Back on the road just after 08:00. Heading to Narok, giving one of the Maasai guides a lift. Roads are pretty crap again, even though we’re taking a slightly different route back today. At Narok we break for coffee and chips before heading further. Marieke and Marietta want to check out one of these roadside “guesthouses” we’ve been seeing everywhere so we do so. I sneakily take a little video of the experience. And what an experience! Shame, I shouldn’t joke, but it was pretty grim.
Head back up that mountain pass with the church and the rickety shops. Today it’s filled with suicidal drivers and huge trucks though. Which makes things... interesting.
Arrive in Smelly town again just after lunch time, back at Pat’s after 14:00. Have a quick tea, say our goodbyes to Pat and the others. Load up Annelie and Marietta and head to Karen hospital. Annelie hands in her samples and contact details, hopefully we’ll know in about 3 days what the deal is with Walter (the amoeba). We head out of Karen, past the Shedrik Wildlife trust and on to Mombasa by 15:30. Slow going at first but then we pick up speed. Spot loads and loads of Baobab trees.
Suicidal trucks!! Everywhere. Overtaking other suicidal trucks, carrying massive containers, on blind corners and up hills. More than once we have to take evasive action lest we be crushed. And then we break our number one rule: don’t drive in the dark.
My word. Can’t believe we did that.
We are aiming for the Tsavo inn that’s inside a national park, but we struggle onward between the darkness and killer trucks. One runs Mattie off the road while overtaking another over a hill. The problem here is that even if you stop in time, the two trucks behind you won’t and the collective weight of a few metric tons will crush us in no time flat. Hey, at least it’ll be quick.
But stupid.
We make a call to pull over at the next available Caltex or whatever, even if it’s just to rest for a few minutes. It’s 19:00 already when we pull into a Caltex truck stop, lots of people and parked heavy vehicles. Mattie asks about a good hotel, and the guy recommends the one across the road, the Savoy hotel. We check it out, and it turns out to be the Tsavo Inn!! The place we were looking for. Thank goodness. We check in, order dinner, unload into the rooms and have LOTS of wine and whiskey! We really are dumb!
Dinner was welcome and the beds slept very well. Tomorrow we have some ways to go still before we get to Mombasa, and then on to the border post. We’ll have to see how we get on.
Highlights: Not being killed by crazy trucks.
[G & A], out
Today is a brand new day
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