Weekend in Kitale

This past weekend Elizabeth and I joined two other women for hiking in Kitale (pronounced “kee-tah-leh”), an area 2 hours’ drive from Eldoret. Although I saw different types of monkeys and birds there, I wasn’t able to capture them (except a couple of faraway birds) with the camera — they were either situated too far away or moved too quickly.

In Kitale, Elizabeth, Anke, Ute, and I stay at Sirikwa Safaris (aka Barnley’s Guesthouse), an inn owned and ran by a British family.

Jane owns and runs Sirikwa Safaris with her daughter, Julia. Jane has been in this house since 1951, after she traveled with her mother from England at the age of 4 to join her father in Kitale. Her family developed this piece of land into farmland when it was simply a hill full of antelopes, which now are endangered. About 20 years ago the family sold all of their many acres of farmland, kept only the small parcel on which their homestead sits, and turned the home into an inn.

Another view of Sirikwa Safaris. Once upon a time, approximately 400 white families lived in the Kitale area. Most of those families have left for England, Australia, and other countries. Now there are only 4 white families left in Kitale.

Another view of Sirikwa Safaris. Jane's family grew different crops on their farm during their ownership. They tried coffee, which was a disaster. Her father was a British military aviation man, who really didn't know farming. Later they grew maize. Had they grown tea, they'd have become millionaires since.

Along with regular bedrooms for rent inside the house, Sirikwa Safaris also has 3 tents which one can rent per night.

Anke and Ute rent one tent with 2 twin beds.

Elizabeth and I rent the other tent with 2 twin beds. Cute, hah? Rather nostalgic too -- not my nostalgia, certainly, but maybe the collective Westerners' fantasy of Africa.

Still a part of Sirikwa Safaris. This little hut houses a sink and bath. Cute, no?

Picturesque gardens at Sirikwa Safaris.

More picturesque views at Sirikwa Safaris.

Sirikwa Safaris owns 2 horses, which eat the grass on the property's lawns.

It is really a piece of paradise here at Sirikwa Safaris.

In the afternoon we were served tea and cakes under a gazebo in this green paradise.

For lunch and dinner we eat inside the house (for lunch we have the option of eating in the gazebo again). Every meal is a Thanksgiving-like banquet of many delicious dishes and sumptuous desserts. The family members eat their meals with us. I have no idea how they manage to stay bony thin eating the meals they serve.

An old fashioned fireplace keeps us warm and toasty in the living-dining room.

Jane's son, Richard, went fishing with his friend and brought back some beautiful rainbow trout. Unfortunately these fishes are not part of our meals.

Lead by an expert guide, Maurice, we hike a small mountain to see some beautiful views.

This bike isn't planted as photo-op for tourists. A couple of Kenyan men actually have biked up this little mountain to enjoy the view as well.

A view from atop the mountain.

More views.

On the hike down we spot a hut, probably the kitchen -- see the smoke rising from the roof?

Kids sitting in the open field eating bananas.

Back down from the mountain, this man meets us at our vehicle to say that we have parked on his land and he wants us to pay a parking fee, which we pay, of course.

We are off on another hike, and on the way, we spot a sunflower field. Doesn't this scene remind you a bit of Provence, France?

Here we are at a waterfall.

We reach another, much bigger waterfall. Although this scene looks dramatic, we want to climb down farther toward the bottom for a better view.

What we have to go through to get nearer the bottom of the waterfall.

We decide that this is as far down as we'll go to view this waterfall. In turning around to climb back up, Ute (one of our group) gets attacked by a dozen bees. The outing turns almost traumatic for Ute because she is badly stung (I have the job of removing the bee stingers out of Ute), and leaves the rest of us shaken because we can see the possibility of Ute slipping and falling into the ravine as she blindly tries to escape the horde of bees.

The next day we drive to Saiwa Swamp National Park for a nature-viewing hike, again with Maurice, our guide, to lead us.

At first I think swamps look the same everywhere.

But I change my mind when I see monkeys, exotic birds, exotic fauna, and banana trees here.

I just think this view makes a good photograph.

Another good photo-op.

The swamp contains some of these lookout posts for watching antelopes and birds.

Maurice, our guide, is university educated in plants, birds, geography, etc.

Can you see a bird on this tree? Sorry, I have forgotten its name.

This is a lucky shot. Looks like a crane swooping down.