Matatus, Hell's Gate, and Mt Longonot....

Our second weekend in Kenya brought with it a ride in a matatu….and what a ride it was.  6 hours in close quarters with 14 people......whew :-)

Matatus are a local method of travel and something we had to say we did while here in Kenya. 

The distance on the map doesn’t seem that far…but road conditions can make a 2 hour trip turn into a 6 hour trip.  Make sure you like the person sitting next to you when traveling matatu style J 

We had 15 people in our matatu…and luckily no animals.  When traveling in matatus, it is not uncommon to find yourself sitting next to a chicken, turkey, or some other form of livestock.  All part of the matatu experience – and the matatu experience is a crammed one.  After our group was all packed in and ready to go…..Nadia had one rule – no farting.

                      Vivian and Nadia enjoying the ride.....

First stop was Hell’s Gate – a national park.  Our plan was to rent bikes for an afternoon ride through the park.  After arriving just a behind a group of people that got the last of the “good bikes”, we were left with rentals that left a few of us with sore behinds but grateful that our wheels stayed on for the whole ride and that our one working brake made it through.  Dorine had a few stops to put her chain back on …but luckily no baboons around when the chain popped off.

Despite our challenged bikes, the gorge was beautiful.  And our guide shared a few interesting facts with us, Tomb Raiders was filmed there ( we were walking where Angelina Jolie walked)  and flash flooding killed 7 people 3 weeks prior.

Later, we all retired to dinner and tents and Fishermans Camp……

On Sunday, Felicity and I embarked on a second hike.  No other takers for this hike – they chose a boat ride around Navisha Lake. 

But no rest for Felicity and I; Mt. Longonot was calling our names.  It was a gorgeous morning for a hike around the crater and the view of the Rift Valley was stunning.   On our way up to the crater, we met a film crew and cast from Turkey filming a reality show.  We got our 15 seconds of fame….:-) 

The payoff for our 45 minute hike up( that is 45 minutes at Felicity speed J) was amazing.  We had a 5 mile walk around the rim of the crater.   The scenery inside the crater and out of over the Rift Valley was breathtaking.

And the matatu ride home.....a sleepy crew.