Kericho & Tea

My favourite area of Kenya is in the highlands,west of the Great Rift Valley. The small town of Kericho is in this area.

Can you spot Kericho on the map?  It is several hours west of Nairobi.

Kericho's population is about 150,000 and total population around the area is about half a million people (1999 census so the information is a bit out of date). While that doesn't sound so small it has a very small town feel about the place. Kericho is the hub or center of the tea industry. Most of what it grows in tea is shipped to the United Kingdom. The main tea companies are Unilever and Finlay's and Ketapa.

Tea is so important to this town that the town square is even called Chai Square. Chai is the Indian word for aromatic spiced tea.

On my last trip to Kericho I snapped the photo of these 3 beautiful trees as we entered town from Nakuru, a larger city located to the north east of Kericho. Nakuru tends to get a lot more tourist activity than Kericho because it is closer to the flamingos and other wildlife I featured in an earlier post. Nakuru is also a central location as a jump off point for many other tourist destinations in Kenya.

It was a very hazy day when we arrived in Kericho and the skies were not so terribly exciting.  However, the thing that stood out to me  is the sheer beauty of the town.  The tea estates and tea crops which dot the hills and valleys around the area are a vibrant green colour.  I should say shades of green which give a depth to the colour instead of making it look lifeless and flat because everything is the same shade of green.  In the photos above and below virtually all the greenery on the ground consists of tea bushes.

In this photo taken from the car, the skies are a very pretty blue with white fluffy clouds. This is how it usually looks whenever I've travelled to Kericho. It can get quite hot at times but it usually rains for a short while every day and then the sun comes out.  I understand that right now they are experiencing a dearth of rain.

I pray the rains will arrive soon.  Kericho's rain keeps everything green and fresh.  The the rain is needed for the tea crops and for the farms. The people depend on it like all farming people depend on the right weather at the right time.

In my last photo you will see how hazy it is. The beautiful red roof tops are the roof tops of houses on a tea estate. The people who work on the tea estates live and work there. The housing is provided by the tea estate companies. I'm not sure but I think the workers pay rent also.

Kericho is home to the world's single largest tea plantation. It is also the home to the first fossil ape Kenyapithecus discovered by Louis Leakey in 1961. It is a beautiful little town with manicured looking tea estates & beautiful lawns and gardens. The weather is usually very agreeable for those that prefer moderate temperatures.

I hope you enjoyed this "peek" into the town of Kericho, Kenya.

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday today.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Pelicans at Lake Bogoria

Recently, I've been featuring the beautiful Soi Safari Lodge and wildlife around Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Today I begin featuring the area around Lake Bagoria, Kenya. This lake is one of the least visited lakes of the Rift Valley in Kenya and is located about 60 miles north of the city of Nakuru.

Don't be deceived by the seemingly short distance. It will take you longer than 1 hour's drive to get there but you will get to see a lot of the countryside during the drive.

If you go, I recommend you take a tour from one of the hotels or get the hotel to help you hire a driver for the day. You might also choose to stay at one or more of the hotels in the general area.

This lake is home to a hot springs (more about that in another post) and to various birds like the lesser flamingo which I featured in an earlier post.

On this day I was interested in the pelicans which seemed to congregate in a more secluded section of the lake, away from the tourists and flamingos.

It was a real treat to see these pelicans peacefully floating on the water in small groups.

Joining in with Wild Bird Wednesday today.

 

Anticipation

 

Anticipating the warmer temperatures ahead and beautiful gardens.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday
Today's Flowers
I Heart Macro 
Roses of Inspiration
and Our World Tuesday.

Continuing my Tour on Lake Baringo

In my last photo tour of my trip to Lake Baringo Kenya, I shared some photos of the interior of  Soi Safari Lodge where I stayed and some of the outside areas too.

Today I am going to share more scenes from the waterfront.

The beautiful scene from Soi Safari Lodge.

 

While I was on the boat tour I snapped many photos.

As we make our way out onto Lake Baringo, I snap a photo of the beautiful Soi Safari Lodge

Fishermen are transporting cattle to market. They are from the island so can't drive into town.

 

I am not a birder per se.  But I do like birds a lot. I was pleasantly surprised to capture a few of them in my photos while I was busy snapping photos of the beautiful environment all around me.

Birds nest in the trees on the water. I think there is a bird in the tree too.

I've read that there are over 500 bird species in and around the lake. Can you imagine?!

This is a birder's paradise and perhaps some day I will be able to spend time just to specifically for birds on a tour of the area.

 As it is I was happy for the bird photos I was able to capture in my short time on the water.

Little Egret

Pied Kingfisher

 

I'm not one hundred percent sure but I think the bird in the photo above and below is an African Darter.

The fishermen will throw a fish to an eagle so tourists can capture a photo.

The eagle wasn't cooperating because it had eaten several times that day already with other tours. Sylvester shows me his guide book so I could see what the eagle looks like.

These boats are made out of a very lightweight wood (almost like cork) that floats very well.

A close up of the wood from which the boat is made.

These buildings along the waterfront are almost hidden by the lush vegetation.

  Boats of all kinds are on shore.

 Fishermen's boats and the blue boats are probably local men hoping for tourists.

Nearing the hotel shoreline.

You can see the unique roof line of Soi Safari Lodge. Other buildings are of the small town.

There are more tourists from the lodge waiting for the boat to take them on the water.

 I hope you enjoyed the tour. 

I also hope some day you can take a trip to this beautiful area of the world.

Lake Baringo, Kenya

x ~ x ~

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.
Check it out and see lovely skies from all around the world.

Pink Flamingoes Enjoy the Lake

As a child I remember wanting to visit the state of Florida.  I was fascinated by the state since it was home to the unique and delightful pink flamingos.

 I attribute my fascination with the birds to the fact that I grew up in a part of the country where winter season was from early November to the end of April.  This meant we had snow for fully half a year and much of that time was very cold.  I dreamt of  tropical climates, palm trees and an exotic lifestyle.  In my very limited life experience, pink flamingos seemed to fit into the fantasy.

Flamingos are showy birds in that they are tall, have a gloriously coloured beak, long pink legs, a gracefully curved neck and pink plumage. We didn't have such wonderfully coloured birds in my part of the world.  These characteristics would not serve the bird in my part of the world because of the lack of good camouflage.

 Years later I managed to make my way to Florida but by this time had forgotten about pink flamingos and my time in Florida was very brief.   I  was only in Miami to transfer to points south and not for sightseeing.  The best I could do was get to the beach front for a short time.  That turned out to be a bit of scary experience (perhaps a story for another day).

At last when years later I made it to Kenya, East Africa, the pink flamingos were there to greet me at Lake Nakuru.  They were breathtaking especially since there were just so many of them. My pictures do not do justice to the sheer number of them.

I hope you enjoy these beautiful birds as much as I do.

I believe these particular flamingos are called the Lesser Flamingo.

You can learn more about the flamingo here.

Participating in Wild Bird Wednesday.



Have a look there for more beautiful birds.