The New Normal - Kenya Fall Break, part 4, Kiambethu Tea Farm

Richard, enjoying the gardens at Kiambethru Tea Farm

We spent a leisurely time at the Kiambethu Tea Farm on our last full day in Kenya.  The farm is a short ride from Karen, and we drove on an extremely bumpy road for the last part of the trip.  Situated at 7,200 feet, Kiambethu was bought by a man named AB McDonell in 1910.  He was the first to grow tea as a commercial venture in Kenya and now tea is a major export of the country.  Actually, 50% of British tea is exported from Kenya.  

Meanwhile, the farm has passed through the generations of AB's family, with parcels being sold to other growers.  We had the pleasure of getting a tour by his granddaughter, Fiona Vernon, who has always lived here, and currently produces her tea from two acres of land.

Fiona, proprietor of the tea farm

We arrived at the farm at the appointed time of 11 AM.  A small group of people joined us, and we proceeded to learn everything about the process of growing and selling tea.  While Fiona told us all about her beautiful farm, we enjoyed huge fields of tea as a backdrop.  

In the picture above, Fiona is holding a large basket, the type in which workers place the tea they pick.  She also holds a stick which is laid on top of the bushes to create a cutting line; only the top three leaves are harvested.

Sheep walking between the fields of tea

The tea grown on Fiona's farm is "cloned" tea, so there are no flowers on the plants and the leaves are serrated.  It is all organic and mostly picked by hand.  Since machines cannot discriminate between quality smaller, higher leaves, hand-picked means better tea.  

Judy in the tea fields across from the forest

Tea fields across from the forest

A worker can pick 10-15 kilos of tea per day and is paid by how much she picks.  It is hard work.  For one thing, the plants are very close together so pickers must push their way through.  They actually wear think aprons to protect their legs and bodies, but clearly this is challenging work.  Nobody was working on the day we were there, as it was a Kenyan holiday.

Tea as far as the eye can see

This year has been a dry one in this region and tea needs rain.  Consequently, tea production has been off, so Kiambethu's contract workers don't work as steadily, picking about every 10 days.

Also, since the farm is at a high elevation, it is possible to get frost and hail, which can damage the plants.  When this happens,  production can also go down.

Here you can see the tea plants a little more closely

After the tea is picked, it is brought to a tea factory.  There it is inspected, weighed and processed.  The blacker the tea, the better in terms of taste, so tea "tasters" are employed at the factory.  The tasters test the tea every hour and adjust the process if there are issues.  It's like wine tasting, only with tea!  It is interesting to note that various types of soil make tea taste different.  Therefore, most tea is blended, so the consistently of the brand of tea you buy will remain the same.  Later, the processed tea is sold at auction.  

Having a spot of tea at the farm (Richard chose to drink coffee, the snob)

Next we took a walk in the indigenous forest on the grounds. Here we learned about the medicinal value of various plants and fungus in the forest.  There are colobus monkeys here as well, but unfortunately we didn't spot any.

Food put out for the moneys, so they won't eat out of the farm gardens

Medicinal mushrooms . . . hmmm?

Avocados growing on the farm

We ate homemade ice cream made from the milk of the 17 cows living on the farm

After that, we had a three-course lunch on the lawn that was delicious.  Naturally, included was tea and other drinks.  It is interesting that Kenyans enjoy "Chai tea", which is black tea brewed in boiling water, and later simmered with milk and sugar.  We also enjoyed the gardens, which had many beautiful flowers and trees.

Beautiful rose in the garden

Judy, enjoying the quiet of the tea Farm

I imagine life on this farm must be a tranquil one.  The house is surrounded by acres of tea and a beautiful forest; what could be better?

The house at Kiambethu Tea Farm

After leaving the farm, we stopped at the Maasai Market, in search of souvenirs.  Items available ranged from jewelry to blankets, carvings, and other items from all over Kenya and Africa.  But alas, this market proved to be too much, even for a seasoned barterer. The shop owners were just all over us, and wouldn't allow us to look without shoving something in our faces. So, we ended up at a local Carrefour grocery store to pick up a few souvenirs. :-)

Items for sale at the Maasai Market

Got this at Carrefour

We didn't spend any Kenyan Shillings at the market

Our time in East Africa was made even more memorably because we got to know an awesome couple. Our hosts, Sandy and Steve Morad, were so gracious and generous, and we can never repay their kindness. Asante sana, friends, Richard and I will always remember our experience in Kenya.

We stayed on the campus of Africa International University

Sandy and Steve, in front of their home on the campus where we stayed

The New Normal - Kenya Fall Break, part 3, Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha, walking safari

Walking with a young giraffe, who was too busy eating to notice us!

"The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa - - - for he has so much to look forward to." Richard Mullin

On our fourth day in Kenya we drove northwest for about one and a half hours through a scenic, mountainous region of the country, the Great Rift Valley.  The valley is deepest north of Nairobi, and contains a chain of volcanoes and a series of lakes.  No trucks are allowed on the road, and the lack of guardrails along steep cliffs left Richard a bit uneasy.  As for myself, I just was simply awed by the deep, green valleys and sweeping views.  

Impressive views

Windy roads

Colorful landscape

Guard rails?

Along the roadway we saw a number of craft-type shops, many featuring items made of fur (hats, rugs, coats, etc.)  We also saw men along the road selling ears of corn, which were roasting in pits dug in the ground.  In one area, some baboons showed themselves as well.

Craft shops along the roadside; lots of skins

"Many Colors" Curio Shop

Colorful Kenyan Blankets


Roasted corn seller

Mama and baby baboon 

After our scenic ride, we arrived at the highest elevation of the Kenyan Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha.  This volcanic, fresh water lake is fed by the Malewa River, and has dried out twice since 1898.  Carp are the predominant fish in the lake, and we saw many fisherman trying to catch them in their nets and with poles.  

Naivasha (Nai'posha) means "rough water" in the local Maasai language, as storms can arise quickly here.  Some of the flying scenes from the movie "Out of Africa" were filmed high over this the lake.  We immediately noticed that the acacia trees poking out of the water were all dead.  This happened in 2014 when the land flooded which killed the trees.

Fishermen untangling their nets

Richard at Lake Naivasha

Storks

We boarded a small wooden motor boat and our guide, Peter, took us for a ride around the lake.  We saw all sorts of birds (including huge numbers cormorants and pelicans, and an African fish eagle) and a number of hippopotami (Richard's favorite African animal.)  These huge animals love water and spend more than 16 hours per day submerged in the lake, keeping their bodies cool in the hot African sun.  At sunset, they come out onto land to graze, eating around 80 pounds of grass in an evening.  They also feel more threatened on the land; you don't want to get between a hippo and the water.

These boats take folks for rides around the lake and to the island

Stork

Richard just enjoying the ride

Cormorants

Pelicans

Hippos sleeping in the water

We boated out to an island/peninsula on the lake where Crescent Island Game Sanctuary is located.  The island was created in 1988, when the water of the lake receded enough to make the island a part of the mainland.  Crescent Island is actually a peninsula, and is also accessible by road. 

Egret in the foreground, Pelicans in the background

Thousand of nesting cormorants

It was here that we experienced a walking safari, strolling around with the animals on flat terrain in an open, non-fenced area.  An experienced guide, also named Peter, gave us information about the animals that were all around and easy to see.  We walked with Maasai giraffe, wildebeest, impala, common zebra, water buck, elands, and cape buffalo.  All the animals on the island are indigenous, except the wildebeest.  There are no predators on the island (except scavenging hyena), so it is perfectly safe to get as close to the animals as they will allow.

Young Maasai Giraffe

Impalas

Richard and Peter, chatting about the animals

Waterbuck

Common zebra

Hippo footprint

It was awesome to be so close to this little beauty.

After the visit, we had lunch at Buffalo Mall and headed back to Karen.  We drove a different route to get home; below are some pictures taken on the way back.  What a wonderful day!

Similar arrangements of produce for sale are seen all around the area; I like the triangles of cabbage

Friendly children waving at a stoplight

One more day to go . . .