50 for our fish eagle experience and their boats go past the same place. I’m pretty sure that you could convince the captain to buy a few fished from the locals and feed the birds on the way through, have lunch and a swim and return via the same plan. I loved the experience that we had, but it was very expensive for the result we managed.

I have always believed that all things happen for a reason. Our broken aircon and the return to Nairobi meant that we met the Finches who could join us on the remote route via Lake Turkana. If we did not return to Nairobi we would have gone that way solo, but the companions made it a bit safer.