Output Stream of Consciousness

Back in Nairobi. The story so far...

From Kampala, we went to Jinja (still in Uganda) for an unprecedented three days (it's been mostly moving every day). We took a banda, and had a luxury tent upgrade booked for the last day (mid-trip, I thought it would be a good idea, and it was).

It was good, but it rained on day two and didn't really stop. Jinja has this red dirt that turns to mud and gets into and onto everything. Even one of the local dogs, a Maltese, was perennially peach-coloured from living in this environment.

We begged out of quad biking, which would have been a muddy disaster, but partook of the local meal planned anyhow, and it was interesting albeit starchy. We had matoke, mashed green bananas, which are starchy and very mildly banana-tasting, we had ugali, which was like polenta, but white. There was rice, beans, some pork in sauce, cassava (innocuous, and starchy, but not bad), white sweet potatoes and a thin peanut sauce (good on the bananas), as well as saucy chopped cabbage.

From there we went to Eldoret across the border in Kenya, to Naiberi Overland campground (couldn't quite get the name from the sign). This is just a bizarre and wonderful place, although decidedly a work in progress!

The bar itself is worth visiting: there's a tunnel into the bar, and the bar itself has bridges, running water, an open patio to the outside, trees growing through the roof, a fire that gets put on in the evening, and a very organic layout with a huge skylight.

It has not been warm here of late, which has been just fine, though I find it weird to be a Canadian and actually feeling cold every now and again, with temperatures getting down to I think about 10 degrees (it's been 13-14 degrees C inside the rooms of late, great for sleeping, chilly for showering). Africa isn't always boiling hot, and for that we're grateful.

From Eldoret we went to Naivasha, took in a boat ride and nature walk (got right near some giraffes while we were walking) up to Crater Lake (lots of obsidian chunks on the ground), went for high tea at Elsamere, site of the famous tame lioness of Born Free fame (and witnessed a colobus monkey thieving biscuits from inside the teahouse - yegods!)

We're back in Nairobi now, and we will bid a tearful goodbye to Boomer, the old half-prepared truck that we have been on for 2 1/2 weeks (I can't believe it's day 18 of safari already). We go with another company out to the Masai Mara (only Kenyan-registered companies/vehicles can avoid paying the $300 US/quarter for park entrance), then we come back and get a new vehicle for our last week.

Here in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi it seems) in an Internet cafe. Just about halfway through the holiday, which seems amazing to me. See you lot when we return :)