4 January 2017 4 of 4
I’m in Kenya now. Our third amigo, John, had to go back to work last week so Chef & I have been entertaining Monkey, her partner Abel & their 6yo Clara in Nairobi while waiting for Baby Monkey to pop out. We’ve actually been relaxing a bit too much with long lunches in different restaurant gardens, art galleries & classy pubs, & no real plan from day to day.
Chef & I did organise ourselves on a self-drive safari of Nairobi National Park one day. We had an interesting adventure with no map & no clue on where to go. We saw rhinos, zebras, ostriches, giraffes & wildebeest with little trouble. However our car got stuck near two large dozing male lions which caused a bit of a pickle. I had to get out of the car to wedge some rocks under the airborne tyre to help us move – the lions were obviously not fans of gluten free modern Australian cuisine cause they weren’t bothered at all by my presence.
I left Chef to monitor Baby Monkey movements for a few days & did a tour to the Masai Mara National Park. I felt like I was in the Dakar Rally in a 4wd mini-van for most of the tour – fortunately I was in the passenger seat so I can confirm we didn’t damage anyone or thing, just a few bruises on my head from hitting the roof of the car. The safari itself was great – we got up super close to lions, elephants, cheetahs, wildebeest, vultures, eagles, zebras, hyenas, hippos, antelope, baboons, monkeys, mongoose, jackyls, crocodiles & loads of pretty birds that I can’t remember the name of. To add to the adventure, in the midst of a herd of elephants we got a flat tyre and didn’t have a spare! Fortunately the fifth van that came past was kind enough to offer us theirs…
And, as in National Parks the world over, you are supposed to keep to the path/roads. Our driver would often, actually consistently, drive off track to be a bit closer to the animals (but not obtrusive close, mostly sensible close). At one point we were with four other vans, off track in an open plain looking at two lions. The Ranger was waiting patiently for each of the vans to return to the road to give them a fine. My driver decided to make a run for it – we tore away, soaring over potholes and flying through ditches. We had a good 10 minutes of crazy arse driving before the Ranger caught up to us in his hardcore 4WD & fined the driver. It was good fun.
Other things I should mention is that African people are very friendly, wear lots of beautiful bright colours, have the strongest bladders in the universe & are very good at cooking bbq goat. Basic English is spoken widely so it’s reasonably easy to communicate & get around. There’s a lot of God – churches are well maintained & regularly attended, & public transport is adorned with prayers for a safe journey. Businesses, national parks & countries are managed a bit different to how I would manage them, although I’m an efficient & effective public servant so I’m an anomaly on this continent. Landscapes have been so varied – from large volcanic valleys, to sparse desert plains, to lush lakes & mountains. Some cities like Kampala don’t seem to end, but then you find villages of seven huts.
I get back to Australia on Sunday.
