.When one joins the university, they are obliged to join various clubs and societies so as to boost their careers, to socialize, to improve their socialization skills, to further their interests in various fields or just for the heck of being in a club. Being in an environmental club at Narok Uni as always been pleasure because of my love for wildlife. It therefore was my joy when a chance to hike the highest point in Kenya presented itself at the start of semester when I’m financially loaded like a Casanova who has just made the best bargain in the casino(if I owe you don’t use this line to ask me for anything,afterall I used it all on the trip!!)
The process of organizing a non-academic trip is no simple feat especially if you are going to use the campus bus,and you plan to use it on a week -day,but thanks to two industrious officials Victor Ngari and Morris Mbae for to these two upcoming managers,everything is possible all you need is to place it on the bargaining table!Thanks to them and other officials,ie,Shiru,Peter and Kung’u.They made the trip possible.
Kenyans have a problem with time keeping.Atleast majority,else why would the driver arrive almost half an hour late despite having been informed that we would be leaving exactly at 6.But what do you tell an elderly and fatherly guy that mr,Rono the driver is, when he arrives and apologises like a gentleman and promises to make up for the lost time..
The first rays of the sun appeared harmless,soft and innocent as they cast their warmth on the “small bus” as it snaked its way on the rolling plains of Narok towards the capital but nobody was to be fooled that day by the godess of nature for experience had taught all the 33 members aboard that within no time the sun rays would turn into fierce inferno that would leave them fanning their faces with their hands for a little air-condationing.At first people engaged in small talk as they familiarized with each other as they enjoyed classic fm for the first time since they left their homes(I wonder when the Communications Commission of Kenya(cck) will respond to the many letters have sent them informing them that Narok is an airwaves desert!)
We made a stop over at Sagana to buy charcoal(yes we were going to cook for ourselves camping style)and this is the place where charcoal is left unguarded on the roadside in sacks so that whoever wants to buy can buy and whoever wants to steal can try too. Several cases of people whose vehicles refused to start after stealing charcoal have been told and they had to pay hefty fines to the owners of the charcoal so as they be “released”. I alighted and on seeing the cost was tagged at 500/= I thought that was real conman ship after all the fellows don’t make trees to grow but I was careful not no grumble while on the ground rest I got the beating of my life from unseen forces, so as everyone on the bus was enquiring as to why I had not bought the charcoal, I remained mum until I was safely on the bus and made sure it was moving and then I complained Atwoli style about how bad the charcoal was!
Evening saw us land at Chogoria,the last frontier town before one enters the forested area leading to the camp and then mountain, we did all the necessary shopping wel aware that it was the last town or market we would be stopping before the long ascend to the mountain.Talk about a little quiet and green town and boy! They have more land rovers in that town than all the proboxes in Narok and Naivasha combined, well maybe they well understand their terrain and also tourists require them for ferrying them to Kinondoni camp lodge at the base of the mountain where we were ended. Majority had already started shivering excluding yours truly for they say if your stomach is full, cold moves away from you and yours truly had worked on that area well.
The motorcycles that have sprung everywhere in Kenya and being cycled by mainly by class 3 graduates who can’t tell right and left side of the road are also, by good or bad luck, in plenty in Chogoria.The buggers saw the bus headed on the side of the mountain and within no time they had surrounded the bus and they were all proclaiming and prophesying doom on the bus and the commuters if we dared try the roughest terrain in Kenya(that one from Chogoria to Mt.Kenya national park.)they claimed that only their motorcycles (so China and equally Cheap)could make it to the area or we hire landrovers.We later learnt that they charge 2000 shillings to ferry people to the mountain. That confirmed my worst fear for I hate trekking, I could therefore not figure myself doing the 30kms on foot.Mr,Rono the driver didn’t let us down neither did the bus disappoint for the first 20kms or so. We didn’t know the exact distance to the camp but our local tour guides were there to help us by guessing!!
What was so evident on the road was the elephant waste and I was afraid of what would happen were we to meet one on the roughest part of the bamboo forest road where we had to walk in the dark so as to give the bus enough power to move forward while empty. My fears for meeting a tempo who was loose on rampage after maybe being jilted by a lover were confirmed later at Meru national park where full grown male jumbo almost trumped on our bus and infarct I think I heard it scream “get a better busSSSSSSSSSSS!”but that’s a story for another day.
The weather that met us at the camp was chilling to the bone,ice crystals formed on the water in the taps, the camp is at 2700m hence the cold. We prepared ourselves fort the hike the following day………..to be continued(watch this space to know what went down at mulika lodge of Meru national park,the miraa farms of Meru north and the hike to the top of the mountain)
Wow! What a trip! Kudos Nesh!
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