Lake Bogoria National Reserve - Kenya

The pictures I have in mind of Bogoria are of flamingos and hot springs. After a three hour Journey from Nakuru town, we arrive at the National reserve. We are excited and rearing to go, the Kenya wildlife service staff are very welcoming and polite. They inform us that due to some activity somewhere below the earth (i heard some mention of tectonic plates), the lake was flooded and the entire area was inaccessible, the geysers and hot springs were submerged, and the animals had migrated into the hills.
 Perhaps it was the look of disappointment on our faces on our faces that touched the man into further giving us a brief history of the lake and its reserve before suggesting that we should visit Lake Baringo, which though flooded was still navigable and some of their geysers on the islands were still visible.

Cray fish camp - Naivasha

Now if there was a group that has ever tried to clobber me with ultimate fun it was these guys. We have been partying hard across the continent for several weeks this December, they said it was the ultimate end of year non stop gig. Winding down, the final lap finds us in Naivasha town. Our friend Moses claims we cannot leave the little Kenyan fun city without visiting the Cray fish Camp. This establishment is hidden in the serenity of the lake almost twenty kilometers from the town (my sober estimates). At some point we get the feeling of getting lost or missing the entrance in the darkness.

Reception by day

We arrive at the gate just as we are almost giving up finding the place. The sentries at the gate inspect the car and the occupants asking questions of intent and finally direct us to the parking zone. It is once we are inside that we appreciate the magnitude of the place. Even in the darkness, we could see lights spread all over the place with campers enjoying the view of the skies from the grass. The reception is an open grass thatched banda with a sweet rusty feel around it and the staff welcome us warmly. This place is humongous, bars and service points are spread across the place within convenient reach of the patrons..

My hoard hit the pub straight on and start downing brown bottles as I walk out to sample the place, fancy sleeping in a converted machine? they even have boat rooms and vehicle rooms!!! how awesome is that? Walking around the compound i am greeted by this huge friendly dog, the size of an year old calf. This animal would scare the guts out of Arnold Schwarzenegger yet was so friendly and would continuously rub softly against my legs as we walked around.

The lit swimming pool reflects the blue color creating an ambience of love and cool, the open night skies directly above the pool welcome the light in a twinning way creating a second similar pool up there. At the lakeside there is another bar where patrons can kiss the bottles looking at the horizon.

Their Discotheque seems quite popular as it is already overflowing, the sound is really good and the floor is busy, the Dj takes special requests for songs and infuses them into the playlist. Booze still in plenty for the partakers at a very friendly price for the location, and fine looking people everywhere (*wink)

Back to the main bar and I get busy on the pool table, strangers and friends alike converge on the tables and we laugh and celebrate life together. I think i saw scrabble and other board games somewhere. Time flies when you are having fun, that is what they say. We leave in the wee hours of the morning with a mental note to come back for a couple of days

Lamu; the last frontier

First things first; The teachers lied it is not the small island portrayed in history books…..

I left feeling a great sense of pride and expectant with the impending huge accomplishment. This task is a fete that few a Kenyans have embarked on; the journey to the little port town of Lamu. The town surrounded by so much awe, history and much more.
I set from the great city of Chuka headed to Mombasa by night bus in the company of a great friend; yeah that's another thing i hadn't said- Everything about this town is great- this writer is too. The ten hour journey was long and uneventful.
I spent a day in the city reminiscing the sweet times I had there a few years back. Nothing much has changed since them days. The city of tourists and beach boys/girls is still ablaze with money love and the hopes for quick luck without breaking a sweat. The night life is still great, I won't mention where i stepped for my patronage shall remain a silent memory till next time.
However from that experience, we travelled by land destined for Lamu. The squeaky bus seats were dirty from repeated un-cleaned perspiration from the hundreds of passengers that had to endure the heat of the journey. The power sockets were not working thus my phone went uncharged and the Wi-Fi access was only a marketing tool since I never saw an indication of any network throughout the journey.
The smooth tarmac carried us through the town of Malindi and past the Sabaki or Galana Bridge (depending on where you come from). Then the rough patch started. The road showed signs of having been tarmacked then coated with murram in a weak try to smoothen the pot holes. Three hours on that section and the stomach was ready to start spilling its contents. I could feel every iota of food in the intestines threaten to burst out.
Some sense of relief took over at the Garsen Junction where there seems to have been some recent work on a new tarmac sadly, thirty minutes later we landed a patch that has never seen tarmac. I almost ate my tongue when someone stated that the road was like that all the way to the Mokowe Jetty, which was the last point on the main land before the crossing. Two hours later and I could not have been more relieved to hear the words that we had reached our destination.
In all the complaints here, someone might be tempted to think that I did not enjoy the trip. Far from that, the scenery from Mombasa to Lamu changes in such spectacular fashion that the roving eye keeps the mind thinking about the changing lifestyles of the populations spanning the vast land areas.
From the mangrovy vegetation near the port, coconut farms in between, large sisal plantations of Kilifi and surrounding areas, the large semi arid areas in the garsen areas to the dense forests near mpeketoni back to the mangroves at Lamu. The occasional playful monkies along the bushes or daring death by rushing past the flying vehicle served moments of cruel excitement as I longed for that one that will be too slow for the driver. From all indications, I knew that braking would not be an option if any lazy ape miscalculated the crossing. I just hoped that if it ever happened, the animal would have the courtesy to hit anything below the headlights level, above that would be a disaster for us in this alien land.
I had the time of my life in this island, the high speed boats, sullen donkeys, squeeziest streets in the world and most confused settlement ever seen in a non-slum setting. I even posed for photos at some pre-historic cemetery, swam at Shella beach and something else that I may not wanna confess at the moment, perhaps my grandchildren will discover that themselves. Bottom line is I am coming back Lamu, you still got my debt of pleasure and this time the show will by fireworks we will not be aliens to one another, there will be holding back… bye for now