Meru, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Kenya — October, 2014

[Tom Kellie]

At Archers Post the hot highway,

Crosses the river undisturbed.

Part of me wishes we could stay,

In this dry land so well-preserved.

 

 

 

Approaching the Ewaso Nyiro

 

 

 

Blue Skies at Archers Post

 

 

Crossing the Ewaso Nyiro at Archers Post

 

[Tom Kellie]

Dromedaries on the roadside,

Tan variations, white and cream,

One asks: “Will the day's heat subside?”

Camels aren't as parched as they seem.

 

 

 

Entering Isiolo County

 

 

 

Roadside Dromedaries

 

 

Group Travel

 

 

 

Dromedaries in Kenya

 

[Tom Kellie]

Isiolo is Kenya's heart,

Far from all borders, it's central.

Seeing camels there is one part,

In its culture they're integral.

 

 

 

Lucky Agro Vet

 

 

 

Highway Hazard

 

 

 

Central Kenya Scene

 

 

 

Various Coat Colors

 

 

 

Drought Resistant Herd

 

[Tom Kellie]

Rifle-armed in green camouflage,

With his dromedary in white,

It's no Isiolo mirage,

Living symbols of Kenya's might.

 

 

 

White Camel

 

 

 

Armed with a Rifle

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

Women's finery of bright hue,

Crowds walking along the highway.

What are they all going to do?

It must be quite a special day.

 

 

 

Yellow and Black

 

 

 

Family with Small Children Walking to the Mosque

 

 

 

Village Mosque With Sheep

 

 

 

Past the Public Sanitation Block

 

[Tom Kellie]

Prayers follow fasting this day,

Expressing the heart's gratitude.

Kids once again begin to play,

Adults see their changed attitude.

 

 

 

Embroidered on Black

 

 

 

White Holiday Robes

 

 

 

Heading to Pray

 

 

 

Another Village Mosque

 

 

 

Community Gathering Place

 

 

 

Barakat

 

[Tom Kellie]

Minimal pomp on display here,

Isiolo's governor must,

Make do with the basics, it's clear,

He'll thereby earn his people's trust.

 

 

 

Isiolo — The Office of the Governor, 300 Meters

 

[Tom Kellie]

The Desert Hopper comes to town,
Carrying guests who are mosque-bound.
Such vibrant hues of cap and gown,
On robes which swish above the ground.

 

 

 

New al-Aswad Hotel

 

 

 

Robes Over Jeans

 

 

 

Desert Hopper

 

 

 

Total Station

 

 

 

Motorcycle Transportation

 

 

 

Accompanying Children

 

[Tom Kellie]

Isiolo Mosque is bright white,

Small minarets at each corner.

It has such an impressive height,

Loved by each Muslim worshipper.

 

 

 

Isiolo Mosque

 

 

 

Friendly Conversation

 

 

 

Black Clad

 

 

 

Eager Families

 

 

 

Smart Phone User

 

[Tom Kellie]

Kenya's culture diversity,

Embraces many ways of life,

Which range from university,

To rural subsistence and strife.

 

 

 

More Roadside Color

 

 

 

Generations Together

 

 

 

Nothing Subdued

 

 

 

Pink Sunglasses

 

[Tom Kellie]

Portraits of a moment in time,

Which capture several faces,

Are themselves a wry paradigm,

Taking thoughts to distant places.

 

 

 

Isiolo, Kenya Eid al-Fitr

 

[Tom Kellie]

To Laikipia the highway,
Passes through a farming region,
With well-tended fields on display,
A credit to this fine nation.

 

 

 

Maggie Creations — @Anthony Gitau In Isiolo

 

 

 

Construction Site Gravel Piles

 

 

 

Butchery, Lab and Clinical Services

 

 

 

Small Mosque in Laikipia County

 

 

 

Cultivated Fields

 

 

 

Trees Near Farms

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

Nyahururu was our rest stop,

Thomson's Falls with a mist rainbow.

Viewing the cascade from on top,

The spectrum in the spray below.

 

 

 

Mist Rainbow

 

 

 

In Nyahururu

 

 

 

Thomson's Falls

 

 

 

Mark, Guide Tom, Joe from Eire

 

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

When checking into the Kivu,

The greeting is warm and sincere.

While it may not offer a sea view,

One feels welcome and relaxed here.

 

 

 

Pelican Room

 

 

 

Kivu Resort Walkway

 

 

 

Kivu Courtyard

 

 

 

Setting of Pelican 19

 

 

 

Traveller's Bedside Table

 

 

 

Kivu Retreat Pillow

 

[Tom Kellie]

It seems I'm not alone tonight,

Another traveller appears.

It glides upward, reaching a height,

Showing that snails conquer their fears.

 

 

 

A Step Up

 

 

 

Snail At the Kivu

 

[Tom Kellie]

Flags fluttering in the stiff breeze,

Lake Nakuru Park's new entrance.

Park procedures are done with ease,

The lake's rise is seen in a glance.

 

 

 

Kenya's National Flag

 

 

 

Kenya Wildlife Service Flag

 

 

 

KWS Symbol

 

 

 

Relocated Park Entrance Building

 

[Tom Kellie]

What to think about the lake shore,

Higher than ever, trees in water?

Would this fragile lake withstand more,

When its weakened structures totter?

 

 

 

Flooded Structures Below

 

 

 

Trees In Water

 

 

 

Zebra Grazing Near Park Entrance

 

[Tom Kellie]

Gazing down, basalt cliffs below,

Kilometers are forested,

Fresh foliage beginning to show,

Nature's work here uncompleted.

 

 

 

Down the Hill, Over the Land

 

 

 

Extended Line of Basalt

 

[Tom Kellie]

Look! The acacia blooms above,

Are fragrant, full of sweetest scent.

An aroma honeybees love,

I wonder where the worker bees went?

 

 

 

Acacia Bounty

 

 

 

Blooms and Thorns

 

[Tom Kellie]

The first clear Nakuru sighting,

A Pied Crow flying overhead.

While we're watching its skilled gliding,

We both smile, with not a word said.

 

 

 

Corvus albus in Flight

 

 

 

Pied Crow

 

[Tom Kellie]

Metal rhino decoration,

Sets the tone for the day's game drive.

We share close cooperation,

It feels so good to be alive.

 

 

 

Bedraggled Rhino

 

 

 

Gate Ornament

 

 

 

Road to the Lake

 

[Tom Kellie]

A descending note goes straight down,

With nary a curve nor a kink.

The Vervet lives not far from town,

About which does it ever think?

 

 

 

Vervet With a Long Tail

 

[Tom Kellie]

Here Augur Buzzards are at home,

Near lush grassland where Rhinos roam.

Impala graze in tranquil peace,

Staying unharmed with expertise.

 

 

 

Nakuru Impala

 

 

 

At Peace With the World

 

 

 

Mixed Use

 

 

 

Hillside Succulents