Day 10 - A journey of a thousand pot holes

Everyone was up bright and early for breakfast ready for our adventure day departure at 7.30am.  Off we went in our 5 open top vehicles up the road to the Nakuru National Park along with two other school groups who are out here with African Adventures.

The view was stunning as we arrived at the Park entrance raring to go.  We took the opportunity to have a photo stop by the lake at which point Rachel managed to sink in mud totally submerging one foot.

Rachel after sinking in the mud by the lake - a good start to the day

Lake Nakuru at 8am as we waited to enter the National Park

Then as we were waiting to enter the park it started to go wrong and we are still not 100% certain as to why.  Our safari tour operators card payment failed so the manager had to go and get the cash from the bank in US dollars in central Nakuru (payment to enter the park has to be in US Dollars as we are not Kenyan citizens).  All of this took nearly 2 hours to unravel so the decision was made by us to postpone our safari until tomorrow so we didn’t miss out on time in the park.  We did see the odd Zebra whilst waiting though and have our fingers crossed that we will see plenty tomorrow.

Waiting to enter the National Park in our open top vehicles

(before it all started to go wrong)

Zebras passing through the entrance to the park

However, we did continue with the rest of our Adventure Day and after a brief stop off at the supermarket for food for lunch we headed on up to the Equator for a photo opportunity.  Whilst at the Equator a self-proclaimed professor showed us an experiment demonstrating the coreolis effect.  This is the effect that the spin of the earth has on everything.

 

The self proclaimed professor demonstrating that there is

no magnetic pull at the equator (coreolis effect)

Collecting our equator experiment certificates at the Equator

The team at the Equator

Having spent time at the equator we then moved onto Thompson Falls.  It was a journey moving at speed undertaking and overtaking, weaving backwards and forwards across the road to avoid the potholes. Here we encountered Kenyan roads at their finest.  If we think that we have a pothole crisis in England then the Kenyan’s have a crater crisis.

Our journey up to Thompson Falls - note the pothole (crater) in the road

 

Once at Thompson Falls the view was spectacular and the roar of the water as it dropped over the falls incredible.  We hired a guide to take us down to the bottom of the waterfall.  Here we clambered over wet rocks and steep inclines and experienced the full force of the waterfall with spray in our faces.  Those who went right up close to the waterfall were drenched by the time we walked back up to the top, not to mention breathless from the steep climb at altitude. 

Thompson Falls

Alex and Liam swinging on vines on the walk to the bottom of the falls

On the walk down to the bottom of Thompson Falls

Stood next to Thompson Falls - getting drowned by the spray but having fun!

Even in this state the bargain hunters among the group were not deterred as they took on Africa’s most assertive and persistent shop keepers in a quest for (in the words of George Hill) “more stuff we don’t need”.

Lara, Tom and Joe dressed in their "dry clothes" purchases from the stalls at Thompson Falls

Tomorrow we are giving up our only lay in for attempt number 2 at our safari in Lake Nakuru Safari Park, followed by a trip to the craft market in the afternoon to practice our bartering skills and for final gift shopping.