Up at 5:30. How to shower in scolding hot water? We were barely able to stand it. Then it’s down for breakfast for 6:30. We are supposed to leave at seven but we’re actually on the road at 7:15. Pretty good I’d say.

There 6 million people in Nairobi… huge! Part of the reason there as many people as there are is that there are lots of migrants that come from the villages because they don’t have employment at their home villages. They come in search of work. They come into the city and then compete with the locals. The locals that have been educated and professions can’t find work in their fields, work at the menial jobs the the migrants work at, for a lower pay… just to survive. There are lots of pop-up “car washes” with just a bucket and hose, along the the highway. Anyway to make a buck.

We noticed many trees along the highways. John says that they are eucalyptus …..used for power poles. They are absolute poker straight. If somebody has a large piece of property they will grow them as a way of making money. The problem with growing eucalyptus is they will suck any moisture there is out of soil. They need lots of water. Some village chiefs will say “no” to growing them at all cuz they will deplete the water supply.

As we get further out of Nairobi you see vegetable stands, nursery plants. A little further they are sell charcoal for cooking.

At several rest stops where they had art co-ops …..unbelievably beautiful carvings of all different mediums stone, ebony, teak….you name it.

At one point we passed by Mt. Kenya (5199 metres) but unfortunately it was shrouded in clouds. The further we travel, the warmer and dryer it gets. Hydro power it the source of electricity here in Kenya. We stop near the equator (at Nanyuki) for snacks and drinks …..enough for next 2 days.

Potatoes being sold along the road. Huge number of massive greenhouses used for growing flowers for export. Lots of sheep and goats grazing along the road.

Huge wheat fields like in Canada.

At one point our driver pulled over…. Said he had to “check the pressure”. What he and our CEO (guide) wanted to do was take a pee…… good one, lol!

In Isiolo there was a medical college, airport, huge outdoor market. Gas is cheaper here… about 1.82/L. In Nairobi I think it was 1.97. Still very expensive I would say for here. There is also a school of military engineering.

We stopped at a “Samburu” tribal village. The Samburu are nomads. They live on the blood that they milk from the animals mixed with milk from their animals and meat (no camel blood or donkey).

Usually they spend only 2 years in one place but they have been here for 6 year cuz there is a school nearby. The women “build” the homes, the men use the spear and knife to protect the village and their animals. Some leave the village for other work.

They have now been 6-8 months without rain. There are about 250 in village…..most don’t speak English. Only men are allowed to light fires. The women can then use that single fire to start their own to cook, etc.

the village is very close by, from where we enter the Samburu national park. It’s late but do an afternoon safari drive.

We see:-

-Digdigs, spring-loaded tiny antelope. It’s hard to get pictures of these.

-Giraffes

-Lions can have 4-6 cubs. They have a 3 month gestation period. We spotted 2 females laying on the sands of the “River” …..that has not a drop of water in it.

Females live to 20 years, males only 15 years.