According to the facebook group, we made plans to meet at a local shopping center where the organizer hired a car to drive us. After about 2 hours of driving, the driver was confused with the entrance to the Kenyan National Park and ended up driving on private property. Two guardsmen who were handling a gate said they would allow us to pass if we paid 100 KSH (less than $2USD). Part of our group was ambivalent, but there were three who were angry that they'd make such a request as it continue to perpetuate stereotypes of taking advantage of foreigners perceived wealth.
Finally, after a few minutes of idleness, they opened the gate and we drove towards the entrance of the park. It was a cool day and perfect weather for hiking. I was the oldest of the group and the only one staying in country for longer than 3 months. It was the first experience where I realized that the expat community truly is transient.
It took us about an hour to reach the rim of the dormant volcano (2700 m). Apparently, the last time it errupted was in the 1860s! Parts of the hike were definitely more challenging than others as there were narrow and steep rocks that required us to shimmy and pull ourselves up. In total we hiked the distance of a half marathon! To celebrate, we grabbed a drink at the nearby duka (swahilli for store) before jumping in the car to drive back to Nairobi.
About 15 minutes into the drive, we got a flat tire. The highway was steady with traffic, but our driver (fortunately!) had a spare tire in the trunk and he quickly transferred the rubber and we were back on the road within 30 minutes.
We arrived back to Nairobi before dark and I rested soundly that night.
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