Thurs 23rd.. Taxi arrived at Bustani at 6:30….half an hour late but we were at the SGR by 07:00. I said Wandaz were to pay the taxi fare… a bit cheeky of me, but nothing had been agreed and I figured that was some recompense for not having a working TV in my room. We were quickly through security. The next train carriage was nearly empty so I had lots of window seats to choose from to look for wildlife. Saw half a dozen elephants but all in the distance. The countryside was very dry all the way to Nbi from Msa…. nearly 500kms. Of course the journey took precisely 6hrs and 10mins….comfortable though. Then the commuter train the 45 mins to Nbi central station for 50bob. Oh, i should mention that the train cost 1,000bob…or £7.
Buses to Karen are still leaving from outside the Station ; possible new terminus in the near future by Uhuru Gdns/Park. Easy to Karen… dual carriageway nearly all the way. Had a couple of beers before going to the house. Had a very relaxing time with Helen and Elizabeth.
On Friday I caught the bus into Nbi city centre to meet Fatima who I first met in Diani 2 yrs ago. Bought her lunch; nice to walk around some quieter streets of the Business district. On Sat 25th I walked to the Hub in Karen…mainly to draw money from an ATM… but also for the exercise…only 30 mins each way.
The garden at the house is very dry, have never seen it looking so brown. One late afternoon and early evening we went to Karen Country club for drinks. Apart from that there were a couple of drinks/snacks afternoons on the verandah. On Sunday Susie, Helen’s business partner, treated us to a Japanese cuisine lunch which was absolutely delicious.
Mon 27th. Got a lift from Zuberi up to Karen dukas to catch a bus from the start of the journey so I could get a comfortable seat. We were dropped right in the city centre near the Ambassadeur hotel, from where it’s only a 10min walk to the matatu stand for my 250ksh trip to Naivasha. Had to wait an hour before setting off though. Just over 1.5 hrs, so good going. Nice view over the Rift valley and Mt Longonot as we drove along the escarpment.
Did shopping of a 6 pack of White Cap which managed to fit in my rucksack. Something Peter wanted wasn’t available so I went directly to the matatu stage. Got going to Karagita and the Pantry where Theodora was to pick me up. I tried their Craft beer. Very tasty but. 400ksh for 500ml.
We were greeted by about 10 zebra crossing in front of us just before arriving at the Milima House plot. I was going to stay 4 days but was persuaded to stay for 1 week. I had my usual attic room with the narrow circular metal staircase which had to be negotiated with care. My cat allergy was quite bad this time and I used my inhaler about a dozen times. The main house and bus were occupied on my arrival and again the next weekend. The AirBnB seems to be operating well.
There was much chatting with Theodora and Peter. The first Grand Prix ( Abu Dhabi) of the season was on between Fri and Sunday. Peter is so keen and knowledgeable that his enthusiasm rubbed off on me, and I think he enjoyed having someone asking lots of questions and who he could educate.
There was a shopping trip into Naivasha and Buffalo mall, during which I bought chicken and coconut milk and other ingredients for a Thai curry on Saturday. I did 2 other trips. With Theodora around Moi S Lake road to Fishermans Camp for tea /coffee. Sad to see all the yrees along the lake shore dying following the very high lake water level of a couple of years ago. Saw colobus being fed. We went further round to La Pieve Ranch house for a snack lunch. Very potholey road but saw a few giraffe and a couple of warthogs. There were buffalo on the way back to Milima house. Never got to see buffalo in the actual garden of the plot.
Theodora also took me to the Kedong ranch House which can actually be seen from Milima house. Saw a couple of ostrich. I did seee 3 zebra one night in the garden when the security light was triggered as I was looking out of my window. Saw a jackal one after afternoon from Theodora’s house. And there was a sundowners with Peter on a mound of rocks just the other side of the boundary fence. Buffalo invaded the top of Peter’s garden on the day After I left…. Grrr… would liked to have seen that.
So Mon 6th I was dropped off in town. Went to Evans at his place…. Pho Shizzle. Made a mistake of not getting a shuttle to Nairobi and the journey took 3.5 hours. A bit of a walk. Checked into Sunway… the nicer room still 2,000. Went to the stage and prebooked my Naekana ticket to Taveta for the next day. Met Charles to discuss my next Kenya multiple entry visa. Went to Ambassadeur for a beer, thinking they had WiFi… But it wasn’t working. I had had street snacks so wasn’t hungry. A couple more beers in the Sunway bar then back to my room. Very successful visits. Great fun… lots accomplished. Nice to see all the family.