1. Cycle Kenya
Cancer has affected many people that I know personally. It has been 10
years since my own mother died of cancer at the age of 56 and this was my
way of doing something about it.
I signed up for the challenge not knowing anyone else taking part but the
actually cycling was just one aspect of the challenge I was doing. There
were the social aspects of going on a journey/adventure with 90 other
women whom I did not know and to cope with the climatic and standard of
living, and quality of facilities and services in Kenya.
My own children did not want me to go but I knew that it was something
that I had to do and I wanted to show them that it is sometimes good to
take risks and to challenge yourself even when you are very nervous about
it! I know that my mother would have also worried had she still been here
but she would never have stopped me from doing it.
It was definitely an adventure and something I will never forget.

3. The
route.....

4. Day 1 – Overnight flight from London
to Nairobi

6. Day 2 – Transfer from Nairobi to Nyeri

7. This does not show exactly how
60’s /70’s this building really was!

8. However once outside it
looked more developed
and slightly more modern
as I had originally expected

9. Until I saw the buses and our
luggage on the top!

10. As we left Nairobi it
was almost
immediate how the
standard of buildings
and infrastructure
changed – I saw very
little evidence of a
developed captial city
on the way out of
Nairobi on the first
day.

11. We passed the
‘Birmingham’ of Kenya
without seeing much
evidence of the
industrial side of it

12. We stopped off on the first day for
lunch next to a gift shop and cafe.

13. Some of the wares at the gift shop – I
bought an ebony crocodile here

15. We arrived at our first hotel –
The Green Hills in Nyeri where
we got ourselves organised and
our bikes fitted.

18. It was fairly basic but much
better than I had anticipated so I
was quite relieved

19. I didn't know about the
swimming pool until we
were about to leave!

20. We then got
changed and
went on a
warm up ride
to see if the
bikes were OK
up to Baden
Powell’s Grave

23. We all had a rather
‘apprehensive ‘ meal
before hearing more
about the challenge
ahead!

24. Day 3 – Nyeri – Nyahururu
Day 1 of Cycling – 98/99km

27. We past views of Mount Kenya
We passed some fairly grim looking places

30. We stopped off at a local church for
lunch which once one of the most
impressive in terms of the quality of
the building I saw all week

31. The local school children waited
outside the grounds patiently-
some more sombre than others!

32. This was the massive difference I noticed with
all the Kenyans – they started off very serious
looking until you said hello (or Jambo!) and
then their faces would light-up and be really
friendly – often shouting ‘How are you?’

33. They all sang to us then the trip organiser gave
them two carrier bags of the things we had
brought over for the schools such as pens, pencils,
colouring books and small play equipment

34. This was
the first
time I
cross the
equator
and
watched
the locals
show us
how the
water
would
change
direction
either
side

38. We stopped at
Thomson’s Fall Lodge
that night which was
alright but had a rather
long power cut which
was strange as it meant
that everything was
PITCH BLACK – I
suppose that it why
they had told us to take
a torch!

39. Day 4 –Nyahururu - Nakuru
Day 2 of Cycling – 57km

40. Today was a really nice
ride through many tea
and coffee plantations
and we stopped at one
point at the top of the rift
valley – this is Jo who I
cycled with most of the
time

41. It was a bit precarious at
the edge of the cliff!

44. Whilst it had been fun
cycling down we had to
cycle up the other side of
the rift valley

53. We stopped off in what was a
children’s play area which also had
a bar (it was more a shed where
someone sold bottles of beer!
The photos on the rights show
how there would always be two
bowls out – one with normal
(clean) water in it and the other
with dettol so that we could wash
our hands before eating – there
was always a team of locals to do
the washing up!

54. Then we transferred by bus to the Soi
Safari Hotel next to Lake Beringo
However it was quite
eventful when a section of
the road had been washed
away in the previous wet
season!

55. We eventually got to the hotel that
night which had Ostriches and a sea
eagle in cages in their grounds.

56. We decided to
go on a boat trip
on Lake Beringo
once there to
see if we could
see some hippos
and other
wildlife – we did
see one hippo, a
crocodiles and
lot and lots of
birds.

57. Our guide was “Jeff” as
seen on the previous
slide. However at one
point he had to stop he
guided tour to answer
his phone! – I was
amazed how everyone
seemed to have a
mobile phone.
However I later learned
that they are often
paid via their mobile
phones as they do nto
have bank accounts etc
and can pay for things
with their mobile
phones – it also
explained why I had an
amazing mobile phone
signal in the middle of
no-where! –Much
better than the signal
back in the UK!!

61. The staff of the hotel did a traditional song and even
made us a cake due to it being Valentines Day! They
sang and danced all round the room and were
incredibly friendly and good fun!

63. I did have to share the room with a
couple of other guests!

64. Day 5 – Kabernet - Eldoret
Day 3 of Cycling – 85km

65. This was the most challenging day of the ride
crossing the Kerio Valley and climbing the Elgeyo
escarpment . We transferred in the morning
from Beringo to Kabernet. Then started tih 18km
of downhill which was fairly steep. After about
28km we encountered a very serious climb on
windy roads through a pretty forest with lots of
butterflies. We were given the opportunity to
take up eith the Bronze (6km), Silver (17km) or
Gold (23km) Hill Challenge. I made it to the Silver
Challenge which I was pleased with as it was more
than many did and was more than my original
intention! We then spent the night at Eldoret.

67. I had stopped for a toilet stop but saw this and
thought better of it!

68. I took very few photos
this day as was
concentrating on cycling
uphill so much!

70. Day 6 Eldoret – Kakamega
Day 4 of Cycling – 92km

81. Day 7 Kakamega - Kisumu
Day 5 of Cycling – 53km

88. After we finished we got a taxi to the Lake and went out to see more hippos! It was a
lovely trip as we saw the contrasts in wealth so clearly with big hotels near the shore to
the locals doing their washing and bathing in the Lake water – you could see some had
even collected their water from the Lake – a really scary thought as it was not the
cleanest of Lakes I had seen.

91. Local Life around the
Lake

92. This is one of my favourite pictures – they all looked and
seemed so happy jumping off the rocks into the Lake.
Drinking
Water?

93. Some has a celebratory swim in the swimming pool
once we had finished

94. Thanking the ground crew for all their
hard work

95. Evening View of Lake Victoria - just before the
electrical storm which plunged us into darkness
and from our poolside seats to inside!

96. Day 8 Kisumu - Nakuru
No Cycling!!
On our transfer by bus to Nakuru we stopped at
an old colonial coffee and tea plantation
house.. You could see how grand it once was
as it had not been altered and despite being in
a state of disrepair you could see and imagine
how grand it once was.

98. In the afternoon we had the chance to take part
in a game drive through Nakuru National Park.

108. Here the staff sang and made
cakes for Henk (tour guide) and
Rosie (the trip doctor) whose
Birthdays were today

109. Day 9 Nakuru - Nairobi
No Cycling!!
On our transfer by
bus to Nairobi we
stopped at the
David Sheldrick
Elephant
orphanage where
we saw their
current elephants.
Most had arrived
due to poaching
from nearby parks
and some from
bordering
countries.

114. After the orphanage we stopped off in Nairobi City centre at
the Cancer Care Offices for the Faraja Project. We heard
some of the success stories but also some of the problems
where women had been unable to accept treatment as they
could not leave their families (their children) behind and
those that had attended treatment but then could not find
their children when they returned.
One thing that stood out was how plush the office and
surrounding were when they were a charity trying to fund
essential cancer treatment – even when doing such a
valuable thing the contrasts in wealth were very much
apparent. It made my lunch that they served that day rather
bitter – I think I’d rather have done without.

117. Our last hotel was
amazing......

121. I became slightly obsessed with toilets on my
journey and as soon as I got into the Ole Sereni
Hotel as it was so nice and ‘normal’ I took a
photograph! The one on the right was one of the
‘posh’ wash rooms I came across whilst cycling
during the day.

122. These on the left were on the lines of the usual
standard of toilet but even this one above was again a
definite ‘upmarket’ toilet as it was whitewashed and
relatively clean compared to the ‘usual’ standard of
toilet (I only went in one and could not get close
enough for long enough to even take a picture!!!).

123. Day 10 Nairobi – London

124. Day 11 – Overnight in Terminal 3
I’ve got to
say I love
Hilton
hotels!!