Update : 10.02.2006
Place : İstanbul
Day : 118
Distance traveled : 16,854km

Nairobi
The second leg of Turafrika began with our touchdown at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi with Buket and Alican on the Tuesday morning of January 10th. We took a taxi to the Fairview Hotel where I left my car, checked in and tried to rest up first in the room then by the pool. And yours truly, who isn't used to staying at luxury hotels during his trips, was truly enjoying this occasion. For dinner we went to Karen Blixen's Coffee Garden Restaurant in her coffee farm; a place featured in the movie "Out of Africa" with Meryl Streep in the leading role. For some of us this movie is the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of Kenya.

Karen Blixen is the real name of Isak Dinesen, the Danish author of the novel "Out of Africa" that the movie was based on. In 1914 she marries Baron Bror von Blixen - Finecke who also happens to be her cousin, moves to Kenya with him and establishes a coffee farm. However, she contracts syphilis from Baron as a consequence of him devoting himself to more important affairs than growing coffee, and spends the rest of her life alone and fighting against the disease. She remained in Kenya until the crisis in the international coffee market following the World War I, at which point she is forced to close the farm and return to Denmark. Until her death in 1962 she spends rest of her life in an area where she experiences greater success: literature. The house where she lived in Africa, in which part of the movie "Out of Africa" took place, was later given as a gift by the Danish Government to Kenya under the condition that it would be turned into a museum. The restaurant where we had our dinner is located inside the coffee farm, close to Karen Blixen's house.

The next day's program involves our first "safari" in the Nairobi National Park. It is in fact a bit of a "token safari".

Safari means "long journey" in Swahili language. In the past (end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries) it was used for long hunting trips which became famous thanks to the celebrities such as Ernest Hemingway and Theodore Roosevelt. At recent times - luckily - it is a term used for "wildlife viewing tours" organized only for the tourists in the national parks or protected areas.

Even though the natural environment and the wild animals living in this environment are real, this can't really be called a safari both due to the size of the area being much smaller compared to other national parks where safaris are organized and due to the fact that it is not "the" natural environment for majority of its inhabitants. Nevertheless, in the long safaris we went on this trip we haven't seen any of the wide variety of wildlife which we have seen at Nairobi National Park during our first Kenya trip in 1988. For this reason, Nairobi National Park is a fine place for those who are visiting Nairobi only for a short period of time - i.e. on business trip, etc - to visit and claim that they "have actually been on a safari". Of course, provided that you get started early in the morning… If you do like we did and start your safari adventure at 10 in the morning, you won't be able to see anything more than what you can see even on the streets of Nairobi: gazelles, impalas, zebras, giraffes, baboons and ostriches. The fierce creatures like lions, leopards and cheetahs, however, have already hunted and fed by that time and would be more than likely napping in a quiet place under the shade away from the over-zealous two-legged creatures who are dying to see a bit of the wilderness.

I told you; you can see these even on the "streets". (Photo by Alican ERIC)

Nairobi National Park which is Kenya's oldest national park was opened in 1946. Situated on a 117km² land, it is only 7km away from the city centre. Within the scope of the Wildlife Conservation Lease Program which was initiated in order to protect especially the predatory animal population, the farm lands that are on the migration routes of these animals are leased from the Maasai. This helped stop the significant drop in the animal population in the park. However, this program brought with it other problems to solve when during the months of May and June in 2003; some of the lions that attempted to feed on the Maasai's herds found their fate at the ends of Maasai spears.


Baboons, the inquisitive residents of the Nairobi National Park (Photo by Alican ERIC)

In the meantime, I should tell you a bit about the Maasai. The Maasai (or also known as Masai) are semi-nomadic people who live primarily in Kenya and northern Tanzania, and are probably one of the most familiar tribes of East Africa. Usually tall and slender, the Maasai are thought to be one of the tribal groups which have migrated from the Nile valley in Sudan after 1500 AD. Despite their reputation as fierce warriors, Maasai culture revolves around their cattle. One of their spiritual beliefs is that their rain god Ngai has given all the cattle to the Maasai people, and therefore anyone else who possesses cattle must have stolen them from the Maasai. This belief time and time again has led to some fatal altercations with other tribes of the regions when the Maasai attempt to protect and reclaim their property. There are numerous traditions and ceremonies performed by Maasai men. One of these is the warrior "jumping" dance; where young Maasai morani (warrior-youth) leap into the air from a standing position, in order to demonstrate their strength and agility. Another traditional show of "manhood" was the test of "lion hunt". Until recent times, in order to earn the right to have a wife, a Maasai morani was required to have hunted a lion. And they say that the white hunters are the culprits responsible for the decrease in the lion population in Africa. The ability of so many Maasai to get wives makes it quite obvious that the white hunters are innocent in this matter.

The program for the Wednesday evening on the 11th day of January consists of dinner in The Norfolk, Kenya's oldest and most famour hotel. Lord Delamere Terrace Bar and Restaurant in The Norfolk is a popular meeting place for the foreign missions. Since 1988 besides the change of the location of the bar not much has changed here, but now the scenery is completely different. From what I remember of my previous visit here; you used hike up a meadow on a gentle slope to reach the Norfolk and it was possible to enjoy a dinner overlooking the relatively quieter city centre. Nowadays, you have your dinner looking at the concrete buildings surrounding the hotel, and the busy road in front of it. Enjoyment? Depends on your preferences.

We spent our last night in Fairview Hotel and checked out to head to the second place of accommodation in Nairobi, the Safari Park Hotel. Why the move? To surprise our dear neighbors Asiye and Hayati, who were spending their last night in Kenya in Nairobi Safari Park Hotel that night and then going back home.

During the day I went to Bush Rover which the taxi drivers at the hotel recommended to get the car fixed. There is a slight drop in the traction and oil smoke coming out of the exhaust. The English guy of Indian origin in the shop listened to what I had to say and listened to the engine inspected the exhaust fumes. His expression was one of a man looking at a crazy paranoiac person but he must have thought it would help my therapy because he told me to come back in the afternoon for valve adjustment. Of course I was right. The second cylinder admission valve needed to be adjusted and this partially solved the traction and smoke problem that they didn't detect in the shop. I think the rest of the problem is due to quality of the fuel. That's my verdict.

When we arrived at the Safari Park Hotel just outside of Nairobi, we found out that our friends have checked in as well. We knocked on their door and they were, we hope, pleasantly surprised to see us standing there… Our evening plan involves Carnivore - the last of the places Buket and I wanted to visit again years after our last visit.

Carnivore is a meat specialty restaurant. But it is unlike any others of its kind. It resembles our famous "charcoal grill" restaurants. The difference is that the size of the grill, it is huge… Meat is roasted on traditional Maasai swords (skewers) over a huge charcoal pit. The waiters then carry these swords around the restaurant, carving unlimited amounts of the prime meats onto your plate. What is the difference then between Carnivore and others? They serve all kinds of meat including wild game; zebra, crocodile, gazelle, ostrich, etc. Most of the safaris in Kenya end with a dinner at this restaurant in Nairobi. Of course, after a day spent viewing with great interest these animals in their natural environment only to taste their meat at the end of the day spells "contradiction" but oh well...

Lake Naivasha
On January 13th, we got on the road towards Lake Naivasha, and to re-enter the Great Rift Valley on the way. Naivasha means "rough water" in Maa (language of the Maasai) and the lake was given this name because of the sudden storms which can arise in the area. In the past the lake was used as a landing place for flying boats on the Imperial Airways passenger and mail route, linking Kisumu and Nairobi.You can reach Hell's Gate National Park via Moi South Lake Road which travels along the southern shores of the lake. I am not sure where the name comes from but it doesn't look like anything that would make one think of hell. Electricity is generated at the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant located in the park using the high pressure steam transmitted by the pipes from the geothermal sources in the 68km² park. Electricity generated in this power plant meets 15% of Kenya's total demand.


A market place on the road from Nairobi to Naivasha (Photo by Alican ERIC)

That night we stayed at a hotel on the shores of the Lake Naivasha. The hotel is made up of bungalows and is built on a large piece of land stretching all the way to the lake. The girl at the reception told us that there were more people staying at the hotel but we couldn't see anyone else around other than us and the staff. There are only four or five bungalows anyway. They take our order for dinner while we are checking in. There isn't much of a choice. With the mentality of "we will be just fine" and totally ignoring the bird flu, we order chicken and salad. Dinner is at 19:00. We are really hungry so it is great relief to know that our meal is going to be ready when we show up at the restaurant (!) at 19:00. But it doesn't go down that way and we wait for an hour before dinner finds its way to our dinner table - maybe the chickens run real fast here? After dinner we figure the rough conditions in the wild exhausted us. We sleep early.

The next day we leave to see the hippopotamus at Lake Naivasha at 9am. Groups of hippos, referred to as schools, live on their own little wetlands, the shallow parts of the lake. A father and quite a few mothers spend the day in the lake and the night on the grass on the shores with their calves. They feed on the grass in "their area" by the lake. Their skin is much more sensitive than one would think, that's why they spend the day in the water trying to protect their skin from the sun. Even so, their bodies secrete a red fluid which protects their head and back which are exposed to the sun above the water. Despite their size they are good swimmers and they can stay submerged for over 10 minutes before coming out of water for another breath. The calves begin to swim right after they are born because their mothers give birth in the water. Only one male is allowed in the family. Therefore the male calves are left to their own defenses after birth. Those who survive on their own can have a family if they can beat the leader of another family that they pick. The beaten leader looks for a remote place where he will spend the rest of his life in solitude. Although essentially quite sociable, hippos don't take invasion of their space too well. If someone accidentally walks into the territory (grass or wetland) of a school of hippos, there will not be much hope for survival from the punishment inflicted on this individual by the male leader of the school. Our guide told us that there are seriously high numbers of deaths among the fishermen who hunt at Lake Naivasha on foot (!).

Lake Nakuru National Park
After the boat trip destination is Lake Nakuru National Park. To go there from Naivasha you can either drive on a rough dirt road on the south or - like smart people do - turn around and get on the Nairobi - Nakuru asphalt paved road.

We are going to try to stay at a safari lodge for the first time without making a reservation prior to arrival. This lodge is in the national park where Lake Nakuru, home to flamingos, is located. It was starting to get dark when we reached the gate which was the only one that my GPS showed, and the most difficult one to get to. But we couldn't but the ticket from this gate and since we didn't have reservations made for either of the two lodges inside, we had to go to the main door and get the ticket from there. The person at the gate felt sorry for us and issued us a temporary permit so we got in.


Lake Nakuru is a major habitat for the flamingos (Photo by Alican ERIC)

Make sure that you never go to these lodges in national parks without making reservations first, preferably through an agency. Or you will be ripped off like you have never been before. Even with reservation it is pricey… When we casually walked up to the reception and said "Hi! Do you have any available rooms?" the receptionist was surprised and speechless for a while. When he told me the rate later, it was my turn to be speechless.


...and for the buffalos (Photo by Alican ERIC)

After checking in the hotel we immediately went to the main gate and buy our tickets. There are heavy fines to getting caught in the national parks without a ticket or with an expired ticket. The next day we have witnessed the ticket control process which is easy to implement especially in places like Lake Nakuru. The view of the lake covered with a blanket made of tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of flamingos made us forget everything else. They say at certain times of the year the flamingo population can reach 1.5 million.


...and for the black rhinos (Photo by Alican ERIC)

Although we were told that leopards and lions could be seen, we weren't fortunate enough to spot either. But in Nakuru we got the chance to see the white rhinoceros because there was a rehabilitation program implemented for the white rhinos. Of course I am not counting here the many giraffes, zebras, buffalos, baboons we have seen along with the other animals that are in abundance.


...and giraffes (Photo by Alican ERIC)

Maasai Mara National Park
Our last national park to visit after Nakuru is the famous Maasai Mara (or Masai Mara). Those who visit Kenya to go on a safari and exclude Maasai Mara in their safari program are considered slack.
Maasai Mara National Park is situated in south-western part of Kenya on the Tanzania border. On the other side of the border it is called Serengeti. In fact, Maasai Mara is the continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Famous especially for the annual migration of gnu (wildebeest - a kind of antelope) in June (from south to north) and October, Maasi Mara is well known by the sightings of lions and leopards feasting on the less fortunate gnu trying to cross Mara and Talek rivers during their migration. Besides being the largest national park in Kenya, it is a home to a wide variety of wildlife including the "Big Five" (The phrase Big Five game was coined by big game hunters and refers to a group of five animals which are considered to be the most difficult and dangerous to hunt; namely, elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard and buffalo), which makes it a very popular tourist destination. The park has many safari lodges, and despite its significant size of 320km², it gets packed with tourists especially during the high season which begins in February - March.

Custom built vehicles with roof hatches that also serve as a canopy to provide a shield against the sun are driving around in the park to spot and show their passengers the animals that can be rarely seen - especially lions, cheetahs and leopards. When one of these vehicles spots one of these animals that is either hunting or already feasting on its prey, it parks immediately at a spot most convenient for the pleasure of viewing by the visitors, so they can enjoy this fine occasion taking hundreds of photos and recording videos. When the drivers or other vehicles notice this discovery, they appear at the same location immediately and circle around to find a better spot for their own tourists. In a little while, the scene looks something like this: In the middle a few lions enjoying the antelope they caught, circling them is a horde of vehicles full of tourists trying to capture this historical moment from the best possible position while hanging out of the vehicle on top of each other. This situation must have been rather annoying for the leopards and cheetahs whose hunting hours overlap with the safari hours; lately there has been a significant drop in the number of leopard and cheetah populations in Maasi Mara. They say that most of these animals leave the park to find places to hunt in peace but they die away at those places since they don't have a chance to survive alone.

What is the difference between this practice of wildlife viewing safaris and the hunting safaris? At the end of the day both cause a decrease in the animal population?

(Photo by Alican ERIC)


(Photo by Alican ERIC)

(Photo by Alican ERIC)
Animal photos from Maasai Mara...
You know the others but this last one is the "black backed jackal"

Following the two nights we spent in Maasai Mara, on Tuesday January 17th we left for Kisumu, our last stop in Kenya before crossing over to Uganda.

On the way to Kisumu and in the city, we couldn't help but notice the large number of bicycles. Bicycles are common everywhere in Kenya but it seems that they are a major mode of transport more so than any other place. The bicycles have cushions at the back of the bicycle and there is usually a second person traveling on the back seat. First we couldn't figure this out but later Buket and Alican thought that they could be "taxi bikes". As a matter of fact, this was the case. There are a few these bicycles with their riders on every corner and as you pass by they call out "Taxi! Want a taxi?" We would see many more of these "taxi bikes" up until and even after crossing the Ugandan border. The local name for these taxis is boda-boda. It is a modified version of "border - to - border" in local accent.

Kisumu is a city built on the shores of the Lake Victoria which is Africa's largest and world's second largest natural lake. Kisumu competes with Nakuru for the third largest city position after Nairobi and Mombasa. In the beginning of 20th century it was called Port Florence. Why it was called Port Florence, you will find out from the story I will tell you about the construction of the East African Railroad.
Here is how the story goes: End of 19th century; Britain, Germany and France agreed to divide East Africa between the three of them. In accordance with the plans, Germans took control of Tanganyika (today's Tanzania); the Brits colonized Kenya and Uganda, and the French ended up with Madagascar. Once the distribution of power was complete, English businessmen who have been carrying out their business activities in Uganda for a long time began to pressure the government to build a railroad line to improve trade in Uganda. Reluctant in the beginning, the government later on arranged for a feasibility study and in 1895 ordered the construction of the railroad. Simultaneously the British East African Protectorate was established to protect the British investments in the area. Despite strong reaction from the opposition against building such a railroad in a foreign country, to reach an unknown destination; with a budget that can not be projected, the construction began in 1896 under the supervision of chief engineer George Whitehouse.

As a result of difficulties encountered in recruitment of labor from the local population, unskilled labor was brought from India. The railroad reached a Maasai wetland called Nyrobi in 1899 where the first three construction camps were built. This place would then become the administrative headquarters and, later, the capital city.

Finally on 20th December 1901, 5 years and 4 months later; the railroad reached the shores of Lake Victoria in the western part of the country. It cost over three million Sterling to the Brits and the lives of thousands of Indian workers. This place where the railroad ended was named Port Florence in dedication to Florence Preston, the wife of the chief engineer. Later it would be changed to Kisumu. Majority of the Indian workers who were employed in the construction of the railroad later began to engage in business activities in Kenya and Uganda, using the advantage of having much longer history with Britain - compared to the locals - and being more experienced in the business area - again compared to the local population. Both in Kenya and Uganda they are the people who dominate the business sector and are always placed on the top of the lists of the richest businessmen. Most of the luxury villas in Kisumu, which I mentioned previously, belong to the Indian businessmen.

We cross the border from Kenya to Uganda on Wednesday, January 18th. After we checked out of the hotel Buket bought a few souvenirs and gifts. Later we stopped at a convenience store to replenish the supplies in the fridge and some snacks to eat on the way. Our destination is the border town of Busia. Actually the main border gate from Kenya to Uganda is in Malaba. But I thought crossing the border at Busia would be easier since it is on a secondary road which would probably have less traffic. We arrived in Busia after a smooth 3.5 hour drive. And as soon as we did we were swarmed by the "friendly brokers". It reminded me of the attack of the brokers at Cilvegozu border gate when I was leaving Turkey in the beginning of my trip.

I fought off the majority of them but one would just not give up. We were walking around like the Siamese twins despite the fact that I told him it was not going to happen; I wanted to do everything alone and he wasn't going to get even a cent off me for guiding me around against my wishes. By the time I was through customs and passport control we have become good friends, and were engaged in a conversation on Kenya and where it is headed. Still, I didn't back down from what I said at the beginning and didn't make any concessions but I promised him to publish his photo and contact details so he could at least have a chance at doing some business with others who would later follow the same route. Unfortunately the photo I was going to put up here has vanished like everything else that was stolen in Entebbe but I still have his name and mobile phone number, which I wrote below. In the case that any of those who read these pages cross the border at this point; he might be able to help you in return for a nominal fee. Thanks Victor!

Victor Opio Mungayo
GSM : +254 722 372119

Kenya update is complete, after a long break. I have explained in the first part of the Uganda update the reason for the delay and for using photos from a different source (well actually they were taken by my son, not a stranger). Also in the same update, I have kindly asked those who are following the website to send me a message - even a blank message would have been fine... I have to say I was disappointed with the lack of response. Everyone must have gotten tired of following the site since there has been so much delay between updates, and that's fair enough. I am still hopeful though...

In the meantime, many thanks for the messages from friends supporting and encouraging me to continue on - even after the second theft incident.

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