We made it to Kenya and it has been already a week since we are here. The first impression of Kenya immediately after crossing the border was the level of development which is distinctively higher than Mozambique and Tanzania.
We spend a couple of nights on the coast south of Mombasa after which we said goodbye to the ocean until back in Cape Town.
It feels good turning towards the bush and the stereotype of Africa as we have taken the most of beach life, dhow trips and island hopping. (And you will be spared from now on from seeing any more beach pictures)The South of Kenya has a large number of animal parks and it is exactly here where some of the most famous images of African wildlife come from.
The choice is difficult as each one sounds unique in its way. After quite a brain-smash we decided to skip them all and head straight to Nairobi. Maybe not the most obvious option but taking into consideration that the entrance fee into one of them is about 150 US Dollars for both of us per day (a fee impressive 6 times higher than what locals pay), excluding accommodation, and since we have seen the Big already several times it seemed more adequate to spend the money on something new to us. Apart from that, being in the south of Kenya, from a scenic perspective, was not much different to being in South Africa. 
Having known what was waiting for us after Nairobi would have made this decision even easier!
In Nairobi Cruisi got a well deserved service in a very practical campsite catering for overlander trucks with a workshop and qualified mechanics. Although it was planned it was coming quite handy as when entering the ferry to cross to Mombasa (yes, its located on an island!) all of a sudden the brakes gave up, first gear and handbrake helped to get on the other side where we refilled the brake fluid. Until Nairobi we needed to refill twice more and the mechanics found that a pipe in the brake system was broken. Replacing it was not a big deal and Cruisi drives as if new again.
We enjoyed being in Nairobi, the level of comfort it was offering and for a change not being the epicentre of attention when walking through the streets.
Walking through a shopping mall with a slight feeling of amazement made us realise that we have spend a bit of time already away from the usual civilisation, crazy stuff! We treated ourselves to a sort of service as well by enjoying a wonderful breakfast in a European style cafe/bakery and a much missed dinner of what-else? Sushi! 
Nairobi is kind of everything except what one expects before arriving. It is a very clean city; the climate is rather fresh because of its high altitude so it quite green, the traffic although hectic is much civilised compared to other places, (nobody is hooting!) and it overall has a very developed and yes, safe feel to it. Smoking on the street is forbidden and is charged with a fine of 300 US Dollars, good that someone pointed it out to Fred when he lighted a cigarette.
There are special small smoker cabins around the city where one can indulge. People are again super friendly, very welcoming and speak fluent English. Driving away from Nairobi was quite impressive.
We drove through dense forests of pine trees, ultra green hills covered in a slight mist with European black and white cows grazing on them! Feels much more like somewhere in Northern Europe than in Africa, only the tropical fruit sold on the side of the road as well as the Masai surrounding (harassing...?) you each time you stop to sell you some sort of souvenir remind one that it is still Africa.We did not have to drive far to our first stop which was Lake Naivasha, one of the many lakes of western and central Kenya.
Only 100 km away from Nairobi and we reached an amazing campsite just on the shore of the lake.Literally, the grass could not be anywhere any greener than here! Just meters distance away from us the hippos are doing their live in the shallow waters, 
the best TV one can think of, black and white colombus monkeys are living in the trees and even us bird-ignorants can feel that this must be a heaven for bird-lovers, there are all sorts around. In cycling and walking distance there is a small reserve where one can walk or cycle, as we did, through the wildlife, there are no truly dangerous animals around so it is allowed. Apart from that we hiked a beautiful crater of an old volcano which has formed a lake inside, from the surrounding of the crater one can see giraffe grazing in it, quite surreal!
Hoping that everybody of you is happy and healthy!
Here everything is Hakuna Matata!
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