Women at work on the tea plantation

Crossing back into Kenya we headed south passing through rolling hills and miles and miles of tea plantations. We stopped to camp on a working farm outside the town of Nakuru. Being at a much higher elevation then we had been before in Kenya, the air was cool and the landscape very green. The farm was owned by a British woman who was born and raised in Kenya. Aside from the many people she employed to run the dairy farm she also had a fairly large business employing local women working with wool. The wool, from sheep raised on the farm was dyed using natural materials also grown on the farm and the women would knit the wool into an assortment of items, including scarves, baby booties, stuffed animals, and Christmas ornaments. The business is prosperous, providing the women with a good salary and paying for medical insurance for their families. We spent our time at the camp playing backgammon and hunting for chameleons. Of course Matt was sure to give us a full scientific explanation of the lives of these elusive and interesting creatures.

The infamous chameleon

The next morning we were up early and off for another game drive into Lake Nakuru. A highlight of the lake are the thousands of flamingos that inhabit its shores. It was most amazing when we were able to get off the truck and watch these colorful birds up close. What a spectacular sight to see a herd of black and white striped zebra standing in front of a field of pink flamingos with the blue lake behind. The lake is home to a variety of other animals. We finally got to see the White Rhino and we’re lucky enough to get up very close to a mother and her young enjoying a cool mud bath. Hyenas didn’t seemed bothered by us at all as they napped in the road and the baboons were more then eager to get up close and personal with us showing off their sharp canines. All the other usual suspects were there as well, including warthogs, gazelles, water buck, buffalo, wildebeest, and an occasional colubus monkey.

Pink Lake

After a full day of game viewing we headed off to our next destination, Lake Naivasha. Driving past landscape similar to that of the Southwestern United States, with red bluffs and cacti, we rumbled past a few other of Kenya’s soda lakes with their pink shores. Arriving into camp after dark we pitched our tents and headed off to find a cold beer and set our tent up for the evening.

Drive around, we

The following morning a few of us rented bikes from the camp and set off for Hell’s Gate National Park. We road down into the park flanked by towering bluffs and strange rock formations. Its an amazing experience having nothing but a bike to protect you from what you might encounter. The animals seemed more startled by us on bikes then they had by us in our giant loud truck. The buffalo just stared at us from a distance and the zebra and gazelles ran off as we approached. Unfortunately the trip went downhill after Michelle’s tire blew and my chain broke and we had to be rescued by the park rangers. However the experience of being out in the open with the animals in their natural environment made for a very memorable day.

The little once kind of reminds me of my pup

The next day we were back to Nairobi where we said some sad goodbyes to the amazing group of folks that had traveled up from Capetown and made the first two weeks of our trip so incredible. A new group of travelers boarded the truck to join us for the final stage of our safari – and we headed south again, this time into Tanzania. Stay tuned for more safari adventures…

Click here for our Kenya pictures. Look for the flamingos. This is where the Lake Naivasha set starts.

Gangster Rap Thursday on the Overland Truck from Rowan on Vimeo.

This video was shot on the overland safari truck that Lila and I were on by two amazing South African filmmakers (and all around superb dudes), Rowan & Misha, who we were fortunate enough to spend some time with in Africa. My only regret was not being there to be part of the shoot. Patrick and Jordy, the two main pimps in the vid, are total rockstars. We miss the ATC crew!

Click here to see more of Rowan’s work.

When we exited the Lamu House hotel to board the dhow that would take us to the beach for our ceremony this is what we were greeted with. We had no idea that there would even be a band or that they would be accompanying us on the boat or the beach for the ceremony. They were simply amazing. Enjoy!

Lila chillin after a long truck ride

After a surreal wedding and honeymoon week spent on the island of Lamu, off the coast of northern Kenya, it was time to move on. We said goodbye to all of our new friends and hopped a prop plane from the Manda airstrip and headed back to mainland Kenya to settled down for a couple of days in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. We stayed just outside of the city center at the Wildebeest Camp, a nice little oasis of a campground that turned out to be the perfect resting place before the next stage or our trip. We spent the next two days gearing up for an overland safari that would take us from Nairobi Kenya, through Uganda, and finally to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, covering a varied terrain that would include cities, lakes, forests, islands, and some of Africa’s most famous game parks. Two days of circling Nairobi and we were finally able to find the camping gear that we would need for our safari, including new sleeping bags, sleep mats, cold weather gear and toiletries.

In front of the ATC truck

Day three in Nairobi and it was finally time to hit the road. After meeting our fellow travelers and guide, cooks, and driver, we boarded the Africa Travel Company safari truck. This custom rig, designed to handle the rough African terrain, would be our home for the next few weeks. Matt Dry, from Scottsdale Arizona of all places, would be our safari guide. In addition to being a former tennis pro and screen writer, Matt is gifted with an encyclopedic memory and a love for the bush. In the three weeks we would spend with Matt we would learn so much about Africa and the animals he loves, but in addition we would learn the scientific Latin names for bugs, trees, bushes, grasses and so much more. If Matt was terrific, the Kenyan crew made up of two cooks, Jared and Mwai, and Nick our driver, were on equal par. Aside from being great guys, they also seemed to love their jobs and were always eager to help out. The great group of people that we would travel with were the icing on the cake. Aussies, Dutch, Brits, and the Irish added to our international team and to top it off an unbelievably talented South African film team, Rowan and Misha from Cape Town, were on-board to document every step of the journey.

Rowan making the ladies smile as usual

After an all day drive though the Kenyan countryside, we made our way into the Masai Mara, one of the most well known and well managed game reserves in Africa. This park rests inside Africa’s Great Rift Valley – all 3700 square miles of it, stretches from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The Masai people, for whom park is named, the with their colorful wraps, spears, and beaded jewelery, roam freely in the Mara, unhindered by the arbitrary country borders. At our first camp we were lucky enough to meet a group of young Masai warriors and to learn about their culture. At 15 years old a Masai boy is sent out into the bush where he must live alone for 5 years proving his bravery and manhood. If he proves himself a warrior by killing a lion, he returns to his village a hero and claims high status as a village protector. After enjoying their company around our camp fire, the young Masai warriors demonstrated some traditional dance that included an amazing leaping dance that had them vaulting off of their heels several feet into the air. A Masai man that proves himself in this dance at the annual competition among neighboring tribes is held in high regard and often has his pick of wives from the beautiful young Masai girls. If you’ve killed a lion and can jump the highest, your pretty much the Masai equivalent of Brad Pitt and your life is looking pretty sweet.

Masai Warriors

The following morning we rose early for our first game drive. As we pulled onto the road we were immediately greeted by herds of zebra, wildebeest, gazelle (both Thompson and Grants), and impala. Further along came the elephants, strong enough to tip the truck over if they were so inclined… then the giraffe (“towers” or “journeys” depending on who you ask), hartybeest, topi, ostrich, jackals, eland, hyenas, cape buffalo, grey crested cranes, warthogs, dikdik, and the list goes on. So many amazing animals roaming freely – grazing and hunting for their morning meal.

Ready to charge?

Then came the cats. Less than 45 minutes into the drive we came upon a huge lion guarding his morning kill – a wildebeest laying silent in a watering hole. The lion, face covered in flies, had apparently already had his fill and rested proudly at the waters edge as the vultures patiently waited for the leftovers. We spent at least 20 minutes at a stones throw from this scene before leaving him in peace. We rounded the next corner and we ran into a family of cheetah resting beneath an acacia tree. Mom and teenage cubs hiding from the rising sun and heat. We weren’t lucky enough to see a leopard this day, but we did come across a very rare smaller cat called a serval, first trotting out of sight and then coming back to rest beneath a bush as he eyed us suspiciously. Matt told us that this was a rare sighting and it was a great end to an amazing day.

Wildebeest, the other white meat

That night we pulled into a campground along side Lake Victoria to rest up for our early departure out of Kenya and into the country of Uganda. Stayed tuned for our Uganda post and photos coming as soon as the Internet gods permit.

Click here to see just a sampling of our Kenya photos. More coming soon.

Hakuna Matata

Breakfast in the Masai Mara

Morning feed in the Masai Mara, Kenya, Africa. Lila and I are currently on a 21 day safari that will take us through several game parks from Kenya to Tanzania. Pics and stories to follow…