As you might have inferred from my silence, I have recently been on the road for work. Traveling for work, not only are my days long and access to internet sporadic, but there often isn’t too much to share. In light of this, at the end of my trip to Kenya last week, I decided to take advantage of the proximity of our workshop to several national parks: Mt. Longonot and Hell’s Gate. Come Thursday afternoon, part of me was wishing I’d opted for a comfortable bed and a flight back to Dar and when I checked into my banda at Fisherman’s Camp, all I could do was laugh at the 5 bunk beds, musty sheets and hole in the wall.
Resolving that I would enjoy the trip, even if I didn’t sleep, I went out in search of companions. When you travel alone, it’s hard not to feel like a suspicious character: ‘Why is that girl sleeping in a room for five by herself? Why is she checking into a camp wearing a suit?’ Combating this requires an unfailing smile and a willingness to intrude upon the plans of strangers. Case in point – shortly after arriving I noticed two couples who seemed to be talking about a boat ride to Crater Lake. That is exactly where I wanted to go and was unwilling to pay the price of a solo trip so I walked over and asked to join. Perfect. I had no idea that the lake is surrounded by a peninsula that you walk through and that is filled with wild animals. We literally walked among zebras, impalas, beasts (the guide’s term, not mine) and giraffes. Really nothing can prepare you for walking in the savannah among animals that usually only appear in story books. I’m not really that ‘into’ animals but the mix of fear and awe is intoxicating.
The fear and awe were intensified the next day during my visit to Hell’s Gate National Park. The draw of this park is that you can walk or ride your bike through it owing to the absence of lions. Because everything is relative, apparently the presence of leopards is consequently nothing to be worried about. I had a lot of time to reflect on this as I rode my bike alone through the empty expanse of the park. It was surreal to see random giraffes pass by and see families of warthogs graze without glancing in my direction. I was overwhelmed by how small I am in this world. Eight dusty kilometers later my guide at the actual gate of hell (a gorge in the Rift Valley that leads to the Masai Mara) told me ‘you’d be lucky to see a leopard in the day time, they are hard to spot’. Where to start? Unless I’m behind plexiglas, I’m not sure I’m ever going to find a leopard sighting lucky! Fortunately my departure from the park corresponded with throngs of high school students entering for a school trip – allowing me to have enjoyed the solace of the park and creating a diversion in case of a ‘lucky’ sighting.
My final morning I laced up my hiking boots to ascent Mt. Longonot. An inactive volcano 2798m above sea level, Mt. Longonot promised spectacular views of the Rift Valley. One of the nice couple’s I met on Thursday dropped me off at the park gate and $17 later I set off to the top. Over the last year I’ve noticed that whenever you are climbing something, inevitably the top is never where you think it is. I climbed the first hill, overtaking a tour group and feeling pretty energetic, only to be dismayed by the larger, steeper hill looming in the distance. Reaching the top of the crater, I was still feeling quite pleased (even though some military people running had overtaken me on the way up) until my guide was like ‘you have to go to the summit’. I really shouldn’t have asked where that was, because it was very foggy and no less than 6 hills stood between me and the summit. Of course, when I finally reached it, even more fog had rolled in – obscuring the view of absolutely everything! My picture could have been taken in a parking lot in Niagara Falls!
Back at the base of the mountain I had to hatch a plan for my return to Nairobi. I took a motor bike to a main road, hitched a matatu (public mini bus), crammed myself in it, went to the neighbouring town, grabbed another matatu (this one playing Mariah Carey’s greatest hits – score!) and returned to my guest house. Tired and dirty, I decided to inquire about a cab back to the city. As luck would have it, the only other person in the lobby was on their way back to Nairobi after coming to for a morning bike ride with some friends! A long lunch and skillful car ride later, I ended up hanging out with three friends, eating sausages and tea, talking about just about everything and eventually checking out Nairobi’s vibrant nightlife. From wilderness to cocktails – a perfect antidote to weeks of work on the road!
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