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| Sunday, 11-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Day 3 - Samburu to Marsabit
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We were dragged out of bed at 6am again  to eat breakfast and pack up. We had a brief game drive on the way out of the reserve (and were lucky enough to see more giraffe and gerenuk  ) and then it was back onto the Trans-African Highway. A lovely wide road but oh my word the corrugations!!! The vegetation was unchanging and boring for miles and miles… it was just bumpitybumpitybumpity… 
We passed a Rendile village with lots of camels and saw a livestock migration which was quite incredible. The people in that area are nomadic with their livestock, moving where the fresh grass is. For about 5 minutes drive there were cattle everywhere we looked. Left, right, straight ahead and behind. There were people with the cattle, mainly boys, and they were all armed – knives, spears and guns.
We stopped at Merille (a dusty square surrounded on 3 sides with tired looking buildings) for “soda baridi”, one of the most important Swahili phrases to learn! It means cold soda. Unfortunately for us, Merille was out of electricity so the Fanta was warm!  The whole experience reminded me very much of Eritrea.
We continued up the road through a very very dry area to the Karare Gate of Marsabit National Reserve which has the 2nd most horrible toilet I have ever had the misfortune to be in (the worst was somewhere in Zimbabwe). We had lunch at the gate whilst waiting for the all-clear to drive through the reserve. Sometimes trees fall across the road and you just can’t get through.
A desert… and trees that fall across the road that you can’t get around? Marsabit is a somewhat special feature in Kenya: there’s an air current that runs north-ish across the entirety of Kenya. At Marsabit there is a mountain that gets in the air currents way… the result… rain and mist. Lots of it. So there’s lots of mud on the mountain and very very tall trees! 
We drove up to Lake Paradise (the mountain is an extinct volcano and there’s a lake in the crater) on the virtually non-existent road, passing a group of buffalo on the way. (Buffalo on a mountain in a thick forest?!). We went down the mountain past the lodge, with another lake… with buffalo and ELEPHANT! Elephants that climb mountains in forests?! A new experience for me that’s for sure!
We had to drive through the Marsabit suburbs to get to the campsite (KWS Campsite). The site was really stunning with enormous trees but the toilets were nearly as bad as the ones at the Karare gate… just a bit less smelly! Thankfully we only stayed for one night!  We chilled at camp for a while, watching the baboons, whilst Kimani prepared the dinner then we went off into town.
Baraza got petrol and Teke went for a haircut (Kimani asked the price, the guy looked at Teke and gave him the local price because he thought Teke was Ethiopian… when Teke spoke (he’s American) the guy realised his mistake!!!  ). Kimani and I went shopping for a few bits and pieces then we waited for the others outside a “disco barber’s” – all the barbers have fancy lights and loud music. A dance version of Chris de Burgh’s “Lady in Red”, dancing on the side of the road in Marsabit… a different way to spend an evening. 
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| Saturday, 10-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Day 2 - Sunrise to Sunset in Samburu
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Gametrackers have a permanent tented camp in Samburu so we spent two nights here with the middle day devoted to game drives, one in the morning and another in the evening... I saw GERENUK!!!! (Which is pronounced with a "g" as in "goat" not "giraffe"... yes Shaun, you won that war... )
We started the day at 6am with tea and biscuits before the drive then came back to an enormous breakfast. We saw all the specials on the drive (gerenuk, grevy's zebra and reticulated giraffe) plus a glimpse of a lion and a few elephants After breakfast we went out of the reserve to a Samburu village for Teke to do a tour (I'm not a cultural person, more of a wide open spaces person, so I didn't do the tour). Teke wasn't too impressed with what he got and I was rather more than mildly miffed by an hour and a half's lecture from our driver on "why I should be married and it is my role in life to look after a man"... apparently 24 and single is waaaaaaaaay past it in Kenya!
We headed back to camp for a fish and chips lunch (made on a fire!!!!) which was delicious Then we sat and chilled for the afternoon (watching the birds and the squirrels that filled the camp whenever there was food around), only trying out the shower when it got cooler. The shower was fantastic - drums of water up in a tree with showerheads attached to the tree so you basically showered under the tree The water was freezing but it was very refreshing!
For the evening drive we headed over to the other side of the reserve (across the river) where we got fantastic views of giraffe and vulturine guinea fowl (or foul? they must be one of the ugliest birds I've ever seen!). After the drive it was back to camp for more food (I was quickly realising that I would loose the amazing body shape I got on Mount Kenya in just a few days...) and then a big game of cards before bed... and sleep
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| Friday, 9-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Day 1 - Nairobi to Samburu
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The Samburu entrance
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My first sky shot of many...
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Not a good way to start!
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We got back to Nairobi from Mount Kenya on Thursday afternoon, unpacked, did laundry, dried the laundry and repacked... On Friday morning first thing we were sitting in Nairobi traffic to get downtown to start the next big adventure - an 8 day trip up to Northern Kenya with Gametrackers Safaris... We arrived to find out that Teke and I were the only ones going on the trip... they usually run on a minimum of 4 people but had errands to do so used us as an excuse...
The first day was mainly a driving day and a glimpse of what was to come. The tar road ran out well before we reached our first destination and the corrugations began shortly after the dirt started. A lot of the time we spent on 2-wheel tracks running through the bush at the side of the road...
We arrived at the Samburu gate whilst I was gazing out at a fantastic sky, to find that we had a flat tyre... not a good start to the holiday! We had two spares though, or so we thought... apparently we only had one because there was another flat tyre in Nairobi before we even left!  Thankfully there was a workshop in the reserve where we could get them both fixed
The arrival at the camp at Samburu was quite amusing... there was 2 of us and taking care of us we had Baraza (our driver) and Kimani (our cook) and Asmal (our assistant cook/staff member being taken back to Lake Turkana) and then we had an additional FOUR people at the camp!!! We figured it was rather overkill
We spent the evening being introduced to Kimani's cooking skills... 3 course meals out of what seemed like endless aluminium pots, all cooked on charcoal, and listening to a leopard calling just around the corner.
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| Thursday, 8-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Mount Kenya - Day 4 - The End!
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Jose, Vanessa, Teke, me, Samuel, Joshua, Sammy
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And that was that, a few hours walk from Old Moses to the Sirimon Gate and my Mount Kenya adventure was over. Time for a group photo then we got a lift to Nanyuki and and another through to Nairobi. On arrival in Nairobi it was clothes in the washing machine... in preparation for the next adventure
Would I do it again... definitely In spite of the cold and the ups and the fact that I wore the same clothes for 4 days... In fact I have to do it again and I'm already starting to think about planning it... I've got to actually get to the top of that *&#**&$ mountain! And I know I can Who's up for the next trip!? Probably December 2006 or 2007...
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| Wednesday, 7-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Mount Kenya - Day 3 - Not quite the top...
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This has got to be one of the worst, and best, days of my life. It was absolutely awful but at the end I was so chuffed with myself for achieving what I did that it was a fantastic day!
The rest of my group (Teke and the spanish couple) got up at 2am to leave for Point Lenana (the highest point you can get to without mountain climbing). I woke up feeling awful so it was decided that I would walk with the porters that day and go round rather than over. We went up the Naro Moru route and down Sirimon so I couldn't just wait for them to pick me up. I think the only bonus of not going to Point Lenana was that I got to go to sleep again until 5:30!
At 6am, after a cup of sweet black tea, I started climbing the ridge behind Mackinders with Joshua and Samuel. It's supposed to be a 3 hour hike from Mackinders to Shiptons (where we met the others) but it took us 5 hours and 30 minutes. The first ridge took 1 1/2 hours and I celebrated at the top with vomiting my tea down the mountain... At that point in time I'd held no food down for 12 hours, little did I know it was going to be another 12 hours until I ate... 
We stayed quite close to the base of the peaks as we walked around so the whole morning was up and down and up and down with Joshua and Samuel lying to me on every up "this is the last one", "it's flat after this", "you can do it", "you're over halfway"... etc etc etc They got me up all the ups though! Though the last one (photo 12) pretty much defeated me. It took half an hour to get about 50m, Joshua took my hand and pulled and I looked at his feet and put mine where his had been, the only time I looked anywhere else was when I took the photo. It was horrible... but a great feeling to reach the top! That was my highest point on Mount Kenya, though I've forgotten it's name and how high it was!!!
Although the walk was horrible and I felt worse the scenery was amazing. We came over the top of the first ridge and the plants just disappeared (photo 3) and then we came round the corner and I saw my first tarn (photo 4)... wow wow wow wow wow! Absolutely stunningly beautiful! The tarns (we saw several more!) were probably my favourite part of that day 
When Joshua, Samuel and I met up with the others and Sammy (our guide) at Shipton's I was allowed 45 minutes to rest and then we were off again, the aim was to get to Old Moses for the night... and we made it I was ever so glad that we were coming down the Sirimon Route - the path is a lot easier than the Naro Moru Route so keeping up with the pace that was set was possible! It seems to me that one crawls up Mount Kenya like a snail ("pole pole", "hakuna haraka") and then comes charging down it like an elephant!
The vegetation on the Sirimon side of the mountain was also completely different (no vertical bog to get through ) but the best sight was the camp. There were a few more ups, even though we were supposed to be going down, but the increased oxygen seemed to make quite a difference! Energy levels just kept on going We arrived at Old Moses at 6pm, I'd been walking for 12 hours. After eating we slept, with just enough time in between to notice that there are electric lights at Old Moses!!!
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| Tuesday, 6-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Mount Kenya - Day 2
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Starting off at 7am
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The view from the Vertical Bog
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Rucksacks in the Vertical Bog... it was muddy!
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A day of contrasts... we left the Met Station Huts at 7am and arrived at Mackinders at 2pm. On the way we walked through trees, a vertical bog, went over the treeline, walked through fog, through cloud, saw enormous weird looking plants and got our first view of the summit!
My favourite part of the day was when I woke up and realised that I didn't feel at all stiff from the previous day, that was a real boost to my self esteem The first part of the walk, up through the trees to the Met Station was stunning with the rising sun making the wet ground steam (kinda caught in the 1st photo). We kept the same pace as the day before, a really gentle slow stroll so there was time to soak in the beauty of the place.
The first highlight of the day was the vertical bog (quite literally a bog that is on a ridge and therefore pretty vertical!). I'm not sure if I hadn't woken properly but I didn't realise where I was until I was halfway through it, when we stopped for a break and I realised that everywhere was muddy and wet and watery, not just where we were walking Jumping from grass tuft to rock to grass tuft was quite interesting, I managed not to get wet socks and I only nearly fell over once!
Near the top of the bog we got our first view of the peak and from then on it was pretty flat the whole way to Mackinders. After a quick lunch break at Picnic Rocks we hit clouds and then mist for the rest of the walk. Giant plants covered in water droplets and looming through the mist... quite a ghostly few hours. At a few points the mist/cloud was so thick that you couldn't see people when they were only 10m away.
We had a short break at the start of the valley leading to Mackinders and then walked slowly around the muddy bits, watching the dassies and catching elusive glimpses of the peak as the clouds came and went. It was certainly an awe-inspiring sight and probably when I realised that climbing Mount Kenya is a matter of determination, not just physical fitness. You have to really want to do it or there's no way you'll get up.
We arrived at Mackinders with loads of time to relax and watch the dassies (one of which tried to eat my kikoy ). Unfortunately I'd stuffed up my eating pattern during the day and as the evening progressed I got sick... leaving my participation in the final trek to the summit in doubt A real bummer as I definitely didn't have altitude sickness.
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| Monday, 5-Dec-2005 00:00 |
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Mount Kenya - Day 1
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Big trees
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Thick and wet vegetation
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Water drops at one of the "breathing breaks"
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Well they're nearly a month late but here you are... the start of my photos from my Kenya trip. I'm now back in Hout Bay for a few days, hopefully long enough to get most of these up!
I had a couple of weeks in Nairobi with my parents and sister at the start of my trip. Then a friend (Teke) from Cape Town arrived... he's doing Cape to Cairo and was in Kenya for December. I decided to do some travelling with him, the first thing I got talked into doing was walking up Mount Kenya! It was something that was definitely NOT on my to do list...
In spite of my lack of preparedness for climbing a mountain (I didn't even have walking boots or a water bottle with me) off we went on Sunday 4th December to Naro Moru. We met up with a Spanish couple and organised a guide and porters and then we started walking (up the Naro Moru route) on the Monday. I managed a lot better than I thought I would (that running must have paid off ) and actually arrived at the Met Station Huts without too much trouble. We hardly got rained on at all whilst walking but once we'd arrived, as we walked through the door and into the hut, the rain absolutely bucketed down. We ended up sitting watching it rain on the monkeys... quite amusing
The rain slacked off towards the evening and Teke and I went for a stroll before eating dinner and getting an early night... supposedly... as we were all tucking into our sleeping bags 2 Americans arrived... then another... then another... then even more until there were 4 of us and 9 of them in a 10 bed hut... and they were noisy! Eventually they finished eating and chatting and went to sleep so we all got some rest, in fact I slept like a complete log
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| Friday, 30-Sep-2005 00:00 |
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Birthday Party Photos
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First off... THESE ARE NOT MY PHOTOS... these photos were taken by Gareth (7) and Jesse (11)... I didn't have my camera with me. I did however lighten a few of them so that they were easier to see.
Anyway... where are they from? These are some of the photos from my pre-birthday party conference dinner and my birthday party at Ronnies S^x Shop WHICH IS A PUB!!!!!! (got to www.ronniess^xshop.co.za if you don't believe me and to read the story behind it!). It's quite an incredible place... out on the R62 in the Little Karoo in the absolutely middle of nowhere - great for a party! There was music and there was dancing and there were lots of photos taken... these are just a few.
[I replaced the "e" with a "^" because I my stats have done an enormous leap since I posted this entry... I realised that perhaps my fotopage is turning up in a few more searches than I wanted it to! If you want to visit the website... which is family friendly... just replace the ^ with an e]
It was a great evening, impromptu parties often seem to be the best Everyone chipped in to get me the apron to remember the evening (3)... I'm told it's supposed to be worn with nothing underneath... I haven't tried that yet
Many thanks to Gareth and Jesse for the photos and many thanks to all the people who were there... It was great fun!
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| Friday, 23-Sep-2005 00:00 |
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Last day of the conference
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So... how did the talks go? Well they were over by wednesday morning and after that it was just like a holiday I felt horrific for the first one and was struggling to keep my lunch down but there was a podium to hide behind so no-one could see how much I was shaking. The second one wasn't quite as bad but was still shaky! I still don't think I'm a fan of microphones and huge audiences
However... the AGM was late on Thursday afternoon, after all the talks had finished... A bunch of us decided to skip it and go for a swim in the river instead (much more fun ). That's what the photos are from. When we got back to the conference venue a random guy came up to me and congratulated me... hmmm... confusion I asked why? He informed me that I'd just won the prize (a trophy and a cheque!!!) for the best student presentation They presented it at the AGM and my supervisor had to accept it for me but she was ok with that
So that was the start of the partying... which went on till past midnight and at some point turned into an impromptu birthday party It was a rather fun evening
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| Thursday, 22-Sep-2005 00:00 |
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Conference Field Trip
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Why we ended up filthy...
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R1400 per person per night in the off-peak season...
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The Karoo
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The last set of photos from the field trip last week wednesday. It was really good fun - a long and dusty afternoon on the back of the bakkie, and since we didn't get back till after sunset, the last part was also freeeeeezing... but it smelt so good and there was buckets of fresh air and it was really nice to be outside
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