Soysambu - Day 2 & 3

Day 2

Breakfast on the Lake

setting up the breakfast

 

The next morning, breakfast would be next to the lake which was a short walk from our camp. The skies had cleared after the clouds and rain from the previous evening. The temperature was cool and sunny – perfect for an outdoor breakfast. They had brought a small cooker with them and were able to prepare bacon, eggs and toast. It was quite the spread. 

 

Nearby on the lake were flamingos, pelicans and various sorts of other birds. On the other side, zebras were grazing. Pretty idyllic.

 

After eating, we walked along the edge of the lake, enjoying the wonderful weather and setting. Eventually, we would make our way back to camp to read and relax until lunch.

 

Caves

In the afternoon, we headed out on another drive. This time our primary destination was a cave network about 20 minutes away. I often do my homework in advance of going to a new destination, but, in this case, I confess that I was unaware that these caves even existed.

 

The caves are an abandoned diatomite mine. Diatomite (diatomaceous earth), I discovered, is a white chalky substance composed primarily of fossilized diatoms, a type of algae. Which means that the lake near our camp was much, much bigger millions of years ago. Diatomite is used in everything from toothpaste to roads, cat litter, filters, polish, etc. Who knew.

 

tinier opening

There are multiple entrances to the caves, some of which were barely big enough for someone my size to fit through. I’m somewhat claustrophobic so it was a bit uncomfortable at times. Thankfully, most of the tunnels were decent-sized once you were inside and I could often walk upright. I did bang my head a few times, but the texture of the diatomite is soft so the result was getting the chalky, white dust all over me.

 

We were told in advance that we needed to bring headlamps, and they turned out to be essential, particularly once you start winding your way around the tunnels no longer in sight of the entrance.

 

lots of bones

 

The Lion King hyena den - eerie similarities

 

 

 

The guide referred to them as “hyena caves”, and there was plenty of evidence that it is a popular hangout for them. There were bones everywhere. Thankfully we didn’t see any hyenas in the caves at the time we were there. I would think that encountering them in their den could be quite dangerous. But it is indeed an eerie and surreal place. It made me think of the hyena den from The Lion King.

I read later that these caves usually have tons of bats, but I didn’t see or hear any. They also supposedly provide shelter for lions. Who knows.

crested cranes

* * *

After the caves, we drove around a bit more and then headed back to the camp for tea. In the late afternoon, our guide proposed sundowners near the lake. At the time he proposed it, it had been raining. I would have wanted to do it rain or no rain, but I know not everyone enjoys “bad” weather like I do. In the end, the rain stopped, and we were able to enjoy drinks by the lake, albeit clouds obscuring the sunset.

That evening, we had another nice dinner, celebrated a birthday, spent some time by the fire and then retired to our tents. During the night I was awoken at about 2am by the sound of someone walking near the tent. I thought it was probably one of the staff keeping watch during the night. But then it sounded like two or three people. As the sounds became closer, it became clear that it was animals rather than humans. I got up to peer through a screen on the back side of the tent and in the dark I could see the silhouette of a buffalo. Eventually I would see three of them, munching grass and working their way around the tent. These guys are massive when you see them up close and they can be dangerous. I’m glad that I didn’t encounter them the previous night when I stepped out at around the same time to pee. 

 Day 3

The second morning that we were there, we had breakfast outside but not at the lake. We would need to break camp by 10am so there wasn’t time. The setting at the camp was still quite wonderful, with a couple of giraffes grazing in the distance as we sipped our coffee.

 

After saying our farewells to the others, we headed out. We decided to take a different road – one that was more obscure but more or less headed generally in the direction we needed to go. I do enjoy exploring new roads. I assumed that the worst that could happen is that we hit a dead-end and would need to turn around. In the end, we were able to find our way to the gate. Having cell reception can make you a bit more daring than you would be otherwise.

From the gate, it took less than two and a half hours to get home. Driving on Kenyan highways is not for the faint of heart. I read recently that Kenya has the highest rate of road deaths per number of vehicles. I don’t know if it’s true, but I do know that there are lots of accidents, including an ugly one that we saw a few years ago on this road. But this road does offer some great views at times, including the Rift Valley from high above and Mt. Longonot, the extinct volcano that we climate a couple years ago.

Apparently, the train from Nairobi used to pass through Soysambu back in the day. That would have been cool.

Off to Mogadishu one more time and then we’ll get a vacation next month. Can’t wait.