From the Serengeti, the quickest way back to Arusha, is via the Norongoro Crater, a bumpy, dusty road – to prove the point, an hour into the four hour journey, we blew a tyre. After another night in Arusha, we travelled north to the Kenyan border. While not a great distance, the grade of the road is so bad, we had to proceed slowly, lest Doris (and her occupants) be shaken to pieces (I'll have to do this road twice more, to and from Kilimanjaro). 
Crossing into Kenya was pleasantly painless – the border official actually smiled, and even let us into the office to use the toilet. Another few hours of bone shaking, and we passed through the outskirts of Nairobi, which was perhaps the first time in the last three weeks where I was glad not to be driving.
From lunch in a Nairobi suburb (Karen), we pushed on to Lake Naivasha. This is now the centre of a vast flower growing region, with water from the lake feeding huge greenhouses of roses destined for air fright to Europe. The lake is doted with a number of wildlife sanctuaries – Kirsten, Ed and myself decided to take in Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. This allows walking safaris, so you can get up close to the resident giraffes and zebras, but sadly not the leopard. The lake itself is saline, with a small population of lesser flamingos, and a rather nice lodge on the far shore.
Lake Naivasha was home to George and Joy Adamson – Joy hand raised three orphaned lion cubs, and eventually released the female, Elsa, back into the wild. Her story became the book and film Born Free. Their wonderfully colonial pad, Elsamere, offers afternoon tea on the lawn slopping down to the water. You also get to watch the dated “Joy Adamson Story”. Joy, of course is a mad as a lord, but watching her with those lion cubs doesn't half leave a lump in your throat – born free, as free as the wind blows.....
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