One summer I found myself in Africa, spending two months travelling across eight amazing countries. And I started the journey in Kenya.
Setting off from Nairobi I already had a glimpse of the poverty and danger Africa was renowned for. The shanty town on the edge of the city was vast, a real eye opener to what comfort we take for granted in the UK. We were heading towards the Masai Mara, a wide grazing land where the majority of Africa's famous wildlife can be spotted in a day.
The journey there is one you can never forget, besides the great views there are the unimaginable pot holes in the road. Crater sized they certainly leave you feeling shook up after a day of travelling. It's all part of the experience of going on safari of course. Before long we noticed the Masai people with their livestock on the plains. They're pretty hard to miss with their red tartan clothing and uniquely pierced ear lobes.
The first day of safari in Kenya arrived and I was itching to start taking some travel photography. One thing I never imagined was just how abundant the wildlife is. Gazelle can be seen on the horizon in any direction you look. It was no wonder all the predators we saw were asleep with large round bellies.
Besides all the gazelle we saw lions, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, monkeys, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants as well as some rare cats. I never imagined I would see all of these during my entire stay in Africa, let alone in a few hours.
My favourite thing of the day that I saw though had to be the beer sausages that grew on a tree. Apparently these sausages grew from this tree while the contents inside fermented, turning into beer. Not sure it whether it tastes like Carling or not but would've gave it a try!
This was also where we made some great friends that we were to spend the next two months with.
That night I fell ill (as many do on their first night in Africa) and couldn't sleep or even close my eyes for feeling sick. I had to leave the tent open to keep running to the washroom every 10 minutes. All the time I could hear lions calling their territorial roars which seemed like mere metres away.
Having to stare out the tent into the blackness then run out into it every 10 minutes all night was absolutely terrifying. The Masai guards could be heard constantly banging bin lids to deter the lions from entering the campsite.
It's a wonderful feeling though, feeling like you have no control over what could happen, sort of like the cave man avoiding the sabre tooth, or so I like to think.
The next day we headed back to Nairobi via some stunning vistas of the Masai Mara. A perfect photography stop, as many of the locals had discovered, trying to sell souvenirs there, something you quickly accept as being everywhere in Africa.
After one last night in Nairobi it was time to say good bye to Kenya and hello to Tanzania.