I went to Kenya in 1983 as a very young woman and it has taken me 42 years to transcribe my diary. Thank God for AI which helped me otherwise it would never have got done. The trip was epic and very nearly fateful. Many people got sick, we got attacked my lions and we lost a couple of camels, rucksacks and all our money. The photos are the original slides scanned to digital in the 1980s so the quality is poor.
The journey to Kenya began badly and stayed that way for several days.
On Friday, 29 July 1983, a misunderstanding with the airport arrangements in Spain left our expedition stranded in Madrid. To make matters worse, our luggage had already been sent on ahead to Nairobi without us. We were left sitting in the airport with very little idea of when we might follow it.
The next day we learned that the earliest flight available was not until the following morning, and even that could only take some of us. Others might be stuck in Madrid until Tuesday or even Wednesday. A telex was sent to Kenya explaining the situation and asking someone to collect our wandering luggage when it arrived. A few of the British members of the group even tried phoning the British Consulate to see if they could help.
While all this was going on, half the expedition had settled in with two men from Johannesburg who were stranded just like us. Red wine appeared, and the situation suddenly felt less serious. One of our leaders, Geoff Morgan, managed to negotiate some compensation from the airport authorities, which improved morale even further. That evening we decided to go to the hotel disco with the Johannesburg boys. The music was terrible, but we stayed anyway.
The following day was spent almost entirely by the pool. Some of the group slept for most of it, while Wendy went to the airport to find out what was actually happening with our flights. The news was not encouraging. The earliest route available would take us to Cairo on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and then on to Nairobi.
By the evening we were back at the bar with the Johannesburg boys, who introduced us to tequila. We were instructed to drink it in one gulp with salt and lemon. After that we went into town and later drifted back to the hotel disco. At some point, after several more drinks, our expedition leader ended up being dunked in the toilets. At three in the morning Wendy appeared with the news that we were flying early after all. We had about three hours of sleep before leaving for the airport.
On Monday morning we set off again. Unfortunately Geoff had collected his ticket at a different time from everyone else and did not have a seat on the connecting flight from Paris to Nairobi. The rest of us had to leave without him, so he remained in Madrid while we continued.
At Paris Orly we were exhausted, but when we checked in with Air France we were told that we would be travelling first class. Suddenly the expedition felt rather more glamorous. We were shown into the first class lounge and spent the time eating large amounts of food and almonds while trying to stay awake.
On the overnight flight we were given menus in French and what seemed like an unlimited supply of champagne and wine. Eventually everyone reclined their seats and fell asleep.
When we landed in Nairobi at five past nine in the morning, nobody was there to meet us. Wendy phoned Jared, who eventually came to collect us and took us to John’s house where we washed, ate, and began to feel human again. Later we went into Nairobi for supplies before finally setting off in a very bumpy jeep for the start of the expedition. That night we stayed at Mike Strong’s ranch.
The real journey began the next morning.
We set off early, and before long I persuaded Pat to give a lift to a small boy walking along the road. Unfortunately he was sick all over everyone in the vehicle, and I was blamed for the whole incident.
The next day the camels arrived at camp, but the camel men were unhappy with our ropes. Nothing seemed to move quickly. In the end we did not leave until early afternoon, walking eleven miles to the camel men’s home so they could fetch proper rope. Some of the group were eventually given a lift in a lorry. Wendy had to be picked up because she was feeling ill.
That evening we were promised goat for supper, but one of the men accidentally let it escape. Several people had to chase it up the mountainside before it was finally caught. The tribesmen cut its throat and drank the blood before cooking the meat. I managed two bites. Instead I made a fruit salad from pineapple, apple, passion fruit, mango and lemon.
Over the next few days the trek became far more difficult. Water was scarce and the heat was intense. One morning George and I wandered off to explore a dry riverbed beneath some acacia trees, but the walk left me suffering from heat exhaustion. Our water supplies were so low that two members of the team set off with camel men to search for more, walking through the night past several dry water holes. One of the camel men fell ill with malaria.
The following day things became even more complicated. One camel ran away with several rucksacks still strapped to its back. We were short of water, the sick camel man could not be left behind, and the distance to the next water source turned out to be twice as far as expected. Everyone was exhausted, thirsty and filthy.
At one point we spent hours sitting under the only bush we could find while a few members of the team went ahead to search for help. Eventually a Land Cruiser appeared carrying five jerry cans of water. After nearly three days of very little to drink we sat around the vehicle and drank for what felt like ages.
When we reached a mission station the next day, life suddenly improved. We could wash properly, even if it meant waiting for goats to finish drinking from the well first. We filled jerry cans with water until the well ran dry and washed our hair in the bushes.
The journey continued through hot, empty country. Often the camels carrying the water would move ahead, leaving the rest of us walking through the heat with nothing to drink until someone went forward and brought some back. When we finally reached Balesa Kulal village we drank deeply from the well and admired the cool breeze and the view over Lake Rudolf and the surrounding gorge. We camped that night inside the church.
Life in the camp was never dull. One day we climbed the hills collecting plants and catching a scorpion for inspection. Another night a lion came within ten feet of the camp and chased one of the camels away. It was cold and windy, and very few of us slept.
At another mission station we were allowed to use the swimming pool, which felt like luxury after weeks of dust and heat. We even played a game of water football, Brits against Kenyans. Later some of us drank beer that Jared had managed to obtain from army soldiers, although he soon insisted that the girls should go to bed because it was not safe to stay drinking with them.
The trek took us past Lake Rudolf where we occasionally stopped to swim. At other times we were forced to drink water scooped from muddy holes and carefully strained and boiled before it was safe enough to swallow. Scorpions appeared regularly in camp and once I found a particularly large one near the waterhole.
Eventually Pauline became ill during one of the marches. When an Italian Land Rover passed on the track we persuaded them to give us a lift to South Horr. They drove us there in about an hour and a half. The mission allowed us to stay, though at first we slept outside under a veranda with very little bedding while rain fell through the night.
South Horr soon became a temporary base. We bought mandazi and tea from Abdi’s café, wandered through the small town, and collected plants from the surrounding hills. I even bought a sword for eighty shillings, which felt like a bargain.
After several more days the expedition began to wind down. We eventually drove south through Baragoi and Maralal, where we camped at a primary school and bought bracelets and bangles from the local shops. Some members of the group climbed nearby mountains while the rest of us rested, read, washed clothes and occasionally went to the lodge for a beer.
Toward the end of August we travelled back toward Nairobi. On the way we stopped near Thika and saw the brilliant red flame trees in bloom. In Nairobi we visited the game park and watched lions from the vehicle. That evening there was a reception with some of the expedition’s sponsors. Several people celebrated rather too enthusiastically.
Later that night we said our goodbyes at the airport. I bought coffee to take home for my mother and two cloth badges as souvenirs. Just after midnight we finally boarded the plane.
After weeks of dust, heat, camels, scorpions and very little water, the expedition was over. The journey home felt unreal compared with everything that had happened along the way.