Saturday was our first official outing with AU Abroad Kenya.
They bussed us about an hour outside the city to the Masai lodge where we would
enjoy a “nature hike” then travel to the Kitengela Glass Factory.
When we arrived at the lodge they had us order our food
since it takes them a while to cook (plus there were 20 of us in total). After
ordering our food, they said it was time for our “nature hike”, Victor gave us
one final warning about bringing our backpacks, but I decided to keep mine to
help me carry my camera as well as extra water and sunscreen. As soon as we
started the hike I realized that I should have left my bag. This wasn’t a nice
calm trail hike, we were jumping over streams, ducking through small clearings,
and traversing over rocks. The best moment was when we had to essentially scale
a wall sideways. There were few footholds, but a few ropes and vines for us to
grab onto. Macho Wyatt was right behind the guide, and started right away. Well
little did I know that we should grab the vines, not the ropes. Although it
wasn’t as a majestic fall as I’m sure some would have hoped, my foot and ankle
enjoyed a nice dip in the cool water (I do have a pretty boss-looking rope burn
on my arm. I think it makes me look tough).
After this clearing we continued traversing through the
wilderness. I don’t think any of us expected this nature hike to really be as
much hiking as it was. As we emerged from the gorge we had been climbing in we
walked up into the warm African sun we looked around at the beautiful
landscape. You could see for miles. We could see the tall buildings of Nairobi
in the distance, a gorgeous mountain landscape, and in the far distance our
final destination.
Before we began crossing the fields that separated us and
the Kitengela glass factory, we saw gazelles both from across the gorge and
nearby (yeah that’s right make fun of Wyatt for bringing binoculars but then
ask to borrow them – TAKE THAT!). As we continued walking we saw a group of baboons,
one of which continued to stare us down. Finally, as we crossed the last road
we saw a group of Zebras in the distance. It was amazing to see these animals
in their natural habitat.
We reached the final obstacle to our destination: the
bridge. This bridge was not a normal bridge, it was a swinging bridge that
perpetually leaned to one side. After our guide signaled our arrival someone
came to open the bridge for us. Only five of us were allowed on at a time and
we had to stay incredibly close to each other to prevent the bridge from
swinging more than it already was. I was in the last group and we all finally
made it across. We had reached Kitengela Glass factory. This is a factory that
takes recycled glass, melts it down, then recreates it into beautiful pieces of
artwork. We were able to check out their few stores and receive a tour of the
area where we watched them crafting beads and bowls. It was near impossible to
not buy anything, so I picked up three things: a glass cup from the “rejects”
because it had a bubble in it, rather then the powder being mixed around. I
found it amazing and it is a glass that no one else in the entire world has. I
also met an artist who used caps from Tusker, and wire, to create these small
creatures, and I naturally bought two. This experience was amazing and the
pieces they were selling were so beautiful. I was hoping to pick up more gifts,
but my fear of them breaking on the trip home dissuaded me.
This glass factory was absolutely amazing and the
one-of-a-kind artwork was truly incredible.
We returned to the lodge, enjoyed a wonderful lunch, then
had the opportunity to swim. I decided not to swim (I was so exhausted from the
hike), but soon into the swimming my friend McKinnon and I decided to go
exploring. We went to a little area where we were taking some pictures when we
saw a guard walk very fast towards. We thought we were going to get yelled out
but after a few minutes of him watching us, he came over and started telling us
how deep the water was. Then he offered to take our picture. We thought that
was a bit odd, but it was also very nice. After taking a few pictures, he asked
if we wanted to go down a path to another spot which we decided to do. We
didn’t realize how much of a trail this would be, but it was awesome to see a
tucked away area. This guard was incredibly nice, and McKinnon and I dubbed
this our “honeymoon” because we are pretty sure the guard thought we were
together.
After returning to the rest of the group, it was almost time
to head back to our apartments. We shopped for some groceries then all made it
back where most of us crashed from being so tired.
Photos from the trip click here
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