6am = Safari Time

We find elepants everywhere, mobs of “families” mothers, aunties, babies, naughty boys off on their own, all walking slowly towards the water. There are hyenas tidying up a carcase of something, with a silverback jackal hanging around trying steal some of the scraps. We catch a giraffe ( much darker than those in SA) weirdly crouching down to get a drink. Lions were spotted but they disappeared before we got to the spot. Animals everywhere!

A quick breakfast then leave at 9.45am for Nairobi, another day on the road.

“Very bumps” says Ken on the road out, I should have replied ” very dusts”, but I didn’t, my brain is a little fried with the long days, lots of driving etc etc. We miss the company of the Sebatana crowd, and I reckon one of then would have suggested a cement sandwich to harden up!

As we leave the reserve a young Masai man with his dog is driving a mob of cattle, Ken tells us lions do get cattle occasionally. All the way back we see livestock everywhere, mostly with Masai men or women, some in traditional gear, shepherding them with their usual stick

Drinks  & toilet stop and the usual hard sell from locals to convince us to buy trinkets from them. I buy nothing, but The Navigator, world class shoppers that she is spends a little bit.

Trucks and safari landcruisers, lots of them, are on the Mombassa highway, roadside markets selling fruit and veggies from dusty stalls or standing in the middle of the road hawking them to the traffic.

On the edge of Nairobi about 2.30pm, the traffic is mad, the number of lanes is optional, trucks lane splitting, there are some rules, but it seems they are optional as well, they mostly drive left hand side, that’s about it.

Beads shopping was  Navigator request, I’m ambivalent but she’s happy, Wormeater buys another wrist bangle thingy. Then it’s another hour to the hotel.

The Tribe Hotel us next to the US Embassy, its in the ritzy part of town and it is really ritzy itself.

An easy evening before a 7.30am start for Lake Nakuru tomorrow, north west towards the Masai Mara.

Ciao from Nairobi

Pauolo