On the road again, December 19-20, 2015

The past 2 days have been drive days as we make our way towards Rwanda.   Our first night was spent in Turbo, Kenya and tonight we're in Kampala, Uganda.  I was sick yesterday so spent the whole day and night sleeping.  I feel back to normal today, thank goodness.

The main crops in Uganda appear to be corn and sugar cane-

It's very green and lush- jungle like.  

I don't know if I'd want to stay in this hotel-

Or in this one.  How can you even call this a hotel?

There's a gathering place about 35 km from Kampala where vendors "attack" incoming vehicles, hoping for a sale-

They sell all kinds of things like BBQ chicken-

Bananas-

And other fruit and vegetables-

The pineapple are huge and cost only $1.50.  Look at the size of those avocado! 

We're spending a couple of days in Kampala before meeting the gorillas Christmas Eve in Rwanda!

Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya, December 18, 2015

We rented bicycles and went through Hell's Gate National Park.  It is 68 square kilometers and in the East African Rift Valley-

The gorge is eroded sandstone and has numerous really hot springs cascading down its walls-

It reminds me of Petra in Jordan-

Wildlife along the way included Plains zebra.  They weigh 175-320 kg and measure 260-300 cm.  I love the stripes and each zebra's stripes are like their personal fingerprint-

Dung beetles are super strong.  This one was pushing a dung ball (many times its size) along the side of the road-

Guinea fowl run wild.  They aren't the smartest bird-

We saw a few Masai giraffes.  Their spots are shaped like stars and the pattern continues down their legs, different from the Rothschild-

This time it's Kenglish-

There were a few Thomson or Grant Gazelles.  This one is a male because he has horns-

There were also a few male warthogs (tusks) who weigh 60-150 kg-

There is a huge rose industry where millions are grown and shipped to Europe-

There are hundreds of greenhouses-

Once these men finished 'mowing the lawn' at our campsite-

They threw the grass over the fence and.....

Appeared!  And was he ugly!  Only a four strand electric fence separated him from me-

The hippo is the 3rd heaviest land mammal on the planet weighing up to 3000 kg.

The wildlife spotting has begun!  I'm looking forward to more and more of it!

Nairobbery, Kenya, December 17, 2015

Last night, we went to Purdy's Arms for a farewell supper for Doug, Emilia and Dave.  I had the best chicken breast and bacon caesar salad ever-

We had to take a cab to go about 2 blocks because outside the gates of our camp site, it is dangerous so.....  In the daytime, there are guards at all of the large, gated properties.

The Nairobi Giraffe Center was developed to save the Rothschild giraffe-

from extinction.  Rothschilds have white legs.  Today, there are 9 adults, a yearling and a baby at the center.  Eddie (I'm not kidding, that's his name!) likes to eat pellets out of your hand-

or out of your mouth-

He also likes to kiss-

Their tongues are 50 cm long-

Males weigh 1.4 tonne and are 6 meters high.  Gestation is 15 months but if conditions aren't right, the female can hold the foetus for another 3 months.   Mothers birth standing up so the baby falls a couple of meters.  Females have 3 horns, males 5 and a bald spot!  They eat 65 kg of leaves/day and drink 40 gallons of water.  Their heart weighs 18kg and beats 170 beats/minute.  Like a human, they have 7 vertebrae in their necks.  Their main predator is the lion but their fibula and tibula are fused and solid - there is no marrow in their legs, so they are able to kick and trample lions quite easily.  Their hide is the coolest-

A few warthogs hang out with the giraffes for protection-

They are pretty ugly!

We also stopped at the Kazuri Bead Factory where glass necklaces and bracelets are made on site and sold-

Nothing appealed to me :(

We've had a bit of truck trouble - one of our fuel tanks sprung a leak so Mick spent the day getting it welded and one of the locks on our 'fridge' jammed, so it's out of commission too.  We were unable to leave for Lake Naivasha to Hell's Gate National Park where we'll be cycling, trying to see giraffes, springboks, impalas and elans so we've got an early start tomorrow to fit everything in.  Looking forward to it!

Nanyuki - Nairobi, Kenya, December 16, 2015

If our truck is spotted by patchwork home village people-

the children come running, waving and screaming hello-

Most of our cooking is done with wood so we've now got enough until Botswana.  Mick our driver runs the chainsaw-

The countryside is verdant -

and there are a lot of big fields, all planted.  I haven't seen many manual workers nor machinery but the large fields look machine worked and there are fertilizer shops in the towns.  Lonely Planet says the smaller farmer is being put out of business by larger corporations.  Sounds familiar.  Potatoes and sweet peas (the flower) are planted in the ditches.  Every square inch of arable land appears to be used.

Vegetable markets along the way-

There is a lot of nice produce available -onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes etc.

Unfortunately the cloud is socked in (it's not supposed to be rainy season but it's very wet) so we were unable to see Mt. Kenya from our campsite, however, there were beautiful peacocks, crazy turkeys and  huge Calla lilies-

Water for showers is heated twice daily and piped to the dorms-

You wouldn't know it by the temperature that we are here!  Poppy photobombed-

Nairobi is a huge city of 3.5 million and it took forever through traffic-

to reach our camp site where we're only staying one night.  Unfortunately, Doug-

and Emilia and Dave-

 are leaving us tomorrow.  It has been great traveling with them and I hope we will meet again.

This is the first pork I've seen since leaving home October 1-

Everyone is looking forward to some bacon!

Nairobi city buses are brightly sloganned and painted with lots of religious words-

Not sure if these two go together or not-

Sort of ironic isn't it, to see this in the middle of the busy freeway, although there was almost a head-on beside us today.  I had been watching out the window but had just sat down when I heard a car skidding.  I looked out and a car was trying to pass us but another car was coming.  They side swiped each other and the causer of the accident never stopped!  Wild and too close for comfort!

Looking forward to seeing some giraffes tomorrow!