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ISINYA AND KAJIADO |
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The road onwards from Athi River through the Kapiti plains is
unfortunately pretty dull, broken only by the Maasai Ostrich Farm (tel
0150/22505-6; Ksh100 including tour), signposted 7km off on the right
15km south of Athi River. Primarily a commercial farm providing meat to
local butchers, they also have guided tours of the farm, a swimming
pool, limited food and large picnic grounds. There's also the comical
attraction of ostrich races, usually on Sundays.
At Isinya , which is now connected with tarmac to the Magadi road,
there's a Maasai Leatherworking and Handicrafts Centre . It's touristy,
but you can find some unusual work among the beaded key-rings and "marriage
necklaces". Check out the handmade shoes and massive, heavy leather bags.
If your stomach is strong, you can visit the tannery, and they're happy
to see you in the workshops, too. Donations from a church in Folkestone,
England, of all places, help Isinya's community.
Further south, in the gentle hills where Maasai country really begins,
is the district capital KAJIADO , which lies on the Magadi soda railway
line. Set among sisal spikes and acacia, it's a friendly market town
with a relaxed provincial feel, that provides an ideal stop-over after
the hassle of Nairobi. Maasai in all their gear mix with other Kenyans
in its busy streets and bars, and the daily market , part of which
shelters in a modern breeze-block and corrugated-iron building near the
mosque, is fascinating. The Kajiado Inn (under Ksh500), opposite the
train station, has the best cheap rooms in town, plus a nyama choma
banda and a bar-restaurant downstairs. Supposedly more upmarket, but
overpriced for its small tatty rooms, is Embeut Resort (PO Box 262
Kajiado tel 0301/21217; B&B Ksh2000-4000), 1km back along the Nairobi
road, with round s/c bandas with nets. There's a nyama choma bar, too,
which has live music on the last Friday and Saturday of each month (
ndombolo and other dance). Basic lodgings include Thayu B&L (under
Ksh500), at the junction with the Nairobi-Namanga road, which isn't
terribly welcoming and tends to be full of drunks, and the weird Maasai
1811-1971 Day and Night Club (under Ksh500) which has scrubby rooms but
bags of atmosphere. For cheap eats , try Impala Restaurant opposite the
KCB bank, or the bright and breezy Naitiil Restaurant (signposted),
unfussy but cheap and hygienic. If you're after nightlife , there are a
number of busy bars and day-and-night clubs: expect inquisitive stares,
but a friendly if slurred response.
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