Kenya

.......Once we arrived in Nairobi, it is dark and at the airport exit waiting for me and Veronica is a guy from Come to Africa Safaris (and along with him hundreds of noisy people with a piece of paper in their hands); with this agency, starting the next day, we will begin our Kenyan safari. Along the road to the hotel, we are pleasantly impressed by a modern, tidy and fairly clean Nairobi. Skyscrapers, lights, signs, I wouldn't have expected it like this. The following day we will then discover that the darkness of the night had hidden many things. Along the way and on arrival at the hotel they brainwash us about the dangers of Nairobi; never walk alone, watch out for this and that.... In the end we decide to have a beer in a pub, we are the only white people, there's music and the atmosphere is calm.

We go back to our room for our first African night; I undo the knot on the mosquito net, the noises of the street......never slept so well but....it was already time to leave Nairobi. The choice of our agency for the Kenyan safari (as for the Tanzanian side) was made thanks to some positive reviews and, above all, by keeping an eye on saving money. From this moment, for 16 days, we would have to forget the comforts of a good bed; no luxury lodges, simply basic services, sleeping bag, tent and a lot of spirit of adventure. Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli would be our stops; between one and the other hundreds of Km, dirt roads, endless distances but above all the local life that scrolled past our window. There were 5 of us: 2 Italians (us), 2 Peruvians and an Australian (sounds like a joke...?).

Our guide, Opany, would be our guardian angel for 6 days and was supposed to pass on the secrets of Kenya to us. Obviously on a group safari it is crucial to bond with the other participants but the most important role is that of the guide; the success of the safari and the overall chemistry depend on him. Opany, a big man about 1.95 m tall, 120 kg in weight, at first glance was quite distant and serious but behind this mask, he knew how to give moments of warmth, friendliness, tenderness, cheerfulness. A truly intelligent man and a great worker, we got along well with him. Leaving Nairobi behind us, we are catapulted into a horizon of bidonvilles, shacks, poverty and a lot of confusion. The impact with this reality was quite strong.

Continuing on, a short stop on a natural terrace that overlooks a glimpse of the Rift Valley, passing through the chaotic town of Narok, a couple of hours of dirt track and finally the entrance to the Masai Mara. Describing the wonders of this and the other parks we visited I think is superfluous; others before and better than me have already done so. I limit myself to remembering the yellow colour of the grass at sunset, the soft shapes of the hills, the endless columns of wildebeest, antelopes and zebras in this migration season. Giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, lionesses with their cubs and the lion with the thick mane. The Masai people, their villages and their livestock; their colourful blankets: so much colour in this land. From the Masai Mara, crossing the highlands of the Naivasha region we arrive in Nakuru. It is a grey evening and the following day would be too.

In the evening Opany lets us taste the ugali from his plate, I eat it with my hands and he bursts into a loud laugh. From that moment I believe a spark was lit between us. Lake Nakuru impressed us pleasantly; too bad it was one of the very rare days when the weather was grey and foggy. From the top of the lookout you enjoy an incredible view over the lake and the plains below. In the lake thousands of pink flamingos paint the horizon, in the green meadows still giraffes, buffaloes, baboons, leopards perched in the trees and rhinos, by now very rare to see but in this protected place so close to us; rhinos that unfortunately we saw almost at closing time. Also from the lookout, the "assault" of a local school group on a school trip: a boy approaches me and Veronica and wants a photo with us.

No problem I say and from there...one by one all the students wanted to do the same....in short, 10 minutes of uninterrupted photos, a bit of embarrassment and lots of laughter...who knows, maybe we looked like someone famous?! Apart from these kids, the city of Nakuru is the place where for the first time I realised the independence given to children, even very small ones. From 3/4 years old they walk alone along the streets, the luckiest ones have their little backpack to go to nursery and school; no school bus or parents holding your hand; you grab it and go....from a young age you have to learn to survive. Back on the van, it would be the longest transfer, from Nakuru to Namanga, 8 hours on the road and the night to be spent at the border with Tanzania. Luckily the music Opany inflicted on us was pleasant and we passed the time singing along...."Jambo, Jambo Bwana, abari gani....".

The next day Amboseli, at the entrance a expanse of sand awaits us and on the horizon....absolutely nothing. We have come all this way to see Kilimanjaro and we have two days to hope that the haze gets swept away by the wind. We weren't so lucky, unfortunately we only saw Kilimanjaro for a few minutes early in the morning and its glacier glimpsed among the clouds: what a shame. I liked Amboseli very much, I remember it as the paradise of elephants, we saw dozens and dozens of them and the surrounding territory is very vast and varied. In the evening, our camp under a big acacia was truly magical, the fire lit up the night, around us the savannah, stars like never before and absolute silence. Only the sounds of the animals from time to time reminded us of their presence.

Veronica was starting to have a bit of a fever; our Peruvian friend had had a high one for a few days already; we often thought about malaria but the tests and the local doctors reassured us. The choice to take the prophylaxis seemed to be the right one. Back in Namanga for the customs formalities. Once past the Kenyan border, the queue to get the visa for Tanzania. After 7 days we had to say goodbye to Opany; he was a friend, for the first time in Africa, in his eyes I saw that special light. All that's left is to wait for the bus to Arusha; we hug and have a big laugh. A lump tightens in my throat, it wouldn't be the last during the trip. We cross the border, the Bus is overcrowded, we see the peak of Mount Meru: we are in Tanzania…..