21st Sept at the day I left, there is a terror that many people are died and get injured in Nairobi. But I keep cycling without knowing what happens. It is better what the eye doesn’t see.
21st Sep 2013
The road out of Nairobi is very nice, because there are a total of six lanes. But, later there are only two lanes left and no more shoulder. In the afternoon I arrive at the town, which was my destination of today. I like that sign, “Believe me, (You will get there) Slow down!”
This is the money of Kenya that width is shorter and length is longer. So it looks bigger money. I think there is a similar of every African money that they put farming, wild animal and a president on their money. Some president such as Mandela is good, but some president such as Swaziland’s king is just a dictator.
I try to set up tent around the church, but people invite me at the inside that I can take the rest very well.
22nd Sep 2013
It is interesting to see they sell rice. It seems that this area has enough water to farm rice.
It is called Sodom apple, but it is very poisonous. A sodom apple is very popular to African children, because it is hard that it is good to play as a ball. I am worried about it that they could swallow while they play.
Beautiful flowers beside the road
I think this area has abundant water that I can see green everywhere.
It is very hilly that I just stop to take a breath. I turn and find a coffee tree. I feel like if there is hilly, then I can see coffee?
A big tree
Children love looking at me.
It is a banana tree. A crimson fruit on the left of the picture is gonna be turn to the right one later.
My one month Ethiopia visa starts from Nairobi that I must hurry to the Ethiopia border. But I take the wrong road that I go around the town. Even it is too hilly.
But scenery is enough beautiful that I like it. I feel like I am on the cloud.
I ask at the next town, Police College for the tent, but I am denied. So I keep cycling to the next town. But the town is so messy with people and things that I don’t want to set up my tent around there. I ask at the factory after that town, but I am denied again. The security guy says to me that a police station is so close that I should try it. But I am too nervous to cycle, because it is now dark, and I don’t want to go back to that messy area. The security guy understands what I mean that he gives me a ride to the police station. (It takes 3 or 4 minutes by car.)
A police woman gives me her room that she says she will work in the night. Thanks to her, I could stay safely.
23rd Sep 2013
From the morning it is hilly. The scenery is so beautiful that I could see Mount Kenya. Most of people who is enough stronger can climb to the top of Mt.Kilimanjaro, but Mt.Kenya is different that only professional people can climb to the top of mt.Kenya with professional gears.
I wish one day I can climb any snow high mount. I think I am sick of it.
After one or two hours cycling, I can’t pedal. What is happened? I lay down my bike and see the problem. Oh. My derailleur is broken. I’ve never had such a big problem like this. I hitchhike to the next town, maybe 30 km (18.75 mi) ~ 40 km (25 mi).
The worker in the store of hardware tries to fix, but it takes too long that it seems he doesn’t know a bike well. Anyway I change the broken part.
After fixing bike, I want to have a lunch that I ask the worker where I can have a meal. He introduces this restaurant. Many restaurants in Kenya hang meat and sell without freezer.
I ask a server how much it is. She says it is 170 ksh ($2.2). But when I find the menu, it is actually 110 ksh.(1.4$). As I show a server menu for the price, I can have a meal with original price.
Kenya is weird country that most of workers cheat. I am not kidding. 90% of people such as bus drivers, restaurant owner and other trader whom I met cheat me price.
Yeah, actually Tanzania is the same as Kenya. But it starts from middle of land in Tanzania to face cheater. But in Kenya all area!! I am wondering what makes them a cheater. I’ve been many tourist places, but I’ve never seen this amount of cheaters.
Anyway a taste is so nice that I order one more dish to go. To face cheaters is very normal in this country.
After lunch I can only cycle 10 minutes, and then I have to come back to the town because the part of derailleur is broken again.
When I come back, it takes 30 minutes with pushing my bike. The worker who fixed my bike disappears that I find another worker. He says he can’t fix a screw. So, he welds it! If I have the problem on here, then…. What? No idea.
It takes almost four hours to fix my bike. It is impossible to find a normal bike shop which we are used to seeing in our big town. In the afternoon it rains that I wait to stop raining under the eaves. After then it is too hilly.
I make another big mistake that I cycle until dark. I feel too many things. Most of things are upset and angry at myself that why I push myself to dangerous situation. The matter thing is I got panic around the dark that I should stop two hours before the sunset.
Around 7 pm I find a local people house that they let me set up my tent at the inside of there house, because of wet weather. It was a long day.
24th Sep 2013
The next day I have breakfast on a highway. Blue band is kind of butter, but it is cheap. The fruit I bought yesterday was very cheap.
In the morning it starts hilly. But after a few hours there is amazing downhill.
The local people is farming.
It looks like truck will fall.
So nice to bike
It is Sodom apple which has poison. But it looks so taste.
There are many thorn plants in Africa that I have to be careful.
It is awesome downhill.
Almost 30 km (18. 75 mi) is downhill. I arrive in Isiolo before 12 pm and buy a bus ticket to the Ethiopian border. It is too dangerous to cycle in Northern Kenya, and the road is unpaved. Bus will departure at 7:30 pm.
I want to take shower that I go to a hotel and ask about it for cheap. But he says no and recommends checking the church. As going to church, I can take shower with one basket. I can relax on there that I watch TV. It is shocking that there was terror just at the day I left in Nairobi. Many people were died and injured.
The bus is the worst ever never ever. I am sure this bus is the horrible worst bus in the earth. The road is too bumpy, but a driver never cares about it and drives so fast. I am not kidding that I’ve been jumped out lots of time all night. I feel like my coccyx and neck will be broken.
Even there is no washroom for 12 hours. Oh..
Actually I took some medicine for carsickness just in case, which was the best choice. One little girl vomits all night in the car.
I watched some movie about slave trade in Nairobi. It seems like I am on that movie. It is like I am shipped as slave. The bus is too dark, and we are jumped a lot, there is not much space, people vomit and more things horrible.
25th Sep 2013
The bus is totally different from sign board’s picture. When I am off from the bus, I feel so exhausted ever. I spend one week of my Ethiopian visa in Kenya. I left only three weeks to stay in Ethiopia. It is time to hurry.
There was a terror in Nairobi, and on 25th Sept there was another terror in northern east part in Kenya. I’ve never had a bus for a long distance in Africa that it is my first time. I’ve tried my best not to take a long distance bus for 8 months in Africa, and saved the chance. It is a useful chance to use to take the long distance bus at this time.
If I knew this all of news on the road, I am sure it would be so hard and scaring to move. I feel like it is better what the eye doesn’t see because, for a week to the border I didn’t have any scared experience about a terror.
Ethiopia is known as hell to cyclists. It is not dangerous country, but it is too stress country, because local people bother so much on the way. I am worried that how I can stand all of things in Ethiopia.
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Route
Days in Kenya= 22 Days
Distance of cycling in Kenya= 498.38 km // 311.49 mi
Cities I stayed in Kenya= 8 Cities
Bissil, Rumbwa, Nairobi, Makutano, Mweiga, Timau, Isiolo, Moyale
Expenditure in Kenya = $336.75 (Visa $50, Letters $81 ) 1 $ = 80 Kenya shillings)
Thanks very nice blog!