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Day 11
7.11.2001
NAIROBI (again)
Kilometres travelled since Dar es Salaam 1600
Starter Motors destroyed 1
Elephants filmed: Numerous
"Raf the mechanics say this looks like a Toyota starter motor." Stuart mumbled in a puzzled way. He pored over the new item that I had bought in central Nairobi and continued "well the metal isn't anywhere near as man as this, funny that"
"Errrr actually it's an Isuzu KB petrol starter motor"
"Whaaat?"
"Well it's a little known fact that the two are a common fit and in Pemba it is impossible to find Landrover parts. This one was a reconditioned model, cost fifty pounds and has lasted 18 months"
"Well in that case" Stuart scratched his head "I suppose that it has done remarkably well." And with that we handed over the brand new starter motor and left to the "Chequered Flag" mechanics to it.
Four days earlier Kenya Airways had telephoned Stuart and told him his bags had arrived. Stuart was far too tired to zoom out to Embakasi Aerodrome again so he dispatched his favourite taxi driver with instructions not to come back without his bags. Three hours later Stu was starting to wonder if his trust had been misplaced. Four hours later the bags finally turned up in the taxi, being towed behind another taxi!
As soon as Stuart had sorted out his damp and sodden kit. "I've just come from the lake district." He explained. We were ready to drive out and start our grand journey. Unfortunately Penny and Narinder declared they needed more time. So I dreamed up some mechanical chores for Stuart and sneaked off to the cinema. Unfortunately Stuart discovered some very real faults in the Weasel. The most prominent, being that she leaked like a sieve. So the cinema had to wait while we all drove to Westlands and bought tubes of silicone sealant.
Once Narinder had re-filed and re-engineered Mr Harry we were allowed to depart. Much ribbing took place with him being re-named "Fusiler FAF" by Stuart and "Fundi Ghandibop" by Buzz.. Eventually, the two Land Rovers emerged from the Upper Hill Campsite during a torrential rain shower. They rolled down Haile Selasie Street and headed up Uhuru Avenue towards the Rift Valley. Nairobi was green and lush with a multi cultural population. My mind wandered, and the Uhuru highway became the A3 near Guilford. Only when the stark reality of the Nairobi slums appeared did I realise that I was in east Africa. I changed down a gear and turned onto the very steep descent into the Rift valley. We dropped down past the huge articulated lorries and gently careened along the bends. Suddenly in front of us a truck's brakes locked and smoke started to appear from the rear wheels. "Watch him" barked Stuart as we slowed behind him. "He'll not be able to control that and sideswipe the opposite bank in a second. But the driver kept his cool, skilfully slowed the double truck unit down and engaged crawler gear. He signalled us to pass, and as we overtook him, we saw an immensely relieved look on his face. "That was impressive, he did very well" Stuart quietly congratulated the driver. Towing Boeing 757's off the runway in Belize had created a sympathy in Stuart for drivers of anything big.
At the end of the steep slope we picked up speed and thundered along the brown rift floor. The sun was strong and a pleasant change to Nairobi, but there were always dark clouds lurking not too far away. Then the the brown earth changed to green scrub and we started climbing again. Up and up we climbed, over the most unpleasant broken tarmac. Our speed dropped to 40kmph as Stuart gently weaved around the potholes. It took a few hours to reach Narok and by this stage we had all been rattled enough. We called a night halt and pitched tents in a campsite euphemistically called: "the members club". Who the members were and what they did seemed a bit of a mystery, but it was a reasonable campsite.
Soon after arriving the left window on the Weasel ceased to work. Stuart patched it up and we visited the welders the next morning. The problem was soon fixed and we headed into the Masai Mara Reserve.
The Mara was the area of the finest grazing for the Masai. The Government of Kenya bought the land off the Masai tribe and re-settled the villagers outside the reserve. The legacy of this is to leave a pristine area where wild animals can roam in peace. So prolific are they that one has only to drive along the tracks and see elephants foraging and lions hunting. Unfortunately, the development of tourism has led to an increase in the number of game viewing minibuses and jeeps. Some of the more unscrupulous operators drive right up to the animals and seemingly harass them in an attempt to get the perfect photo for their clients. This has led to cheetah's being unable to hunt properly and the instigation of feeding programmes. There is even talk of making certain animals such as cheetah off limits to vehicles for a period.
A year previously I had visited the Mara and had witnessed the effect of mass tourism on the animals. I wondered whether this was the way forward. Granted, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Narok county council needed the tourist income to maintain the park, the people of Kenya benefit from the direct and in-direct income but at what cost. Living and working in coastal Tanzania has taught me much about the cost of "conservation" and tourism. There is obviously a lot of thought going into the future if the Mara. I wish the people of Kenya and the Masai well in their hunt for a lasting sustainable solution.
On this occasion the park was deserted. The vehicles were scattered and barely visible. "September the 11th has destroyed our business" said Philip a park ranger. "Our park is now empty" He was saddened, but he seemed happy that at last the animals had some peace.
Due to the rains, the weather was cool and the animals wandered happily. Much of our time was spent engine switched off observing the movement of herds of animals. We were lucky enough to witness and film the migration of wildebeest. Two thousand of them slowly plodded over a hill, much like a medieval army. When they passed by some close bushes they all spontaneously broke into a gallop.
"Look at the stragglers, they are the easy prey. See how they run to catch up and then start walking" Stu pointed out to us.
The next two days passed quickly with our photography and filming continuing. We crossed a perilous bridge by the Mara Intrepid camp and struggled through some deep mud. You may all note that we were never stuck. We changed campsite and bade Penny and Narinder farewell as they moved to a camp inside the park.
A long drive back to Nairobi (see the reports section for gory details) brought us back to Nairobi and the efficient Robin Boyd Moss. The CHEQUERED FLAG Garage pulled our starter motor off and replaced it with a genuine one. Relieved, we drove back to upper hill campsite in time to haul everything out of the truck to re-arrange and clean it.
Much to our surprise Penny, Narinder and Buzz arrived at 2000hrs. They sat down and ate dinner. Soon afterwards there was some unpleasantness.
Cisca and Stu and I are keen to get out of Kenya. We have enjoyed our time here, but Kenya is somewhere we can all return to. We want to head up north and see the Samburu national park. After this we want to cross into Ethiopia. Cisca has a job to return to in January, I have to return to Swahili Divers in February before Ben, my manager, turns it into Swahili Anglers. (he is an avid fisherman). Stuart is also constrained by time. Penny and Narinder have no timetable. Thus after dinner an innocuous question on timing turned into an acrimonious assault on Raf for "being in a rush". I had long expected a difference of opinion, but I was surprised to see two camps being formed so soon. The discussion ended quickly, but it stayed with some people for some hours later. It was a stark reminder of how quickly people can get on each other's nerves in close confines. It is obvious that a time inspired split will have to come sooner or later. The question is when. I confess that I was extremely grateful that everyone in the Weasel was thinking along the same lines. That makes me very hopeful for the future.
And now I must run off to the post office while Stuart re-builds the Weasel and Narinder searches for an elusive "Bit".… I suspect that our next news will come from Addis Ababa.
For more technical bumf hit the Status Reports page.
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