July 14-19

You know when you shop for jeans, try on dozens of pairs, and curse the dressing room mirrors for making you look fat before finally finding that pair that fits perfectly.  Well for me, much of Africa fits that analogy. Aside from the animals spotted on game drives, there hasn't been much to the trip that couldn't have been done somewhere else in the world. Dunes, bungy jumping, waterfalls, whitewater rafting, canyons, valleys, shopping in supermarkets, desert, ocean, drinking in local pubs, and staying at campsites. When you look at that list, I could just as easily have been describing a road trip through the USA. That isn't to say I haven't been completely blown away by the gorgeous scenery at every twist and turn on these bumpy roads, because I have. It is more to say, that  in spite of all the amazing scenery, exciting activities, and good company, I haven't consistently had the feeling of really being in Africa.

July 14-19th though, felt like real Africa.

On the 14th, we went on our final game drive of the trip at Lake Nakuru. Not as densely packed with animals as some of the other drives, but there were lots of birds, rhinos, and a few lions lying in trees.

On the 15th, we left our campsite before sunrise and embarked on a journey of 4 consecutive drive days through northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. As we left the town of Nakuru on the 15th, we made one last stop in a supermarket to stock up on food and then drove about 11hrs through a landscape that transitioned from the lush green rift valley to red sand desert. We went from asphalt roads to driving on sand and rock for the better part of the next 4 days. We sat on our truck and were all covered in dust, looking as though we had just been spray tanned. We camped in the middle of the desert for 3 nights. On our first night of camping in the Kenyan desert, we were greeted by a procession of hundreds of camels being herded back to a village following a day of grazing. Camels as far as the eye could see.

The 16th was more of the same. Desert driving, camels along the side of the road, and brightly dressed villagers.  That night had us bush camping amongst lots of my favorite acacia trees. You had to be extra diligent about where you went to do #2 that night. Acacia thorns in the bum aren't pleasant, as I can attest to.

The 17th had us driving through 1 small village after another with men and women dressed in their traditional clothing. There was lots of waving, smiling, and laughing between passengers and villagers. As we crossed into Ethiopia, we almost had to sit at the border for 4 hours because the Ethiopian border patrol take a leisurely lunch from 11am-3pm. We were there at 10:30 and they were already closing up shop. Luckily, we convinced them to process us, and we made it through. We later stopped in a small town to shop for some ingredients for my upcoming cook group. Clearly, very few white people ever visit this town. It was a blast walking on dirt streets littered with goats eating garbage piles, the occasional rooster, kids playing with makeshift soccer balls, and ladies selling food under tents. We spent about $3 and bought tons of veggies. I had envisioned shopping like that at the start of the trip, so to finally have that experience, was tons of fun. Essentially, we camped on rocks that night.

The 18th was a long drive through Ethiopia. Hours of African massages (the affectionate term given to horrible road induced body jostling), and a landscape that transitioned from desert to lush green farmland. If you would have told me that when I entered Ethiopia I would encounter tons of rain, lush farms and tree/house lined claustrophobic roads, I'd have called you crazy. We had a flat tire that had as standing on the side of the road for about 1 hour, as villagers gathered to stare at us. We then stopped at a small town to buy meat for that night. We camped in a field that night and had to ask the head of the village if we could sleep there. It was the last night of having villagers gather near our campsite and stare at us as we ate our meal. I had a local man help me put up my tent that night, and had a good sleep.

The 19th was a short drive through driving rain into the city of Addis Ababa. Just another big dirty African city, but it brought the 6 day adventure to a fitting close.

Desert, bush camps, shopping in local village markets, locals in their authentic garb, bodies covered in dust, camels, lions, snakes, gigantic moths, toilets without toilet paper, dirt roads, dirty energetic capital city, and some local Ethiopian food finally gave me that feeling of Africa I had been missing over the past few months. It truly felt like Africa and it felt right.