First destination: Kenya. I'm spending 5 days in Nairobi before heading out to the Maasai Mara National Park for 4 days. I arrived in Nairobi last night after 20 hours from Sydney, which felt surprisingly quick. Perhaps this was due to my watching the whole series of Fortitude, a great drama/thriller with some hefty gore scenes included (I highly recommend it for anyone heading more than 60 degrees north).
Nairobi is a happening city. The population has almost doubled over the last 20 years, leading to a growing urban sprawl and significant infrastructure challenges. A city of tar roads and semi-completed residential and office developments certainly contrasts with the Kenya that has appealed to me for a very long time, that of the vast grass plains, massive numbers of indigenous wildlife, Lake Victoria and more exotic locations including the elephants' graveyard and Pride Rock. The signs of an emerging city were clear from the get-go, with the arrival terminal and customs now operating in the former airport carpark.
My interest in Kenya has also been sparked by a family tie. My grandma and grandpa spent about 3 years in Africa during the war, a significant portion of this time based in Kenya as hostilities played out in Ethiopia and northern Kenya. It was in Kenya where they met, before eventually migrating to Australia.
Day one in Africa has been great. After a late start thanks mainly to a few Tusker beers (rating: 7/10), I was off to Nairobi National Park. Pete Joubert kindly acted as guide and driver. Pete, a good mate from uni days, is now based in Nairobi and is kindly putting me up during my stay. A relatively small park on the outskirts of Nairobi, NPP is not really considered a 'proper' park by many, perhaps due to the cityscape that lies on the horizon throughout the park. However the afternoon/evening drive certainly exceeded my expectations for game spotting, helped along by the fantastically amusing and chatty park rangers. An exciting sign of things to come.
I couldn't help but take a few photos...
