Kickin it in Kenya!

Kickin it in Kenya!

July 29^th 2013

Naivasha, Kenya.

Simon spotting some wildlife on our improvised Motorbike Safari.

How does one sum up a week of glory? A week full of amazing people and places, a land that is calm and cool by night and bright by day. A land where fields full of roses cover the horizon. A land where lakes teem with Hippos and flamingo’s. A land where the hills and forests are full of Buffalo, Zebra, Kudu, Mpala, and Hyenas. A land that has cities that are alive with some of the best food and beer in Africa.

Chasing some warthogs.

Well that land is called KENYA!

Swimming with Hippos in Lake Naivasha.

After flying in on a miracle from Ethiopia, I arrived in the middle of the night to Nairobi, where I ventured on to Manyatta backpackers and proceeded to lay my head to rest. However, I was interrupted by the meeting of a fine Scotsmen, Simon Ramsay. We proceeded to drink Brandy into the wee hours of the night and plan an adventure to Naivasha, and so the plan for Kenya was hatched, that night over some of the finest brandy!

Simon and I explored central Nairobi, only a short hop from our hostel, where we sat and had some Nyama Choma (A sort of barbequed meat dish) and beer for the entire afternoon. We caught some pretty entertaining street side gigs and popped around town, getting our bearings about us before our adventure northwards.

Bustling streets of Nairobi.

The next morning, we rose and went about making our way to Lake Naivasha, a lake about 2 hours north of Nairobi, full of Hippos and offering some pretty great opportunities for camping.

Simon and I met some excellent characters, the likes of Sarah and Ellie, two English girls that would in turn join us for some fine gin martini’s and watch the Hippos role in. Just an awesome spot in the world, but for me it was at times a bit overwhelming, as I had not seen this many white people in weeks. It took a bit of adjusting, but I was back to my own culture in no time.

A fine crew I met in Kenya.

Sarah and Ellie left us to head North towards Mount Kenya, meanwhile Simon and I relaxed by the lake, recovering once again from one of the wildest nights I have had in Africa. That lake side air does one well just before a Kilimanjaro climb.

That evening while having dinner I heard a familiar accent from across the lodge, two gals from America it seemed, I just had to say hello. And it was there I met two of the coolest young women I have ever come across on my travels or ever at home, KELLY and KATIE. These gals invited to join them for a camp fire by the lake, where we drank tusker and sang every Disney song we could think of, meshing “North Americanism” with our African experiences. What a night, and what a place!

Camera experts.

The next day while Katie and Kelly went Kayaking, Simon and I rented motor bikes and rode over to Crater Lake National park. We drove between herds of Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe and every Gazelle we could possibly think of. Spotting birds, worrying about big cats and photographing beautiful Flamingo’s. I have to say, it may be one of the coolest things I have done in Africa to date.

Those are some mean looking Buffs.

I returned to the camp, hitched a ride with Kelly and Katie back to Nairobi, singing the whole way back on the Mutatu, not to the acclaim of the locals, but it was all in good fun.

North Americanism in Kenya!

I figure here now back at the hostel that this opportunity to come to Kenya and meet such astonishingly awesome people was a blessing, and it just seems that this trip is snowballing into something special.

Thank you very much to all the new friends I made in Kenya.

And god bless those back at home.

William Delaney