Our Private Kenya (2): Oletepes and a Day Out with Charles and Nerisa

Good friends Charles and Nerisa decided that before Andrew and I got too deep into our safari, and since our colleagues had not all arrived yet, we would have a private day out, over near the Ngong Hills.

Now anyone familiar with Kenya and the literature about the country has heard of the Ngong Hills, the great line of peaks along the edge of the Great Rift Valley, and to the southwest of Nairobi (in fact, I've posted a couple of blogs about the Ngong Hills, with some of my thoughts here and here). So Charles and Nerisa took us to another of those private "resorts" that seem so popular in Kenya (sort of like Paradise Lost but not quite as large, or as historical). This one, known as Oletepes, is just as special in its own way, a huge wide-open field with tables and chairs set about and the spectacular view of the Ngong Hills in the distance.

Drinks and meals are served, but I had the impression that Oletepes is primarily a place where people can go to sit and enjoy being outdoors, with magnificent scenery all around. The day we went happened to be a national holiday (Jamhuri, Kenya's Independence Day), and I was surprised that there weren't more people at the resort. Apparently most people found a different way to celebrate the nation's independence (and since the new Constitution had just been passed last August, with a big celebration a few weeks later, perhaps most folks had done enough "national" celebrating!).

As for Andrew and me, we were very pleased with the whole idea of the day out with Charles and Nerisa, and Oletepes was a very special place to go. There was, from time to time, a very strong wind (which is why, I suppose, the park has a few domed tents for providing shelter, particularly for campers who stay overnight), but we didn't allow it to interfere with our good time.

We were also impressed with the waiters and the other staff, and with how hard they all work. Although guests drive their automobiles to the place where they want to sit and relax, or spend the night in the tent, the kitchen is a long 'way off, and the wait staff walk back and forth carrying whatever is necessary to bring the drinks and meals to the guests (and they manage to keep the nyoma choma hot, which is in itself a major accomplishment!). Can't imagine that level of hard work from wait staff in the States or Western Europe, but as we talked about it, we figured it out: with such high unemployment in Kenya, people are happy to have jobs, and to work hard. Don't think Westerners are prepared to work that hard, or walk that much, but Westerners also don't have the high levels of unemployment like that in Kenya. So perhaps what we're seeing in Kenya is an explanation (or the other way 'round).

In any case, it was a terrific day out, lots of fun (as the photos in this album show), and with a climb up into the Ngong Hills to once again see the views of the Great Rift Valley, our day out provided a delightful respite during our Kenyan holiday.

The Ngong Hills

Even in Kenya there are "winter Sundays," but the mildness of the day - even when slightly overcast - seems to banish any thoughts of gloomy winter. While the Kenyans might grumble a little about how cold it gets, the weather is still something to be grateful for.

And what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends than walking in the Ngong Hills? Along a ridge of the Great Rift Valley (shown here), the views are equally as spectacular as those from the viewpoints on the highway to Nakuru. Just breath-taking (even, as I say, on a day that is not bathed in glorious sunshine - I can't even imagine how spectacular this sight would be on a sunny, summer's day!).

As for why the hills are called what they're called, legend has it that the term "ngong" was chosen because the four peaks of the ridge appear - or seemed to appear - to be knuckles to the Maasai, and "ngong" is their word for "knuckles." O.K. I can go along with that. Whatever they're called, they are beautiful to behold, and situated so that on one side the Ngong Hills overlook the Nairobi National Park and on the other the Great Rift Valley, a visitor has to be a little aware that he is experiencing sights unlike what he would see anywhere else.

In addition to the natural beauty of the hills, the Ngong Hills since the early days of the last century have also acquired a rather romantic aura, since Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) opened Out of Africa with the line "I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills," and the hills figure prominently in everything we know about Blixen and her life in Africa. She came to British East Africa in 1913 and one has the impression that the Ngong Hills were some sort of overwhelming presence in her life (as they would certainly be in mine, if I had ever undertaken to do what she did).

And it was to the Ngong Hills where she took the remains of her lover, Denys Finch Hatton, after his tragic death in 1931. The famous big-game hunter loved the hills, often hunted there - as well as in many other places throughout the territory - and for years, it was said, the lions would come to lie in the sun on his grave.

Whether the story is true or not, it is a wonderful way to think about how a man who loved Africa so much would be so respected. We did not visit the grave (although I would have liked to have done so, romantic that I am), as it is on the far side of the peak we were visiting and the walk would have been too long for so late in the afternoon. Perhaps another time we'll pay our respects to Denys Finch Hatton.

Today, on the peak we visited, the views are spectacular. And only made better, it seems to me, by the small forest of wind generation turbines erected there. If extracting energy from the wind is a practical method for reducing our dependence of fossil fuel, I'm all for it.

And there's no question about it, these are awesome machines, made even more splendid by the tremendous contrast of the Maasai herdsman with his cows (English-speaking Maasai, for some reason, don't use the word "cattle" - they say "cows" when they mean to indicate the plural - I don't know why). I loved wandering amongst his cows with my friends, and he seemed to be pleased that we were there (photos are at Mr. Guy's Ngong Hills Album).

We had a good time strolling about, enjoying the views, watching the other people, and, yes, being careful. As we came up the road, the guard at the gate actually tried to discourage us from going further (and to be fair, it was a little late in the afternoon). But we persisted and he gave in. Not without warning us first, though, since it seems that there are in the Ngong Hills many places where people can be lured off the road or the path or the trail, and awful things happen. And more often that we want to know about.

But the guard was kind, lowered his rifle to take the reduced entrance fee he permitted us, since we seemed so determined, and made us promise that we would be coming back down the road before it began to get dark. We were fine, and we had no problems, and we enjoyed the views and laughing with one another. And there were plenty of other people, so it didn't seem particularly dangerous, and we enjoyed ourselves.

But I suppose he knew was he was talking about, so we complied.