I’m sure that a lot of people feel this way. But one thing is certain, no matter how committed I am to being in either Nairobi or Mogadishu, nor how many meetings or events I attend, I am certain to miss out on things in the location where I am not. In fact, even when I am in one of those two locations, I miss things due to key events that are happening simultaneously. I can end up with three important events all happening at the same time and then the following afternoon have no external obligations at all. Anyway, you prioritize, delegate and let the pieces fall where they may.
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May Day
As a result, after burning the candle at both ends the past few weeks, I was needing some time to detox.
One side note, "Mayday" is the international voice distress signal for emergencies, used three times consecutively ("Mayday, mayday, mayday") in aviation and maritime communications. It originated in 1927 from the French phrase m'aider ("help me") which is pronounced somewhat like “mayday” in English. Though it has nothing to do with May Day (May 1), a spring festival and Labor Day recognized is much of the world, a long weekend break was an answer to my own distress signal.
Last Friday was May 1 and, conveniently, it’s a holiday recognized in the two countries where I work. As such, we were looking at some options to take advantage of the three days. It was too short to go to the coast. It’s also rainy season so we were hesitant to go camping. Safari trips can be muddy and a bit precarious. In the end, we found a remote cabin (B&B) about two and a half hours outside of Nairobi. We had never been there, but the reviews looked positive and more or less matched what we were looking for.
Kajiado
We loaded up the vehicle on Thursday afternoon and headed out. We have driven this road a couple times before on our way to Amboseli National Park. It basically runs due south before crossing into Tanzania.
The first part leaving Nairobi is now a toll expressway and allows you to gain quite a bit of time compared to before. But the road soon narrows and it’s a two-lane mess as you inch your way through congested towns for dozens of kilometers. The last forty-five minutes is on a rough dirt road that eventually led us to the remote cabin that would be our home for the weekend.
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| the cabin |
We arrived late afternoon and after setting our bags down and scoping out the cabin, we settled in for a cup of tea.
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| tea on the swinging sofa |
The cabin sits in a dense forested area. Trees and brush press up against the cabin on three sides. The flora has been topped on the back side allowing for some deck views of the hills behind. It has running water and solar power. There is no Wi-Fi but you can get cell reception. There is a small village about a kilometer away, but we never really went to it. You could occasionally hear voices off in the distance, along with the frequent mooing of cows, but there isn’t a lot going on in the area. There is, however, a marble quarry outside of the village which, I assume, serves as the primary economic driver for the community.
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| outdoor shower |
The area is in Maasai country. Maasai are generally pastoralists and are primarily located in Kenya (primarily the south) and northeastern Tanzania. They have often been at odds with government authorities who would prefer they adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. Pastoralism tends to be ill-suited to a world with an increasing population density. It’s a lifestyle that is similar to much of Somalia where it manifests in similar tensions, only there it is sometimes resolved at gunpoint.
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| lesser masked weaver |
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| African paradise flycatcher |
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| blue-naped mousebird |
There is wildlife around but not a great deal. We heard some hyenas during the night, and we were told that there are warthogs, impalas, gazelles, etc., but we never saw any. There were a lot of beautiful birds, and I have noticed that I take more photos of birds than I used to.
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| hyena tracks |
The cabin came with a cook (James) which made life easier. Good for him too because it provides him with employment. I would say that we were generally pleased with his skills.
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The Hike
The compound guard (Simon) led us on a hike to the top of a nearby hill. It wasn’t a long trek, but it was good to get some exercise and see a bit of the area. We followed Simon outside our fenced area and followed a small stream for a short distance. The trail then took us up into the hills that we could see behind our cabin. Simon informed us in Swahili that this was not necessarily a recreational trail but a path that links people to the more remote tiny villages (bomas). Small children make this arduous trek each day (over 5 km.) to access the only school in the area. We didn’t have rain on this particular day, but I could see that the combination of a heavy downpour and the steep slope would make the trail nearly impassable.
We didn’t see much wildlife, but we did come across some fresh hyena tracks. As nice as this place is, I would prefer to be someplace where we can see wild game.
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| crazy looking bug in a beautiful flower along the trail |
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We spent most of the time relaxing, reading and eating. I’ve brought my guitar to continue my slow but steady progress towards generating something that resembles music. Without wireless connectivity in the house, it provided a great escape from civilization and a much-needed opportunity to clear the mind.
