jane bargaining for an ostrich egg

This time there is no excuses for not paying the road tax. Kenyan border officials know very well what they’re doing. They confront us with printed law. It’s 20$ for the bike for 1 month and 50$ for 3 months… 20 bucks are just enough we decide, even though we’re planning on staying longer than a month. Other than this no discussions and pretty quick progress at the border.
Perfect tarmac all the way to Nairobi with increasing number of vehicles. In Nairobi then a total chaos. Traffic jam all the way through the city limits. Luckily we can reach Jungle Junction before dark and find a spot for our tent in Chris’ garden.
Jungle Junction has been travelers meeting spot for years and it is offering weary overlanders the comforts they’ve been longing for; cozy living room to hang around while surfing via fast wireless internet, dining area and a well equipped kitchen. What else do we need? Yeah, there is cheap beer too, hehehe.
Right, nice and sunny weather would do! Few hours following our arrival the rain arrives to Nairobi. For the predicted “light rains” it actually rains quite heavily. We watch the lawn turning into a lake, our tent becoming somehow an island…
There is no way we could sleep “on the island” tonight as the water is about ankle deep around the tent. Jane secures our sleeping bags and we stay on dry land in the living room tonight.

darius with the masaai

at the embassy of the philippines

In the morning still our tent is not accessible. Jane urgently needs a new passport and we have to visit the Embassy of the Philippines. Unlike in most of the German Embassies, we’re being warm welcomed here. The Embassy staff even disregards the lunch break in order to help their countryman. 24 hours later we’re sitting together with the Filipino Vice Consul on her couch, exchanging email addresses and taking pictures while Jane’s passport is being issued. Thinking of my experiences at some German Embassies abroad (long cues, grumpy faces, not helpful at all, very impersonal) I’m glad that it’s not me who is in need of a new passport!

coast pride hotel

We just make it to the Sudanese Embassy 15 Minutes to Twelve and are still able to apply for the last visa on the African Continent. As soon as the visas are issued we’re leaving the “lakeside accommodation” at JJ’s and heading for the coast. The traffic is terrible all the way. Countless trucks and busses are trying to break the records along the narrow tar road, overtaking each other and completely disregarding the oncoming motorbikes i.e. us. Several times we’re forced to leave the road and hit the dusty ditch. Damned truckers!

our lens taken to pieces

the rooster as a pet?

or chicken for dinner!!

at the sagala lodge

with our visitors from Teisendorf

We camp the first few days in the beautifully isolated Twiga lodge and moving to Diani Beach only shortly before the arrival of Darius’ family and friends.
Diani Beach is somewhat a package tour destination very comparable to some resort towns in southern Europe. Luckily for us, due to some unrests in the North, there are hardly any tourists present…

the divers

the front brakes on our twin are due to overhaul...

at the equator... again!

Jane is about to try another means of transport for the moyale route

"only" 526km to Moyale

the trip to Moyale begins with a brand new tarmac road

but the road becomes a track pretty soon

and deteriorates completely as soon as it starts to rain

our friend Guido was right: pulling is better than pushing Jane!!!

we need to stop overnight in a small place Loglogo

the place is managed by friendly Rendeli people

somehow we make it to beautiful Marsabit, with a damaged panier and removed front fender...

the rains stop for a while but the track to Moyale is still no joke

our evening in turbi, with our friends Klaus and Luise

still dry but not much better the track leads us from Turbi to Moyale