The adventure is nearly over...
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
16
20
Trip End
Jul 24, 2009
Nairobi,
Kenya
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Got to say I wasn't a huge fan of Nairobi. It seemed lacking in character, dusty and smoggy, sleazy locals (long story but ew gross!), and had to be constantly aware of your personal security. Apparently though, mob justice has been reinstated, and this rather brutal method has brought down the crime rate
The crew in Arusha Tanzania
. Like the rest of the Africa countries I visited, roads are closed for anyone of importance, usually politicians, and as a result leads to traffic chaos to allow the rows of identical brand new Mercs (in a city of rustbuckets!) to speed past. In fact, in Zimbabwe which continues to descend into chaos, it is illegal to move your upper body at all when the president's motorcade drives past...While in Nairobi 2 MPs died in a plane crash, but to be honest I'm surprised there aren't more car accidents involving politicians considering the speeds they go and the quality (of lack of) of the roads.Anyway, I'm rambling as usual. On Sunday we drove to the Masai Mara game park. Kenya may be one of the more Westernised African states, but the roads remain shocking (as I keep repeating myself), e.g. a 180 km trip took over 4 hours on main 'highways'. It also started raining heaving on Sunday night, so it was a welcome surprise to arrive at Acacia Camp in the game park, with its semi-permanent tents and beds (although no electricity but I'm getting used to that) - so that signified the end of my camping bedmat and good riddance to it as I'm sure my posture and back has been stunted further! We had been so lucky that in 3 1/2 weeks camping, it was the first time that rain had interfered, and it really did make camping, cooking, and toilet trips unpleasant. Speaking of which, because we were in a game park, a Masai had to walk you ot the toilets in the middle of night - apparently just in case a lion decides to wander through the camp!
The Masai Mara is really a continuation of the Serengeti, but a 10th of the size
Here comes the aeroplane...
. It also houses the Masai people with their brightly coloured robes and massive holes in their ears which can then fold over themselves (kinda gross). And just like on National Geographic channel, these guys can jump! We did the game drive in the ATC truck, which did kind of detract from the 'safari adventure' feel, but still saw a stunning amount of wildlife, including very close lions, hippo, elephants, cheeky monkeys, countless zebra and wildebeest, gazelle, ostrich, giraffe and birdlife (boring). We also saw where the migration occurs next month and is the perfect lunch spot for the massive crocs nearby. As its a very narrow dusty alleyway, many zebra and wildebeest will be eaten or crushed to death. However the real adventures came from the driving. They heavy rain had turned the already poor roads into mush. Driving a truck through the glue-like mud was challenging to say the least. Muddy potholes meant Eloise our Masai driver (who by the way was the biggest teddy bear Masai I've ever seen) was having to do all he could to avoid them. This meant driving on a serious lean with a sideways tilt that I'm near certain the bus wasn't built for. It's funny now, but at the time I was petrified! It started downpouring and sitting on one of the centre-facing seats hanging on, I was convinced the bus would tip over. When the bus started sliding I was frozen and two of the girls were in tears (yes I know what you're thinking, typical girl overreaction!). Next thing we know, a big bang, and we're in a ditch with no immediate way out! The bus still seemed to be at a dodgy angle so I was still freaked about tipping over
Daisy the giraffe
. But we trusted the big man and had to wait for a tractor to pull us out. This took 4 attempts over 4 hours and everyone was covered in mud. The experience was also heightened by the fact that we had 3 lions on the hill nearby!Anyway, the whole ordeal was surprisingly fun once I'd gotten over the initial fear as everyone was in good spirits and approached the situation really well. Plus a hot shower felt fantastic! Truly one of the most memorable experiences of my trip as I've never been stuck in a ditch before - especially in the middle of a game park with 20 other foreigners.
So Tuesday was my last day with the tour as they head off to Uganda in search of gorillas. It was a bittersweet feeling as I'd mentally prepared myself for 4 weeks and was ready to return to the Western world and its comforts. Some people were on tour for 6-8 weeks which I initially thought would be too long, however I think you psych yourself up for whatever timeframe you've signed up for and camping life becomes routine. It also means you get to know other passengers really well, and Lisbeth my Danish tent buddy became last a sister to me.
An Overland tour may not be the most indepth way to see Africa but it's certainly convenient and you meet some great people along the way. Relative to Asia, it wasn't cheap (especially with those visas and vaccinations), but it's nice to have most of your food and accommodation sorted (albeit not the healthiest or most luxurious).
Sandwich
So Michelle (Aussie) and I went our own way on Tuesday afternoon before our Sth African flight the next day, and a budget hotel has never felt so good! In fact I'll probably remember Nairobi for my first decent meal! Pretty shattered so just ate, washed our mud engrained shoes (and this took a considerable amount of time!), watched bad local TV, and for the first time in Africa in 4 weeks (personal record I'd say), I straightened my hair!So now it's onwards back to reality and normality. A night in Joburg in transit in more opulent 4 star surroundings (thanks Mum and Dad!), then to Singapore, Sydney and NZ before Ireland. A bit sad, but also look forward to clean clothes, fresh food, oh and of course my partner, family and friends! Africa has taught me a LOT. I have a newfound appreciation for my life and for NZ. Through the people I've met I'm also trying to improve my attitude which I like to call realistic, but could also be considered pessimistic at times! I've realised that the political and development situation in Africa as not as black and white as I once thought, and I have a renewed interest in learned the histories and current affairs of these countries. Although the more I learn about Zimbabwe, the more saddened I become. Since the 3-4 weeks I was there, the exchange rate has deteriorated from $250 mln Zimbabwe dollars to $1 USD, to $1 billion Zimbabwe dollars per $1 - it really does seem a country that is spiralling out of control. When our parents used to say "there are starving children in Africa", they weren't exagerating. Africa is a land of so many contrasts though, so despite some of the sad statistics, I still hope to be back for more: South Africa, Namibia, Morocco, Mozambique... so time to start saving (and working!)!
