Sunday 28 January 2007
My Christmas Project
This is a project I completed over the Christmas 2006. I took a photograph of a group of friends in the UK, taken in November 2006 during our visit there. I cropped out and straightened up the shot of our friend Pat L and then did a pastel painting of it which I subsequently framed. I haven't done any art in the last 22 years but I thought it came out OK although I found it hard to take a photograph which brings up the colours properly. Anyway, here it is for better or worse - on public display!
Saturday 27 January 2007
Journey to the Mountains of the Moon - 1994 (6)
Mt Kenya looking up the McKinder Valley to thescree slope which leads to the glacier (centre).
The next morning, after settling up the lodge bill after breakfast, we were preparing to leave for Nairobi in the Peugeot which Dominic had arranged when the desk clerk ran up to say he had undercharged us by US$90. So much for using a calculator! The Peugeot took the six of us (Dominic and I, the three Spaniards, and the German) along with our packs of course, for Ks700 each. It was somewhat more comfortable than a matatu which would have been grossly overloaded on a journey into the city.
On arrival we booked into the slightly more salubrious Fairview Hotel at US$70 a night including breakfast. This turned out to be much better value than the SixEighty and quieter – being away from the bustle of the city centre. It had maintained a colonial feeling to it which was definitely missing at the SixEighty. We had a nice lunch of samosas at the hotel. We had become addicted to samosas when we lived in Nairobi in the early 1970's so it was good to be able to have them whenever we wanted to. After lunch we headed downtown to check out buses for Kampala. The Lonely Planet guide had mentioned the Akamba Bus Company but we couldn’t locate it. However, we did manage to find a regular service for when we would be ready for the next leg of the trip.
On the way back to the hotel we picked up our suitcases which we had left at the Six-Eighty Hotel while we were ‘up-country’.
On arrival back at the Fairview we contacted old friends Frank and Marjorie Watts. This hardy couple had stayed on in Kenya following Frank’s second retirement and spent much of their time helping out at the animal orphanage attached to the Nairobi Game Park. Frank originally travelled from England to Kenya on the same flight which we had travelled on way back in 1974. He was then taking up his new position as Safety Officer for East African Power and Lighting Company after retiring from the electricity industry in England. I was joining the same company as a Senior Programmer on a two year contract. When we got settled into company housing we turned out to be in the same street and separated by just one other house. It would be good to catch up with them after all these years so we arranged to meet them for lunch at the Fairview next day to catch up on old times.
Dinner that night was a Fairview Special Burger with sides for Ks1000 including drinks.
The next morning we decided on a bit of sight-seeing so we headed off on foot to the Snake Park and Museum. I remembered the Snake Park from our time here twenty years ago. When we arrived there we could not discern any changes apart from having to pay the non-resident price to get in. The snake pit in the middle of the park was literally crawling with legless reptiles - I wouldn't want to fall in!
Green tree snakes in Nairobi Snake Park. How many can you count?Afterwards we headed back into town to attempt to find the Akamba Bus Company again which we eventually did find it in Lagos Road. The company runs an overnight bus between Nairobi and Kampala so we booked for the 7pm trip the following night. Dominic had arranged to visit the Australian High Commission the following morning so the evening departure would suit us quite nicely. At least that was the plan but the best laid plans ...
For our trip up Mt Kenya we had bought kerosene which was the only stove fuel we could find at the time but it was not good for cooking with being far too dirty and emitting noxious black smoke. For the next leg we hunted around and found some white spirit which burns cleanly. We were able to stock up on drinks and snacks for the bus trip at the same time.
The morning having been successfully taken care of at the Snake Park and doing our shopping we headed back to the hotel by taxi to meet Marjorie and Frank for lunch.
Meeting up with Marjorie and Frank after 18 years was quite a joy and they seemed to be handling their increasing age well. Marjorie told us of some of her experiences at the Animal Orphanage, including being mauled by a young lion which left her with some nasty scars on her arms. They also regaled us with tales about the number of times their house had been broken into although they seemed quite blasé about it. They do have an Askari (guard) looking after the house but from our previous experiences the Askari is not likely to prove much of a deterrent to would-be thieves - they typically run away to avoid trouble. Apart from their security experiences the ex-patriot lifestyle seemed to suit them and, as they told us, there was nothing for them back in England.
The following morning - July 13th - Dominic went off to do his bit of work at the Australian High Commission. He was on leave from the Department of Administrative Services who provided information technology services to the Department of Foreign Affairs, and had arranged to do a technical review of the AHC installation while he was in Nairobi.
I, on the other hand, had woken up with acute diarrhoea, upset stomach and mild fever. From the symptoms I worked out that it was probably amoebic dysentery caught from improperly prepared food or bad water up-country. We had been extremely careful about what we ate and where and we had a pump-style water purifier with us which we used for all of our drinking and cooking water (and for teeth-cleaning water). However, there was no mistaking the nature of the problem so I stayed in bed and dosed up on Lomotil (for the vomiting) and Bactrim (for the other end). When Dominic returned I wasn’t feeling significantly better so we decided to postpone the Kampala trip for a couple of days. I could not envisage sitting on a bus for over 15 hours in this state. The medicines seemed to have the desired effect eventually but it was an unwelcome upset to our plans. I did get to watch a lot of UK TV via cable which kept me in touch with the outside world somewhat.
Saturday 20 January 2007
Journey to the Mountains of the Moon - 1994 (5)
We had a good breakfast the next day prior to Dominic heading off with his 'expedition'. After Dominic had gone I later had a good lunch which was pretty much the same as the previous night's dinner except that it was in the restaurant beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately afterwards I had an attack of the skitters which saw me have to walk with clenched buttocks back to the cottage. Because I was on my own in a fairly large cottage, they moved me to a different cottage which was a bit closer to the lodge amenities and beside the river but it had a lot of overhanging trees which made it quite a gloomy place. I managed to call Patricia at home and had a welcome conversation while I brought her up to date with the happenings.
That night I was very uneasy. Alone in this very dark cottage I was conscious of having all of Dominic's and my worldly possessions and the slightest noise from the trees outside had me twitching. spent a very uneasy night. The cottage was quiet apart from ambient bush and river noises but I felt very insecure even though I double and triple checked that doors and windows were secured. When I wen to bed I spent the early part of the night starting at every unusual noise. Eventually I got out of bed and barricaded the bedroom door with a chest of drawers buttressed by the end of the bed. At least if anyone broke in I was going to have plenty of warning before they could get into the room. After blocking the doorway that I was able to get back to sleep properly although if there had been a fire I would have been stonkered.
Later next morning I went to reception and put Dominic’s money into safe storage. I also got them to move me into a double villa-type room which gave me a more secure feeling as there were people in the rooms on both sides. The ‘room’ was half of a small villa – one of several which are set in a row alongside the pathway to the lodge's central amenities area.
I bought a writing pad and wrote seven pages to Patricia. Possibly the spooked feeling was down to a bit of physical exhaustion compounded by the dose of skitters. I wonder if I was coming down with that while up the mountain and it might have contributed to the fatigue?
Even though I’d only been by myself a day, the enforced inactivity was making me a bit potty and I would be glad when Dominic arrived back. I did hope he was having a good experience though.
I lit a fire before going to dinner and by the time I got back it had warmed the room up quite nicely. People who haven't been there often think that all of Africa is hot and steamy all of the time. Even though it straddles the Equator, upland Kenya is quite temperate and night time temperatures drop quite low because of the altitude. Dinner was up to the usual standard – especially the Piripiri Chicken. That night I slept much better.
The following morning I skipped breakfast as I was feeling a little overfed. I mooched around the lodge property, read, watched birds then had lunch. This included samosas and curries for a nice change.
A group of American twitchers (birdwatchers) arrived during the morning. The group was mainly composed of middle-aged women and it was amusing to me to watch them wandering around with binoculars oohing and aahing at every little bird that moved. There were some very pretty birds around, however, including a group of green parrots.
At around 4:30pm Dominic arrived back from his mountain adventure very very tired. He made it up to Pt Lenana but only just. Still, he did get there and was glad he had done it. His description of the last section from McKinder’s Hut to Pt Lenana was almost word for word with my memory of my own experience 19 years ago.
The 1975 Mt Kenya Summit Party at Pt Lenana.
The author is 2nd from right in the yellow balaclava.
The 1994 Mt Kenya Summit Party.
Dominic in red Goretex 2nd from right
That night I was very uneasy. Alone in this very dark cottage I was conscious of having all of Dominic's and my worldly possessions and the slightest noise from the trees outside had me twitching. spent a very uneasy night. The cottage was quiet apart from ambient bush and river noises but I felt very insecure even though I double and triple checked that doors and windows were secured. When I wen to bed I spent the early part of the night starting at every unusual noise. Eventually I got out of bed and barricaded the bedroom door with a chest of drawers buttressed by the end of the bed. At least if anyone broke in I was going to have plenty of warning before they could get into the room. After blocking the doorway that I was able to get back to sleep properly although if there had been a fire I would have been stonkered.
Later next morning I went to reception and put Dominic’s money into safe storage. I also got them to move me into a double villa-type room which gave me a more secure feeling as there were people in the rooms on both sides. The ‘room’ was half of a small villa – one of several which are set in a row alongside the pathway to the lodge's central amenities area.
I bought a writing pad and wrote seven pages to Patricia. Possibly the spooked feeling was down to a bit of physical exhaustion compounded by the dose of skitters. I wonder if I was coming down with that while up the mountain and it might have contributed to the fatigue?
Even though I’d only been by myself a day, the enforced inactivity was making me a bit potty and I would be glad when Dominic arrived back. I did hope he was having a good experience though.
I lit a fire before going to dinner and by the time I got back it had warmed the room up quite nicely. People who haven't been there often think that all of Africa is hot and steamy all of the time. Even though it straddles the Equator, upland Kenya is quite temperate and night time temperatures drop quite low because of the altitude. Dinner was up to the usual standard – especially the Piripiri Chicken. That night I slept much better.
The following morning I skipped breakfast as I was feeling a little overfed. I mooched around the lodge property, read, watched birds then had lunch. This included samosas and curries for a nice change.
A group of American twitchers (birdwatchers) arrived during the morning. The group was mainly composed of middle-aged women and it was amusing to me to watch them wandering around with binoculars oohing and aahing at every little bird that moved. There were some very pretty birds around, however, including a group of green parrots.
At around 4:30pm Dominic arrived back from his mountain adventure very very tired. He made it up to Pt Lenana but only just. Still, he did get there and was glad he had done it. His description of the last section from McKinder’s Hut to Pt Lenana was almost word for word with my memory of my own experience 19 years ago.
The 1975 Mt Kenya Summit Party at Pt Lenana.The author is 2nd from right in the yellow balaclava.
Dinner that night was a good one enjoyed with three Spaniards – Idor, Jose, and Anna – who were actually Basques, and a German – Klaus. They had all been part of Dominic’s ‘summit party’. As they were all weary from their Mt Kenya experience we soon broke up after dinner for an early night.
The 1994 Mt Kenya Summit Party.Dominic in red Goretex 2nd from right
Sunday 14 January 2007
Journey to the Mountains of the Moon - 1994 (5)
After breaking camp at Sirimon Gate we had to pay the Park Ranger for the necessary permits. Being in the park costs US$20 each per (planned) day - $12 for admission and $8 for camping. Like other public facilities in Kenya, visitors pay much more than local residents. When we lived in Kenya in the ‘70s we had benefited from this but now we had to pay the full tariff. We had calculated that it would take us four days to get up to Pt Lenana and back out of the park.
Starting out just after 9am the first day’s walk was up through the dense forest on the lower slopes and would take us above the tree line some distance before Judmaier Camp. The track is steep and the going was slow with the approximately 25kg that each of us was carrying so stops for breath were frequent. The rests did, however, give us time to appreciate the natural beauty of these lower slopes. Shortly after departing Sirimon gate we saw Bushbuck and further on there were Guinea Fowl. We saw many forest birds, and monkeys abounded in the trees. There were signs of buffalo, elephant and hyena along the trail as evidenced by their distinctive piles of droppings. We didn’t want to meet any one of them face to face but if we did we were trusting to our walking poles to provide some degree of defence.
It took us about five and a half hours to ascend the 800 metres over about 8 km. The last one and a quarter hours we were trudging through a fierce hail storm. Even with the hood of our Goretex waterproof jackets up the hail stung and the track soon became a mini-river. We were now above the tree line and the terrain wasn’t quite so steep. It was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and eventually we came to the Old Moses Bunkhouse at Judmaier Camp. Danish couple Jacob and Tina, who had passed us just before the hail started, were already there. Although we had the tent we were cold and wet and didn’t relish the idea of setting up camp in the still-falling hail so we opted to spend the night at the bunkhouse. At Ks 650 it was worth it to spend a drier and more restful night.
Shortly after our arrival a group of eleven straggled in followed by a group of four Australians from Perth. The change into warm dry gear was most welcome. That evening we cooked a light meal using some of the dired fish which had bought in the City Market in Nairobi. They were edible but particularly palatable and Dominic's stomach revolted at eating them. And it had seemed like such a good idea when we bought them.
After a cosy (and dry) night in the hut, our start at a little before 8am was through frozen hail which made it very crisp underfoot. Our plan today was to make for Liki North Hut and spend the night there. From there it would be releatively straightforward to go to Point Lenana and then get back to Liki North Hut in one day. With the frozen hail on the ground it was hard to imagine that we were just a few kilometres south of the Equator. However, the equatorial region plays little part in the local climate when you are over 3500 metres above sea level.
I found the going very tiring and after three hours we had made a bare 200 metres in altitude and about 3 kilometres in distance. Even though it was a bright sunny day and I was wearing my Goretex shell I was feeling cold which was a sure sign of very low blood sugar. I had a very real fear of developing altitude sickness and we were still at least 400 metres in altitude and five kilometres in distance from Liki North Hut. Reluctantly we decided to go back down to Old Moses Bunkhouse for another night and re-assess the situation there. It took us about one and a half hours to make the return, downhill, trip. It felt almost as hard going down as it was going up but that was probably just the result of extreme fatigue.
Even though we turned back the day was far from wasted. At this altitude the unique mountain flora is abundant with giant lobelia and groundsel (Senecio) as well as giant heath. They provide a rich environment for small bird species such as the Malachite Sunbird, larger birds such as Guinea Fowl, and for several types of mammals such as Bushbuck and Hyrax.
On re-reaching Old Moses Bunkhouse I got into my sleeping bag to try to warm up and rest for a while. Dominic cooked up some packet Thai Hot and Spicy noodles which had a very beneficial effect.
Two Welsh guys were camped nearby on their way up the mountain where they planned to do two climbs.
And so to bed to rest up for whatever the new day would bring. The early night gave me a chance to think things over a bit and reflect on my condition.
After a decent sleep Dominic and I discussed our options. An obvious one was to try again for Liki North Hut having had another night to rest. I didn’t feel that I had recovered enough for it to be really that much different from the previous day though so I suggested that we head back down and then go down to Naro Moru where he could get a portered trip up the Naro Moru route which would take about three days total. I’d stay behind in the Naro Moru River Lodge and recover ready for my real objective – the Ruwenzoris. I was disappointed at not being able to make it but I had done the ascent to Pt Lenana once and Dominic deserved a chance to do it without me jeopardising the effort.
So at eight-thirtyish we started out back down the mountain to Sirimon Gate. From there we would play it by ear to get a ride back to Nanyuki and thence to Naro Moru.
The walk down to Sirimon Gate was uneventful and took us about two and a half hours. Waiting for a matatu to hitch a ride back to Nanyuki gave us a chance to rest for a while.
We finally managed to arrange a ride back to Nanyuki for Ks1000. A guide from another party tried to hustle us into staying at Nanyuki and arranging for Dominic to do a porteraged trip from there up the Sirimon route. We’d made our minds up, however, and we would do the Naro Moru option as we had agreed.
The trip back to Nanyuki was uneventful and there was a bus leaving ‘soon’ for Naro Moru. KS50 each and the same for our packs saw us on our way. I might have offended the local bus guys a little as I kept popping out of the bus to make sure our packs were not being offloaded from the roof while we were inside. However, better safe than sorry and I had heard some stories of backpackers arriving at their destination to find that their luggage had not. The bus trip was not without its amusements. One of the passengers was a self-proclaimed evangelist who had taken it upon herself to save the rest of humanity from the burning fires of hell. She copped a lot of flak and abuse from other passengers but she didn’t go far and it was quite peaceful for the rest of the trip. Of course, arrival in Naro Moru gave us yet another throng of hustlers to deal with but we fobbed them off with a ‘we will get back to you’ and carried on to walk the three kilometres to the Naro Moru River Lodge.
We were able to secure a self-contained cottage for US$45 per day and an extra US$23 for full board. Dominic arranged his trip up the Naro Moru route to start the following day and I would stay behind and recover. For US$450 he got a guide and two porters with all accommodation, park passes, and food included.
After this eventful day we finished off with an excellent dinner of six plus courses. The self-contained cottage was set off by itself in a very peacful area of the grounds. We were able to get some essential laundry done and relax a bit which was very welcome.
Starting out just after 9am the first day’s walk was up through the dense forest on the lower slopes and would take us above the tree line some distance before Judmaier Camp. The track is steep and the going was slow with the approximately 25kg that each of us was carrying so stops for breath were frequent. The rests did, however, give us time to appreciate the natural beauty of these lower slopes. Shortly after departing Sirimon gate we saw Bushbuck and further on there were Guinea Fowl. We saw many forest birds, and monkeys abounded in the trees. There were signs of buffalo, elephant and hyena along the trail as evidenced by their distinctive piles of droppings. We didn’t want to meet any one of them face to face but if we did we were trusting to our walking poles to provide some degree of defence.
It took us about five and a half hours to ascend the 800 metres over about 8 km. The last one and a quarter hours we were trudging through a fierce hail storm. Even with the hood of our Goretex waterproof jackets up the hail stung and the track soon became a mini-river. We were now above the tree line and the terrain wasn’t quite so steep. It was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and eventually we came to the Old Moses Bunkhouse at Judmaier Camp. Danish couple Jacob and Tina, who had passed us just before the hail started, were already there. Although we had the tent we were cold and wet and didn’t relish the idea of setting up camp in the still-falling hail so we opted to spend the night at the bunkhouse. At Ks 650 it was worth it to spend a drier and more restful night.
Shortly after our arrival a group of eleven straggled in followed by a group of four Australians from Perth. The change into warm dry gear was most welcome. That evening we cooked a light meal using some of the dired fish which had bought in the City Market in Nairobi. They were edible but particularly palatable and Dominic's stomach revolted at eating them. And it had seemed like such a good idea when we bought them.
After a cosy (and dry) night in the hut, our start at a little before 8am was through frozen hail which made it very crisp underfoot. Our plan today was to make for Liki North Hut and spend the night there. From there it would be releatively straightforward to go to Point Lenana and then get back to Liki North Hut in one day. With the frozen hail on the ground it was hard to imagine that we were just a few kilometres south of the Equator. However, the equatorial region plays little part in the local climate when you are over 3500 metres above sea level.
I found the going very tiring and after three hours we had made a bare 200 metres in altitude and about 3 kilometres in distance. Even though it was a bright sunny day and I was wearing my Goretex shell I was feeling cold which was a sure sign of very low blood sugar. I had a very real fear of developing altitude sickness and we were still at least 400 metres in altitude and five kilometres in distance from Liki North Hut. Reluctantly we decided to go back down to Old Moses Bunkhouse for another night and re-assess the situation there. It took us about one and a half hours to make the return, downhill, trip. It felt almost as hard going down as it was going up but that was probably just the result of extreme fatigue.
Even though we turned back the day was far from wasted. At this altitude the unique mountain flora is abundant with giant lobelia and groundsel (Senecio) as well as giant heath. They provide a rich environment for small bird species such as the Malachite Sunbird, larger birds such as Guinea Fowl, and for several types of mammals such as Bushbuck and Hyrax.
On re-reaching Old Moses Bunkhouse I got into my sleeping bag to try to warm up and rest for a while. Dominic cooked up some packet Thai Hot and Spicy noodles which had a very beneficial effect.
Two Welsh guys were camped nearby on their way up the mountain where they planned to do two climbs.
And so to bed to rest up for whatever the new day would bring. The early night gave me a chance to think things over a bit and reflect on my condition.
After a decent sleep Dominic and I discussed our options. An obvious one was to try again for Liki North Hut having had another night to rest. I didn’t feel that I had recovered enough for it to be really that much different from the previous day though so I suggested that we head back down and then go down to Naro Moru where he could get a portered trip up the Naro Moru route which would take about three days total. I’d stay behind in the Naro Moru River Lodge and recover ready for my real objective – the Ruwenzoris. I was disappointed at not being able to make it but I had done the ascent to Pt Lenana once and Dominic deserved a chance to do it without me jeopardising the effort.
So at eight-thirtyish we started out back down the mountain to Sirimon Gate. From there we would play it by ear to get a ride back to Nanyuki and thence to Naro Moru.
The walk down to Sirimon Gate was uneventful and took us about two and a half hours. Waiting for a matatu to hitch a ride back to Nanyuki gave us a chance to rest for a while.
We finally managed to arrange a ride back to Nanyuki for Ks1000. A guide from another party tried to hustle us into staying at Nanyuki and arranging for Dominic to do a porteraged trip from there up the Sirimon route. We’d made our minds up, however, and we would do the Naro Moru option as we had agreed.
The trip back to Nanyuki was uneventful and there was a bus leaving ‘soon’ for Naro Moru. KS50 each and the same for our packs saw us on our way. I might have offended the local bus guys a little as I kept popping out of the bus to make sure our packs were not being offloaded from the roof while we were inside. However, better safe than sorry and I had heard some stories of backpackers arriving at their destination to find that their luggage had not. The bus trip was not without its amusements. One of the passengers was a self-proclaimed evangelist who had taken it upon herself to save the rest of humanity from the burning fires of hell. She copped a lot of flak and abuse from other passengers but she didn’t go far and it was quite peaceful for the rest of the trip. Of course, arrival in Naro Moru gave us yet another throng of hustlers to deal with but we fobbed them off with a ‘we will get back to you’ and carried on to walk the three kilometres to the Naro Moru River Lodge.
We were able to secure a self-contained cottage for US$45 per day and an extra US$23 for full board. Dominic arranged his trip up the Naro Moru route to start the following day and I would stay behind and recover. For US$450 he got a guide and two porters with all accommodation, park passes, and food included.
After this eventful day we finished off with an excellent dinner of six plus courses. The self-contained cottage was set off by itself in a very peacful area of the grounds. We were able to get some essential laundry done and relax a bit which was very welcome.
Sunday 7 January 2007
Journey to the Mountains of the Moon - 1994 (4)
Research the previous evening had provided us with the information that the ‘bus depot’ where we arrived in Nanyuki was also the place to pick up a local ride by taxi. We found a friendly driver and his ‘co-pilot’ who were willing to take us to the road junction for Sirimon Gate - off the main highway north. They helped us to load our packs and then we were off for the princely sum of Ks500. The driver and his mate were very chatty and happy to talk politics. The situation seemed to be pretty much like any other country in the world – country areas disadvantaged by policies that favoured the cities etc. There was much talk of corruption and regional favouritism.
To emphasise the point, we were stopped along the way by a policeman. According to our driver this was common practice with the country police officers seeking ‘tea money’ from wayfarers before allowing them to pass. Our presence in the car may have kept the cost down a bit for our driver.
We had arranged to be dropped at the main road junction where the road to Sirimon Gate begins. Our reasoning was that this would give us some time to walk ourselves fit and get used to the higher altitude. Nanyuki is at just over 1900m ASL and Sirimon Gate is at 2600m. The walk in from the road junction at about 2000m is about 9km and would give us a chance to stretch our legs and lungs. We would also get used to feeling the weight of our packs before we hit the steeper stuff! Our taxi driver and his mate could not see the point of us doing this and wanted to drop us off at the park gate but eventually we managed to convince them that we weren’t entirely nuts.
The 9km walk to the park gate took us four hours which was probably ok given that we were carrying heavy packs and gained about 600 metres in altitude. Along the way we passed by fields under cultivation although there were not many people about. Periodically on the track we had to detour around a large pile of elephant dung. At least the local shamba owners would have ready supplies of good-quality fertiliser for free – possibly in repayment for some of their crop which had been trampled and/or eaten.
Upon arrival at Sirimon Gate we payed our respects to the Park Ranger and explained that we would camp at the gate overnight and head into Mt Kenya National Park the following day. There were two South African couples at the Ranger Post. Hindi, Gregory, Sharon and Gavin who were planning to climb the south face of Batian.
Bert reclining in the tent at Sirimon Gate
We set up our tent and settled down for a bit of a rest. Just before getting ready to cook our evening meal we were hit by a violent hailstorm. Dominic’s expedition tent had its first real weather test and passed with flying colours. The only problem we found was that the air duct tubes in the vestibule, which we closed to keep out the hail, had filled up with hailstones so we had to be very careful when we reopened them to make sure the hailstones went outside and not inside. We had gleaned from our pre-trip reading that the afternoon storms are a pretty regular occurrence.
To emphasise the point, we were stopped along the way by a policeman. According to our driver this was common practice with the country police officers seeking ‘tea money’ from wayfarers before allowing them to pass. Our presence in the car may have kept the cost down a bit for our driver.
We had arranged to be dropped at the main road junction where the road to Sirimon Gate begins. Our reasoning was that this would give us some time to walk ourselves fit and get used to the higher altitude. Nanyuki is at just over 1900m ASL and Sirimon Gate is at 2600m. The walk in from the road junction at about 2000m is about 9km and would give us a chance to stretch our legs and lungs. We would also get used to feeling the weight of our packs before we hit the steeper stuff! Our taxi driver and his mate could not see the point of us doing this and wanted to drop us off at the park gate but eventually we managed to convince them that we weren’t entirely nuts.
The 9km walk to the park gate took us four hours which was probably ok given that we were carrying heavy packs and gained about 600 metres in altitude. Along the way we passed by fields under cultivation although there were not many people about. Periodically on the track we had to detour around a large pile of elephant dung. At least the local shamba owners would have ready supplies of good-quality fertiliser for free – possibly in repayment for some of their crop which had been trampled and/or eaten.
Upon arrival at Sirimon Gate we payed our respects to the Park Ranger and explained that we would camp at the gate overnight and head into Mt Kenya National Park the following day. There were two South African couples at the Ranger Post. Hindi, Gregory, Sharon and Gavin who were planning to climb the south face of Batian.
Bert reclining in the tent at Sirimon GateFrom the door of the tent we could watch a group of Waterbuck grazing in the forest a short distance away along with a few Zebra. Where we were camped is about 500m north of the Equator and the top of Mt Kenya is about 20km by crow flight to the south-south-east. The peaks showed up briefly as the late afternoon storm passed and it really was an awesome sight.
Mt Kenya from Sirimon Gate - late afternoon
Mt Kenya from Sirimon Gate - late afternoonMonday 1 January 2007
Journey to the Mountains of the Moon - 1994 (3)
Eventually we set off to Nairobi on June 30th 1994. This is Dominic and me at Sydney Airport, taken by Garth, while waiting for our Johannesburg flight. 
After briefly meeting up with Garth we’re off via Perth and Johannesburg arriving at 6:20AM to 2°C in the middle of their coldest snap since 1964! Time for some name dropping. While waiting to board our flight to Nairobi at Jan Smuts Airport the familiar face of Desmond Tutu appeared in the crowd mixing with true ecumenical egalitarianism. He only had time for a quick ‘Hi Bert’ before leaving (OK that’s a lie).
Our initial impressions of Nairobi after nearly 20 years were that it was busier and dirtier than remembered and that there were a lot more beggars and touts on the streets. These impressions may have been the result of faulty memory coupled with having lived now for many years in places where you don’t get accosted every few paces to ‘buy this’, ‘take this tour’, ‘shine your shoes;, or just plain outright begging. The first reaction of tourists to beggars is often ‘oh – poor things, better give them something’ and that is exactly what they count on. The best approach is to watch what the locals do and follow suit. There is no doubt that westerners coming to Africa are seen as being unimaginably wealthy and are therefore easy pickings for street-smart beggars in the larger cities. It is, perhaps, instructive that when you get away from the cities and into rural towns the incidence of beggars declines very rapidly. Unfortunately the same is not true of the touts. After being in Nairobi a few days we had swotted up on our basic Swahili again giving us the key phrase ‘Siyo! Kwenda!’ (‘No! Go away!’) accompanied by a dismissive hand gesture. This ‘hardened’ attitude did not stop us giving to those whom we felt were genuinely in need.
For the first few days of our trip we stayed in the SixEighty Hotel right on Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi’s heart. Eighteen years previously this would possibly have been a 3-4 star hotel but on our return in 1994 it was officially rated at 2 stars. It was adequate though and at $US65 a night for the two of us, relatively inexpensive.
After check in we had a stroll around to some of the old city places we remembered. The City Market seemed to be conducting the same sort of fresh vegetable business and was very familiar. At the Thorn Tree Hotel we stopped for a tea for me and a Coca Cola for Dominic. It still provides a useful place to stop and watch the world go by.
In these first couple of days we also checked out the ground transport situation at the unofficial Matatu bus ‘depot’ on the corner of River and Accra Roads. It was, and no doubt still is, really just a matter of turning up and finding the next one leaving and then negotiating the price. We were quoted a general going rate for Nairobi to Nanyuki of around Ks250 (250 Kenya Shillings – roughly Ks60 = US$1) plus Ks100 per pack each.
One of the first things you have to work out in a strange place, and Nairobi was strange after nearly 20 years away, is how to feed yourself. Fortunately we found a ‘Burger King’ that did a good breakfast of baked beans, two poached eggs, toast, juice and tea for Ks63. Any resemblance to a Burger King anywhere else on the planet was only in the name but it was OK. For dinner on the second day we found an Italian Trattoria near Kenyatta Avenue that was as good as any in Melbourne’s Lygon Street. Nairobi, and Kenya in general, is not the sort of place where a 'must do' is totry the local cuisine. Apart from game, mostly from farmed sources, there is nothing to tempt foreign palates in Kenyan food. However, Kenya has a rich history of Indian and Pakistani settlers who have added to the local food scene. These along with other ethnic groups provide quite a reasonable selection for evening dining. Breakfast always seems to be the hardest meal to get 'right' though and the Burger King was probably the closest we would get except for in the better hotels.
On July 3rd, after breakfast at Burger King, we put our suitcases into storage at the SixEighty in preparation for our journey to Nanyuki. This is common practice as many people travel up-country for a few days and then return for the next leg of their holiday. There is no point in carting around stuff that you are not going to need but it is nice to know that it will be looked after and kept for your return for a very modest fee.
At River Road/Accra Road we located a Matatu which was going to Nanyuki ‘soon’. It had room for us and our backpacks for Ks200 each. That is Ks200 for each of us and each of our packs. The Matatu is typically a Toyota High Ace with seating for maybe twelve passengers but typically they take about sixteen plus luggage, parcels etc.
After the inevitable African wait, we were off to Nanyuki. The ride was enlivened somewhat by John who knew ‘everything that there is to know about trekking Mt Kenya, where the most reliable guides are to be found, and the only hotel to stay in’, and he had the inside running on all of it. We let him enjoy his short period as ‘information king’ as it alleviated the bum-numbing discomfort of the thinly padded seats which was exacerbated by nursing a 25kg backpack. We had no intention of following his advice but it was easier to agree with him than get into a pointless argument.
On arrival in Nanyuki we headed for the YHA which was our intended destination all along, slipping away from John without too much trouble. The YHA is run as part of a church school by the very friendly and helpful Margaret. On hearing of our experiences with John she reassured us that we could follow our original plan without giving him another thought. The YHA accommodation – essentially a separate room within the school compound was basic but fine at Ks 100 each for the night. We had to cook outside under the stoop but that was no problem. After settling in, we had a bit of a walk around Nanyuki. I had changed into shorts as the waist cord of my Kathmandu splits was broken and I hadn’t had time to replace it. I’m not sure whether it was the shorts or my legs but something sure amused the locals. Glad I could brighten up their day!
After briefly meeting up with Garth we’re off via Perth and Johannesburg arriving at 6:20AM to 2°C in the middle of their coldest snap since 1964! Time for some name dropping. While waiting to board our flight to Nairobi at Jan Smuts Airport the familiar face of Desmond Tutu appeared in the crowd mixing with true ecumenical egalitarianism. He only had time for a quick ‘Hi Bert’ before leaving (OK that’s a lie).Our initial impressions of Nairobi after nearly 20 years were that it was busier and dirtier than remembered and that there were a lot more beggars and touts on the streets. These impressions may have been the result of faulty memory coupled with having lived now for many years in places where you don’t get accosted every few paces to ‘buy this’, ‘take this tour’, ‘shine your shoes;, or just plain outright begging. The first reaction of tourists to beggars is often ‘oh – poor things, better give them something’ and that is exactly what they count on. The best approach is to watch what the locals do and follow suit. There is no doubt that westerners coming to Africa are seen as being unimaginably wealthy and are therefore easy pickings for street-smart beggars in the larger cities. It is, perhaps, instructive that when you get away from the cities and into rural towns the incidence of beggars declines very rapidly. Unfortunately the same is not true of the touts. After being in Nairobi a few days we had swotted up on our basic Swahili again giving us the key phrase ‘Siyo! Kwenda!’ (‘No! Go away!’) accompanied by a dismissive hand gesture. This ‘hardened’ attitude did not stop us giving to those whom we felt were genuinely in need.
For the first few days of our trip we stayed in the SixEighty Hotel right on Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi’s heart. Eighteen years previously this would possibly have been a 3-4 star hotel but on our return in 1994 it was officially rated at 2 stars. It was adequate though and at $US65 a night for the two of us, relatively inexpensive.
After check in we had a stroll around to some of the old city places we remembered. The City Market seemed to be conducting the same sort of fresh vegetable business and was very familiar. At the Thorn Tree Hotel we stopped for a tea for me and a Coca Cola for Dominic. It still provides a useful place to stop and watch the world go by.
In these first couple of days we also checked out the ground transport situation at the unofficial Matatu bus ‘depot’ on the corner of River and Accra Roads. It was, and no doubt still is, really just a matter of turning up and finding the next one leaving and then negotiating the price. We were quoted a general going rate for Nairobi to Nanyuki of around Ks250 (250 Kenya Shillings – roughly Ks60 = US$1) plus Ks100 per pack each.
One of the first things you have to work out in a strange place, and Nairobi was strange after nearly 20 years away, is how to feed yourself. Fortunately we found a ‘Burger King’ that did a good breakfast of baked beans, two poached eggs, toast, juice and tea for Ks63. Any resemblance to a Burger King anywhere else on the planet was only in the name but it was OK. For dinner on the second day we found an Italian Trattoria near Kenyatta Avenue that was as good as any in Melbourne’s Lygon Street. Nairobi, and Kenya in general, is not the sort of place where a 'must do' is totry the local cuisine. Apart from game, mostly from farmed sources, there is nothing to tempt foreign palates in Kenyan food. However, Kenya has a rich history of Indian and Pakistani settlers who have added to the local food scene. These along with other ethnic groups provide quite a reasonable selection for evening dining. Breakfast always seems to be the hardest meal to get 'right' though and the Burger King was probably the closest we would get except for in the better hotels.
On July 3rd, after breakfast at Burger King, we put our suitcases into storage at the SixEighty in preparation for our journey to Nanyuki. This is common practice as many people travel up-country for a few days and then return for the next leg of their holiday. There is no point in carting around stuff that you are not going to need but it is nice to know that it will be looked after and kept for your return for a very modest fee.
At River Road/Accra Road we located a Matatu which was going to Nanyuki ‘soon’. It had room for us and our backpacks for Ks200 each. That is Ks200 for each of us and each of our packs. The Matatu is typically a Toyota High Ace with seating for maybe twelve passengers but typically they take about sixteen plus luggage, parcels etc.
After the inevitable African wait, we were off to Nanyuki. The ride was enlivened somewhat by John who knew ‘everything that there is to know about trekking Mt Kenya, where the most reliable guides are to be found, and the only hotel to stay in’, and he had the inside running on all of it. We let him enjoy his short period as ‘information king’ as it alleviated the bum-numbing discomfort of the thinly padded seats which was exacerbated by nursing a 25kg backpack. We had no intention of following his advice but it was easier to agree with him than get into a pointless argument.
On arrival in Nanyuki we headed for the YHA which was our intended destination all along, slipping away from John without too much trouble. The YHA is run as part of a church school by the very friendly and helpful Margaret. On hearing of our experiences with John she reassured us that we could follow our original plan without giving him another thought. The YHA accommodation – essentially a separate room within the school compound was basic but fine at Ks 100 each for the night. We had to cook outside under the stoop but that was no problem. After settling in, we had a bit of a walk around Nanyuki. I had changed into shorts as the waist cord of my Kathmandu splits was broken and I hadn’t had time to replace it. I’m not sure whether it was the shorts or my legs but something sure amused the locals. Glad I could brighten up their day!
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