Long massage rides and a bit of Rhino

As our guide found out that we actually booked six days and not three days of safari, we were 'transferred' to another car. This time we were allowed to sleep in, we didn't have to get up until 7 am. Fortunately, our new group was great! It consisted of a French couple and a couple from Australia who are currently traveling around the world, as well as the almost 70-year-old father of the Australian. The almost 9-hour drive (according to the guide, the travel time is '4 to maximum 5 hours') passed by much faster. But when we arrived and looked at Google Maps, we realized that we had to drive almost the whole way back to get to the next national park. Mamma mia. Enthusiasm certainly looks different there. But in the group, we were able to cheer up our spirits well, or as a famous poet has already said (I'm not sure anymore who it was, whether Goethe or Schiller): 'Get some beer, it'll make you feel better.' We found a bar in the town of Nukuru, where we recovered from the exhausting drive and at the same time pushed away the upcoming 9-hour drive. In the evening, when we wanted to go back, it started to rain. Seven Muzungu (white) with T-shirts and sandals, and of course without an umbrella in pouring rain, was a huge highlight for the many curious Kenyans. To put the whole thing maybe in perspective: the Kenyans were wearing thick winter jackets, woolen hats, and of course long pants.

The next day we started at 6 am for a short game drive in the national park near Nakuru. Even though it was only a very short visit, it was worth it and not only gave us a great view of numerous monkeys and flamingos, but also of the last Big 5 animal that we hadn't seen yet: We were able to observe four black rhinos from up close. Then we set off on the long drive to the next national park. This was delayed right from the beginning because our driver initially drove in the wrong direction for a while. When he realized it, he simply turned around in the middle of the highway, as one does. What was also not ideal from a safety point of view was the broken seatbelt in the middle seat in the back row. A strong braking would have meant that Näthu would have flown two meters and crashed into a metal pole. Two hours later, we had to say goodbye to our favorite group. But fortunately, we will meet the Australian group again in Zanzibar.

Our new group is not that cool. It consists of five Chinese women, each with three pieces of luggage, so we sit cramped together with all the luggage in the safari car like sardines. They also only speak Chinese. Promptly, the journey seems much longer to us and is delayed pretty heavily again and again. For example, because our driver forgot to bring money to pay the highway toll. The fact that despite the bumpy roads, you can only go to the toilet about every 4 hours doesn't make it any easier. Well, at least now there is a seatbelt on the middle seat. When we arrived at the camp after more than 12 hours, the owner said that he didn't have a room for us. The safari organization did not register us. That also explains all the other problems we had and the constant group changes. We are now given a very small, uncleared room as emergency accommodation. Not the best news after such a long day, but a lot can go wrong when traveling.

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Because our guide found out that we actually booked six days of safari instead of three, we were 'transferred' to another car. This time we were allowed to sleep in, we didn't have to get up until 7 am. Fortunately, our new group was awesome! It consisted of a French couple and a couple from Australia who are currently traveling around the world, as well as the almost 70-year-old father of the Australian. The almost 9-hour drive (according to the guide, the travel time is '4 to maximum 5 hours') passed by much faster. But when we arrived and looked at Google Maps, we realized that we had to drive almost the whole way back to get to the next national park. Mamma mia. Enthusiasm certainly looks different there. But in the group, we were able to cheer up our spirits well, or as a famous poet has already said (I'm not sure anymore who it was, whether Goethe or Schiller): 'Get some beer, it'll make you feel better.' And we also said to ourselves that when we have a beer, we feel better. We found a bar in the town of Nukuru, where we recovered from the exhausting drive and at the same time tried to forget about the upcoming 9-hour drive. In the evening, when we wanted to go back, it started to rain. Seven Muzungu (white) with T-shirts and sandals, and of course without an umbrella in pouring rain, was a huge highlight for the many curious Kenyans. The Kenyans were wearing thick winter jackets, woolen hats, and of course long pants.

The next day, we left at 6 am for a short drive to the national park near Nakuru. Even though it was only a very short visit, it was worth it and not only gave us a great view of numerous monkeys and flamingos but also of the last animal from the Big 5 that we hadn't seen yet: From up close, we were able to observe four black rhinos. Then we set off on the long drive to the next national park. This was delayed right from the beginning because our driver initially drove in the wrong direction for a while. When he realized it, he simply turned around in the middle of the highway, as one does. What was also not ideal from a safety point of view was the broken seatbelt in the middle seat in the back row. A strong braking would have meant that Näthu would have flown two meters and crashed into a metal pole. Two hours later, we had to say goodbye to our favorite group. But fortunately, we will meet the Australian group again in Zanzibar.

Our new group is not that cool. It consists of five Chinese women, each with three pieces of luggage, so we sit cramped together with all the luggage in the safari car like sardines. They also only speak Chinese. Promptly, the journey seems much longer to us and is delayed pretty heavily again and again. For example, because our driver forgot to bring money to pay the highway toll.

The fact that despite the bumpy roads, you can only go to the toilet about every 4 hours doesn't make it any easier. Well, at least now there is a seatbelt on the middle seat. When we arrived at the camp after more than 12 hours, the owner said that he didn't have a room for us. The safari organization did not register us. That also explains all the other problems we had and the constant group changes. A very small, uncleared room is now provided as emergency accommodation. Not the best news after such a long day, but a lot can go wrong when traveling.