Having lived in the Middle East for eight years and travelled to many nearby places, we thought we could handle most traffic conditions.  We have now struck the WORST and most dangerous driving ever.  Everyone warned us that the road to Mombasa was extremely dangerous, and many said they would never attempt it on a bike.  We thought, oh sure, we’ll just be careful, will ride defensively, will take our time, and Dale vast riding experience.  However our 300km round trip to Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha was absolutely horrendous - oncoming traffic three abreast with buses and trucks passing left and right from behind, all on a two lane road with no regard for blind uphill corners or anyone else on the roads!  A number of times we were forced onto road verges.  We both said a couple of Hail Marys when we finally parked up back in Nairobi, and made the decision to transport the bike from Nairobi rather than ride the 500kms to Mombasa.

Without our own transport on the east coast, we changed our plans and decided to fly from Nairobi to the Lamu Archipelago off the northern Kenyan coast.  Now that we are getting closer to Morocco, we checked the weather forecast to discover it will be REALLY cold in the northern areas that we want to explore.  We always knew it would be chilly, but down to zero degrees and some rain, made us think we would visit another time.  Lamu converted from a 7 day visit to 18 days, particularly when we found out the waters were ideal for swimming on the southern tip of the island at Shela and over on Mandu Island.

Our flight departing Lamu is on Christmas Day.  Prices are cheaper and who wants to travel on Christmas Day, right?  Well people like us, who are a long way from family and friends.  That evening, we’ll be in Cairo to begin our 21 days of exploring Egypt, so it won’t be all that bad (smiley face).

Returning to Nairobi from the Lakes, felt a little strange.  We had become accustomed to the poorer African countries, bicycles and small motorcycles on the roads, buying vegetables from roadside markets and grocery stores with the bare minimum.   We know we’re still in Africa, however so many of the things we would normally take for granted, have returned, for example reliable internet and large well known supermarkets with fully stocked shelves.  Kenya is a progressive and modern country, and they are taking the lead in many areas.  

One thing that always feels confronting anywhere is high levels of security.  Supermarkets and shopping malls here are manned by security personnel who scan your person and your possessions.  In the case of the Westgate shopping mall, the very sad site of the 2013 mass shootings, heavily armed officers are accompanied by muzzled dogs.  When we saw the Westgate Mall for the first time, I instantly remembered the images of the place from the TV reporting when the incident occurred.

Our friend in Nairobi, Bis, works for Atkins.  Dale and Bis worked together in the Doha office and when Bis was seconded to the Kenyan office, Dale helped implement CAD-BIM software utilities he had developed into this office.  We were invited to their end of year Christmas function where Dale was able to put a face to those he had worked with remotely, to meet new people, and to catch up with some familiar faces from the Dubai and Oman offices.  

Having recently watched the movie “Out of Africa” an account of Karen Blixen’s life while living in Kenya, we visited the Karen Blixen Museum in Nairobi.  Blixen was a Danish author and considered several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.  She was also an accomplished artist.

“The Karen Blixen house meets three of the customary criteria for historical significance.  First, it is associated with the broad historical pattern of European settlement and cultivation of East Africa. Second, it is associated with the life of a person significant to our past as the home of Baroness Karen Blixen from 1917 -1931.  As such, it served as the setting and basis of her well-known book ‘Out of Africa’, written under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen, and as a gathering place for other well-known personalities of the period.  Third, the building embodies the distinctive characteristics of its type, period and method of construction.  The house’s architecture is typical of late 19th century bungalow architecture, including the spacious rooms, horizontal layout verandas, tile roof and stone construction typical of scores of residences built throughout European suburbs of Nairobi in early decades.”

The property is a serene environment that seems to belong to the past, and is surrounded by tranquil gardens with a splendid view of the Ngong Hills.  Karen honours the hills with the phrase ‘I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills’.  After she left Kenya, Bogani House (her name for the house) was sporadically occupied until it was purchased by the Danish government in 1964 and given to the Kenya government as an independence gift.  This Museum was later opened in 1986.  Her story was familiar thanks to the movie sticking reasonably close to the truth.

And now to ship the Guzzi to OZ…