The OTHER Kenya…Kenya Week 31: May 2 - May 8

Some experiences defy description. Being surrounded by over 200 grazing elephants slowly migrating their way across East Africa is exactly one of those experiences.

This week I bid a quick goodbye to Karungu to experience the other side of Kenya: the breathtaking landscapes and abundant wildlife that most people only watch on the Discovery Channel or read about in National Geographic.

Monday was a whirlwind, two wheeled tour of Hell’s Gate National Park. I shared the sights and the soreness with Guilia Martelli, an Italian medical student who had just completed two months of research for her thesis on HIV and secondary infections (what better place that St. Camillus Hospital in Karungu?!?) We spent the day riding rented bicycles, dividing our awe between the spectacular rock formations, the magnificent gorge that gives the park its name and its eerie resemblance of many people’s imagine of the less preferred afterlife, and the countless wildlife grazing only feet away from the bike path. Don’t worry, there aren’t any predators in Hell’s Gate; the zebras, antelopes, and warthogs were much more afraid of us than we were of them.

Let me just say this about the Hell’s Gate National Park: if you only have one day to spend in Kenya, this is where to spend it.

After 8 hours of hard cycling on rough terrain my rear end slowly recovered over the next few days while I ran errands in Nairobi. Then I completed “The Other Kenya” experience with a two day Safari of the world famous Maasai Mara, accompanied by a dear friend visiting from home. Between the family of lions lounging only feet away, the awkward wildebeests scrambling to their feet to get out of the way of our vehicle, and the countless elephants encircling our comparatively tiny vehicle, I found myself constantly speechless and close to tears. It was truly an unbelievable, unforgettable, “I’m going to tell my grandchildren about this” experience.

Let me just say this about Maasai Mara: if you only have two days in Kenya, this is where to spend them.

After this week, I now see why tourists from around the world spend thousands of dollars to visit Kenya and its indescribable beauty. While I wasn’t exactly thrilled to end my safari and begin the long trek back to Karungu on public transportation, I know that I wouldn’t trade the up close and personal experiences I’ve had a REAL Kenyan life here in Karungu. The scenery and wildlife keep the tourists pouring in and the Kenyan economy stronger than many of its East African neighbors. But the Kenya that I know: the heartbreaking, breathtaking, rural Kenya is the Kenya I will always and forever consider home.