Nov 15, 2008

Nov 15, 2008. The Mayfield Hotel fare included breakfast, at which time we met up with another associate of Ivan’s (Pierre) from Belgium. We were met after breakfast at the Mayield by Mike (lives in Kenya) in his VW van, loaded all of the various packages and luggage on board and the six of us headed for the hills, Kijabe that is, at about 7000 feet elevation, and about 50 km northwest of Nairobi. On passing through Nairobi, it seems to be a bustling city with many new buildings appearing, however, there is plenty of evidence of shanty town living, especially on the outskirts. In addition, there are many markets lining the highway on either side with a potpourri of items for sale from fresh produce to crafts, animal hides, etc., and it seems to be a bustling industry. Brenden and I took pictures as we drove by these interesting sites which are riddled with bright colors and with a back ground of very impoverished looking housing and bright blue African sky. However, it seems to work! I was struck by the visual similarity to a previous trip to Marguerita , and by the intensely red soil, contrasting with lush green. Apart from the obvious tropical theme to the plant-life and trees, the red earth made me think very much of PEI! We stopped at the Kenya Wilderness Tours office to purchase our fares for a 3-day safari leaving on Friday this week, during which we will fly to a remote site in the Masai Mara and stay for 2 nights! More on this later, obviously!
Our arrival to Kijabe was prefaced by a very commanding view from 8000 ft elevation, of the Rift Valley. It is very impressive in its vastness and beauty, being surrounded by lush mountain sides that reach high into that blue African sky. Mount Kenya is somewhere in the distance, and is said to be the only mountain on the earth’s equator with snow at its peak! The most obvious peak is Mount Longonot, with a 2-cratered volcano.
On arrival in Kijabe, we met with Dr. Dick Bransford and his wife Millie (originally from the USA), our hosts for the next 2 ½ weeks. They are wonderful people who have made Kenya their home for the past 31 years. Brenden and I were welcomed like all the others in our party and we were led to our quarters, the guest house, just down over the hill from their main residence. This is best compared to a cement-construction cabin-like place with a tin roof, and windows which are carefully protected with security bars. It includes a decent sized sitting/eating/cooking area, with 2 bedrooms which share a common 3-piece ensuite. We feel very privileged to have this quiet zone to ourselves. It is equipped with everything necessary for cooking , etc. and Millie presented me with a banana loaf and cookies to go along with the tea that is also included in the guest house. We settled in quickly, unpacked our personal things and gifts and went immediately to the local soccer/basketball tournament, hosted by Kijabe, and with many teams from Nairobi. We then went to cheer on Philip, adopted son of Dick and Millie, who was playing in net for the winning team! Everyone was quite proud of his performance, especially in the tie-breaking penalty kickoff where he made the decisive save.
Following this, Brenden and I headed out on our on to explore some of the local artist market. The crafts are remarkable, all handmade by the artists who were present to sell their pieces – bartering is the expected tactic to achieve the fair and acceptable price. The artists were kind enough to allow me to photograph them in front of their work. Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that I managed to acquire nearly all of the souvenirs I intend to purchase.
At 6 PM we got the phone call that supper was ready and joined Dick, Millie, their 2 adopted sons (Philip-12 and Josh – 16), and Ivan, for a meal on the deck. By now it was dark and, as is apparently typical, very windy and quite cool when the sun disappears, because of the elevation.
After attending the first-half of a high school production of “Easier By the Dozen” we headed back to our quarters and after finally getting a chance to e-mail hone, Brenden and I headed for the guest house and I crashed by 1030; still not quite fully adjusted.