NARO MORU AND THE MOUNTAIN

 “And the earth We spread out, and placed therein firm mountains”

[al-Hijr 15:19]

Mt. Kenya at sunrise

 Alia, my sister in law from Mombasa and her daughter in law and children have coming visiting us in Nairobi after Abdallah's engagement.

 Abdallah has gotten hitched to Muskan.

Mzahim (Alia's son) and his wife, Randa and their 3 very well behaved children have travelled from UAE for the occasion.

The engagement party in Mombasa was a small family affair but well managed and smooth apart from the crazy traffic snarlups that Mombasa is now famous for.

Mzahim got only two days off so he is back to work in UAE.

Randa and kids have a few more days and as a revenge for their superlative hospitality whenever we visit UAE; Muna and I have decided to give them a revenge treat. 

A road trip to Naro Moru and the Mountain.

Saba saba day is a no-go-out day since the opposition have arranged nationwide demonstrations against the new tax laws among very many other very accusations.

So we depart the following day. Saturday morning.

Its a smooth comfortable drive up North towards the Equator. We are in a convoy of three cars, all full to the brim. The double cab pickup has been loaded up and the Toyota Wish is also fully geared for the trip.

The 3 hour drive is smooth and thankfully safe and uneventful.

We are in Naro Moru River Lodge by 1130am. The cottages Muna has booked have been reserved and prepared. Sendeiyo, Rutundu and Nelion.

These are semi timber and semi masonry structures that have been recently refurbished.

Sendeiyo has 3 bedrooms whilst the other two are 2 bedroomed each.

Each cottage has a fireplace, an absolute necessity for the windy and cold evenings and even chillier nights.

And just like wooden cabins of the wild west, these country cottages have cosy and comfortable verandah which open out onto the gardens and the nearby crytal clear Naro Moru River.

 The River water levels have unfortunately drastically reduced over the years ... largely due to global warming which has affected the shrinking glaciers of Mt Kenya and also increasing populations extracting water for human use both upstream and downstream.

Naro Moru R

And also sadly because of habitat loss and destruction which is covertly and now more openly sanctioned by greedy selfish politicians.

 

If we humans do not take urgent and immediate action to curtail the degradation of environments the world over, then we better be prepared to face the consequences of global warming ... which increasing look as though the damage is getting to the brink of irreversible damage.

Thick Foliage around River

We cannot stop raising the awareness and action on this matter and each one of us owes this as a duty and obligation to future generations.

 After settling into our cottages, I take a stroll to the river.

Butterflies of different and brilliant colours and sizes flutter from flower to leaf and back. A couple of white and Orange Tipped butterflies chase one another across the open grass and level field; it is indeed also mating time for them.

A Cinnamon Chested Bee eater swoops just overhead and whistles as if to remind me that I am in his territory. I am not only too aware but fully grateful for being allowed into this ecosystem which we humans are busy raping.

The river is clear and pure. The water is ice cold. Rounded granite stones dominate the river bed, a reminder of the millenia the river has traversed this route before us humans came and started our unacceptable and despicable rape of the environment.

Muna and gang are already in the kitchen preparing a bbq. The meat has been marinated so it will very gratefully be a very short while before the meat is ready for the tummy.

The BBQ Possie

Walid, Hassan and Nabeel have the charcoal jiko ready. The grille is warmed and the lamb chops and t-bone steaks placed on. 

The aroma of roast meat is now in the air. The saliva in the mouth is flowing. Taste buds are awake. Lunch is promised and definitely going to be sumptuous.

Unlike the wintery conditions in Nairobi, Naro Moru is pleasantly sunny and warm. A welcome break from chill.

I soak in the sun. A reminder to myself that Nairobi will not see this pleasant sun for the next 2 to 3 months ... so I better soak up as much as I can. Not only this, but we certainly are paying good dollar for this outing so I may as well just make the maximum of it.

Bleachers facing the Open Ground

Lunch is announced. We dig in. Its a sumptuous luncheon. Roasted marinated meat with fries and salads. There is more than enough for all.

I decide to have my meal in the verandah which has a low coffee table and red reclining seats.

As I sit to dig in, a flock of spectacled mouse birds noisily settles onto the evergreen wild olive tree. This ecosystem belongs to them much more than I so I welcome their noisy interruption.

After lunch, I catch up on my prayers. I must never forget Him who sustains us and blesses us everyday ... with or without our acknowledgement!

Prayers said, gratitude expressed ... I mustn't ever tire from this; I now decide to relax on the generous sofas as the rest of the gang decides to explore the resort. It is a sprawling hotel along the Naro Moru River. It is well maintained and run.

They walk to the pool. Some of the more enthusiastic members of the family decide to swim in the icy cold pool waters. Other relax on the pool side chairs and beds. I am not too keen for either the swim or the lounging on pool side beds.

There is international table tennis live on Showmax and I decide to indulge ...

As usual the Chinese players dominate the proceedings. It is expected. But the level of table tennis is very high compared to a decade ago when the Swedes and Germans would give them some challenge. This reminds me I have a tournament lined up in early August.

In the evening, the wind picks up and there is a chill factor built-up in into the constant hum of the wind.

Moses the pleasant and ever helpful house keeper is called for. He lights up the fireplace.

The Lounge with Fireplace

The children and adults now take up board games as the hungrier ones decide to help out in the kitchen. Mastermind and cards.

Yes you are right I am of the latter hungrier ones – so I join in the kitchen.

Supper is a mundane affair of home made chicken burgers and Muna's specially brewed home tea.

I can say here with authority and conviction that this home brewed tea is the best tea I've tasted anywhere in the world.

Look for me to give you a treat of tea and mahamri one day and you will believe me!

Dinner is a quick munch. I have to catch up with prayers again. I do this before changing into bed clothes.

And bed clothes are 3 layers – I am taking no chances at this altitude of ++ 6500ft!

The wind has picked up again and my bones are reminding me of my age ….

I retire early amidst the raucous board games being played by adults and kids alike in the lounge.

The fire in the fireplace crackles on ... the Olerai tree branches produce blue flames .... there is hardly any smoke and the warmth is universal to the cosy lounge.

As I prepare to lie down, the temperature is plummeting. The hot water bottle that I had an hour ago placed between the blanket and sheets has done its job. The bed is welcomingly warm.

The cicadas are chirping away. An occasional gust of window rattles the steel casement windows. Distant calls of night birds is heard ... but I can hardly differentiate whether its a dream or a real bird somewhere in the thick growth of trees meandering along the Naro Moru River. A shriek of the hyraxs pierces the calm night. It’s a shrill shriek … but a soothing one – depends on how you decide to look at it.

I am somewhere -- halfway between being awake and the dreamy mysterious world of sleep ... I am not complaining. I am content and I am happy. As I lay supine, it really doesn't matter whether I'm asleep or awake ... the truth is I am blessed and well and relaxed.

The morning birds' calls waken me up around 545am.

I wash up and say my prayers.

Then I decide to catch a glimpse of Mt Kenya and indeed it is there in the east in all its glory.

Not a cloud in sight. It is a promise of a bright day as the sun rises slightly to the North of the massif that forms this extinct volcano.

So apart from sightseeing the mountain and the sunrise, I catch up on my steps ... and before breakfast I have clocked my 10000 steps.

Well-done!

I am grateful for the health and myriad of blessings that have been bestowed upon me.

 As I walk, the wild pigeons coo from 3 different directions. The Red Tits hop along in front of me as I walk past the Leleshwa shrubs. From these shrubs emanate a variety of bird sounds giving the overall a very natural and soothing effect.

From a distance comes the constant hum of the Nanyuki Highway; trucks and boda bodas with very loud exhausts. Not too far away I can hear the faint distant blaring of gospel music interjected by intermittent preaching. In the third world, we are a believing lot. And thankfully so.

As I walk on, I cannot help but think that the solitude is pleasant, the silence even more refreshing but the constant sounds of other human beings is a stark reminder that we are social animals that can only survive if our fellow brothers and sisters are with us.

Cockerell crows interject the peaceful silence once in a while, reminding me that, lest I forget; amidst this posh resort there are humble human habitations all around ... fending for their daily bread.

And this is the situation in almost the entire world.

We must keep in mind that both you and I are keepers of our environment and equally importantly, of all our fellow human beings in spite of our differences or status in society!

By 730am I have clocked my 10k steps.

I get back to my cottage.

The aroma of the famous tea and mahamri is already wafting in the air.

Breakfast!

Home cooked special breakfast!

I fill my plate with mbaazi, mahamri and a helping of scrambled egg and head to my favorite red sofa in the verandah.

The cackle of black and white colobus monkeys attracts my attention away from the dish I am about to devour.

Its a family of monkeys that lives in the large Indigenous ficus and olive trees.

As the monkeys playfully chase one another between branches, I slowly partake my breakfast which has now been supplemented with a slice of chicken burger that was leftover last night.

Its a kings breakfast... downed with a hot cup of the best tea in the world!

No wonder I don’t lose weight --- but honestly I am not complaining … I am OK the way I am … and grateful for being so!

 

After breakfast, a quick shower of hot water and then into the sun. Have I said it before; we Africans are like lizards and proudly so! The moment the sun appears, we are out in droves basking away and soaking in the free blessings from God! Oh yes - why not! We have the best weather in the world!

The morning Equatorial sun is already fiercely blazing upon all and sundry.

I sit upon the bleachers that face open grass ground next to the river ... and soak up the free vitamin D that the sun sprays to everyone irrespective of status, political clout, race or tribe.

Free of charge!!

The late wakers now straddle into Sendeiyo as if not satisfied with the sleep they got last night. But the moody regret of insufficient sleep is quickly dissolved by the aroma of breakfast.

The frowns change into expectant smiles.

I have learnt that one never ever really gets enough sleep, never!

So the secret is to sleep early and try and get as much sleep as one can ..... everyday of your life!!

One final tip on this matter …. Sleep with gratitude on your lips and your mind … silent prayers on your lips.

Today after breakfast I shall once again dip my feet into Naro Moru River ... and let the millenia old glacier-fed river refresh my feet with rejuvenation ... 

This is life.

Life is not about politics and amassing stolen wealth.

Nor is it about getting stoned and drunk silly every weekend in the name of fun or socializing --- as though there is no tomorrow!

No!

Pilau Lunch

Life is about gratitude and appreciating the blessings we have been bestowed with.

Life is living simply and achieving good health and helping others.

Life is about love and compassion for all our fellow human beings.

And life is about caring for the world we live in!

And all this amounts to worshiping God!

After a lunch of pilau and leftover bbq meat, we plot to go to the Mountain. The 15km drive is smooth but varied. From the dry grasslands of Kieni East we leave the tarmac road and turn left towards the main gate into Mt Kenya National Park, a facility run professionally by KWS.

There is a drastic change of vegetation from the bare grassland to a lush tropical forest with tall pine trees that eventually give way to even taller ficus, olives and meru oaks.

Main Gate of Mt Kenya National Park

10km of a well maintained all weather dirt road leads us to the main gate.

Wairimu the helpful warden does the math and we duly pay by mpesa after struggling with an erratic mobile network.

A local man and his female friend are strolling towards the gate oblivious of the local tourists packed in our cars. They are courting and the lady is obviously shy. We ignore them and they try to do the same.

Ours are too many eyes for their comfort ….

Road in the Park

Into the park, the road is a single lane tarmac which winds through the lush forest. A group of water buck stare at us as if asking prying questions. And two forest bongo spring out of sight into the green cover. Its a fleeting sign...that many more may be living within the green abundance. This is an endangered species of antelope endemic to Mt Kenya …

 There are signs of elephant and buffalo spoor along the entire road ... a good sign of plenty wildlife.

 Our cars struggle up the steep inclines and the meandering roads.

Some 15km into the park and at an altitude of approximately 8200ft we reach a simple sign announcing Percival Falls.

 

We stop and descend down a steep and dangerous incline to view the falls which we could hear much earlier than seeing it.

The falls are a height of over 30ft.

The water is ice cold.

The forest is dense bamboo interspersed with oaks and camphor trees.

 

Percival Falls

But the descent is rather rudimentary and dangerous.

KWS, I hope you are reading this blog. You do a good job, so please just complete it with an improvement on this area.

Bamboo Forest at 8500ft altitude

15 minutes later we head back to Naro Moru.... The trip has been good so far.

Back at the cottages and Moses is called up again. The fireplace is alit again.

Warmth spreads.

Tired baby crying as the abundance of adults try to make him comfortable.

The youth are hungry.

Dinner is almost ready. Today it is hotdogs downed with the famous tea.

I down half a hotdog … am not too used to dinner.

Back to bed. The hotwater bottle has thankfully done its job.

It is small innocuous details such as this that make trips and outdoors pleasant ….

And not to forget the guaranteed and world famous Muna’s tea!!!

Tomorrow, we head back to Nairobi. Back to work.

The Possie minus me (I was the photographer!)