Driving to Marigat

I know I've posted some scenes about this drive before but I didn't think it would hurt to post some again as I re-start my travel series about my Kenyan travels.

My travelling companion and I are on our way to a mission station in Marigat, Kenya.  Marigat is a small town about 100 kilometres north of Nakuru.  Actually where we are going is off the highway a few hours east of Marigat.  However,  Marigat is the place that you can find on the map. We are going there because I first travelled there several years ago to see this very arid place and to learn about their need for water. I am travelling now to see the borehole that has been built and to learn about what progress has been made and the still outstanding need for water. I'll write more about that project later. For now I want to show you the countryside.  You can click on the maps and photos to make them larger.

Can you find Marigat? How about Lake Baringo and Bogoria as that is where I am headed after going to the village closer to Marigat.

I love the stretches of countryside. I noticed that the closer we got to Marigat which is a smaller town, the narrower the highways got. I assume this is for a few reasons.  One being that the road is less travelled to these less populous places.  Another possible reason is that the road is not new.  Since my first trip to Kenya several years ago I have noted that the highways are much improved and I'm sure that these improvements will continue.

I'm always struck by how many people are walking in places where it seems like no one lives. I know there are villages and habitations everywhere so I'm assuming that is where these people are headed. Many people in the villages of course cannot afford a car so they must walk or take matatu if they can afford the transport fees. A matatu is a small van which transports you for very little money. Sorry for the blurred photo but we were travelling quite fast.

We had to slow down for this little creature who decided to take a nap in the middle of the highway.

More open highway. I love the blue sky.

This is a typical scene along highways and roadways. You will come across signage pointing the way to schools and churches primarily. You will also come across stalls like these ones with the corrugated metal. There are usually stores in these stall but these ones don't look too busy that day.

Here we are driving through Marigat, Kenya. We will stop for refreshment before carrying on.

We are stopped at a restaurant that I've been to before. We usually have some stew and milk or tea here. People like to sit on this veranda and eat as well as people watch.

This is the view from the veranda/patio of the restaurant. From here you have a good vantage point as to the buses, the shops and the roadside market.

Here along the busy highway the woman sell produce of fruits and veggies. From what I understand, a lot of produce must be transported from elsewhere due to the arid nature of the land. However, there is now a major irrigation project, Perkerra Irrigation scheme.  I'm guessing that more of the produce needed in the area can now be grown. I did see the project as we drove further to the village eastwards.

Another street scene.

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Farewell Kenyan Skies

These were the skies over Kenya as I made my way to Nairobi on my most recent safari to my beloved adopted country.

As you can see, it was a very hazy day on the day I departed.

The countryside around Nakuru has some beautiful country scenes.  I love that the landscape is dotted with red rooftops.

And that cows live and roam freely.

This is a scene from the highway.  You can just make out the mountain tops near Lake Elementeita. You can read more about Lake Elementeita in an earlier blog post here.

My driver, Julius is focussed on the road ahead.  He is perhaps one of the most fastidious drivers I've had in Kenya. The other driver I really like is also named Julius, lol.

There are a lot of lorries in Kenya. You can see them here though this is by no means the most I've seen in any one place.

You can also see fruit stands selling oranges along the roadway.  I didn't stop as we were planning a luncheon stop in Lake Naivasha at the Golf and Country Club (more about that in a future post).

This is the final photo of the day. When I took this near Naivasha I said out loud that this would be my contribution to one of the Skywatch Fridays posts. I thought it was an interesting shot given all the birds and they don't seem to be in any particular formation. I wonder if they saw some food below?

 

I hope you've enjoyed the drive with me. For more Skywatch Friday photos, click here. I think this photo also qualifies for Blue Monday and I will see if I am able to add it later.  Join Smiling Sally and the others here. Please say a prayer for Smiling Sally as she has recently had surgery and endured some complications.