We checked our bags in Toulouse thinking we would see them in Amsterdam as we were staying overnight to visit a friend – but KLM, being as efficient as they are, checked them through to Nairobi.  I was hoping for my toothbrush and comb then I realized as we walked through the airport it was as though the universe had beat back time to 1993 when my only possessions were my camera and a few pieces of clothing.  Outside of feeling hungover even though I haven’t had anything to drink, sore shoulders and a questionable knee, I could be back in the Amazon – feeling more weighed down by the humidity than my luggage.  

When I watch movies about the western frontier, I’m thinking those folks haven’t had a change of clothing or a good wash up in a long time.  It’s always good to keep things in perspective. 

The small glimpse of Amsterdam I witnessed in the fading light was an impressive collection of architecture with contemporary structures competing with one another. The bicycle culture races by with many of them piled up on or near the racks, holding after dinner conversations I suppose, until the next rider appears to disrupt the party.  

The next morning we caught up with one of our friends who had moved to Holland from the states and we had a long breakfast discussing our respective immigration challenges and reminiscing about the good old times.  It was so lovely to catch up on a walk around the canals.  We then embarked on our 8 hour flight to Nairobi that all-in-all turned out to be uneventful.  And…the anticipated ground crew strike had been averted for now so we held out hope that our luggage would follow us unhindered to Nairobi.  

When we arrived later in the evening, we were met with red carpet service by two charming Kenyan gals from the travel agent, who got us through our visa processing and customs in an obscenely short amount of time.  We were then whisked away to the Fairview Hotel, a lovely British Colonial-style resort hotel, shrouded in security to the extent they x-rayed our bags before entering the hotel.  This we figured was to prevent any terrorist attacks on the hotels – the same thing goes for the malls.  

Though it’s always tiring going on long-haul flights we at least didn’t have to grapple with jet-lag. 

The next day we visited the Blixen Museum, the former home of Baroness Karen Blixen, the author of Out of Africa; her influence cuts an impressive swath through this area known as the Karen District. She introduced coffee to Kenya and on her plantation grew Arabica beans.  I knew she grew coffee but did not know that she grew that brand.  I will have a new appreciation when I go shopping for coffee from now on!  

The tour was much more comprehensive than the last time I was there 34 years ago.  We were given a thorough history and tour; as we walked the path between the kitchen and the main house the scent of jasmine wove its way through our senses – much like her writing.  

Once in the house we entered her study where her typewriter, the cuckoo clock, the gramophone Denys Finch-Hatton had given her and also a large collection of his books donated by his family; a fitting addition to the house considering their equal obsession with literature. 

In the room was also a french screen with many different pictures that served as a foil for her stories; she would have a guest pick one of the scenes and she would spin a tale, entertaining them for hours in front of the fireplace.  

The house is not large, not like the one in the movie, and it is decorated with animal skins and other African artifacts including her lovely paintings; she had quite the talent it turns out.  The largest room was the dining room, laid out as if she was expecting us for dinner.  

We then walked across the vast lawn to the path that led to the coffee mill; on the way an eagle landed, a rather impressive specimen that had no reason to visit as there was nothing of interest in the lawn itself.  He sat for a few minutes, cocking his head like they do while watching us.  He walked around for a few minutes and did not leave, even as we entered the forest.  It was quite intriguing to encounter one of the Eagles of the Ngong that the baroness speaks so fondly of in her writings.

Her tale ends in devastating sadness as the plantation went bust and shortly before she had to leave to go back to Denmark, Denys was killed in a plane crash.  In her autobiography it was conveyed that she and Denys had ended their relationship as being the wild thing that he was, and though they had been soulmates for years, he still would not commit to her.  She considered herself “dead” to him then and in the end, his untimely demise was the last cruel hand that fate dealt her as he was now dead to her.

Their story took us over to the Ngong Hills where, after driving the chaos of Nairobi and washer board roads, we came to an obscure field edged by a hedgerow with a phone number on corrugated metal on where to call for entry. 

We were met by Damares who let us into Denys’s gravesite; equally manicured and appropriately surrounded by wild bush.  Damares is the great grand daughter of Kamante, Karen’s houseboy.  Karen and Denys would “escape” to this place that was once a grassy knoll in the hills with a view of the plains.  Back then it was a day-long trek to get to the site and back in the 1920’s it was pretty easy to get lost up there.  In this place they would cocoon, as lovers do, and it was during their romance that he said he wanted to be buried there.  Karen had the same idea but it never came to fruition.  Denys was killed when he crashed his Gypsy Moth and it burst into flames, Karen, his friends and colleagues took his coffin via oxcart all the way up to this spot.  When he was buried it was only marked with four stones.  Later, his family erected the obelisk, and on his epitaph a quote of the rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.  

Spending time with Damares – the great granddaughter of Kamante

The rocks were then replaced with rounded, sculptured stones.  Others were also near the site, but were a bit overgrown now and Damares said those were probably placed there so that Karen could be buried next to Denys.  

In the 1920’s the Ngong Hills were home to big game including lions.  Shortly after Karen left, a lion and lioness visited Denys’s grave – as fantastical as it sounds, as we thought it was just something manufactured by Hollywood for the movie, Damares assured us the story was true as it was Kamante, who visit from time to time, who had witnessed them.  

We took in the atmosphere of the grave and its surroundings, imagining the grassy knoll and the view of the grave Karen could see from her house.  

Their story was one of the great romances to come out of that era and it is as magical as the writing the earned Karen Blixen, aka Isak Denisen her stature as one of the foremost story tellers of the 20th century. 

It seems odd that someone as legendary as Denys Finch-Hatton, who even has a bridge named after him at Eton, is buried in a rarely visited grave in the Ngong Hills – or maybe not – this is where he spent the most precious moments with the loves of his life: Karen and the wilds of Africa.

After winding our way back through the Ngong Hills and on down to the main streets of Nairobi we turned off into a secluded resort area. We ended the day with a lovely meal of “wet” chicken cooked in earthy spices, green mashed potatoes (green because they use pumpkin leaf) and kale.  Our Kikuyu guide had given us an outstanding day roaming around the influences and history of an enigmatic storyteller.  

The following day we wanted to get some shopping in as we would not have a chance on the safari circuit.  Our guide from the Fairview, Bernard, took us to the Kobe Tough (Kobe means turtle in Swahili…to be interpreted as these women having a touch shell), a bead shop that was developed to employ impoverished women. We were greeted with song and impressed with this whole enterprise to help women of lesser means find employment.  I think my favorite purchase on this safari is the Masai Apple Watch band that has now become a conversation piece. It’s a lovely beaded piece that I hope will last for a very long time.  

We packed up our purchases and left them with the front desk of the Fairview so we could collect them before our final flight home.

The next day we flew into Arusha, getting through the visa process with relative ease; it pays to have the forms filled out and your cash ready.

We were escorted to the lovely Arusha coffee lodge where we overnighted and headed out the next morning to our first stop on the safari circuit.

After an uneventful two hour drive from Arusha to Lake Manyara, we arrived at the stunning Chem Chem lodge where we were greeted by the staff with those huge African smiles including three magnificent Masai Warriors – a vision that reduced me to tears. Chem Chem is a private concession in the Tarangire and Manyara Lake reserve areas that provides an upscale safari experience while funding the preservation of the local wildlife corridor.  

It’s a tent lodge though is a permanent installation set upon stone and boardwalks that lead you to the main area.  It’s ranked as one of the top African lodges and looks like a feature out of Architectural Digest.  It’s very spread out, in elegant repose, with the main area overlooking a watering hole, or oasis as the palm trees make for a tropical effect, and you can sit and watch the wildlife come and go; they call it “bush tv.”   The area is thick with baboons, monkeys and impala; they peak out from under the boardwalk at you, completely indifferent to your presence.  

The area is hot and dry, yet the humidity is low making it comfortable.  Inside our tent we had all the comforts of home including a shower in the room and one right outside (walled off in stone), where you can wash up “in the wild” though the monkeys really take no notice.  And we had a full coffee station with an espresso machine!! There is glamping and then there is Chem Chem.  

After freshening up, Nenga, our driver, soon whisked us out on safari where we were blessed with elephants galore and Bob was able to take a ride in the “safari seat” up close and personal to a curious pachyderm. 

Close but not too close!

A herd then made their way to the local watering hole complete with a hide where we could watch in relative safety:  Nenga was really excited as this event is a hit or miss. 

He then got a call that a pride of lions had been spotted and we soon found them laying across the road, finishing off a day’s nap and getting ready for their evening haunts. 

Not much going on here but still…anything could happen

We had our first “sundowner”  – basically drinks in the bush watching the sunset against the super exotic baobab trees with giraffes wandering by making the evening quite mesmerizing.  Suffice it to say, we immediately went into sensory overload. 

Our first African sunset

We got back for dinner as the light grew dim and were escorted to a private setting with a backdrop of lanterns recessed into a massive termite hill, the table was lovingly strewn with orchid petals; they somehow knew our anniversary was coming up and had set aside a lovely dinner with champagne!  

Happy and exhausted we settled into tent, shrouded in mosquito netting and fell asleep to the night sounds of the bush. 

During the night we were woken abruptly by the shrieking of baboons and monkeys.  This racket went on for a good hour and half and while we found it disconcerting, it did occur to us that there must have been a predator nearby.  The unbroken rule at all safari camps is no one goes out after dark without an escort and this first night confirmed why that was.  Soon we could hear the lion in the distance as he walked his territory.  

After a fitful night sleep we awoke to impala grazing right outside our tent, and then soon a herd of zebra wandered by.  I sat and let my mind go until we were beckoned to our morning jaunt.

We stretched our legs on a bush walk with Nenga alongside a Masai Warrior, discovering different aspects of the fauna and the Masai way of life.  The walk ended in a bush breakfast that could not be equaled:  Set under a baobab tree on a huge live-edge table was our feast, elegant and seemingly spare compared to the table we were being served on.  There were staff who had prepared breakfast over an open fire including a steaming hot water pot where they prepared coffee at the table.  Even the toilet facilities were crafted in a thatched hut, rustic yet practical with running water  – it was hard to believe we were in the middle of a game park.  

After recovering from this culinary event, we retreated to our landrover, and ventured to one of the local villages where we met a Masai chief and his four wives.  We learned more about the structure of the Masai village and culture, and challenges the chief faced with running this sizeable operation, most conflicts related to animals, property rights and marriages.  

His main residence was small but well structured out of timber, mud, dung and urine that also doubled as an insect repellent.  The spare rooms were segregated with the wife-of-the-moment in one room and the children residing in the other.  After much discussion, the chief wanted to bless us for our long marriage and though we felt it was more of a touristy gesture, we obliged though were certainly out of sorts being white people in this setting.  

Back at the lodge we had lunch in one of the towers that gave us a lovely view of the lake and where we could watch the game come and go and relax for a few moments. #bushtv 

We rested for just a little while until we headed out on the afternoon safari where we found a pride of lions tucked into the high grass; it’s a bit disconcerting if you think of Masai walking around minding their business and then you run into a pride – they are so difficult to see and many are in sleeping under the bushes.  Nenga’s sharp eyes somehow sussed them out and we spent the remainder of the drive watching as they started to wake, literally watching the papa lion fade into the sunset.  

This ended our first stop on the Tanzanian circuit, we were set to go to the Ngorogoro Crater in the morning. I’ve included some of my infrared work while I was out and about; I was especially taken with the baobab trees❤️