Sudan, watching the sun rise and paint the lakes of the Great
Rift Valley silver, then gliding over the Ngong Hills immortalized by Karen
Blixen before I settled into my base camp in the village named Karen after the
author of Out of Africa. I shed my New York boots and wrapped a kikoi around my
waist. Only 48 hours ago I'd been walking my cocker in Riverside Park, with more
snow than I saw on Mt. Kenya on my approach. The snow caps from Kenya's tallest
peak and Kilimanjaro are diminished by global warming, and do not appear as
robust from rains as the rest of the country, nearly as verdant as wet soggy
England, where moss and algae mark every tree and fence post.
During my layover in England I was whisked away to the medieval home of Mike
and Jennifer Shirley-Beavan. The owners of Bushbuck Safaris and impetus behind
the revival of the Catalina plane, they treated me to an update on their
favorite places in Africa, the best private guides, a hearty lunch, a fireside
chat, birds in their garden (nut hatch) (plus I saw a pheasant near the village
of Shalbourne.) Most important to diminish jet lag, they loaned me a bedroom for
a good long snooze before beginning the next leg of my journey to Africa. There
are two essential things to do when you fly into Kenya.
1) Request a seat on the port side so that you can see the Rift Valley Lakes
of Turkana, Baringo, and Naivasha on your approach to Nairobi; it's a good idea
to have a map on your knees, but on this, my 29th trip to Africa, I had no
trouble recognizing the Crescent Island that distinguishes Lake Navaisha, the
dark jagged peak of Mt. Kenya, or the Rift.
2) fly British Airways Club World, with reclining seats that let you sleep
comfortably, cold champagne, great meals (breakfast with fresh fruits, dinner
with entree choices) civilized service, and even a shower and snooze room during
your layover in England should you not have time to visit a friend. The British
Airways flight that I took stopped at Nairobi then went onto Dar, so it's a good
commute for Tanzania too.
After I saw the distinctive peak of Mt. Kenya on the horizon, I noticed a
dramatic gorge. As best I can figure, that is the famous Mukutan gorge favored
by Kuki Gallmann in her great panoramic views from Laikipia. Tomorrow I will
learn this new landscape. I fly Air Kenya for an hour north to Nanyuki, fly
another leg with a pilot friend of Kuki's, then load my baggage onto camels, and
begin my odyssey at the Mukutan Retreat. Since there is no electrical power,
only solar energy, who knows how I might beam my next report to you, but stay
tuned. In any case, this is the place where
I will sleep well.
