Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Day 36: Lake Baringo, Kenya

We were very tempted to stay put for the day, it was such an idealic camp site and the weather had cleared and we were all lazy and very content... But Lake Turkana was calling and the park fees were also astronomical so we decided to push on to Lake Bogaria and then on to Lake Baringo which was to be our next stop.

We set off at about 10 and took the drive out on the opposite side of the lake (west side). It was not as pretty and there was less game but we had beautiful views of the lake and some really good bird sightings, especially some of the water birds on the lake. We were all sorry to leave the reserve but we needed to get through Nakuru and out on the road to Lake Bogaria.  We had suddenly got concerned as we realized we might run out of gas as by then, we had discovered Ernest's empty cylinders so we sent Kim and Steve off to see if we could find anywhere to fill the gas bottles. The best they could do was to buy a new Kenyan gas bottle with the matching fittings but it was pretty cheap and would be refillable anywhere in Kenya ... A good deal we thought. We had also given them strict instructions not to let Andrea anywhere near any of the town markets... We are teasing her mercilessly, because we found a pair of boots in the truck the other day. Both Ernest and I thought that Ronell had left them together with some other stuff in the truck for us to bring back but Andrea later confessed they were hers. When we asked her why on earth she had brought big heavy boots on a trip like this, she confessed she had found them at one of those second hand markets in Nairobi.... Oh my gosh we just won't let up on that one. The seller had assured her they were straight from Europe and nobody in Kenya had ever worn the boots...right!  She got the BB award and we are never going to let her forget that one.

So we eventually left town and headed for the hills. A good road with very little traffic so we were all smiles and after about half an hour we crossed the equator which is always a big deal. We had to have photos of us standing under the equator sign and then of course got accosted by all the vendors (not Zulus) and landed up buying bags, necklaces and carvings. Ernest met one of the tour operators there who told us that the water in Lake Bogario had risen so much that the hot springs had disappeared and so there were no flamingos.
 
 
 
 

                               Overlooking Lake Baringo

 
The camp sites had been completely flooded and they were still charging huge amounts of money to get in and it was really not worth going there. So we were all very disappointed at not being able to see the flamingos but decided to give it a miss and proceed straight to Baringo. The road got progressively worse as we drove on. There is nothing worse than a tar road that has deteriorated to something between dirt and tar. At some points the cars just left the road and headed into the bush... But enough about roads!

The water levels had also risen on Lake Baringo but apparently the camp site was still operating so we pulled in at Roberts Camp where we had stayed before. We were quite shocked to see what had happened; last time we were there we camped close to the water, a beautiful spot with great trees and plenty of space. That same spot is now 70 meters into the water. The water was 10 meters away from the main building and the pool, all the ablutions and the owner’s home were all under water. So the campsite is about 1/3 of the size it used to be. We found a good spot and settled in for the night. We did have an evening visit from a very large friendly hippo. Actually, Steve wanted to have a closer look at the old boy so went bashing through the bush followed by a very brave Rouvierre who figured that if the hippo charged or went for anything it would get Steve first. Ernest never loses an opportunity to try and give someone a fright. He threw a stone into the bush just behind where they were standing trying to see the hippo.... Oh boy did she make it out of there in double fast time much to Ernest's delight.

That night, our brave Steve and Ken went for a walk and found a meter long croc at the edge of the lake. He was all for picking it up but the security guard had to restrain him. He really believed it would not bite him.

The next morning before setting off for Maralal, Kim, Rouvierre, Andrea and Steve went off on a boat ride on the lake. Their guide, Cliffie, was apparently very knowledgeable about the lake and the surrounding area and he now takes people out to see the lake with its crocs, hippos and some of the islands.

They came back full of enthusiasm about what they had learnt. Cliffie had two degrees in Ornithology and worked for Birding and Beyond...... Unfortunately there was not much work in Kenya at the moment because the tourism is so down due to all of the trouble in Lamu, so he was filling in by taking tours on Lake Baringo. The interesting part about Kenya is that there are so many really well educated people up here and then there are what we call the real  "cattle fodder" who have gone right back to a form of selfdom. They live off the land, have absolutely no money what so ever and the gap in social structure is even greater than South Africa, if that is possible. Cliffie was the guy who told them about the shift in the tectonic plates and rise in the water table which has caused all the lakes to rise substantially. He also said the strange thing about the cycle is that the lake used to be very muddy and dirty looking but the water has now become much clearer and there has been a huge increase in the number of fish in the lake. This of course will have a huge effect on the local population as fish equals more food. He also showed them three little islands in the middle of the lake, that used to be one island before the water rose, where one man lives with his five wives and 28 children. He has a real little kingdom where he rules the roost... All the men thought that was a brilliant idea. Rouvierre asked him what the locals do if their wives are caught being unfaithful to their husbands... The husband has the right to claim all the possessions of the man who has transgressed with his wife plus keep the wife! Apparently some men with really pretty wives use them to lure men to sleep with them and then her “betrayed" husband claims all the offending guys’ possessions..... That is one way to increase wealth.

Lake Baringo is well known for its birds and we did manage to get in a little bird watching while the others were on the boat. When they returned we packed up and set off for what we know is going to be the toughest haul of the trip, by all accounts the road is the worst in Africa and for us it is an unknown. Last time we never made it to Lake Turkana because of car trouble, so this time it was do or die in the process.

Watch this space!

 

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