9-28 Photos

chirp54
Oct 12, 2023
2 min read

Back in Britain with reliable wifi, so I'm adding more photos from early in the safari.

One of the things I found interesting and amusing were sights from daily life in Kenya, particularly the names of roadside businesses. I think my favorite from the 28th was

"Mange General Hardware". Surely mange means something different in Kenya.

Roadside commerce is huge, with stands selling everything from watermelons to clothing to coal.

Kenya has two main religions, Christianity and Islam. About 85% of the country is Christian, and religious iconography is everywhere, especially on buses, taxis and trucks. Church services are broadcast in public places, especially government offices. Many of the schools we passed were affiliated with the church.

The churches that I saw were small, humble buildings, but the mosques seemed quite grand, especially compared to the surrounding houses and businesses.

I wasn't really sure what the lodgings were going to be like when we got to the game parks and national parks, but our first stop was really lovely. They're built to make you feel that you're out in nature, not at

the Holiday Inn, which is terrific. Our first lodge was the Sarova Shaba Game Lodge, in the Shaba National Reserve.

There are several buildings with 4 rooms, 2 up, 2 down. They feature heavy timbers and windows that give a nice cross breeze. This place also featured very strong screens to keep out the pesky vervet monkeys. The monkeys take every opportunity to break into rooms looking for food. If they don't find any, they show their displeasure by defecating on the beds. (Photo at left is not mine).

Our first game drive was through the Shaba Game Reserve. Hope you enjoy the pix.

Termite mound:

2 Comments

tjsparling

Oct 13, 2023

Does it seem like the people are very poor? Or not? It looks rather prosperous, but maybe that's just in the larger towns? I hope you are seeing a thriving Africa.

chirp54

Oct 18, 2023

Replying to

I asked Lemaron if the people selling things by the road make a liveng, and he said yes. What I found most upsetting was the stark difference between the English or Kenyan politicians and the ordinary citizenry. The elite own so much and their land is fenced off. the people make due with the scraps, grazing their animals along the sides of the road. But in spite of all this, they're contented. I asked one of our guides how, in light of colonization, how Kenyans feel about the British. He said, "They hate them, but it's a matter of practicality. We look past it and get on with life." I find that sad, but understandable.