Saturday 21 November 2010
We were very fortunate to be invited to travel with Emmanuel (Ray's French workmate) and Alexandra (Emmanuel's Cuban wife) to Naivasha Lake which is situated north west of Nairobi. We left our apartment complex 9am on what was meant to be a 90 minute drive to our destination - however it took considerably longer. Poor Emmanuel was driving - as it must have been quite a nerve wrecking experience for him! The main road stretches north west out of Nairobi is the A104, Nairobi - Naivasha Highway but it's not at all what we would expect from a main route as its surface varies from paved to bumpy to gravelly to potholed! I think most of the Kenyan drivers on the road must have won their licences in a lotto draw - the drive was fairly hair raising. Drivers always overtake on blind corners, drive on the wrong side of the road and try to squeeze in to the traffic flow and very often there's three cars straddling across the road.
Along the side of the road there are many villages dotted with very small shacks - no bigger than a good sized garden shed - made up of corrugated iron and sticks. Some of them are businesses and others are homes. Random goats, dogs, and chickens walk around freely, finding food in the dust.... People, although poor, always seem to smile and wave.
Viewpoint from Nairobi - Naivasha Roads at Rift Valley
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View from Nairobi - Naivasha Road
looking down on Rift Valley in the background
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It's very strange as when we left Nairobi we were at 1795 metres asl, drove down an "escarpment" and arrived at Lake Naivasha which sits at 1950 metres asl. How can you leave an area, descend into another area which is higher than the area you've just left?
Half way through our trip we came across a viewing area where we took photos of the spectacular scene which spread down in front of us.
In the background and to the right in the photo is Mt Longonot, famously named by the locals as "mountain of many spurs". It is a dormant volcano which last erupted in the 1860s. Many ex-pats and tourists climb it, but its a very steep climb and you have to be fit to complete. It's highest peak reaches 2780 metres asl.
The vegetation here was still very lush and green as you can see from the photo left above. In the foreground of this photo there are very fertile pasture lands, pictured below that is the semi-arid Rift Valley plains where cereals are grown as a commercial crop. Kenyans grow maize and develop the maize flour into "ugali", their staple diet which is similar to a porridge consistency, and also similar to what South Africans eat (sudsa) and Malawians (inchema)!
Maasai people
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Tourist shop en route to Naivasha Lake
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There's always a trader out there to entice the tourists to buy and we bought a couple of items from the store here. Of course, we are meant to "negotiate and haggle" the prices down but when you realise what their daily income is, it's hard to beat them down too low. There's beautiful beadwork, leather and wooden goods, and soap stone ornaments.
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Masai tribesmen
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Much has been written about the enigmatic Maasai, the semi nomadic tribe of pastorialists and herdsmen who live in the Rift Valley. These people have lived for many years in their traditional and customary lifestyle, in highly organised units with clearly defined and designated roles.
But now, with weather unpredictability hindering crop growth and other constraints, their usual standard of living has been compromised. Many have left their rural Rift Valley homes to seek employment in the cities.
Lake Naivasha, Green Crater Lake and surroundings
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| View of Naivasha Crater Lake |
We arrived at Lake Naivasha just before lunchtime and booked into the Fisherman's Camp. There were many accommodation lodges and camps around the lakeshore for us to choose from. After lunch, we decided to explore the Lake Naivasha crater called the Green Crater Lake - it's local name is Lake Sonachi. As we walked up to a rocky, craggy summit to see the Green Crater Lake, Ray found some Obsidian - black mountain glass and remnants of the volcanic activity in this area. It took us about an hour to walk around its circumference and observed colobus monkeys, flocks of flamingos and varieties of different birds.
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake and the second largest and highest lake in the Great Rift Valley area. The name Naivasha means "rough waters" because, in an instant, the calm waters can turn into a rough storm! At its deepest part the lake measures 30m - 100 ft.
Visitors have a choice of numerous game reserve sanctuaries to visit and I was told that the Lake itself accommodates some 4000 different species of birdlife - hence, we saw groups of ornithologists walking around with their camera and huge zoom lenses hanging around their necks. Flowers are grown commercially around the lakeshore and flown overnight to European countries twice weekly. I've heard that there's concern because of the use of unregulated lake water for irrigation which is reducing the lake level Fishing is a source of employment and income for the local population. Papyrus grow around the edge of the lakeshore.
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| Flamingos in Lake Naivasha |
After WW1, this part of Kenya was the focus of re-settlement of young, upper-class British officers to establish farms - the fertile soils and a stable labour force was a huge attraction to these young colonists. And between 1937 and 1950 planes would fly into Lake Naivasha bringing tourists and more English settlers to this area and to far away Nairobi. The immigrants must have considered themselves very lucky to land in such a beautiful place!
Elsamere homestead on the Naivasha Lakeshore - the former home of Joy Adamson
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Elsamere Homestead, formerly
Joy Adamson's home |
We then visited Elsamere homestead, formerly the home of Joy Adamson of the film "Born Free" fame, which is now run by a Trust. Elsamere lies on the south-western shore of Lake Naivasha, in very pretty landscaped gardens surrounded by a fever tree forest. The house is maintained as a museum with all its original furnishings intact, including many of Joy Adamson's own paintings. Accommodation is also offered and visitors can sit out on the manicured lawn, admire the beautiful gardens and "take" tea and scones. All very civilised, and you can imagine Joy Adamson entertaining visitors in this way. There are signs cautioning people not to venture too close to the water's edge in the evenings as hippos do not like company in the evenings when they are eating!
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| A cautionary sign |
After walking and exploring as much of the Lake as possible during the day we returned to Fisherman's Camp in the early evening with Emmanuel and Alexandria for a much needed refuel of food and liquids. We stayed in a two bedroomed, rustic cabin, which provided us with ample rest for the night. This was the night that the ABs played Ireland so it became an imperative task for the evening to find a TV which had Sky. The evening air was quite chilly and the warmest place to be was in bed. Ray heard the hippos snorting and grunting during the evening and at dawn, but I was sleeping so soundly that I didn't hear a thing except when I was woken in the morning by the sound of feet pattering on the roof, which I expect were monkeys playing.
We've also been trying to find out what's been happening with the miners in NZ. It doesn't look good....
Sunday 22 November 2010
We were up very early, breakfasted, and on the road by 9.30am.
Ray has been trying to find out updates on the 29 miners who have been missing in a West Coast coalmine for three days now. The news doesn't sound very positive!
Today we've decided to visit Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary where visitors can walk around with a guide and share the habitat with the wildlife. Back out again on to the very dusty, bumpy potholed road, and driving in first and second gear. Poor Emmanuel's car - I hope She can make it without too much damage!
Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary - formerly English settlers farm
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Old dog sleeping on porch of
Crescent Island farmhouse. Hippo
skull in the background
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Beautiful bourgainvillia in original
farmhouse at Crescent Island
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We drove through lush vegetation to the original farmhouse to buy entrance tickets for the walk in the Sanctuary. This Island, a penninsula, used to be cut off from the mainland and could only be accessed by boat or plane. The British built a causeway to enable road transport - we saw a disused polo field as we drove along - a poignant reminder of the sort of lifestyle these white kenyans lived years ago. In 1988, when the Lake Naivasha water level dropped sufficiently to allow Crescent Island to become part of the mainland, the Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary was created and developed. The English woman whose family operate this business said she had lived in this area since the early-70s and her family had grown up here, except for their schooling and university period back in the UK . She told us that when she first arrived here, this area housed english families - a thriving farming community. Many of these farms have now been bought up by Kenyan landlords. This farm was originally settled and farmed in 1916 by a British settler who developed it as a potato farm. His family owned it for a few generations and sold it on to the family who operate it now - it is now owned by a Kenyan businessman who has rented it back to the family who originally owned it to run as a viable business. There are still many white Kenyan farmers in this area who have lived here for five or so generations. They appear to be quite english in their manner but I doubt if they could ever settle permanently back in the UK!
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Typical landscape on our walk in Crescent
Island Wildlife Sanctuary |
We began our walk around the Sanctuary - will take us about two hours out to the tip of the Penninsula and return - and am immediately struck by the semi-arid, brown landscape. It is truly Savannah countryside with Thorny Acacia trees dotted around. The brown Kikuya grass - the same grass we have at home - crunch beneath our feet as we walk. Many of the film shots in "Out of Africa" were filmed on this farm and it is thought that Robert Redford left all the imported animals used in the film, behind. The animals are non-predatory and we've been reassured our walk will be perfectly safe!!
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| Giraffes eating while I keep my distance |
These giraffes were not the least bit interested in me but I didn't want to tempt fate by getting too close. These graceful animals can administer a fatal kick with their powerful legs if provoked!
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| Python trail |
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Decomposed python carcass
partially eaten by a hyeana
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We were told that we might encounter some slithery, giant pythons and luckily for us, we didn't! They are harmless but creepy. Emmanuel kept teasing Alexandria as we were walking along about snakes hanging out of trees which made her very jumpy. In this photo you can see where a large python has been slithered. Not a bad size! Our guide very proudly showed us this horrible sight! A decomposed carcass of a python killed by a horde of hyenas. We quickly moved on!
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| Wildebeest nonchalantly eating |
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Raymond, Gabrielle, Emmanuel and Alexandria outside
Connelly's cafe, Lake Naivasha
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As I've said before, some very wealthy white and black Kenyans live in this area, so there are an abundance of wonderful cafes and eating places. We were directed to a local cafe, called Connellys, along the lakeshore which is frequented by many Kenyans. A delicious lunch!
