Discovering Kenya

Arrived in Nairobi on a Sunday night very late only to find every street isolated. That eeriee feeling in the air of not knowing where I had landed.  Found myself wondering if this really was a capital city or whether I was stuck lost in some back street. Deciding on the Lonely Planet's author's choice when choosing a "midrange" hotel-  it was horrible... a cockroach heaven! Had a quick bite and snuggled for our lives praying for morning under the mossie-net.

Monday morning- sun was out, buzzy roads, children on their way to school- the city was pumping... Booked onto a budget Safari trip to Tsavo West… the sooner out of this chaotic city the better. And so we set off, with our 3 Kenyan new friends- our guide, our cook and our mechanic. Great team! Getting out of Nairobi was not easy- under the 40C sun, we headed towards animal paradise for 3 days of camping in the home of the man eaters…

Arrived in Tsavo just in time to see the most incredible sun set from the roof of the van… a giant elephant crossed the road… later we saw zebras, gazelles, all sorts. By the time we reached our campsite it was pitch black- with only the dim light of a torch our cook surprised us with a lovely African Bolognese. The next few days were blissful. Tsavo is beautiful- so much wildlife, stunning scenery…. and on our third day we were incredibly fortunate to see a leopard (rare according to our boys!) According to the team I bringing luck… In Africa i am considered to be quite funny!

Tsavo West

On our 4th day we decided to visit Amboseli, a different safari park. The landscape was in no way as wild as Tsavo but the fact the landscape was was so flat meant we were able to see animals even if they were so far in the distance. Unlike the caping cramped budget style we had previously had, this time we did it in style,  checkings into a luxurious 5 star hotel where we sat in the veranda, drank a few beers as Elephants, monkeys and zebras were spotted in the distance. incredible!

On Thursday we spent 10 hours travelling from Amboseli to Mombasa. Our Team agreed to drive us all the way… it was during this journey that I reminded myself of how incredibly lucky we all are. Our cook, starter telling us stories about his family- the poor man, 57, had lost his 6 brothers in different ways over the years (diseases, accidents, etc) his mother had then died while giving birth to his younger sister- who then later also died, he had 2 daughters who he rarely sees, and still the man was always smiling, always telling anecdotes and trying to please us. Really, this trip is an eye opening experience. Not only do we have money, health, family and friends close to us, but most importantly we appreciate all of what we have.

A few days in Mombasa was enough to get a sense of the place.

Now we are currently in Tiwi- a little beach resort- wonderful view from my hotel room- palm trees, white sand and blue blue sea… From here the plan is to keep travelling down the coast… Diani beach is next, and then we shall see. The aim is to eventually reach zanzibar... no real pressure on time...