Sept 25 - Drive to the Mara, part 2

     Shortly after I posted Wednesday’s blog, I rather regretted it. I love sharing all my pictures from my trip to Kenya, but I feel that I am doing a disservice to you as well as to the overall trip by not going more into detail. I just didn’t have time last time.

So here it is, the story in words instead of in pictures. (Ok, just a few pictures.)

As mentioned Wednesday, we left our Kenyan home promptly at seven a.m. to ride out to the Mara. Bonny and Dann picked us up, and Denise, Izzo and I jumped in the safari van with them. There was another woman (or more of a girl) in the van already also; I won’t mention her again, so if you forget she was there, that’s ok.

We stopped once in Kikuyu town for gas and to pick up one young man. Then a few blocks later we picked up another one. These are all people who work for Izzo in one capacity or another at one of his various endeavors. Oh, and there was also a quick stop at the police station in between.

It’s only 18 miles or so to our first real stop, but because of the short stops and because it is mostly city driving up to that point, it took close to an hour. (Well, there was that stop at the police station, but that only took a minute.)

You may be tired of hearing about the Rift Valley, but I will never get tired of it. So, I do have to share another picture of it.

So, at this stop, some of the guys got out for their hot beverages and also to gab with whoever else was there. Mostly other safari vans. All the nervous tourists on their first safari sitting anxiously in the vans waiting for their drivers, as the drivers were all getting their morning drinks and bull-shit sessions. Sometimes I get it, and sometimes I don’t. But most of the time, you just have to experience it or you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about.

Once we got back on the road, it was about a two-hour, 70-mile drive to our next stop. Narok. Last potty break for the day and last chance to buy anything at a good-size store. That store would be Tusky’s, a small version of a Wal-mart. I bought snacks and Denise bought a book to read and if I remember right, a charger.

Here’s something crazy I just noticed. The receipt from Tusky’s reads “Tusker Mattresses Ltd”. What exactly does that mean, do you suppose. I could just scan you a copy of the receipt, but I’ll just tell you instead that I bought a juice, a bag of mints, bag of chips and package of cookies for three dollars.

Back on the road, we drove a few more blocks, when Dann had to jump out to get something. No idea what that was. Or maybe I just don’t remember….

Once again back on the road, and I’m not going to be able to tell you much about time or distance. Google maps doesn’t show me the route we always take. Oh, probably because Google thinks we drive on actual roads. The route Google has from Narok to the town of Ololaimutiek is 62 miles. That kind of blows my mind. Google also says it should take two hours and 22 minutes. Hmm? Don’t I wish.

After around two and a half hours, we made a short stop at Ripoi school. I want to tell you all about that, but that will have to wait until next time.

As we were leaving the school, we could see the rain clouds gathering in the west. Only a few minutes later, it started raining, and 15 minutes later we got stuck for the first time. We barely got unstuck, when the van got stuck again.

Dann, Bonny and the other two boys jumped out and admirably pushed and rocked the van for a long time, as herds of cattle, sheep and goats were herded passed us. Denise and I had no idea how we could possibly ever get out of the mire. As the rain continued to fall.

Finally, they decided someone had to walk for help, so Dann and Bonny started down the road. Izzo thought it would be about a ten-minute walk to the next point of civilization. It may have only been twenty minutes or so before they came back with someone in this safari van.

Denise and I looked at each, as the new van spun its wheels turning around next to us. We thought, there is no way he can pull us out.

Somehow or other, maybe another ten minutes later, we were moving. Granted, we were slipping and sliding, but we were moving.

     Just as a side note, in discussing the weather with Izzo, he mentioned the Katabatic rains. On Google, they are actually winds, which are a drainage wind, that carries high-density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Which makes very little sense to me.