My second day in Kenya and it was time to head for the hills. Well, the valley, anyway. The Rift Valley, which is just west of Nairobi and full of recreational opportunities. Our first stop was to visit Solio Ranch Game Reserve – about half way between Mount Kenya and Aberdare National Park. A bit pricey for tourists, but full of wonderful African wildlife.
Among Solio’s prized possessions were many white rhinos. Their breeding program is the largest and most successful in all of Africa. They supply white rhinoceroses to other parks throughout the region. All wildlife is considered to be owned by the government of Kenya in Kenya, so no private ownership or hunting is permitted.
Besides about 50 rhinos, we saw lots of other native wildlife, including roschild giraffes, a pride of lions, warthogs, countless impalas, endless monkeys, exotic birds, stacks of zebras, and many an antlered animal, etc
The drive up to Solio was interesting. Countless hidden speed bumps and continual heavy traffic made the drive treacherous. Every 10kms or so a police checkpoint would present itself. Pure bribery in action, I was told. They never bothered us, but many other motorists were pulled over and given “fines” for alleged traffic violations. Most people just paid them on the spot because they didn’t want any trouble, but expats were more likely to know their rights and demand due process – usually resulting in a wave through after a thirty-minute delay.
The car was equipped with numerous monitoring devices that scored drivers on their driving ability. Alarms would go off if drivers drove too fast or braked or accelerated too quickly. Each driver has their own unique key so they could be individually identified.
Stayed in a homey German run guest house nearby at foot of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain. Between this place and the The Talisman restaurant I visited on my first night in the Nairobi suburb of Karen, I couldn’t help but think of the scene from Apocalypse Now Redux – when the boat crew had dinner at and old French colonial plantation. It all felt a bit out of touch with its surroundings.
