Wed Sept 4 :
Is it a good Omen? Traffic wasn’t bad on the way to the airport. At the gate the A/C ticket agent called me back when I started down the ramp - I thought that meant trouble – but instead she upgraded Mike and I to Executive class. When I had booked there was nothing available in ‘J’ class but there were plenty of seats available today.
The flight to Amsterdam was as good as it gets for a ‘red eye’. Left Toronto at 8.55 pm and arrived in Amsterdam at 9.40 am the next morning. Took a long time to get the Golf Bags and by the time we got to the ticket Agent it was too late for the 11.00 am flight so we had a day to kill in Holland - a day after very little sleep on the flight.
We took a bus into Haarlem - a quaint little town 45 min. from the Airport. It was very pretty, flowers everywhere. We walked and walked and then sat a bit – but every time we sat down we started to fall asleep. By 3:00 pm we were too tired to walk or sit anymore so we headed back to the bus stop. Back at the Airport we had a 5-hour wait before another red eye flight.
The flight to Nairobi was booked solid - amazing 2 flights a day from Amsterdam to Nairobi - I wonder why so many people are going to Nairobi.
Friday Morning- Sept 6 - We land in Nairobi at 6 am and it takes an hour to get our Visa ($50 US) and our luggage. But all ofour luggage arrived!!
Our first impression: Don’t follow the signs! One sign said baggage pickup was in one direction and we were told to walk in the opposite direction. Then we were told one baggage carousel and it comes out on another.
Ann and Errol met us at the Airport … good thing they brought two cars as we had a lot of luggage. The car Errol picked us up in is a 1978 ‘pre’ SUV type of jalopy named Rambo. That way he says he doesn’t need to be worried about it being stolen or ransacked and when the newer cars try to cut him off the road they realize their cars are worth more and back off. The road out of the airport was lined with very brown grass and a few trees that look like the leaves have been blown off. It looks really dry but then I notice the potholes in the road are filled with water. Cars drive around the potholes as you can never be sure how deep they might be. The road is meant for 2 lanes but sometimes they are driving in 3 and sometimes in 4. We’ve hit the morning rush hour and there are cars everywhere and people walking everywhere. I think its amazing that Errol can fight his way through the mess of cars without crashing - I close my eyes and tensed up a few times but he did it.
As we approached the city we could see a black cloud overhanging the whole area that looked like smoke. Errol said it was smog that collects every night from all the road side burning and then it dissipates during the day. Along the road we saw several of the locals burning logs – making charcoal for cooking.
In the hour-long drive to the house, Errol took us through neighborhoods that ranged from shantytowns to exclusive 3 storey homes behind high walls. The variety of vegetation is incredible and apparently this is the end of winter and so the flowers are not in full bloom yet. Trees and hedges are in brilliant colours of red, yellow and coral. I can’t imagine how beautiful it will be when spring starts.
Errol and Ann’s house is one of hundreds, each with their own gated wall and guards. They rent it for the Cdn equivalent of $1000 per month. It has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The grounds are spectacular. They have 3 full time gardeners to constantly sweep the lawn (ie – sweep with home-made brooms – it’s cheaper to sweep a lawn than it is to mow it as lawnmower prices are outrageous apparently). I noticed the cars get washed down shortly after we drive in. Paul, the head gardener, appears to be always puttering around. Irene the full-time live-in maid appears to be very nice – not long after I took my bath she was in there scrubbing the tub.
After my long awaited bath and short nap, Errol brought us a cup of tea while we sat in the garden and admired the surroundings. ‘No-name cat’ stalked lizards and other unseen critters while we chatted.
Shortly after 3 Ann came home from a short day at work and took Marilyn and I to a craft mall while the guys slept. She drove us in ‘Sheila,’ her 18 year old 200,000 + Kms SUV that she purchased for $5000 and considered a bargain as “car prices are outrageous too.”
The roads are in such state of disrepair and the car rattles so much you expect it to fall apart on the spot. The items in the markets are interesting, the vendors range from friendly to overbearing. I bought some souvenirs but really do dislike the bargaining. I am surprised that all the signage is in English. Errol says that it is from the time when Kenya was a British Colony. There are also lots of whites - many tourists, and Ann says that many whites live here too. Errol is from South Africa and I enjoy his accent.
While dinner is cooking on the BBQ we sat around in the garden with our drinks and talked about earnings and taxes in Kenya. Errol says they pay no taxes – I commented that’s probably why the roads are falling apart. He said no - if taxes were paid it would go to the politicians who would then afford 3 or 4 expensive cars on their ‘meager’ salary. In the background we can hear the yellowbilled hornbill cawing away - that is when the noise from the street settles down. Even though it’s a quiet private road just one car driving by is noisy as the road is very bumpy.
Sat Sept 7th –Went to bed immediately after a wonderful dinner. Throughout the night we could hear the guard dogs barking. Ann and Errol have two full time security guards who walk the perimeter of the property- the bigger houses also have guard dogs. Ann says they feel relatively safe at night with the fancy bars on the windows, the alarm system and the security guards.
Sitting chatting as we sip our coffee on the patio, I am admiring the many types of cactus and palm trees and the pretty flowers. The temperature is coolish- I am wearing a sweater, which surprises me as Nairobi is 2 degrees south of the equator. Ann says it’s comfortable year round due to the altitude (we are at 6000 ft - similar to Denver). The lack of flying insects also surprises me – the windows are left open even in the night when the lights are on inside and no bugs come in. There are no flies or mosquitoes, very surprising.
It was the open window in our bedroom (the master bedroom which Ann and Errol had given up for us) that allowed ‘no-name’ cat to come in and join us in bed. That was different – I woke up to him licking my ear.
After a late morning breakfast of bacon and eggs we left in Sheila for a ride. Drove thru the city, which is much like any other city with skyscrapers and office buildings. Ann says there is no reason to be in the city as all the interesting things to see and do are on the outside.
We drive on roads that are so bumpy it’s a wonder Sheila does not fall apart and we end up at the airport to drop of some things Errol had left behind. He’s now off on a three-week flight (he’s a contract pilot).
After lunch at the airport Club we left for the Giraffe Park – never ever thought I’d be face to face with a giraffe. Beautiful animals – they sleep sitting up with their gorgeous eyes open (so the poster on the wall says). They seem to love the pellots we feed them. Around their feet the warthogs crawl around on their knees to retrieve the dropped pellets.
From the giraffe park we went to the Karen Blixen house, now a museum. She wrote “Out of Africa” under the pen name Isaac Denison. Some of the furniture is original and some was left behind from the Robert Redford and Meryl Streep movie, which was filmed on the estate and a mock up of the house at a studio. Must rent that movie when we get home, now that we’ve seen the real thing.
Driving back to the city I notice that the street lights have cages around them. Ann says its so that the lights don’t get broken during the student riots. She told us how dangerous it to drive at night - very few of the street lights work and robbers wait in the bushes to car jack you when you slow down. We had planned on taking Ann out to nice restaurants each night but going out at night is not the thing to do in Nairobi. Errol had also mentioned (before he left for his three week trip) that its dangerous to drive at night because with no street lights you can’t see the road potholes and the people just abandon their cars when they break down and leave their cars anywhere.
Sunday Sept 8th: At breakfast our discussion was around life in a shantytown. With no electricity or running water I find it inconceivable that one can walk out each day spiffy in a neatly pressed suit, white shirt and a tie. Ann told us there is no free medical or schooling – the quality of service and education is relative to how much you can afford to pay.
Everywhere we go the people are so friendly and I am amazed by the contrast of their white teeth and their black skin. Ann drove us in Sheila to the Airport where we were served coffee and cookies while we waited for the take off. The plane took off promptly at 10 as scheduled. A 12-seater, we were impressed that the tall fellows had more room than on a commercial flight. The flight was smooth except when we went through clouds. We soon left the inhabited city area and crossed over the escarpment over the Rift Valley. Below, the vastness of the sparse land stretched from horizon to horizon. Every once in a while you’d see a circle below - the fellow in the seat in front of me said that they were Masai settlements and that every roof represented a ‘wife’.
The landing was bumpy on the dirt runway and as soon as we got off the plane we felt the heat and a Masai fellow handed us a cool washcloth. It turns out that he is ‘Fred’ the cultural Director. He is wearing a red dress with lots of beads, has his hair shaved off and wears glasses. It sure was confusing to me when I first saw him (as I noticed the dress first).
We are in the Safari Resort in the Masai Mara Park, still in Kenya. Our first Safari was this afternoon and we saw warthogs, baboons, billed stork, wildebeests, gazelles zebras giraffes, cape buffalo, monkeys in trees, lions with cubs, impalas, topi, guinea fowl and tonight in our own dining room we watched a bush baby try to steal scraps. After dinner Fred and six other Masai did 3 traditional dances followed by a brief talk on the history of the Masai tribe and their way of life. Fred confirmed the Masai men have up to 10 wives and it’s the wife who builds her own home as the men tend to the cattle. It’s amazing that they still live today the way they lived hundred of years ago – but I did see some Masai boys (red dresses and all) on bicycles.
Monday Sept 9th: This truly is a beautiful resort built on a bend in the Mara River where the Hippos like to swim all day. They are funny to watch especially the two little hippo babies (500 lbs each) jostling with each other. The humongous crocodile lazing on the bank of the river decided he wanted to go for a swim but soon changed his mind when the hippos started toward him. At 6:15 am we started for our morning Safari and did not return till 12:15. John our driver took the Land Rover on roads you would not imagine -over brush and rocks and into treed areas. His trained eye is so good that he should be called Hawkeye. He spotted an elephant from miles away and then later spotted a whole herd of elephants – all female with their babies. He explained the males stay far back from the females and take no part in raising the young. On the contrary when he took us to a wooded area we saw a mother lion with her two 2-week old cubs, he knew that the male lion was close by and wouldn’t give up until he found him. Later by the swamp edge he spotted 2 more female lions resting in the shade of the tree, one was obviously pregnant. Across the swamp trying to rest but glancing over the females were the two male lions.
We drove by several Masai settlements and the people all dressed in red dresses would smile and wave. John says the red is to keep the lions away.
The afternoon Safari surprised us again as we thought that we had seen just about everything. We came across a herd of giraffe and counted between 20 and 30. John was on a mission – he wanted to find the white Rhino and he did. This animal is a protected species and has 3 armed guards with it around the clock. The white Rhino is not white in color but differs from the Black Rhino because it has a wide mouth, John (another John) the head guard the one with the ‘22’ has been walking with this Rhino for over 11 years. He told us that sometimes it moves 15 kms and his job is to just follow it around and watch for poachers. The rhino’s horn is apparently worth USD $30,000 – but there are fewer poachers these days as the poachers are aware of the armed guards 24 hours a day.
At 7:15 pm we left for a night Safari that ended at 10:00 when the spotlight stopped working. The fellow sitting on the top of the roof was quite apologetic as it stopped working before we saw a kill. We did see eight lionesses sitting together, but they were not ready for any action while we were watching. It’s funny to see all the ‘eyeballs’ in the dark when the spotlight was working. We saw lots of little animals that don’t come out during daytime - like the Kenya Roo. It’s real name is Spring Hare – it’s a funny looking little thing with the face of a rabbit, the body of a miniature kangaroo and a tail as long as its body. Hops along like a roo – hope the black tailed fox didn’t get him. We saw the hippos grazing. They come out of the river every night and wander as far as 10 kms away and are still back each morning to soak all day.
Tues Sept 10th: Up again at 6 for the 6:30 am Safari ride. Appears to have been a quiet night- no evidence of kills. Even the vultures appear bored and the hyenas are strutting along the wildebeest stampede.
The plane arrived an hour late to pick us up but I enjoyed the ride as I could identify some of what I saw.
Ann had arranged for a driver for the next week using her car at the cost of 650 shillings per day, approx. $14 Cdn. Ken, the driver, and I dropped the golfers off at the nearest club and then he drove to the nearest shopping Centre so I could pick up more film. Ken is 32 and looks 10 years younger. He is married with 3 children and “no more”. His goal is to provide for the education for his children. He grew up with very poor parents; 8 brothers and sisters – probably in a shanty town- but I did not ask. His parents could not afford to send him to school- here all levels of schooling cost a lot of money. He pays 18 % tax on his earnings and he stressed that nothing is free in Kenya- school or doctors.
It’s easier to understand the shanty town/estate picture when you consider that people like Ann and other diplomats make a Cdn equivalent salary and pay no taxes and someone like Ken gets $14 when he can find work and pays 18% as tax.
Wed Sept 11th: Ann woke us up at 6:00 am and the news today is that the USA is on high alert - whatever happens we won’t hear for a week. She had us at the bus pick-up at 7:20 but we did not leave until 8.
The drive from Nairobi to Arusha took 5.5 hours as it included several stops as we picked up more people. We traveled thru the valley surrounded by a small mountain with the same sort of brush that we saw in the game park. Occasionally we spotted some gazelle or impala but mostly it was cattle, donkeys and goats. Each herd was tended by several young Masai boys in their red dresses.
The termite mounds beside the road grew into 10ft castles just like the ones the kids make on the beach. During our Safari they were just simple mounds but it appears outside the park the termites are more creative.
The residents within sight are a mixture of Masai dressed in red, native African dressed or wrapped in colorful batiks and some in traditional American clothes. It appears only the women carry bags, tubs etc on their heads – while men and women carry incredible loads on their backs.
Very few estate homes like we saw in Nairobi but all proper homes have a high fence and an iron gate. Most of the people live in straw huts with thatched roofs or tin huts. The kids whose parents can afford to send them to school look really spiffy in their uniforms – it appears each school has its own uniform and all the students dress alike.
After a break in Arusha we reboarded for Moshi for the next hour. Half-hour outside of Arusha the driver pointed out Mount Kilimanjaro but it was covered in clouds and you can only make out the lower slopes.
The Mountain Inn is probably (by American Standards) a 1 or 2 star but they seem to have all we need. Dinner was pretty good and we’ve had our mountain briefing. Our guide is Haargord and we will have 4 porters as well. Its 8:45 pm and I am going to wait until morning to have my last shower. We have to be ready for the ride to the park gate by 9:00 am. Will read for a while. Sure hope I sleep.
Thurs Sept 12th: Low cloud cover, comfortably warm. Slept well had a great breakfast bought extra water and they’ve given us our lunch. Waiting for the bus – we’re the only two going from our hotel. After a 45-minute drive we got to the park gate and it was a light drizzle. Put on our raincoats and gators and after signing in we started the trek.
Haargord led the way and he walked very slowly. He speaks very little English so Marilyn and I are on our own to talk. The morning walk started at 10:30 (160) and at 11:15 my watch stopped working. We walked two hours all up hill on a wonderful stone/dirt path through the rainforest. Tall trees draped in vines and moss. At one point we stopped when Haargord heard monkeys and we saw a great big black one staring back at us and then little ones started jumping from tree to tree.
At lunch we actually had picnic tables and a rather dirty pit-toilet. The packed lunch was OK- it did the trick. The afternoon hike took us above the tree line to the Mandara Hut at 9000 ft. (2750 mts). We are sharing a 4 bed cabin with Lydia from Australia and Gerhard from Austria ( I feel sorry for him bunking with 3 women). The porter brought us hot water to wash and then tea, cookies and pop-corn. After snacks one porter took us to the Mandara Crater- an old volcanic crater – another 850 metres uphill. We walked around the ring and got a panoramic view of the plains below and the mountains in the distance. It’s almost 5 PM and I haven’t had enough water to drink. I had only 1½ litres so now I’ve got a headache. The sun is setting and it is noticeably colder. The mess cabins are all abuzz as the porters cook dinner. This reminds me a lot of times of camp when I was a kid.
Friday Sept 13th: We went to bed at 7.30 last night as there was nothing else to do and it was pitch dark and very cold. Have to save our flashlights for the top and the solar lights are not bright enough to read by. The beds were surprisingly comfy and of the eleven hours that I was horizontal I got at least 8 hours sleep. The porter knocked on the door at 6.30 and breakfast was served at 7.00. I won’t lose any weight on this trek… had papaya, bread, bacon and eggs and tea.
There was a fire started by some poachers last week and it was acres and acres. We walked through the burnt area for 4 hours. Its 3.15 and I am sitting outside the mess having just finished eating popcorn, peanuts and tea. We got to Horombo hut (3780-12340 ft) about an hour ago and after checking in couldn’t wait to get washed up. Wore shorts and T-shirt all day and am absolutely filthy from the dust. The porters and trekkers from up and down passed us many times today. Wonder if our clothes will ever come clean.
It was mid 20s all day and the sun beat down from a clear sky. Absolutely perfect. Now there is a pretty thick cloud cover rolling in and it’s cooling down very quickly. We are past the fire line and the brush is quite a mixture of flowers, cactus and flowering bushes- very pretty. We’ve noticed quite a few mice running around but they have stripes and resemble chipmunks with mouse-tails. Kind of cute, really.
Didn’t find today particularly difficult, just an occasional pounding in my head. We are in the bunky by ourselves so a little more private. Talked with several people on their way down. Lots of people had problems. One fellow form Bath, England told me this is the 5th group he had led and the worst one yet- he thinks it’s because it’s the only clear day he has summited and probably atmospheric pressure is different. So we are hoping for clouds.
Saturday Sept 15th: Off to a Start at 8:30 at 10o – was 3° in the bunky when we got up at 6:00. Lots of fun talking to all the people from around the world. The group is probably 40% women but I think we are the oldest. Heard some horror stories last night about people being taken off the mountain in stretchers.
Today we crossed ‘the saddle’ above the tree line a long steep gravel path through short brush – very boring plodding along, reminds me of elephants. We follow behind Haargord so closely that at one time my forehead hit his backpack. He is very quiet but stops promptly every time I say “ water-stop” By mid afternoon my lungs were starting to hurt and every once in a while I get the pounding in my head. Tonight we are in 7 double bunks (14 people) in a stone building in Kibo Hut at 4700 meters (15,000 feet). The walk today took 6 hours (the sheet said 7-8 hrs) but I can’t imagine going any slower. We are sharing our room with a couple from Germany and a couple from Britain – ironically both guys are currently horizontal and are complaining.
Dinner is served in our room at 6 – sounds posh doesn’t it? It’s down to 8° inside now and the wind is blowing outside like a winter storm but no sign of snow yet. They are going to wake us up at 11 for midnight start to the summit and the guy told us it can be minus 400 - we are both up to the challenge - HERE’S TO THE PEAK.
Monday Sept 16th: You have no idea how many times I have thought of this moment- sitting by the pool and sipping a cocktail. I am finally clean and I hurt. But back to Saturday night…
Went to bed early; immediately after dinner – completely dressed in about 3 layers. Got about 3 hours sleep until that inevitable knock was heard. It was 5° inside so we put on our outer layers. Assanté (our Assistant guide and server) brought us hot tea and cookies and we headed out into the dark and cold at midnight. Don’t know how cold it was but my water bottle froze solid after half hour. Slowly we trudged along a steep uphill of loose scree probably a couple of feet thick. You’d put your foot in and it would sink and slide downhill which made the going even tougher. We were one of the first groups on the hill but as we were going so slow we let lots of groups pass us. We continually trudged onward so slowly that I actually had time to gaze at the stars (very brilliant) and I’d often glance downhill to see how many climbers were behind us, and uphill to see the path taken by the climbers ahead of us. I noticed the constellations move across the sky same as the moon does. Around 5 am was the first hint of sunrise and the sun was fully up shortly after 6. At that point we were so close to the top we had moved out of the scree and into the rock climbing part. It was somewhere around 8 AM that we reached Gilman’s peak summit after climbing for 8 hours. We were both totally exhausted. Haargord offered us tea and cookies and then talked about going on to Uhuru peak. The tea and cookies perked me up enough to listen and when he said it was not hard I decided to go on.
He was right - the trip to Uhuru was much easier than the trip to Gillman’s Peak and the scenery was spectacular. The trip went around the rim of the volcanic crater - it is absolutely huge. The ice fields, the one seen in all the pictures are several stories high and are melting into a pool of water. As I stared at them I heard an icicle break loose and splash into the water. Apparently in a few years time there will be no longer an ice cap due to global warming. Took several pictures and then started down. Total trip to Uhuru and back was 3 hours, just like Haargard said it would be.
Back at Gillman’s – climbing down the rocks was OK but it wasn’t until I got to the scree that my problems started. While all the others ran down the scree, I froze. The downhill slope was longer than several ‘Whistler’s together - the guidebook said about 4000 ft. I would walk a few feet and freeze again. That caused my quads to seize, and many foot problems and blisters on my palms from the poles. I was the last person off the mountain and Haargard was a very patient guide not understanding the agony I was going through. Finally I got back to the Kibo hut at 1‘ish – after 13 hours on my feet and no sleep and little food. We had 1½ hours to pack up for the trek to Horombo Hut and they served us some watery soup and cookies. The trip to Horombo Hut should have taken 3 hours but it took me 4 in my condition. Every step was agony and I went through all the symptoms one has of altitude sickness – dizziness, headache, disorientation and nausea and this is going down - boy am I backwards! Rocks on either side of me took on shapes – animals, people, old houses and sheds, a stagecoach and yet when I got up to them they were simply rocks. The stones I stepped over stared back at me with faces of people, animals and gargoyles. It was downright spooky. When I finally got to Horombo Huts we had an hour until dinner and promptly after dinner we fell into a dead sleep.
On Monday Sept 16th they woke us at 6.30 it was 5° inside the Bunkie. At 8.20 we left Horombo for what turned out to be the most painful 20 km hike I’ve ever experienced. Others literally ran down past me and I struggled with every step. It took me a full 7 hours to descend- under normal circumstance it should have taken 5. At least the stones did not have faces. But between the pain in my quads and the pain in my feet- from the toes crunching into the toes of the boots- it surely was more trying for me to go down than up.
The HOT shower in the hotel was probably the most appreciated shower I’ve ever had.
Tuesday Sept 17th. Sitting in the open air lobby waiting for the bus to take us to Arusha. We’ve talked with several hikers who are heading up today and wished them luck- its absolutely pouring rain. Mud is everywhere in Tanzania, more mud than grass. A fellow from Chicago told us his guide had informed him that they had to change routes due to mudslides from the rain. We sure were lucky - just a light rain when we started out. No more rain until the rainforest on the descent and then we only saw underfoot the evidence of the rain – the rocks and mud were very slippery.
I am writing this as we travel down the road - the main road - between Arusha and Nairobi. The road is wide enough for one car by our standards and when there is no on coming traffic the driver drives down the middle. I have to close my eyes when I see a truck coming. I don’t know how they pass without touching. Between Moshi and the border it was raining all the way. As we drove through the scruff land we saw lots of Masai circles. Their houses are made of cow-dung and sticks and thatched roofs. All the Masai men are in the fields tending cattle and the women are with the children – there seem to be so many children (probably because the men are allowed more than one wife). We have stopped now for a bathroom break but I’ve seen my last pit-toilet.
It’s hard to imagine the Masai way of life – so many children – no diapers and no running water. At the border Marilyn and I were ‘swarmed‘ by older women and boys selling trinkets. They latched on to us like mosquitoes and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Many offered to buy my boots, which were hanging off my backpack. One youth pleaded for me to buy something as he wanted to go to secondary school. My heart went out to him but not my money as you never know what is true and what is not.
From the border to Nairobi it rained on and off. Every time you enter a village there are huge speed bumps where the bus has to stop before proceeding. The roadside shops are still active even in the rain. Mud is everywhere. At one point I saw a little boy pull down his pants and poop right where everyone was walking- and most of the time in bare feet.
There is no speed limit in Kenya and the bus goes as fast as it can when it can. The roads are not kept up and some of the potholes look inches deep. There is no shoulder and sometimes the goats, cattle and donkeys are feeding right up the road. When the driver pulls up to pass heaven help any animal. Occasionally they are crossing the road with their herder trying to hurry them up when they see the bus coming.
It’s still raining but I see they need it here as there is lot of evidence of brush fires and riverbeds are dry. Every 20 or 30 kms we have to stop for a police check- they put zigzag spike strip across the road- the bus is always waved through.
Trucks are dropping off people at driveways so long we can’t see the houses. Its 5.30 pm so I assume it’s companies dropping off their workers. It’s 20° inside the bus… colder outside and these people have so far to walk and no way to dry when they get there. I suppose they get used to it.
Just passed a dead cow in the road. The people appear more concerned about their car. I guess it just happened.
Wednesday Sept 18th: We arrive in Nairobi ½ hour late so the guys and Ann were already into the beer. It’s still raining so we stayed at Norfolk Inn where the bus dropped us off. We had a wonderful celebratory dinner. On the way home the guys bought us 1½ dozen red roses - they are so beautiful, it’s a shame we have to leave them behind.
Today we started out with Michael driving Sheila and Gord navigating and the two constantly bickered which way to go. Driving in Nairobi is treacherous and scary and I don’t know how Michael had the nerve. At least he is familiar with right hand driving and round-abouts. Again we drove through neighborhoods with three guards at the gates and across the street are the shacks of the street-vendors. Such a contrast it’s unbelievable.
We spent the morning wandering through the “National Museum of Kenya” and it really was a fantastic experience. I had more fun watching the groups of school kids going through - there were about 4 or 5 school groups and they were very well behaved. The whole museum was in English and they were all taking notes in English. Each school group wore a different uniform with crisp white shirts and ties. Judging by the cleanliness of their shoes and white socks you‘d think they all came from the estate homes - but not so, many came from the shanty towns - as Ann says many parents will do anything to pay for their kids schooling. Ann says the kids will walk to school in their bare feet with their crisp white socks and polished shoes in a bag and then put them on at school.
From the museum we went to the Windsor Golf Course where the guys had played golf on two days. What a Posh place!!!! We walked around and sat on the patio and had lunch and watched monkeys play out on one of the fairways. Then off to the Shopping Centre to buy food for dinner and now I am sitting at the dining table writing this in front of my roses.
Friday Sept 20th: Kenya Airlines really should give more room between their seats – Michael could not put his seat table down because his legs didn’t allow the room. Last night we wandered around Amsterdam and now we are off to the airport for the trip back to Toronto.