Up early again, this time to take what we had been informed would be a 1 hour drive to Dol Dol. Let us inform you at this stage, that TTP drove us here and will be with us all week. Unfortunately TTP is in the same charabang that we had last week, the very same one that came unstuck at the roundabout. So imagine our joint delight and TTPs chagrin when we start going off road to get to the morning session. He ended up whipping the van around like Colin Macrae’s African cousin. TTP came into his own. Readers, it was like he had found his true vocation. I would say though that while TTP was having fun we were getting tossed around like wet fish at Billingsgate market. It really was not as comfortable as it may have been. But hey ho.
We headed for Ol Jogi, which is a privately owned game reserve. It has a school for the children of the people that work there. We were informed to drive to a certain gate but once we arrived there, we could see they really did not want us there. Whilst Aliya tried to work out what was going on we got out two sets of stumps, 2 bats and a ball, and started a game on the main road. To be honest it was not the greatest game but it was a game non the less.
Once the gateage issue had been sorted we drove for another 20 mins to find the Ol Jogi school and started to organise the 110 kids into groups. Yes 110!!! It was brilliant and once again the laughing and smiling display by the kids was something to behold.
After the session, as a mark of gratitude, the Head of the reserve and the trustee of the school named Kimani took us all for a private visit to the reserves animal sanctuary. We were escorted around to see some birds, to stroke a cheetah, to see lions and a Leopard, to see a black leopard, and spend time with sanctuaries 2 tame elephants. It was a brilliant time and a real mark of how much this man valued our efforts at his school. Quite fantastic.
We unfortunately had to leave the sanctuary and head back to Nanyuki where we had an afternoon session planned at a home for rehabilitated street kids. Once again, as it was at the orphanage yesterday, the 35 kids were remarkable in their enthusiasm and committment to try a new game.
After sampling the not so brilliant fayre on offer at our luxurious camp the night before, we blagged our way into the Nanyuki club for dinner. In this bastion of British imperial rule, we mingled with officers and gentlemen alike. The officers are part of the Batallion of British soldiers stationed in Nanyuki who use Kenya as a stepping stone from UK to Afghanistan. Most of them dont look old enough to drive let alone go into a battle zone.
It had been a really good day.
