Kenya Beyond the Safari Parks

As incredible as it is to be traveling, having to research and plan day in and day out does get tiring.  So when we arrived in Karen, Kenya on June 19 after nine months abroad, the Shaws were a blessing.

When Mark & Lois Shaw moved to Kenya for a professorship for Mark and to serve as missionaries, they thought they'd be there for a short stint.  Thirty-four years later, Kenya is still their home.  The Shaws' son-in-law, Mike White, is a beard aficionado and like a big brother to Brian.  When Mike heard that we were heading to Africa, he said we just had to visit Kenya & he connected us with his in-laws.  Despite having never met Lois & Mark, they welcomed us as if we were family.  They arranged a car for us at the airport, had peanut M&M's on our pillows, and weren't at all offended when Brian asked if he could go watch the Ivory Coast play in the World Cup 2 minutes after walking in the house.  In fact, Mark eagerly went to watch it with him … turns out they both like Chelsea footballer and Ivory Coast native, Didiere Drogba.

The next day, Lois asked us if we knew what we wanted to do while we were in Kenya and offered to help us work out the logistics.  Considering all that she and Mark had going on (they were days away from a 6 month trip back to the US to raise money for their work & so there was a lot to do at the university where they live & work to prepare for their leave, they were helping to host a group from the US visiting Kenya on a medical missions trip, and they were getting ready for their son and his family to come visit from the Congo), we were touched that they were willing to take time out from their crazy busy lives to help us.

Lois didn't just help us though - she took care of everything (and we can't thank her enough)!  We told her we were interested in going on safari because we love animals.  She not only set us up with the travel agent on the campus where she and Mark live & work, but also planned a day for us at the Orphans' Project & the Giraffe Center (see the pictures in our previous blog here).  When we said we like hiking, she arranged for us to go to the Centre for African Adventure run by her friend, Njenga.  And that's how we came to know & love the Kenya beyond the safari parks..

Thank you Lois!

Ever mindful of our budget, we took a matatu (a public mini-bus of sorts) from Karen/Nairobi to Naromoro, the town where Njenga lives.  When we arrived at the matatu depot, Ignatius, who drove us there from the university and was also our guide during our safari, found our matatu and purchased our tickets.  Then, we got our packs and walked over to the vehicle.  As soon as the matatu driver saw us, he became angry with Ignatius and demanded that we pay more money - a "luggage fee."  Thanks to our two weeks in Ethiopia (read about our time in Ethiopia here), we were already familiar with this fee only charged to foreigners.  The difference this time, however, is that we had Ignatius with us.  While we still ended up having to pay a small fee, Ignatius recorded the driver's information and reported him since these practices are not allowed.  We love Ignatius!

Ignatius. He lives up to the saintliness of his name.

After 3.5 hours crammed in a matatu and almost setting off with the wrong Njenga, we finally reached the Centre for African Adventure.  Lois had given us the heads up that it was under construction.  She wasn't kidding.

Njenga showed us around the property and also shared his vision for the centre with us.  He wants it to be a place for groups and students to engage with nature and develop their leadership skills.  In addition to the lodges and cottages under construction, he plans to build a ropes course and a play area for wee little ones.  He'll use solar polar to heat up the water and biofuel in the kitchens.  And he wants to create as many jobs for people as he can.  His enthusiasm was contagious and it was easy to get excited about the possibilities for the centre.

After the grand tour, we were curious to see where we'd be sleeping considering that none of the buildings were complete.  Steph couldn't have been more excited when Njenga pulled out a tent.  The last time she remembered camping in a tent was when she lived out in California (so she was under the age of 6).  We got it all set up, spread out our sleeping bags, and then tried to make ourselves useful as best we could.  The result -- Brian kept the kids occupied…or rather they kept him occupied.

Over the next few days, we played with Mungai (Njenga's son), tried to bathe in a very cold river, planned our hike up Mount Kenya, had our first taste of nyama choma (roasted goat meat), walked around the town, learned about life in Kenya from Kioko (Njenga's newly hired employee), marveled at Kenya's inventive mobile money transfer sustem called M-Pesa (any business folks reading this should check it out), and delighted in Njenga's company.  Not only was he an amazing chef, but he gave us great insight into Kenya's past, present, and future.  And he set up a TV so that we could watch the World Cup! 

Mungai hanging out with us in our tent.

Njenga and Lucas, our guide, going over the plan for our trip to Mt. Kenya.

Just one of the many amazing meals Njenga cooked for us.  And he used only camping equipment!

Nyama choma.  Brian loved this stuff.

One of the slums we passed on the way into the town.  Makes you appreciate the little things.

Somebody almost fell asleep in the bathtub! (He also almost fell asleep during dinner too!)

On July 1, we began our hike on Mt. Kenya.  At 5199 meters/17057 feet, Mt. Kenya is the second highest mountain in Africa (Kilimanjaro is #1), the highest mountain in Kenya, and the highest mountain we've ever climbed.  We were contemplating hiking Kilimanjaro, but when Njenga, who is NOLS certified, told us that he hikes Kili because it pays well but he hikes Mt. Kenya for his soul, we knew Mt. Kenya was the mountain for us.  And it was.  The scenery was unlike anything we've ever seen.  One day we're following in an elephant's footsteps and the next we're camping by a glacial lake and surrounded by plants that looked like they were straight from a Dr. Seuss book (thanks to a phenomenon known as tropical gigantism).  

Njenga seeing everyone off.

And so it begins!

I think something big passed through here and it rhymes with belephant.

Nothing like tea & digestive biscuits (i.e., "cookies" in American) after a long day's hike.

There's a waterbuck in the distance! (It's the dark brown spec.)

Walking through a marsh.

Brian and Lucas hanging out in a cave that was home to freedom fighters in the 1960s.

Mt. Kenya up ahead.

She sure is pretty.

Filling up our bottles from the glacial lake.

Solo & Lucas making dinner.

Not a bad spot to sleep for the night.

One last look before heading down.

The plant was soft!  I swear it's in one of Dr. Seuss's books.

The whole team.  Mission complete!

Our budget only allowed us four days on the mountain - the park fees are really high, the trails aren't easy to navigate without guides, and there are no teahouses like in Nepal so we had to pay for a cook and porters to carry tents and food...but we were happy to give people employment.  We didn't even make it to the summit, but still our expectations were exceeded.  The hike was a good reminder that it's not always about making it to the top -- the joy is in the journey.

When we got back to the Centre for African Adventure, Njenga had a surprise waiting for us.  Well, several of them.  First, our tent had been taken down and we were getting an upgrade.  One of the cottages was finished!  Second, the cottage was equipped with a newly built bed (we hadn't slept on a bed in over a week) and while the shower wasn't operational yet, we could take a bucket bath in our room (we also hadn't had a proper bath in over a week)!  And third, Njenga had a huge bowl of his guacamole ready for us!  Njenga's guac is seriously some of the best we've ever had…and we've had a lot.  We enjoyed our last night at the Centre for African Adventure and when we left the next day, it felt like we were saying good-bye to people we'd known our whole lives.    

We love this man and his guacamole!

Brian and Mungai getting some quality snuggle time in.

One final picture with Kioko, Mungai, and Njenga before we leave. Our hut is in the background.

Throughout our time in Kenya, we were greeted with the phrase "Welcome home!"  Thanks to the Shaws, Ignatius, Njenga, the staff at African International University, and the staff at the Centre for African Adventure we didn't just feel welcomed; we truly felt at home.  Once again, we found that it's the people in the places that make our travels worthwhile.

PS-  When we arrived back at the university a wave of loneliness washed over us.  We were missing everyone at the Center for African Adventure and the Shaws had left for the States a few days earlier so the university felt a little empty.  Thankfully this guy was around to keep us company.

A fellow Virginian and student at Old Dominion University, Matt was spending his summer interning at a church and doing cool youth ministry stuff.  We had great conversations about faith & life and he could make a mean cup o' joe using the French press. He also predicted that Germany would beat Brazil 7-1 in their World Cup match.  Just have to give this awesome human being a shout-out!