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Thoughtfully, the pilot flies over the landscape at a low but safe altitude so passengers can see the greenery of the Rift Valley changing to increasingly barren land in northwest Kenya. Previous day trips from Mount Kenya Safari Club had already introduced us to Angus and Jill Simpson, a.k.a. Simpson Safaris in Gilgil, Kenya. Angus flies low.
The four days/three nights out include flying to Loyangalani, a fishing trip on Lake Turkana, a drive around Koobi Fora Paleolithic fields with stops at its museum and teaching sites, a visit to a Samburu village and overnight at Desert Rose Lodge. Particularly fond of this area, Angus and Jill's experience here dates back several decades to when they came with their children, to help "develop" the area, i.e., working on roads and bettering educational opportunities for the locals. Angus Simpson, is the son of a British consul from colonial days. Raised in Kenya, he never left.
His wife Jill makes guests as comfortable as possible in tents in a dry river bed strategically situated too far away to be harassed by begging locals. Tent, kitchen and other accoutrements arrive by Toyota on the iffy and torturous roads in this part of Kenya. Chandeliers are not included, but the guest tent includes a pee pot in case one doesn't want to go out in the night (not an appealing thought). A bag shower is warmed by Mother Nature. In the background, helpers cook on wood fires. More stereotypical accommodations can be found within 50 miles at Loyangalani, but this trip promises to get closer to the area's real life.
This is where Richard Leaky, flying in a similar small plane, perceived the importance of the area. Detouring along the eastern shore of Lake Turkana due to bad weather, he saw what he thought might be layers of lake deposits. In his vernacular: Jackpot! The black rocks were, indeed, fossil-bearing sandstone layers, not lava flows as previously thought. His discoveries in this area of East Africa and those of his parents, Louis and Mary Leakey, as well as by others in nearby Ethiopia have resulted in this being called the Cradle of Mankind. Our ancestors, fortunately, crawled out of this cradle about the time the area changed from a lush to hostile environment. Gazelles, Oryx, Topi, lions, cheetahs and hyenas don't seem to mind, however. Africa's finest are staying.
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