Our initial plan was to travel overland all the way from Ethiopia to South Africa. We thought we would find a way somehow. But our plans got stopped in the tracks when we researched ways of getting from Ethiopia to Kenya overland. The border region around Moyale is notoriously troublesome, especially the Kenyan side, and we had information that ethnic unrest is flaring up in the region again. Combined with an abundance of arms everywhere, a history of lawlessness in that region, I really didn’t feel like hitching rides on trucks there. Attacks or violence is not directed at foreigners, but I was not prepared to take any risk of getting caught up in the middle of some tribal conflict. So we bit the bullet and booked a flight with Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa to Nairobi – with more than 300$ each terribly expensive for just a 1,5h flight. I guess that’s the price of opting for relative safety.
Upon arrival at Nairobi airport, at 2am, a familiar face greeted us in the arrivals hall. Gavin, who we had met on our trek in Nepal, had invited us to visit him and his family in Nairobi. Originally from England, they have relocated to Nairobi since his wife took up an influential position at the World Bank. Their stately family home in Muthaiga, a stunningly beautiful part of Nairobi, became our home base for the next two weeks. At first, the security situation was somewhat intimidating: the guard had to be informed just before reaching the house, so he would open the gate and we could drive straight in. This was to avoid stopping in front of a closed gate, apparently the most vulnerable position to be in in terms of car hijacking. At night, an extra guard came with a fierce-looking dog that patrolled the gardens. Our guest room had iron bars in front of the windows and a lattice door, which we were supposed to lock and take the key out. Fire safety? Apparently less of a concern. We were also shown the panic button in the room – in case something happened, you could alert the security service. Even though Gavin tried to be casual when giving us that security briefing, I had trouble falling asleep that first night. Mario figured that we had never been so safe, but I couldn’t stop thinking that I have never slept somewhere where a panic button was considered a potential necessity.
The tense feeling of being in a dangerous city faded very quickly though. The beautiful gardens complete with a pool were like an oasis, and the Pattisons made us feel at home and part of their family. We spent endless hours chatting with Gavin, picked up Zoe (10) and Bianca (7) from school, and enjoyed the feeling of being at home somewhere – after more than a year on the road, we appreciate such ‚breaks‘ more than ever. Nairobi itself didn’t impress us too much as a city, but we really enjoyed the visit to the National Museum here – something we have started to make our obligatory programme in every country.
Gavin, journalist but currently full-time parent, even invited us to join him and the two girls for a few days at Lake Baringo. We happily accepted, and so the five of us travelled in their giant Landcruiser with UN number plate to Lake Baringo. We camped at Robert’s Camp, and spent the days watching the hippos, crocodiles and amazing birds – and entertaining the kids. One evening, a whole herd of hippos came out to graze just next to the restaurant. A thunderstorm passed through, and every time there was lightning, it illuminated the incredible scene that was otherwise hidden in the dark: massive grey bodies scattered all over the the campground.
For reasons that aren’t really clear, the water level at Lake Baringo has been rising for years now, and has claimed houses, the hall that used to hosts the local fish market and several of the camps and resorts along the lakeshore have the water literally up to their doorsteps. Robert’s Camp, the place where we stayed, has lost already several cottages and large parts of their campground. It’s a dire situation for local residents and business-owners alike, and nobody knows when or if at all the water will recede again. Lake Baringo has no outlet, so we heard various theories, from erosion that results in silt blocking the water from seeping into the ground, to global warming, which melts the glacier on Mount Kenya.
I loved our excursion to Lake Bogoria, a National Reserve closeby. It’s an alkaline saline lake that is home to otherwordly numbers of flamingoes. Giant pink patches lined the lake shore, which noisily dissolved as soon as we approached. The birds ran on the water until take-off, and then floated elegantly through the sky as pink ribbons, one after the other.
Back home in Nairobi, I was reading bedtime stories to the little one, Bianca. One was called „There is a hippopotamus on my roof eating cake“. Can’t remember when I last red children’s books, but I think I was just as entertained as Bianca by the hippopotamus who „works half time at the zoo and looks at people there“. And I can tell you one thing, that night Bianca was not the only person dreaming about the hippopotamus.
Thanks so much again to Gavin, Bella, Zoe and Bianca for making us feel at home in Kenya! We had a truly amazing time with you guys.
