Day 57, 2011/06/27 Nairobi
Well I can not tell you the relief I experienced when David arrived with the DHL package which contained our passports and our Ethiopian visas. After more than two weeks of killing time, we were finally able to contemplate moving forward.
We decided not to rush off to Isiolo but, to take the day and pack and get ready for the following days departure. After performing the necessary updates to blogs/emails/etc we did some final minute shopping. With some hot, dry conditions to look forward to,decided to purchase a 5l water bottle which, I securely fastened to the side of my bike. Just perfect so that git rests on my passengers foot peg.
After an early dinner at Glitos, very similar to Nandos in SA,it is off to bed with lArge expectations for the next days travel, after soo much time being idol.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Day 56, 2011/06/26 Kisumu to Nairobi
Day 56, 2011/06/26 Kisumu to Nairobi
David is feeling loads better. Amazing what a single rehydrate can do. After a quick breakfast at the Kisumu airport, we are back on our bikes to Nairobi. The initial road is a little frustrating, with loads of cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. However, the road eventually clears, and the riding is great. After Ahero,the scenery becomes spectacular. Every corner, is a picture postcard moment,with endless tea plantations. The endless, lush green is an amazing sight. In places, the tea plantations go on as far as the eye can see, and in others, they terminate is amazing forests. Really amazing to behold. Finally, it is back onto the A104 and onwards to Nairobi. The driving just appears to get worse by the second and the last 200 km into Nairobi must be the most hairassing thus far on the trip.
The cars and trucks have a very interesting mechanism they use for allowing people to overtake. The vehicle been overtaken, will indicate to the vehicle behind if it is safe to do so by indicating left, and if not he will indicate right. Simple, and it does work, until the truck driver gets it wrong that is. David and I were traveling down this hill when a truck driver decided to indicate to the car behind him that it was safe to overtake. He changed his indicator from right to left a little too soon. The driver being a typical Kenyan driver, did not check to see if the truck driver was infect correct, and just proceeded to pull out from the truck and right into my path. Not a pleasant thing to see this car appear from behind a truck all of a sudden while you traveling at about 80 km/h. Idiot!! Well those are Kenyan drivers for you. Always in such a rush. Anyway,that was not the only incident on the way back to Nairobi. The overtaking and driving was frighting. People barged me off the road, especially those driving big fancy SUVs. The bigger, and the fancier, the bigger the asshole driving it. Trust me not fun, especially when it started to rain, and this did not however stop them from driving and acting like idiots. To cut a long story short, David and I were so relieved when we got to the Jungle Junction in one piece, and still alive.
However, our arrival at the Jungle Junction, coincided with a massive thunderstorm. More like a cloud burst if you ask me. It rained so much that, the jungle Junction campsite, became nothing more than a huge mud pit. So camping was out of the question. Everyone turned their attention to the rooms/beds available in the house, which were all taken, by the time David and I attempted to secure one. The prospects of sleeping on the couch did exist however, that would require waiting for everyone to first go t bed, and then only would you be able to goto sleep. Not my idea of a comftable nights sleep. Lucky, by 8pm, the people who had precooked the dorm beds did not show so, David and I were able to a good nights rest.
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| Day 56, 2011/06/26 |
David is feeling loads better. Amazing what a single rehydrate can do. After a quick breakfast at the Kisumu airport, we are back on our bikes to Nairobi. The initial road is a little frustrating, with loads of cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. However, the road eventually clears, and the riding is great. After Ahero,the scenery becomes spectacular. Every corner, is a picture postcard moment,with endless tea plantations. The endless, lush green is an amazing sight. In places, the tea plantations go on as far as the eye can see, and in others, they terminate is amazing forests. Really amazing to behold. Finally, it is back onto the A104 and onwards to Nairobi. The driving just appears to get worse by the second and the last 200 km into Nairobi must be the most hairassing thus far on the trip.
The cars and trucks have a very interesting mechanism they use for allowing people to overtake. The vehicle been overtaken, will indicate to the vehicle behind if it is safe to do so by indicating left, and if not he will indicate right. Simple, and it does work, until the truck driver gets it wrong that is. David and I were traveling down this hill when a truck driver decided to indicate to the car behind him that it was safe to overtake. He changed his indicator from right to left a little too soon. The driver being a typical Kenyan driver, did not check to see if the truck driver was infect correct, and just proceeded to pull out from the truck and right into my path. Not a pleasant thing to see this car appear from behind a truck all of a sudden while you traveling at about 80 km/h. Idiot!! Well those are Kenyan drivers for you. Always in such a rush. Anyway,that was not the only incident on the way back to Nairobi. The overtaking and driving was frighting. People barged me off the road, especially those driving big fancy SUVs. The bigger, and the fancier, the bigger the asshole driving it. Trust me not fun, especially when it started to rain, and this did not however stop them from driving and acting like idiots. To cut a long story short, David and I were so relieved when we got to the Jungle Junction in one piece, and still alive.
However, our arrival at the Jungle Junction, coincided with a massive thunderstorm. More like a cloud burst if you ask me. It rained so much that, the jungle Junction campsite, became nothing more than a huge mud pit. So camping was out of the question. Everyone turned their attention to the rooms/beds available in the house, which were all taken, by the time David and I attempted to secure one. The prospects of sleeping on the couch did exist however, that would require waiting for everyone to first go t bed, and then only would you be able to goto sleep. Not my idea of a comftable nights sleep. Lucky, by 8pm, the people who had precooked the dorm beds did not show so, David and I were able to a good nights rest.
Day 55, 2011/06/25 Eldoret to Kisumu
Day 55, 2011/06/25 Eldoret to Kisumu
We have a leisurely start to the morning. We have decided that, we have come this far and need to at least see lake Victoria. The millage to Kisumu,on the banks of lake Vic,is only 160 km, so we decide on a late start. Also, the Sharks are playing against the Crusaders in the playoffs, so we decide to watch that game first before setting off. David however, is not well. Last night's curry is not sitting well, and I can clearly see he is looking very bleak. I try to insist that we stay another night, so that he cAn sleep off the stomach bug but, he insists he is fine enough to ride and that we need to move on.
After we watched the Sharks get bulldozed by the Crusaders, it is back on our bikes. The road to Kisumu is lovely,and once again there is a dramatic change in altitude. We go from almost 2300 m down to about 1200 m. On the way,we come across a number of tea plantations. IhAve never scene a tea plantation before and the sight of all that lush green is amazing to see.
In Kisumu,which looks like a real port town, except the fact that is on a lake and not on the sea, is a real bustling place. We battle to find or accommodation since, our GPS wants to route us over the lake. But, we eventually find the Kisumu Resort and decide to make that our overnight stop. It is really rundown place and since David is not feeling and looking at all well, I decide to upgrade us to the cottage accommodation option. There is a wedding reception at the resort, and David and I hope that the music will not keep us awake all night. Thank god the party is soon over, and we are able to have a peaceful nights rest.
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| Day 55, 2011/06/25 |
We have a leisurely start to the morning. We have decided that, we have come this far and need to at least see lake Victoria. The millage to Kisumu,on the banks of lake Vic,is only 160 km, so we decide on a late start. Also, the Sharks are playing against the Crusaders in the playoffs, so we decide to watch that game first before setting off. David however, is not well. Last night's curry is not sitting well, and I can clearly see he is looking very bleak. I try to insist that we stay another night, so that he cAn sleep off the stomach bug but, he insists he is fine enough to ride and that we need to move on.
After we watched the Sharks get bulldozed by the Crusaders, it is back on our bikes. The road to Kisumu is lovely,and once again there is a dramatic change in altitude. We go from almost 2300 m down to about 1200 m. On the way,we come across a number of tea plantations. IhAve never scene a tea plantation before and the sight of all that lush green is amazing to see.
In Kisumu,which looks like a real port town, except the fact that is on a lake and not on the sea, is a real bustling place. We battle to find or accommodation since, our GPS wants to route us over the lake. But, we eventually find the Kisumu Resort and decide to make that our overnight stop. It is really rundown place and since David is not feeling and looking at all well, I decide to upgrade us to the cottage accommodation option. There is a wedding reception at the resort, and David and I hope that the music will not keep us awake all night. Thank god the party is soon over, and we are able to have a peaceful nights rest.
Day 54, 2011/06/24 Eldoret
Day 54, 2011/06/24 Eldoret
Well since the rain prevented us from getting to the cheese factory yesterday, we decided to visit it after a brief visit to the internet cafe. The cheese factory is relatively small in size compared to the textile factory of yesterday, and employes far less people. Nancy, who has been working there forever ten years shows us round. The technology is actually relatively simple compared to the textile factory. Andmy favorite was by far the big storage cooler room. The smell of cheese in there is to die for! Anyway, after the visit, we do a quick tasting and we purchase way too much cheese. Then it is a quick pop in to the store for some fresh bread and then off to Naiberi for a late lunch of cheese and bread. My favorite!
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| Day 54, 2011/06/24 |
Well since the rain prevented us from getting to the cheese factory yesterday, we decided to visit it after a brief visit to the internet cafe. The cheese factory is relatively small in size compared to the textile factory of yesterday, and employes far less people. Nancy, who has been working there forever ten years shows us round. The technology is actually relatively simple compared to the textile factory. Andmy favorite was by far the big storage cooler room. The smell of cheese in there is to die for! Anyway, after the visit, we do a quick tasting and we purchase way too much cheese. Then it is a quick pop in to the store for some fresh bread and then off to Naiberi for a late lunch of cheese and bread. My favorite!
Day 53, 2011/06/23 Eldoret
Day 53, 2011/06/23 Eldoret
A quick compilation of an itinerary and we are off to town to find an Internet cafe. After managing to send off all the additional info, it is off to a clothing factory. The factory is owned by the same family that owns the campsite. It is family run business, which employes over 1500 people. And wow, what a place. They make gurseys for schools. They are woolen gurseys, and make for a wide selection of schools. The factory has some really old machinery, some dating back to 1958! Yeah, and since spares are hard to come by, there is a whole engineering section where, there are fitter and turners with their laves. They can fix almost anything apparently. Well it can be see by the fact these old machines are still up and running and producing output. In addition to the gurseys, they also produce blankets from the off cuts. It is extremely impressive that, even in this day and age of Chinese production that, these factories are still able to survive.
A quick compilation of an itinerary and we are off to town to find an Internet cafe. After managing to send off all the additional info, it is off to a clothing factory. The factory is owned by the same family that owns the campsite. It is family run business, which employes over 1500 people. And wow, what a place. They make gurseys for schools. They are woolen gurseys, and make for a wide selection of schools. The factory has some really old machinery, some dating back to 1958! Yeah, and since spares are hard to come by, there is a whole engineering section where, there are fitter and turners with their laves. They can fix almost anything apparently. Well it can be see by the fact these old machines are still up and running and producing output. In addition to the gurseys, they also produce blankets from the off cuts. It is extremely impressive that, even in this day and age of Chinese production that, these factories are still able to survive.
Day 52, 2011/06/22 Nairobi to Eldoret
Day 52, 2011/06/22 Nairobi to Eldoret
It is difficult to get out of my con fort zone that I have managed to establish in my 10 days in Nairobi but, we can just sit here and wait. Without a passport we are not able to cross any borders so, we are limited to Kenya. David and I decide to venture out of Nairobi for a couple of days, while we wait for our passports.
We have done more than enough beach and sea so, we decide to head inland and west. What we are not aware at the time, is this is the main truck route from Kenya to Uganda. However, before we leave, we do coffee at the coffee shop and confirm why we are not able to track David's passport yet online. We discover that, the courier driver ran into problems after collecting David's passport. He was arrested and his car was impounded. All we needed, to delay this process once again! Anyway, nothing we can do about it. Frustration goes on!
The weather is overcast, and it is not long before we encounter soft rain, thick mist and cold. Yeah cold! We soon hit 2600 m above sea level so, it is not surprising that the temp is so low. The bike also does not like this altitude had I can feel that it is very sluggish. The weather at least improves, and the sun is a welcome warmer. The altitude does not diminish, at we touch a max of 2900 m during the course of the day. We reach another milestone, we finally drive past a road sign that signifies that we are crossing the equator. Wow! It is a great feeling. Never thought I would have gotten this far. We stop for a couple of photos to confirm that we did manage to make it thus far.
The driving in Kenya is really shocking, and it is not long before I experience the most ridiculous scenario. A vehicle, which is overtaking a vehicle which,in turn is over taking another! Yes! And the fact that I am in that guys lane appears to be my problem! And I am forced off the road to avoid an accident! The first time it happens,it happens to be a car, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck. It is not long thou when I experience it again. This time it is a truck, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck! Hell, nothing like seeing three trucks coming your way to make you shit yourself! Anyway,you get to deal with it after a while. You soon discover that, hooting and cursing gets you nowhere!
There are soo many trucks on this road that, the Tarmac has been warn away. There are tacks warn into the tar. Soo deep that, the truck drivers literally do not need to steer, all they have to do is accelerate and break. The problem is actually for us bikers since, it creates a nightmare when overtaking. And because of nature of the terrain, very hilly, and the sheer quantity of trucks, there is loads of overtaking to be done. Each time you overtake, it like climbing pavements, and also at speed, which is nerve-racking! Anyway, we survive and eventually get to our campsite, Naiberi. A realty stunning place. It is a well known over landing spot for trucks and also a popular wedding venue. Really stunning.
On arrival, I receive a message from Joni, my much better half. Apparently my dad has run into problems at the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria. Apparently my bank statements are not good enough and, they also need a complete itinerary. No, not just of my stay in Ethiopia,but my ENTIRE TRIP! What the hell for? Enough to drive one to drink! Anyway, will have to compile one and send it through tomorrow with, my credit card statements. Hopefully,that will make them happy!
 |
| Day 52, 2011/06/22 |
It is difficult to get out of my con fort zone that I have managed to establish in my 10 days in Nairobi but, we can just sit here and wait. Without a passport we are not able to cross any borders so, we are limited to Kenya. David and I decide to venture out of Nairobi for a couple of days, while we wait for our passports.
We have done more than enough beach and sea so, we decide to head inland and west. What we are not aware at the time, is this is the main truck route from Kenya to Uganda. However, before we leave, we do coffee at the coffee shop and confirm why we are not able to track David's passport yet online. We discover that, the courier driver ran into problems after collecting David's passport. He was arrested and his car was impounded. All we needed, to delay this process once again! Anyway, nothing we can do about it. Frustration goes on!
The weather is overcast, and it is not long before we encounter soft rain, thick mist and cold. Yeah cold! We soon hit 2600 m above sea level so, it is not surprising that the temp is so low. The bike also does not like this altitude had I can feel that it is very sluggish. The weather at least improves, and the sun is a welcome warmer. The altitude does not diminish, at we touch a max of 2900 m during the course of the day. We reach another milestone, we finally drive past a road sign that signifies that we are crossing the equator. Wow! It is a great feeling. Never thought I would have gotten this far. We stop for a couple of photos to confirm that we did manage to make it thus far.
The driving in Kenya is really shocking, and it is not long before I experience the most ridiculous scenario. A vehicle, which is overtaking a vehicle which,in turn is over taking another! Yes! And the fact that I am in that guys lane appears to be my problem! And I am forced off the road to avoid an accident! The first time it happens,it happens to be a car, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck. It is not long thou when I experience it again. This time it is a truck, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck! Hell, nothing like seeing three trucks coming your way to make you shit yourself! Anyway,you get to deal with it after a while. You soon discover that, hooting and cursing gets you nowhere!
There are soo many trucks on this road that, the Tarmac has been warn away. There are tacks warn into the tar. Soo deep that, the truck drivers literally do not need to steer, all they have to do is accelerate and break. The problem is actually for us bikers since, it creates a nightmare when overtaking. And because of nature of the terrain, very hilly, and the sheer quantity of trucks, there is loads of overtaking to be done. Each time you overtake, it like climbing pavements, and also at speed, which is nerve-racking! Anyway, we survive and eventually get to our campsite, Naiberi. A realty stunning place. It is a well known over landing spot for trucks and also a popular wedding venue. Really stunning.
On arrival, I receive a message from Joni, my much better half. Apparently my dad has run into problems at the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria. Apparently my bank statements are not good enough and, they also need a complete itinerary. No, not just of my stay in Ethiopia,but my ENTIRE TRIP! What the hell for? Enough to drive one to drink! Anyway, will have to compile one and send it through tomorrow with, my credit card statements. Hopefully,that will make them happy!
Day 51, 2011/06/21 Nairobi
Day 51, 2011/06/21 Nairobi
With the passports on their way to South Africa, there is really nothing we can do but wait. So we decide to have one more chilled day in Nairobi. We spend most of the day in the coffee shop updating our blogs.
With the passports on their way to South Africa, there is really nothing we can do but wait. So we decide to have one more chilled day in Nairobi. We spend most of the day in the coffee shop updating our blogs.
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