We left on Saturday morning early. Loaded up the 1970s Toyota Landcruiser of Nikolai’s and headed out of Nairobi.
We got a full mile down the road and the engine died. We all go out and started pushing. About 10 people joined in to help push the white guys car. One guy down the road came to have a quick fix.
We were able to get the car started, got another 100 yards down the road and it died. He follow us and put some tape on the fuel line, started again. We all piled in, drove 1000 yards and died. By now we’re calling Nikolai’s mechanic to come take a look and talking about postponing the weekend. A couple guys walked up and said they were mechanics. These guys seemed legit as they were sucking on the fuel line to see if any fuel would come from the tank to the engine. No fuel = blocked fuel line. 20 min later we’re on our way. It was pretty crazy how many people were willing to help, but definitely always looking for money. UPDATE: Dean makes a good point in his comment. People do help here more than you’d find the U.S. It’s unfortunate that we’ve lost that sense of community as we ‘progress’.
From there, things went pretty well with the drive. Standard huge pot holes everywhere. We stopped to let the car rest, have some lunch, see some of the surrounding sites.
It was actually very similar to the Namibian landscape near Opuwo. We pulled into Magadi about mid-day and were ready for the rest of our adventure.
Not to spoil it too much, but the images you saw in the post are very similar to others that come later.
They might have wanted money, but at least they were willing (and able) to help. In the US hundreds of people would drive by and not even think to stop and help. I have been trying to read your posts every day. Stay safe.
Dean, you make a very good point. It’s unfortunate about the U.S., but it’s definitely makes it refreshing once it happens to you here.