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On 8th April we set off from Cotonou in Benin to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. We had arranged to rejoin the overland tour in Kano in northern Nigeria. After considering our schedule carefully we decided that we would fly from Lagos up to Kano since the journey sounded boring and time consuming. On arrival at the domestic airport in Lagos we found that there was a flight to Kano leaving in twenty minutes. We frantically rushed around to change money on the black market and buy the tickets. A few minutes before the scheduled departure time Paula and I were running across the tarmac to get to the waiting jet before they pulled away the boarding stairs. Exhausted we rushed up the stairs, the crew closed the main door behind us and before we could find our seats the plane was taxiing to the runway - only in Africa!
1992 Diary - Africa (Part 2)
Gjcmcclurg2005-12-23 14:25:40
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shifted from Portuguese to Omani and finally to British rule before Kenya gained independence in the early 1960s. It was during the Omani period in the 19th century that the island flourished as a trading center for ivory, mangrove poles and, after the trade was banned further south, slaves from the interior bound for the Middle East. The population boomed, and the island became a center for Swahili and Arab art and learning unrivaled on the African coast. The island still retains an exotic flavor with its narrow winding streets of white washed houses and richly carved doors, the absence of motor vehicles, and the Arab sailing dhows on the quay-side. Paula and I managed to find a great little room in the old town of Lamu in a traditional house. We spent about 5 days on the island enjoying the charm of the old town. We also managed to squeeze in a trek across the island to the village of Matandoni and a dhow trip out to the idyllic beaches of Manda Island.
From Lamu we headed directly back to Mombassa and then caught the overnight train up to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. We purchased 1st class tickets an were pleasantly surprised by the standard of our cabin in the ex- colonial train. Dinner was really fun with a five course silver service meal served by waiters dressed in white, if a little tatty, uniforms. After a good nights sleep we enjoyed our breakfast in the dining car with the Kenyan landscape rolling by. Just at breakfast we spotted Thompson Gazelle, Giraffes, Ostrich and Wildebeest! Nairobi was the big, bustling, noisy city that I had remembered.
We spent a few days doing chores and then headed out on a 5 day camping safari of Lake Nakuru National Park and the Masai Mara Game Reserve. We visited the Lake Nakuru National Park just after sunrise and were rewarded by great views of the crater lake and flocks of pink Flamingos. We also spotted several other animals, including rhinoceros. In the region of Lake Nakuru we visited
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See photographs from:
Zambia Gallery
,
Tanzania Gallery
,
Malawi Gallery
,
Kenya Gallery
,
Zimbabwe Gallery
,
Cameroon Gallery
,
Burundi Gallery
,
Botswana Gallery
,
Nigeria Gallery
