ero!
Happy New Year people! Congratulations if you are still alive - it means God loves you or you did not kill yourself and family while driving an over powered piece of tin foil during the holidays...those were mainly the cars that overtook me for the 1500 or so kms I did. Imagine such drivers make love like they drive - hurriedly without enjoying the scenery, the sights, sighs and sounds...anyway...
Traveled the roads less traveled and beat paths where there were none. Here is my update - relevant to what is not covered before...
Nbi-Kla - went via Eldoret - still lumpy in those places, and through Webuye Town and after Bungoma. Malaba customs on the Uganda side still move in slow motion - BTW, they have moved to the top of that building - so you get to stretch your legs a bit and enjoy a non-AC environment as you jostle for attention with the hordes of brokers and vehicle importers.
Nothing to report about Malaba - Kampala except it was raining sheets for about 10 mins such that I had to pull over - ZERO visibility and the old bomber was taking in water
Return leg...Malaba- Bungoma - into Bungoma town. Had a brief altercation with a matatu tout while trying to find out which way to go onward to Kisumu.
There are two ways to get to Kisumu - via Kakamega or Via Luanda (Busia Road). The word was that Kakamega was not too good so we opted for Luanda - also with some degree of nostalgia as I like that section though Luanda-Maseno, etc....so the idea is to from Bungoma up to Mumias - on a scale of 10 this road is abt 3.56...pot holes that are like coitus interruptus - just after you pick up speed you spot another cluster and have to slow down.
Back to the idea - you need to go past Mumias for abt 5-8 km and look for a township/trading centre called Ekero...there you need to take a right - the transformation is instant - smooth all the way to Luanda - I think in that 80km or so stretch we only came across no more than 10 cars. So you get to Luanda...crawl into the township, over bumps etc etc...onward to Maseno...etc...then abt 10-15km from Kisumu, I think someone sold sections of the road - i recall there WAS more road there. Anyway, there are some diversions just before the airport/cemetery....very dusty...so dusty I had a good excuse to have a Tusker on arrival at Sunset Hotel....
Kisumu-Nairobi via...drumroll Nandi Hills/Lessos....Now the thinking here was to avoid reaching the Awasi section discussed earlier....I hoped we'd get the chemelil turning around Ahero but that was not to be...we did the tango with some trucks and buses up to Awasi...then we got to the left turn to chemelil....
Chemelil to Nandi hills is pretty scenic - in fact its fan-f---ing-tastic! Some rought patches here and there - tractors hauling cane, etc etc...but not too bad. So we get to the outskirts of Nandi Hills, pass it by onward to the Kapsabet Road...that section, on a scale of 10 I'd say merits a 8.32 or so. The scenery is worth it. Its also very deserted.
After Nandi Hills, a short distance, we left the Kapsabet Road taking a right to Lessos. This section was not very nice... 5/10 at most....at some township I almost meshed the 504 with someone's grade cow...anyway...that section is almost like the Bungoma Mumias section - speed, then slow down suddenly and crawl over gullies and pot holes. It was a relief to emerge around Burnt Forest. I'm happy to report its healing well and looks rather green.
rest is the usual - Mau Summit-Nakuru-Nairobi. Left Kisumu at 10...arrived Nairobi at 4.30 pm - I do not care if that is slow - I was enjoying the ride and I do not have PE...and I brought back the family alive :-p