I did not sleep well, but the fresh, sweet breeze was welcome overnight. It felt beautiful to wake up in the bush. We quietly walked back to camp shortly after sunrise.
The fruit is perfectly ripe and juicy here. It has been a highlight of nearly every meal, including our final breakfast here.
Our driver for the rest of the trip, Stanley, was eager to get on the road, but there was time for one last warrior training. It was hilariously fun. We were provided with shields, divided into teams (nearly all of the camp participated), and given a few lengths of plant material. It was very similar to dodgeball, but with more laughter and fewer injuries. The high velocity throws of the expects make a delightful whirring sound.
I was a little teary saying good-bye to our hosts. I will miss their laughter and kind hearts.
The three hour drive to Lake Nakuru was on bumpy paved roads. There were towns most of the way so there was plentiful people-watching. Some things we saw along the way: an entrepreneur who set up a selfie spot with a giant print-out of white Santa, loads of street vendors with fresh fruit and veggies, a market that included pants with the Tik Tok logo, a kitty and two ray-crested cranes at the rest stop, many people dressed up for church (it’s Christmas Eve Day), verdant fields, cozy knit hats and warm coats in the higher elevation, zebras, motorcycles carrying entire families, other motorcycles carrying large commercial loads, many goats and sheep street-side, donkeys working hard transporting water and goods, and car after car of people driving up from Nairobi for family vacation.
The place we’re staying is just a kilometer off a busy road but it feels a world away. Our banda overlooks the Menengai Crater, a huge caldera measuring 8x12km. We ate a late lunch, then joined a guide and two of his visiting friends for a walk into the caldera. They had just returned from church and two of them did the rough, rocky two+ hour hike in their dress pants and shoes!
There were no marked paths, so I’m happy we had the guide. Near the start was a temporary two-dwelling Maasai camp, where kids were out grazing their goats and sheep. The guide said they’d stay for a couple of weeks and then move locations. The hike was much more strenuous than I anticipated, with loose rocks and narrow rocky scrambles. Recently two large geothermal wells were drilled to aid with the push to “green” Kenya. It seems changes are happening at the grid level but there are still lots of vendors selling coal roadside for individuals.
After taking a bit of time to cool down and wash up, we met Stanley for dinner. It was neat to learn his older kid, who just started college here, may get a scholarship to attend school in the states. He says employment options are extremely limited in Nairobi, even for those with university degrees. Some American colleges will also help to arrange employment in the states.
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