A short drive brought us to our boat tour at Lake Naivasha. I discovered it’s very difficult to take photos in focus while on a choppy lake. Nevertheless, there were great birds and enough hippos to make the practice of hip-wader fishing questionable.
The boat guide brought a fish for a fisher eagle. He whistled to the eagle, then it swooped down and grabbed the fish. We were dropped at Crescent Island, where the land guide met us for a little walk around. It was a relaxed place to see some animals up close.
After the return boat trip we were back on the road to head to lunch. Unfortunately, the road was very rough and dusty. Considering that the boat ride was choppy, I was not feeling great. Lunch was served at a floating restaurant on Crater Lake. By the end of the lunch I was mostly recovered and we made a short, hot, hike to a viewpoint. Overall, the transit time and road conditions made this a questionable itinerary option. If it could do it all over I think I’d skip Lake Naivasha for an extra night in Nakuru or Nairobi, reducing the 1-night stays.
To reduce time on unpaved roads, Stanely (yes, I’ve been spelling his name wrong) took us on a different route back to the highway. The road paving conveniently began just before the turnoff for a former president’s resort.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on the road back to Nairobi. Everyone was returning from vacation, and no one wanted to wait. The unpaved, sloped shoulder became a de facto second lane, and the oncoming traffic lane was frequently used as a third lane. Scores of people stood by the road waiting for matatus that were too full to pick them up. The chaos was compounded by street vendors, overloaded motorcycles, broken down vehicles, and the occasional fender bender. When we arrived at an area with trucks at a complete standstill, Stanely expertly detoured on narrow side streets lined with vendors.
Our little hotel, like most for tourists, is in the wealthy neighborhood of Karen. It is nice in an Instagram way, but all of the small workmanship details are off. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shower door that swings in, and it turns out it’s against US building code (someone who’s fallen inside could block the door from opening). None of the walls were quite straight, the stairs were different widths, the tile grout was sloppy, there were wall paint smears on the moulding, the tile ended nearly a centimeter from the door trim, etc. I’m noting these things not because they affected my stay, but because I find it interesting that the workmanship standards are so low. The dining area was nice, but the food was mediocre. I didn’t see anyone else staying at the hotel; I expect the standard is higher when more people are in town.
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