All good things have a beginning and end. Our 3 hour trek to Narok began in the early hours of the morning, 5AM to be precise. The stars had yet to give way to the sunrise but nevertheless, bright eyed and bushy tailed, we headed out in our trusty green pick-up truck for the much needed grocery run.

As the sun crept over the mountains, illuminating both the landscape and the grazing wildlife, I hunkered down in the front seat, warmed by James our driver on the right and Douglas, my office counter part on the left. Who ever said being stuck in the middle wasn’t a good thing.

The washboard effect on the roads combined with the pot holes that lead to oblivion gave one a true sense of the word “Kenyan massage”. May I be bold enough to suggest a spa in its stead.

After 3.5 hours of being jostled around in the truck like a ping pong ball, we pulled into the Kenol gas station for our first order of business…a round of chai tea. By mid-morning we had purchased only 1/4 of the required items as the sun began to heat up the city streets. With the realization that we would not be returning to camp by late afternoon, we shopped on.

As the day progressed, our pick-up finally began to show signs of its heavy cargo. Only two more stops and we could breathe a sigh of relief. Douglas and I each grabbed a grocery cart and proceeded down the narrow aisles of the store with our lists in hand. As each cart filled, another empty one took its place. In the end, four carts, brimming with goods, were neatly lined at the cash register and with as much time as it took to load them, they were processed and marched out to the truck.

Finally, our last stop…the Narok market. Douglas had the forsight to call ahead with our order and when we pulled in, Patricia was waiting for us with the last items on our list…the veggies. This proved to be our stalemate. With the truck precariously leaning to one side, we realized a few things would have to be reshuffled at the back. At first,only a few items were removed. However, the puzzle proved to be a little more complex, for the men that is, then previously thought and in the end, the entire truck was unloaded, reloaded with some female guidance and secured. Patrica returned a few moments later to reward us each with 2 bananas and for this, we were all extremely grateful.

Rumps bruised and my hair tossled into a virtual birds nest, our 14 hour journey ended as we rolled into camp, our green grocery cart heavy ladden with goods. Although weary eyed, I was elated to have arrived safely with everything in tack including all my senses. Plus, who wouldn’t be overjoyed to be greeted by Libby with cold Tusker in hand.