Border morning. Under quiet surveillance from Tanzanian officials once it was discovered we hadn’t changed any money officially. Wondered what reaction we’d get to lockers full of Tanzanian foods. But the men were pleasant and efficient, and their truck search very casual. They asked to see Julie's luggage and when she presented her day pack they backed away, apparently believing Vicki’s explanation that her luggage was stolen. We then spent quite a while at the Kenya border but although we had to fill in our first official money declarations we weren't hassled or searched.
So, finally, we entered Kenya, a country of “Love, Peace and Unity” and terrible roads with only short stretches of smooth dust between stretches of huge potholes and mud that rocked us around.
Changed money in the border town of Migoni, getting our first Kenyan shillings and loading Stanley with biscuits. A man insisted we move the truck from where we parked, laughing when we told him the drivers were in town and rejecting our explanation that we couldn’t drive it..
Shortly out of town we turned onto a road to Masai Mara National Park that quickly deteriorated into a narrow, pot-holed path that at times forced us into the grass beside the “main road”. Here we saw our first Masai, men and young children, all robed in bright red and carrying spears, tending large herds of cows with many calves. We also saw spoonbill, deer and ZEBRAS!
We stopped late to buy bread and here were many groups of old Masai, many grizzled grey, their ears hugely distended and hung with earrings. A few wore modern western clothing and looked out of place next to robed tribesmen.
We stopped for the night on a hillside overlooking the Masa Mara plains, herds of buffalo and a troop of baboons evacuating their grazing site when we arrived.
Sat reading and looking out over the spread below and the massive cloud formations changing colours with the sunset. One of our most beautiful camps and the epitome of TV and travel-brochure Africa. With its open plains, thorn trees and grasses, Kenya is what I imagined all Africa would look like. I loved our adventures and encounters in west and central Africa but there's something very special about finally being here.
Read late, having battened down the hatches to keep out the baboons. Still reading when a storm erupted, with fine rain developing into a gale and thundering downpour that shook the truck, and surrounding sheet and fork lightening that illuminated Stanley's interior like flares. One thunder crash was so loud I reckon it shook the mountain! Rain came through Stanley's battered side awnings but not enough to flood us out. Turned on the interior lights so those wielding the torch beams we saw in the dark could find us, but they must have secured their tents and gone back to bed because they didn’t arrive; so we turned them off again to watch the light show.
Suddenly a bag appeared through the back door and Nikki followed it, near-naked and dripping from head to toe. Kel spoke to us from the refuge of the cab before sloshing to the back and coming on board. Ton then arrived and we got little sleep for the rest of the night in the crowded truck.
Add comment
Comments