Jump to content

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


Tom Kellie

Recommended Posts

Playing with tires in childhood,


Mom is busy in the rice store,


Growing up in this neighborhood,


Safe and peaceful, as long before.




post-49296-0-63186200-1481164041_thumb.jpg



Rural Electrification



post-49296-0-31019600-1481164070_thumb.jpg



Rice Drying on a Sheet



post-49296-0-16123100-1481164094_thumb.jpg



Rumbuga Workshop



post-49296-0-92862700-1481164122_thumb.jpg



Childhood Games



post-49296-0-22739000-1481164145_thumb.jpg



Highway Cruisers



post-49296-0-73039800-1481164171_thumb.jpg



Reward a Donkey with Food



post-49296-0-42945800-1481164195_thumb.jpg



Mwea Rice Mill



post-49296-0-18731800-1481164219_thumb.jpg



Salons and Rice Stores



post-49296-0-29771200-1481164242_thumb.jpg



Mwea Rice Stores



post-49296-0-04194000-1481164266_thumb.jpg



Spoiled for Choice



post-49296-0-44008300-1481164287_thumb.jpg



Rice Drying Sheets



post-49296-0-84240800-1481164305_thumb.jpg



Concrete Facility



post-49296-0-42489800-1481164329_thumb.jpg



Huawei Mobile — Blessing House


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coffee trees thrive in fertile soil,


Lush bananas line the fields.


The bounty comes from farmers' toil,


Labor producing high crop yields.




post-49296-0-87963300-1481173282_thumb.jpg



Rich Farmland with Bananas



post-49296-0-45017900-1481173310_thumb.jpg



Clothing Shop and Tire Repair



post-49296-0-28440300-1481173337_thumb.jpg



Plowing in Black and White



post-49296-0-88964700-1481173362_thumb.jpg



Fertile Soil South of Mt. Kenya



post-49296-0-52988100-1481173405_thumb.jpg



Papaya Plantation



post-49296-0-37329900-1481173433_thumb.jpg



Small Rice Plots



post-49296-0-34768800-1481173455_thumb.jpg



Gakuu Primary School



post-49296-0-66231500-1481173476_thumb.jpg



Kisumu Ndogo



post-49296-0-50258600-1481173498_thumb.jpg



Cleaning Crew with Tree Branches



post-49296-0-50938500-1481173524_thumb.jpg



Rushing Flow



post-49296-0-36885700-1481173541_thumb.jpg



Coffee Plantation Sentinels


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kerugoya has small-town charm,


The Kirinyaga County seat,


Is vibrant, one feels safe from harm,


Any visit there is a treat.




post-49296-0-33847900-1481177853_thumb.jpg



Kerugoya Boys’ High School



post-49296-0-67813200-1481177891_thumb.jpg



Say Yes to the Best



post-49296-0-40460000-1481177914_thumb.jpg



Car Wash



post-49296-0-65929500-1481177935_thumb.jpg



Hosannah Institute



post-49296-0-30309600-1481177959_thumb.jpg



Tracare Funeral Services



post-49296-0-34568700-1481177982_thumb.jpg



Nothing Lasts Forever



post-49296-0-76690700-1481178009_thumb.jpg



Honey Moon Guest House



post-49296-0-45404300-1481178034_thumb.jpg



Something for Everyone



post-49296-0-22066200-1481178061_thumb.jpg



Easymatt Supermarket



post-49296-0-98351000-1481178080_thumb.jpg



Book Shop



post-49296-0-39659200-1481178104_thumb.jpg



Motorcycle Service Center


Link to comment
Share on other sites

@TomKellie I just love your photos of small town Kenyan life. They capture the charm,beauty,and entrepreneurial ability that is found in small towns.The shots of the countryside are lovely as well.

Edited by optig
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Emerald green tea plantation slopes,


Bushes arrayed on an incline.


Tea planters place their fragile hopes,


On tea quality being fine.




post-49296-0-62252000-1481182782_thumb.jpg



Tea Picker's Woven Basket



post-49296-0-91130000-1481182817_thumb.jpg



Hillside Tea Plantation



post-49296-0-10511500-1481182847_thumb.jpg



Tea Growing Near Karatina



post-49296-0-61694100-1481182879_thumb.jpg



Tea Panorama



post-49296-0-91063000-1481182901_thumb.jpg



Graceful Planting



post-49296-0-39191100-1481182926_thumb.jpg



Arrangement in Chlorophyll Green



post-49296-0-94934000-1481182959_thumb.jpg



Bathed in Equatorial Sunlight



post-49296-0-00415300-1481182990_thumb.jpg



Sea of Tea



post-49296-0-32005700-1481183007_thumb.jpg



Kenya's Tea Country



post-49296-0-54322200-1481183036_thumb.jpg



Kiharu Tea Collection Centre



post-49296-0-93367600-1481183064_thumb.jpg



Cloud-shaded Slopes



post-49296-0-19634000-1481183089_thumb.jpg



Gentle Incline


Edited by Tom Kellie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been waiting patiently for @@Tom Kellie to come back with another great trip report, and here it is, finally, in a true Tom Kellie's style!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drier lands replace the forest,


Which we've enjoyed throughout the day.


Karatina is the finest,


Small Kenyan town along our way.




post-49296-0-42963800-1481189783_thumb.jpg



Bicycle in Shade



post-49296-0-75279600-1481189832_thumb.jpg



Redeemed Church and King Kong Shop



post-49296-0-34454100-1481189898_thumb.jpg



Abandoned Rail Line



post-49296-0-05393900-1481189928_thumb.jpg



Karatina Commercial Complex



post-49296-0-00689900-1481189976_thumb.jpg



Hotel Starbucks



post-49296-0-58019600-1481190037_thumb.jpg



Kenol Service Station


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brade Gate Chicken is a landmark,


On the highway heading northward.


Someday we might just stop and park,


With a chicken lunch our reward.




post-49296-0-80520000-1481201160_thumb.jpg



Breeding Farm



post-49296-0-02639900-1481201186_thumb.jpg



Supermarket



post-49296-0-10218300-1481201205_thumb.jpg



Hatchery



post-49296-0-27183400-1481201224_thumb.jpg



Restaurant



post-49296-0-54645300-1481201242_thumb.jpg



Hotel


Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tom Kellie Thanks for photos of colourful vibrant locations which perhaps some don't get to see when on safari.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tom Kellie I'm delighted to see your photos of the lovely Kenyan countryside. Most of us fly in from Wilson,so we don't see as much of the countryside as we would by road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ample signs of vitality,


Nyeri County features vibrant,


Growth with rural life quality.


The world's troubles seem so distant.




post-49296-0-20663500-1481245493_thumb.jpg



Landscape with Powerlines



post-49296-0-58858300-1481245521_thumb.jpg



Kanyama Junction



post-49296-0-45661600-1481245549_thumb.jpg



Nyeri County Forested Farmland



post-49296-0-05086000-1481245579_thumb.jpg



Tranquil Pond



post-49296-0-87125400-1481245597_thumb.jpg



Red Bedrock Revealed



post-49296-0-64766500-1481245623_thumb.jpg



Nyeri Landscape



post-49296-0-32729500-1481245646_thumb.jpg



Ornamented Gate in Black



post-49296-0-50096200-1481245673_thumb.jpg



Young Coffee Trees



post-49296-0-02712800-1481245696_thumb.jpg



St Agnes Catholic Church Kirichu



post-49296-0-77760800-1481245721_thumb.jpg



Kirichu Gospel Outreach



post-49296-0-92361300-1481245744_thumb.jpg



Kagumo High School Construction



post-49296-0-31294200-1481245775_thumb.jpg



Nyeri War Cemetery



post-49296-0-06628100-1481245803_thumb.jpg



Proposed Nyeri Catholic University College


Link to comment
Share on other sites

#21 is unexpected and innovative.

 

Were you taking lots of these along-the-road photos from a moving vehicle?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kenya's bright blue sky up above,


Approaching the Equator soon,


Such long safari drives I love,


It's an ideal afternoon.




post-49296-0-19027600-1481268870_thumb.jpg



Yellow Security Post



post-49296-0-25865700-1481268898_thumb.jpg



Distant Escarpment with Jacaranda



post-49296-0-18672100-1481268927_thumb.jpg



Maisha Flour Mills



post-49296-0-34332700-1481268953_thumb.jpg



Rail Line Transportation Corridor



post-49296-0-35475800-1481268983_thumb.jpg



Star Hotel



post-49296-0-10167700-1481269004_thumb.jpg



Smoked Beef



post-49296-0-05337700-1481269022_thumb.jpg



Vendors with Sun-shading Umbrellas



post-49296-0-39188000-1481269048_thumb.jpg



Sheep Grazing Along the Rail Line



post-49296-0-15263500-1481269076_thumb.jpg



Distant Volcanic Cones



post-49296-0-81624700-1481269106_thumb.jpg



Processing Beside the Rail Line



post-49296-0-86748200-1481269130_thumb.jpg



Future Kenyan Forest



post-49296-0-80575300-1481269486_thumb.jpg



Base of Cloud-shrouded Mt Kenya



post-49296-0-12362700-1481269521_thumb.jpg



Arranging Long-Distance Transportation



post-49296-0-54141000-1481269553_thumb.jpg



Rest Stop



post-49296-0-02316700-1481269573_thumb.jpg



Construction Project



post-49296-0-66301000-1481269595_thumb.jpg



Visible from the Air


Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Trout Tree our destination,


The thought of lunch is a pleasure.


Anthony makes my vacation,


Sightseeing enjoyed at leisure.




post-49296-0-71950600-1481283579_thumb.jpg



Driveway Down to the Trout Tree



post-49296-0-95134900-1481283655_thumb.jpg



Welcome to the Trout Tree



post-49296-0-72999600-1481283688_thumb.jpg



Karibu



post-49296-0-35991700-1481283724_thumb.jpg



Anthony Behind the Safari Van


Link to comment
Share on other sites

offshorebirder

I very much like the photos from Mwea and other places along the way @@Tom Kellie!

 

I enjoyed good birding from that same rice canal-side overlook at the Mwea ricefield complex where you took some excellent photos. When we first stopped, there was a guy down in the canal washing his motorbike! In the water running down into the ricefield...

 

But as we drove along, I was too shy to take photos of the roadside sheets spread with drying rice, donkeys and oxen and funny little three-wheeled pickups hauling rice, and other interesting sights. I should have taken some driveby shots and nobody would have noticed...

 

Thanks again for this marvelous trip report. I especially like the handwritten chapter introductions in fountain pen - photographed and uploaded. You set the bar high my friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Water circles are seen below,


In which trout resist the current.


Their friends the white geese watch them go,


Around, their wet motion silent.




post-49296-0-22478300-1481287056_thumb.jpg



Entering the Restaurant



post-49296-0-69788300-1481287102_thumb.jpg



Seating Area Around a Tree



post-49296-0-48363400-1481287131_thumb.jpg



Trout-rearing Pond



post-49296-0-78349600-1481287273_thumb.jpg



Stream Water Circulatory System



post-49296-0-55560500-1481287310_thumb.jpg



Geese Guard the Trout Pools


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trout en Papillote, my oh my,


With trout chowder, what a fine meal.


So full, we contentedly sigh,


Lunch at the Trout Tree — what a deal!




post-49296-0-30814700-1481291700_thumb.jpg



Place Settings



post-49296-0-73013100-1481291736_thumb.jpg



Trout Chowder



post-49296-0-46213400-1481291757_thumb.jpg



Anthony's Trout Lunch



post-49296-0-34082600-1481291780_thumb.jpg



Freshly Steamed



post-49296-0-88252800-1481291799_thumb.jpg



Trout en Papillote, Upon Request



post-49296-0-52663100-1481291831_thumb.jpg



Sweet Dessert



post-49296-0-30483700-1481291856_thumb.jpg



Leather Cover


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small cousin to a pachyderm,


A tree hyrax doesn't say much.


Reticent might be the right term,


To describe its silence and such.




post-49296-0-48575800-1481294499_thumb.jpg



Restaurant Denizen



post-49296-0-08050100-1481294524_thumb.jpg



Walking a Plank



post-49296-0-41523300-1481294544_thumb.jpg



Huddled Down



post-49296-0-16074000-1481294562_thumb.jpg



Tree Hyrax at the Trout Tree Restaurant


Link to comment
Share on other sites

a stroll through Kenyan life. love it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, well, well, another excellent @@Tom Kellie trip report... Beautiful writing / poetry and great photos, as usual. I appreciate very much your effort of showing in details the pre-safari part of the trip. Love the drive through the Kenyan countryside, I've done part of it - up to Lake Bogoria (in a white safari van, as well) :) Did you feel at any point of the safari while in Samburu and Meru the limitations of the van and not riding a 4X4 vehicle? I've been thinking about Samburu and Meru these days and the white van safaris tent to be more affordable, therefore more appealing to me... Looking forward to seeing the continuation of this great journey...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bunting on the ground, no, two!


What's that? A bread chunk tossed away.


One shouldn't feed wild birds, it's true,


Yet seeing them brightens our stay.




post-49296-0-60396800-1481330078_thumb.jpg



Emberiza poliopleura on the Ground



post-49296-0-22243600-1481330114_thumb.jpg



Somali Golden-breasted Bunting Pair



post-49296-0-24151200-1481330154_thumb.jpg



Pecking at a Morsel



post-49296-0-86432900-1481330187_thumb.jpg



Emberiza poliopleura


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Botswanadreams

Thanks very much @@Tom Kellie. You have a special eye for the small things on your way. Your new location in China out of the big stress brings us a beautiful report.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Callistemon, red and green,

And a Jacaranda beside,

Are home to monkeys seldom seen,

Who use branches to play and hide.

post-49296-0-13462800-1481355098_thumb.jpg

Colobus in a Jacaranda

post-49296-0-26406500-1481355128_thumb.jpg

Color Coordinated

post-49296-0-40359600-1481355151_thumb.jpg

Colobus in a Callistemon Tree

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Such outstanding agility,


Colobus guereza can fly!


They lack a bat's ability,


Yet leap from earth to way up high.




post-49296-0-57518100-1481360626_thumb.jpg



Colobus Family Gleaning



post-49296-0-59077000-1481360667_thumb.jpg



Agility



post-49296-0-14164500-1481360693_thumb.jpg



Careful Attention



post-49296-0-28375200-1481360726_thumb.jpg



Flowing White Tails



post-49296-0-40576700-1481360752_thumb.jpg



Pensive Pose


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy