A Day Off to Visit the Rift Valley

The morning was overcast and mild as four of us made our way down Waiyaki Way to St. Mark’s Anglican Church. I was joined by Lauren Hodgson, Adele Halliday, and George (whose last name I didn’t get). Lauren is a United Church candidate for ministry and is doing her internship here in Nairobi, Adele works at the United Church office, but was also here in Nairobi for an ecumenical meeting, George hails from Uganda, and was at the same ecumenical meeting as Adele.

The service at St. Mark’s was rousing – it was the youth service, and was 90 minutes of praise and gospel. The minister had heard I was coming, and announced me from the pulpit; so three of us got introduced (Lauren has been there several times and has been given a local nickname of ‘Jerrie’ so didn't have to stand up with us). We were all invited for tea and samosas afterward.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to church, so no pictures of church!

Because it was Sunday, we had the day off from work, so we all headed out to the Rift Valley. The valley cuts a wide swath through the middle of Kenya and is part of the same geological cleft that passes up through Egypt and north to the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee. Both sides of the valley are almost sheer cliffs, and the floor is flat and fertile. Along the road that goes along the top of the cliff, there are many lay-bys: perfect vantage spots to see the valley below and the facing mountains and dormant volcanoes. Of course, each lay-by has its share of souvenir hawkers and stands.

Lake Navaisha is one of the larger lakes in the valley and is teeming with birds and wildlife. We stopped at a lodge for lunch, where the grounds are a small sanctuary for zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. We saw a couple of hippos off shore, but only their snouts coming out of the water for air. Nearby there are acres of greenhouses protected by high-fences covered with bougainvillea and signs “Photography of these premises strictly prohibited.” Apparently these factory farms for export roses have been under a some scrutiny for labour and environmental practices.

We pressed onwards to Hell’s Gate National Park. It’s about 70 square kilometers of parkland named after the deep gorge and its sulfur hot springs. Brian, our guide, took us down into the gorge by a steep, treacherous path with lots of big jumps and climbing. In places, the water sprays out like a shower, but hotter than any shower you’d want to take! The walls in places are covered with green moss and ferns, even though the land above is bone-dry. The fields leading to the gorge were loaded with giraffes, water buffaloes, wart hogs, antelopes, and gazelles. Although still quite wild, they were fairly relaxed about our presence, and several times stared us down as we drove down the road – almost daring us to butt heads / bumpers!

Tomorrow morning, we’re back to work and heading off to Juba in South Sudan.