Immediately after the guard had opened the gate to let me into Kenya, I realized that I would now have to drive on the left hand side of the road for the first time since leaving Denmark. It was midday, and perfect driving conditions for the 260 km to Marsabit - once again on a superb road with virtually no traffic. I was now driving through “real Africa” terrain, savanna as far as the eye could see, in all directions. After all the mileage I had done through the desserts of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, I so enjoyed this change in scenery. As if to emphasize my excitement, only 10 km from the Moyale border, I had to stop the bike and wait for two huge bull elephants to cross the road. What a sight! Very alert, they crossed the road and slowly disappeared into the bush.

The long stretch of road from Moyale to Marsabit used to be hated by overlanders because of it’s terrible condition, and earned the nickname “the road from hell”. Whether you like it or not those hardship days are gone, and this perfectly surfaced road now deserves the title “the road from heaven”. Early afternoon I reached Marsabit, and booked into a very simple room at the Nomad Trails Hotel. Hot shower, squat toilet, slow WiFi, mosquito netting around the bed - what’s not to like about a place like that.

Arriving in Kenya was for me like entering civilization. I could now read the road signs, streets had signs with their names, most people spoke English, the food looked like something I would enjoy, compared to Sudan and Ethiopia. A lot of things reminded me of my beloved South Africa. Everything looked a lot more “developed” than I had expected. Kenya looked really promising.

I spent the night at Nomads in Marsabit. The next morning I went to the local hairdresser for a haircut and beard trim. He was definitely not used to cutting “white hair”! It was cut in a fashion I had never experienced before, but the end result was just fine. I am wearing a full face helmet most of the time, anyway! At 200 shillings (€ 2,00) it didn’t break the bank.

The next stretch of road was to Isiolo, about 300 kilometers. A lot more traffic in Kenya than I had been used to in Ethiopia. More aggressive drivers, particularly those driving busses and trucks. A couple of times I had to take to the side of the road to avoid oncoming cars overtaking recklessly. Glad I am on a motorcycle, which takes up a lot less space. Heading south towards Mount Kenya - Africa’s second highest mountain after Mount Kilimanjaro - the road went through several nature reserves. Cresting a hill, I saw a sign for a coffeehouse, and pulled in to a quaint little restaurant. To get to the coffeehouse I had to walk through a very interesting little shop with all sorts of handmade things. I briefly met the owner of this set-up, an English lady. I ordered my cappuccino and couldn’t resist the brownies on display at the bar. Delicious! Kenya was growing on me by the minute.

After my coffee break I headed further south, and about 30 km after Isiolo I saw a sign for a place called Rangerland Lodge. A few hundred meters on a dirt road brought me to the front gate. The room cost was out of my budget, but they had a lovely campsite on the grounds at € 8,00 per night. I quickly pitched my tent and set up camp. The sun was shining, temperature around 25 degrees, plenty of birds and flowers all around - life is good. The lodge had it’s own butchery, and you would simply choose the meat you wanted from the butchery, and they would prepare it for you on a huge open fire grill. I had chicken with chips for dinner - without question the toughest chicken I have ever had the pleasure of putting my teeth into, so quite disappointing.

The following morning I had a 5 hour drive to Nairobi, where I would be staying at most overlanders preferred digs, The Jungle Junction, owned and run by Chris from Germany and his lovely Kenyan wife Diana. Situated in the leafy upmarket suburb of Karen (after Karen Blixen) I loved the vibe of this place, from the moment I arrived. The rooms were all taken, so I took a bed in the 6 man dorm, which at that point was only used by Sepp from Germany. In the evening at dinner, I met the other visitors at JJ’s. All of them very interesting individuals:

Axel from Germany, in his early sixties, has a converted MAN truck parked permanently at JJ and use it to travel in Africa 2-3 months every year. On the truck he has a microlight plane, and a BMW G650 X-Challenge to take him to places the truck can’t go. Axel has had a busy life with his own businesses in Germany, a Porsche/Mercedes dealership, which he sold some years ago (still has 2 rare Porsche cars in his garage). After the dealership he started a hot air balloon business and built it up to 8 units. It is in the southern part of Germany. Today he is renting the whole business to someone else, and as he said: the only thing I have to check is that the rental money is credited to my account at the beginning of each month. Apart from that, he builds one or two houses every year, for sale or rental. I spent quite some time with Axel, who left for Germany the day after I arrived.

Wayne from South Africa, in his early fifties, thin as a rack and about 190 tall, was a JJ’s to fetch the frames of his 2 Honda CRF 450 motorcycles, and organize the export of the engines to Dubai, where he has been working for the last 20+ years. Wayne has his own IT business which he can run from anywhere in the world. While at JJ’s he was frequently on the phone or on the computer, sorting out his various clients problems. He has done some amazing trips in Africa. Like he said, I have done Africa on the west side, on the east side and in the middle! In between taking care of business, he spent a lot of time with me, planning the remainder of my trip from Nairobi to Cape Town, where to stay, places to avoid, what to see and so on. What a blessing he was to me. Wayne loves motorcycling and the camaraderie that goes with it. He has participated in some grueling desert races and expeditions in Africa and the Far East, and has the scars to prove it. I certainly missed him, when he left after two days at JJ. We had some interesting discussions about South Africa and the future. Wayne is a super intelligent individual, and I found his views and angle on many things, very inspiring and thought provoking. 

Sepp from Germany, 68 years old, and a very polite and gentle individual. We shared the dorm for two nights. Sepp has worked for a large German publishing house the past 25 years, until his retirement 3 years ago. Originally he has a degree in geology, and a couple of years ago he decided to spend some time in Ethiopia, to write a thesis on some subject within the geological field. Sepp is waiting at JJ’s for some friends to arrive in their own 4x4 and a KTM 640 Adventure motorcycl, before going on a trip to Uganda with them.

Tomorrow - sadly - I will be leaving Jungle Junction, and head for Arusha in Tanzania. It has been a real “R&R” time for me. Great home cooked meals, re-charging of all batteries - my own and the load I am carrying with me. I will miss the 3 “sunny side up” eggs and two slices of brown toast I was served every morning, together with perfectly brewed Kenyan coffee served in a Bodum coffee plunger, by always smiling Collins.

While staying at the Jungle Junction, I have made a couple of trips into Nairobi. I spent about 2 hours at the Karen Blixen Museum. Really fascinating, and she has certainly left her mark on Kenya, with a whole upmarket neighborhood named after her, “Karen”. One day I went to buy a self test malaria kit, which I found at a pharmacy in a big shopping mall called the HUBB. While there, I couldn’t believe my own eyes, when I saw two well known restaurants from South Africa, the Spur and the Ocean Basket. Luckily it was close to lunchtime. The Spur got my business on this occasion. Later on - to crown it all - I found biltong in the Carrefour supermarket at the HUBB. I stocked up on that. My joy was now complete. Doesn’t take much to satisfy a simple man!

Nairobi is a city of just over 3 million people, with the usual big city problems, like traffic congestion and overpopulation. At one time it was often referred to as Nairobbery because of robberies and petty theft. The local government has done what they can to get rid of that label. Kenya relies heavily on tourism, and can not afford any bad advertising. Kenya itself now has in excess of 50 million inhabitants, and is considered one of the most diverse countries on the planet, both geographically and in terms of ethnicity. Many foreigners call Kenya their home, and Nairobi has a high percentage of expatriates living here.

I will miss Kenya, for sure.