I have been on a number of field trips in and around UK, and while it makes a pleasant change to get out of the classroom, they are always quite tame. I recently went on a Year 7 trip to Northern Kenya that was certainly not tame. To begin with a bunch of Kenyan anachists called 'Mungiki' were causing trouble around the country so the 2 bus convoy was escorted to Nyahururu (formerly Thomson's Falls). We had lunch and met our host, who then escorted us the rest of the way. The last 10 miles or so was on a dirt road but fairly easy going until we came across a recent accident. A matatu (Kenyan minibus) had rolled over and was now right across the track. No-one seemed too badly hurt so we simply pulled off the road and tried to go around. It was when the wheels started spinning on the wet black cotton soil that the kids started to get excited. The bus slowed and slowed until it was decided to lighten the load so everyone piled off. Gathering around the back all hands were laid on and shouts of alarm began as mud was sprayed up carefully chosen designer clothes (carefully chosen to be completely unsuitable for this kind of trip it appeared). With the combined weight of 20 or so Year 7s the buses eventually made it back to the road and we pressed on.

Arriving at the campsite all tents were erected and settled into. Within minutes of arriving I found a snake curled up by a bush so picked it up with a long stick and flicked it into the bush as far as I could before anyone else saw it. All went well until shortly after bedtime when a collosal storm moved up the escarpment we were camped on the edge of and drenched the occupants of half the tents. After some squashing up all went quiet until some drums started beating on the other side of the swamp. This was apparently ceremony to honour a recently dead local. I found out later that it was a Mungiki murder but chose not to pass this info on as, like the snake, it would have caused unnecessary anxiety.

Before breakfast the next day everyone trooped off to a camel dairy which consisted of several thorn bomas filled with camels. We were asked to enter, approach a camel, and milk it into a bucket. There was a mixed reaction to this from the Nairobi city kids but at least half of them had a go. After breakfast we all mounted up for a camel ride through the bush. This was the bit I had been most looking forward to and the reason for this account.

There were about 40 camels, tied in threes, with me at the front of the line, being led by a Samburu chap. The ride was about 10 miles and took 5 hours. the surroundings were low thorn scrub as far as the eye could see, with Mount Kenya and The Aberdare range in the hazy distance. There was a constant humming of insects from all sides, and a muttering of children from behind. There was plenty of game about (giraffe, impala, steinbuck, etc) but we were particularly pleased to see 2 elephant browsing on the far side of a valley.

By the time we got to our late lunch destination in a glade by a river we were all sunburned and weary, so I had snack and took a snooze in the shade.

That's it really. When I was on the camel I decided to write about it when I got back.  I'll try to dig up a picture and add it later.

I have another trip to the Rift Valley next Friday.