Dena Crain: Artist/Teacher in Kenya

Lynne Edwards, quilt teacher and author of The Sampler Quilt Book, Stash-Buster Quilts, and Cathedral Windows Quilts, is visiting Kenya at the moment, and it has been my pleasure to bring her upcountry to visit me and my studio at Lake Baringo.

Gill Rebelo of the Kenya Quilt Guild brought Lynne to meet me on Saturday morning in Westlands outside Nairobi.  Together, Lynne and I traveled slowly upcountry, enjoying the view of the Great Rift Valley from the edge of the escarpment, stopping in at the tiny (world’s smallest) Catholic church near the bottom of the escarpment, and calling in at Elmentaita Weavers and the Fired Earth Pottery on the South Lake Shore of Lake Naivasha.

World's Smallest Catholic Church

Weaver at Elmentaita Weavers

Elmentaita Weavers Shop

Lynne Edwards at the Fired Earth Pottery

From there, we passed through Naivasha town, and stopped for coffee at the favorite colonial watering hole and restaurant, La Belle Inn, before proceeding on to Nakuru.  We stopped at the African street market in Nakuru to do a little tourist-style shopping, but were frankly turned off by the aggressive nature of the vendors, so bought very little.  We then met Jonny at the Rift Valley Sports Club, had a bit of lunch, and swapped cars with him, exchanging our saloon car for a more suitable four-wheel drive Toyota LandCruiser before entering the Lake Nakuru National Park where we would spend the night.

And what a night it was!  We checked into the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, my favorite place to stay in all of Kenya, and had a quick cup of tea before embarking on our first game drive.  We came across many Cape buffalo, impala, and Thomson’s gazelles as well as zebras and baboons.  We were fortunate enough to get a good look at a few Colobus monkeys, and were particularly thrilled to come across a very tame mother and tiny baby white rhino.  The curious infant came within about six feet of our car, a most unusual event for everyone concerned!

Baby rhino by the side of the car

We made the trip up to Baboon Cliffs to view the lake from high above, and found baboons frolicking all over a visiting vehicle, but there was no sign of the usually plentiful rock hyrax, so amusing to watch as they scamper over the cliffs.  Sadly, the cliffs are suffering quite a bit of erosion, and quite a large chunk must have slipped down the cliff face since the last time I was there, a sure sign that Mother Earth is always in a state of flux.

Lake Nakuru, Kenya

We came back to the lodge, hot and dusty, ready for hot showers and a wonderful evening ahead.  First up was a dazzling performance by the Simba Cultural Group, who drummed and danced their way delightfully through a few traditional numbers for us.

Simba Cultural Group

This group is eager to perpetuate traditional dancing in all the forms found in Kenya, so I tried to help by purchasing one of their dvds.  The evening’s entertainment over, Lynn and I moved off to the dining room where we enjoyed a delightful 3-course dinner.  Rightly tired from the day’s activities, we retired early and fell sound asleep in seconds!

Up at daybreak the next morning, we went out for a quick game drive before breakfast.  We were thrilled to come upon a little drama unfolding.  An eagle was perched on a fallen log, about 6 feet off the ground, and around the tree’s upended roots a family of bat-eared foxes was having a grand time.  The youngsters were romping and racing around the tree, trying to tease the eagle under the watchful eye of the fox parents.  We suspect that they had snatched part of some yummy morsel the eagle might have dropped, as the bird seemed concerned about something on the ground that help little or no interest for the foxes, that is, until one of them found it.  Frustrated in the extreme, the eagle took off to search for another meal, and the fox cub snuggled down in the grass for a good munch on its treat!

Further around the lake, we finally saw what Lynne was eager to see – a group of nine giraffes, strolling slowly and in single file from the lake to the nearby yellow fever tree forest.  So elegant and utterly beautiful, with the lake and the rising sun as backdrop, these gorgeous creatures sailed past us without hesitation, despite furious camera clicking.

Masai Giraffe

The highlight of our visit to Lake Nakuru National Park was to come across a mini-bus stopped by the roadside on Saturday evening, and have the generous driver show us where he had found a leopard.  Lounging on a fallen tree trunk rather far from the road, we were nevertheless able to get a good look at this beauty through binoculars.  Lynne and I both were delighted!

From Nakuru Park, we passed through Nakuru town again on our way upcountry, and cut away from the main road at Mogotio, in the sisal plantation there.  Driving on dirt tracks for quite some distance, we entered the Lake Bogoria Reserve from the south, a trip that drops you into the Reserve from quite higher altitude and affords a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the lake.  Deep and mysterious, this lake is home to huge populations of East Africa’s flamingos, and there were plenty in residence this day!

Flamingos on Lake Bogoria, Kenya

We drove a little way off the main road through the reserve and settled down to enjoy a picnic lunch prepared for us by the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge.  Rested and refreshed, but QUITE warm, we continued north through the reserve, passing the always-active geysers and boiling hot springs that edge the western shore of Lake Bogoria.  From there, we left the Reserve and headed back northwest to the main road, then joined it to continue on to Lake Baringo, yet another of the many lakes that line the Great Rift Valley, and for me, home!

This little safari, lasting only about 36 hours, was full of lovely surprises, great conversations, small but manageable adventures, and lots of fun.  If you come to Kenya, be sure to follow our tracks and see these wonderful natural gems for yourself.

Find out more about Lynne Edwards and her work at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lynne-Edwards-Sampler-Quilt-Book/dp/0715323296.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 7:56 am and is filed under Kenya. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.