3/05/2012
Unfortunately, Hell's Gate National Park was closed due to flash flooding, and we were unable to cycle through the park as originally planned (sad face). Luckily, Crater Lake Game Reserve was just up the road, where we were able to go for a guided game walk through the reserve. Yep, we got to walk amongst zebra, giraffes, eland, gazelle, olive baboons, and water buck. I even spotted the tail of my first ever mongoose! Before you start to worry, the reserve didn't have most of the more dangerous animals that will either try to eat you or charge you (lions, elephants, rhinos), but it did have hippos (we saw footprints only) and leopards. The largest predators we saw today were a pack of bat-eared foxes. Still, very cool! How often does one get to say they took a stroll with zebras and giraffes?
After a couple of hours traipsing around in the reserve, our guides drive us down to a small volcanic lake, home to a large flock of pink flamingos and lots of hippos.
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Born Free
2/05/2012
Dave and Jodie were the lucky couple who got to sleep with my pile of clothes stinking up their tent, but don't worry, Jodie gave me shit about it all day! Unfortunately it meant that most of my clothes spent another whole day wet in my locker underneath my seat. One of my favourite parts of overlanding - the constant battle to wash and dry your clothes. HOT TIP: If you're doing overlanding anytime soon, take twice as many undies as you think you'll need, and make sure your clothes are quick drying.
This morning we had a pretty drive through the mountains, and we pulled over for a photo and bush pee stop looking down into the Rift Valley. As we drove along that morning, we discussed that it didn't look like the typical Africa you'd see in a postcard - you could be forgiven for mistaking the landscape for that of somewhere like Canada.
Dave and Jodie were the lucky couple who got to sleep with my pile of clothes stinking up their tent, but don't worry, Jodie gave me shit about it all day! Unfortunately it meant that most of my clothes spent another whole day wet in my locker underneath my seat. One of my favourite parts of overlanding - the constant battle to wash and dry your clothes. HOT TIP: If you're doing overlanding anytime soon, take twice as many undies as you think you'll need, and make sure your clothes are quick drying.
This morning we had a pretty drive through the mountains, and we pulled over for a photo and bush pee stop looking down into the Rift Valley. As we drove along that morning, we discussed that it didn't look like the typical Africa you'd see in a postcard - you could be forgiven for mistaking the landscape for that of somewhere like Canada.
Back into Kenya
1/05/2012
Welcome to a new month and welcome back to Kenya. We had an early start so that we could hopefully get through the border crossing in reasonable time and make it to our next campsite early enough for a swim in the sunshine. But TIA (This Is Africa), and we were stuck behind a long line of trucks blocking the road to the border, due to a few of them that had decided to go for a bit of a roll.
On entering back into Kenya, as if on cue, the clouds rolled in and it started pouring with rain. Despite our best intentions of arriving nice and early mid-afternoon at the campsite not far out of Eldoret, the rain turned the roads into rivers (they haven't yet heard of roadside drainage in Kenya) and it was after 5.30pm and decidedly miserable weather when we arrived. Tom and Amy braved the pool for a few seconds, but it was freezing cold. Fun fact for the day: Bill Gates stayed at this riverside, overland campground and hotel a few years back.
Welcome to a new month and welcome back to Kenya. We had an early start so that we could hopefully get through the border crossing in reasonable time and make it to our next campsite early enough for a swim in the sunshine. But TIA (This Is Africa), and we were stuck behind a long line of trucks blocking the road to the border, due to a few of them that had decided to go for a bit of a roll.
On entering back into Kenya, as if on cue, the clouds rolled in and it started pouring with rain. Despite our best intentions of arriving nice and early mid-afternoon at the campsite not far out of Eldoret, the rain turned the roads into rivers (they haven't yet heard of roadside drainage in Kenya) and it was after 5.30pm and decidedly miserable weather when we arrived. Tom and Amy braved the pool for a few seconds, but it was freezing cold. Fun fact for the day: Bill Gates stayed at this riverside, overland campground and hotel a few years back.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
I'm In DeNile!
29/04/2012
God knows why we had organised a full day of grade five whitewater rafting for the day after the booze cruise, but it didn't seem like that much of a good idea when we had to get up in the morning and be ready to depart at 8.15am. I got out some of my rehydration salts to help kick the hangover.
God knows why we had organised a full day of grade five whitewater rafting for the day after the booze cruise, but it didn't seem like that much of a good idea when we had to get up in the morning and be ready to depart at 8.15am. I got out some of my rehydration salts to help kick the hangover.
Relaxation, With a Little Exhilaration Thrown in for Good Measure
30/04/2012
Nine of us had signed up for jet boating on the Nile today, so we got up and had a leisurely breakfast overlooking the river while awaiting confirmation of what time we were heading off. We got the news that we'd be picked up at noon, which left us to have a leisurely morning chilling out at the campsite.
Nine of us had signed up for jet boating on the Nile today, so we got up and had a leisurely breakfast overlooking the river while awaiting confirmation of what time we were heading off. We got the news that we'd be picked up at noon, which left us to have a leisurely morning chilling out at the campsite.
Sleeping on the Equator
27/04/2012
Luckily for us, today wasn't an early start! We broke camp at 11am, with a lot of people feeling somewhere between seedy and severely hungover.
Today was a truck day, and we drove all afternoon, arriving at the equator for a semi bush camp on dusk. We quickly set up our tents in the remaining light. We had a lovely stir fry for dinner, cooked up by Team Adequate, before and early night. Just as everyone had settled into their tents and quite we down, there was a loud, reverberating fart from one of the tents, which set off a chorus of giggles from all of the surrounding tents. What a way to finish the day!
Luckily for us, today wasn't an early start! We broke camp at 11am, with a lot of people feeling somewhere between seedy and severely hungover.
Today was a truck day, and we drove all afternoon, arriving at the equator for a semi bush camp on dusk. We quickly set up our tents in the remaining light. We had a lovely stir fry for dinner, cooked up by Team Adequate, before and early night. Just as everyone had settled into their tents and quite we down, there was a loud, reverberating fart from one of the tents, which set off a chorus of giggles from all of the surrounding tents. What a way to finish the day!
Lake Bunyoni
26/04/2012
Each Oasis Overland truck crew supports a different charity or organisation. Jozi's crew supports an orphanage and school at Lake Bunyoni, so everyone elected to accompany the crew to the orphanage for a day, to deliver donated items and see what is being achieved there. Edison is the director of the school and orphanage, and the community and volunteers run everything themselves without the help of NGOs or charities, as they want to maintain control over their own community.
A trio of minibuses rolled up in the morning to take us to Lake Bunyoni (the road up and over the mountain to the lake is too narrow for Jozi). Vicki, Jodie, Dave, Amy, Tom and John and myself hopped into one minibus, and to our delight discovered that it was hooked up to an awesome sound system and tunage! We had Rihanna (We Found Love), Gym Class Heroes (Stereolove) and some LMFAO (Sexy and I Know It). We christened it the Party Bus and had a little dance party on the drive up.
Each Oasis Overland truck crew supports a different charity or organisation. Jozi's crew supports an orphanage and school at Lake Bunyoni, so everyone elected to accompany the crew to the orphanage for a day, to deliver donated items and see what is being achieved there. Edison is the director of the school and orphanage, and the community and volunteers run everything themselves without the help of NGOs or charities, as they want to maintain control over their own community.
A trio of minibuses rolled up in the morning to take us to Lake Bunyoni (the road up and over the mountain to the lake is too narrow for Jozi). Vicki, Jodie, Dave, Amy, Tom and John and myself hopped into one minibus, and to our delight discovered that it was hooked up to an awesome sound system and tunage! We had Rihanna (We Found Love), Gym Class Heroes (Stereolove) and some LMFAO (Sexy and I Know It). We christened it the Party Bus and had a little dance party on the drive up.
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