Fri 11th Oct
I showered, finished packing and left the flat at 06:30. I got a tuk tuk just outside and the 800bob trip took 30 mins. I was dropped off at the security to the railway Terminus which left me a 10 minute walk to the station. Smoothly through more security…incl sniffer dogs…and collection of ticket, and more checks, and to the cafe for a masala tea for 200bob.

I had plenty of time, which was nice. So, 07:45 to the platform and carriage no. 9 for the 08:00 departure. Nothing outstanding to report from the journey.  Comfortable enough. Saw a few elephants in the distance and a couple of ostriches. Spot on arrival in Nairobi…2:10. I got the Commuter train, arriving at the central train station at 3:00. I asked about the Kisumu Safari train, only to find it wasn’t running because flood waters had damaged parts of the tracks and it was being fixed.

I remembered that both John and Carkey had recommended EasyCoach. The offices and depot were just over 5 minutes walk away. There was nothing for it but to catch the bus. I booked a good seat on the 10:30pm and went looking for a bite to eat. In fact I ended up at the Elephant restaurant which was part of the old Sunway hotel.  The beans and rice and cabbage was tasty and I managed to hang out there for nearly 2 hours.

From there I went to the Ambassadeur Htl,  virtually across the road. I have always liked it there as it’s a big bar on the first floor. Although I hadn’t been there for a couple of years I recognised a couple of ladies at the bar who waved and smiled at me. This was obviously their ‘patch’, and apart from a very brief acknowledgement,  I chose to ignore them and was pleased when they left.
I went back to EasyCoach, and based on Carkey’s suggestion, I managed to switch my ticket to the Butere coach due to leave at 9:30. I sat in the waiting room for a while, and then at about 9:15 went to look for my coach. There was a very good system whereby the coaches came in single file according to the time they were due to leave, and there were constant announcements regarding their departure times. I got onto the Butere coach, only to find that my 11B seat was right at the back. We weren’t too late leaving, it was nearer 10pm.

Carkey’s
Sat 12th Oct
Well, 3 hours to Nakuru; then 4 hours to Kisumu; and 2 hours to Butere. All I can say is the trip was awful; being at the back meant all the humps were felt and I hardly got any sleep. At least there was lots of leg room to stretch out… Arrival in Butere was at 7am and a boda had been arranged to take me to Carkey’s house.

Nice to be back on his homestead/plot/farm. I had the same thatched hut to sleep in. Had a great catch up. Got reacquainted with the washing facilities which are in the same “bush’… There’s been some progress in the last few years and instead of a bucket of water and a jug, there’s a tap letting water flow through a pipe/shower.  The only thing missing is a shower head..!!!
The afternoon was spent looking for, and buying small bolts to repair the water pump to the water tank, and visiting 2 different bars.

After that, it was back to the house for a lovely fish and ugali dinner, and an early night for me.

Sun&Mon 13th & 14th.
Similar activities during both days. Breakfast in Carkey’s house comprising of hard boiled eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, mandazi, avocado and cocoa. After a shower and chilling, it was a question of being taken around the neighbourhood in the afternoon on a boda to Butere and Sidindi to check out various bars.
An interesting one on Sunday, where we met a couple of gold miners. The mining itself is just basic digging by hand and extracting the correct rocks. The guys were filthy and am sure deserved the 7,500 ..about £45..per gram that the gold sold for.
Dinner in the evening was a delicious pilau.

Monday was a similar routine,  just a variation on the bars. First in the morning I washed a couple of shirts and a pair of socks while sitting on an outside wall with the clothes in a bucket. It worked well, and of course I’m used to that methodology on my travels.

After 2pm we went to a ‘local’ establishment where I sampled Busaa for the first time. The preparation process was familiar. In this case maize flour, millet and sorghum roasted, then water added and left to ferment for 3 days until ready to drink. It was bitter at first but seemed to get sweeter as more cups were drunk !! It was served in big jugs from where you filled your cup. In the jug the busaa continued to bubble and froth. Good fun. A number of ladies were involved in frenetic dancing, so perhaps busaa is more alcoholic than I thought..!! I surprised everyone by using my Mboko…the little mnazi gourd that Maina gave me in Kilifi as a present.

We went to another bar which was supposed to be quite cheap. I can’t remember if that was the case, but I remember there was a torrential downpour which forced us to have another round of drinks. Fortunately the rain stopped after an hour and we could get the boda back to Carkey’s before dark. I can’t remember the meal we had. But I had an earlyish night.

Tues&Wed 15th & 16th. Oct
Carkey and I got going relatively early to go to Homa Bay via Kisumu. First a long boda ride to a major road where we immediately got a matatu to Kisumu. I had a front seat so there was lots to occupy me. It was further than I thought and took a couple of hours; a frustrating change of vehicles just a few kms short of Kisumu, which took ages.
We wandered around the stage looking for the best transport to Homa Bay. A journey that was in theory shorter than I expected but we took an hour long detour on rough roads to avoid a ‘nasty’ police checkpoint near Kendu Bay. Around Kendu Bay I got my first real glimpse of L Victoria. Eventually we reached Homa Bay in the early afternoon.
Not far from the Stand was a nice restaurant on the 3rd floor, so it was nice and airy and we enjoyed an omelette wrapped in a chapati, and a soda.

The next step was to find somewhere to spend the night. 1st hotel on the high street..not bad. Walked to the Tourist Hotel on the lake shore…seemed a bit expensive considering it’s showing its age. Next one – Cold Springs – was way too expensive at 7,500 per night…and the xray/scan security put me off.
Then, at the 4th attempt…the Hotel Twin Towers. Great rooms…AC, hot water, and a balcony…all for 2,500bob or £15. Just as well it was good value because I was paying for Carkey as well.
After a little wander around we stopped at a hoteli at the Stand and had a really delicious fish and ugali …Nile perch I think. I sneaked into a shop to buy a little bottle of spirit for my room. By this time it was getting on and we returned to the hotel.

I went to my room while Carkey managed to find the bar..!!  It was strangely located..downstairs in the hotel garage area. Carkey called me because he had met someone who knew Dad from 40 years ago. The guy said how much I resembled Dad…the legs, the shorts…the main difference being that I wasn’t smoking a pipe.!! Quite emotional for me.

After a couple more drinks, it was time to retire to our rooms; it had been quite a long day. But, lovely to visit a place where Dad lived for about 8 years in the 80s, and a place that I visited a couple of times…

Wed 16th ..began with a superb buffet breakfast…even more choice than Aurelia…cementing the fact that Twin Towers was excellent value. We were only due to stay in Homa Bay for 2 days, so we had a lot to achieve on Wednesday.

Firstly, to find Dad’s house which I knew was opposite the police station…only about 5 mins walk away. Well, there were only 3 houses to choose from. One I discounted straight away, but took photos anyway and sent them to Mercy. Of course she confirmed that it was the one with the big tree in the garden. Nice to see it again after all these years.

Secondly, to go to the lake shore and survey the ‘port’ area where the little lake ferries and fishing boats dock. Took some nice pics of birds on the boats. I wanted a better view of the lake, and not far away was a church on a hill which sort of provided that opportunity.
Carkey didn’t want to go in with me to ask the Sisters’ permission. With a smile and a cheeky chat, the back gate was opened to enable me to climb the few metres to check out the view. One direction was just hills, while in the other direction at least I saw some of the lake…a few minutes was enough.

Thirdly, after a drink at the same restaurant as the previous day, on the main high street, it was time for task number 3. We were told there had been a sisal factory in town.
I did a search on Google maps and it was pointing behind the hospital.  We trekked and searched, until someone pointed us in another location about 15 mins walk and nearer the lake.
We were in an area of office buildings with no-one around, when as a result of me calling out in a loud voice someone appeared and pointed us in the direction of about 2kms away. Actually an area called Makongeni….M(a)konge being the word for sisal …and there it was, the sisal factory building. I didn’t go inside, but took pics from the gate…but how exciting to see somewhere that Dad worked.

We ‘celebrated’ by going to the Tourist Hotel by the lake and having a couple of beers. A long chat with the manager about its past and lack of future prospects as the current owner is not prepared to invest.

We went back to the Stand for another fish and ugali dinner…not as tasty as the previous evening but much cheaper. I bought some mkombero and we went back to our hotel where we took our drinks up to the more comfortable lounge area this time. I took some selfies of me chewing mkombero on my balcony and then it was time for bed.
A great visit to Homa Bay with Carkey and we accomplished a lot in 2 days. Good memories of Dad.