The Tsavo Diaries: Day 1 ⋆ Akello

I WENT TO TSAVO!

It’s funny how sometimes I put things into the universe and they just happen. :o) Like how I have been saying for AGES how I want to travel/go to National Parks, and lookie here! Whoop whoop!

So this post is going to be in segments, because there is WAY TOO MUCH to do in just one. In fact, this one only got the journey there (which started at like 6 and ended at like 11, so…yeah) and the morning after (teren!)

As we start with the Kenyan and KWS flag. :o) It was raining a tad. (this was actually when we got to Tsavo, but I felt it was a good way to start the post. :o)

So we got to KWS at kedo 10. The folks involved were @mwirigi (Mr. Car Buff himself), @wanjikumwaurah (Poet Extraordinaire who can’t stop laughing lol), @urbanekenyan (who has been to BALI. Yo, that hookup, btw!!), @johnalogo (whose photographs are fantastic), @photosynth15 (also nifty with a Nikon) and I. Fun times all around! In the car park, I decided to fancy myself a photographer (this came about because I had a surplus of cameras, believe it or not. And in my vast 4 day experience, ha, I have decided that I do not like Nikons. Yeah, I said it. I’m a Canon girl. Nikons are pretentious and overwhelming, and difficult to master. Canons are loose, easy-breezy, friendly. I saw that in the unwhoring-est way possible.) So, we were going to:

…vinjari. Hehe. These were the shoes I was wearing the day we left. Shoes turned out to be a bit important on this trip. (i.e. don’t go with sijui flats. I made that mistake. Ngomas and sneakers, all the way.

The cars, the view I liked, and the baboon who was too far away for me to get a good shot:

The drive there…and some night photos, taken badly if you’re looking at strictly technique, but I really like the effect…

This was done by the talented Mr. Ripl- uh, I meant, @photosynth15, when we got to the lodge. Purrty, innit?

So the lodge we were staying at…

The view from the front. Ati that itty bitty fence was supposed to keep lions away. AFTER I DONE SEEN THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS!! lol. That tree looked so pretty to me…

This is the view from the back,

A stone sofa in the backyard. Comfy, right? Hahahahaha

The back porch and stairs leading up to the balcony…

The chairs to sit on at said balcony, and fantastic view from likewise (otherwise?)

The waterhole outside…

Komboyo guest house is 10gs a night and can hold TEN PEOPLE. Someone say DEAL! It’s fully furnished and kitchen-equipped (for those of you interested in such things, haaaaaa). And, no lions got me. I am not typing this from the cue dramatic music belly of the beast.

So on day 1(day 2 technically, since day 1 was spent travelling. For hours. Like, 5.), we were here (resists temptation to draw in an arrow):

Isn’t the seashell thing fantastic? (no idea why it has refused to be horizontal instead of making you, dear reader, crane your neck. So much for Full Effect. See what I did there?) (oh wait I just reattached it so now my little pun is to…well, No Effect. BadudumdumTSHHHHH)

And because I like to take random pictures (and fancy myself a photographer. Let’s not forget that lol), voila. This was right next to the gate you see above.

Yes sirree, we were havin’ a grand ole time (cocks cowboy hat at the ma’am while chewing blade of grass). At the gate, we got a guide, Munyoki. This fella, by the way, looks like his uniform is washed and pressed every day (with him inside it, I kid you not). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cleaner chap lol.

So we went here next:

This place is called Shetani Lava Flow points to picture above ati coz locals thought the black lava emissions were the devil. And it used to be called Shamba la Shetani, coz it looks like he was gettin’ down ploughin’ and stuff. pause PAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA TIA!!! throws up the thrices

The cars we went in (sijui Mwirigi was rubbing off. Why do I have so many car pictures?) : (btw, please don’t roll up to the Tsavos with no Vitz. I mean, I have nothing against them, but I feel the terrain cannot be handled by a Vitz. Tafadhali.)

Underground view, whatwhat…

Munyoki throwing Wanjiku vibes (Ain’t nobody dope as me, I’m jus’ so fresh so clean pahahahaha)…teehee nah jus’ playin’, he was telling us how the whole shetaniness came to be.