Ruma National Park and Kendu Bay

This New Years Josh and I decided to check out some of the sites around Kisumu.  After extending our trip to Uganda, we only had one day at home before heading out.  Thankfully (and with the help of Nicholas) I was able to unpack and repack all of our gear.

On this trip we invited some close friends to come along and were really excited to spend some time exploring this area.  We set off early Saturday morning to catch the ferry to Mbita.  We had planned to spend the day in Ruma National Park, camp, and do a few safaris.  The rain quickly changed our plans.  The last few days it had been uncharacteristically wet and the roads leading to the park were pretty bad.  I don't do so well on nasty roads so I closed my eyes most of the way despite Josh's amazing driving.

When we finally got to the park it didn't get much better.  Near the river the roads had basically become small rivers themselves.  We saw a few animals along the way but the park was a little bare. With Josh leading the way we made it to the campsite and set up for the night.  We decided that we would let the roads dry out a bit and not do a safari that night.  Despite the rough conditions that day we had a blast hanging out around the fire and relaxing that night.

Our Kingdom of Kingdom tents!

The next morning we woke up to rain on the tent roof.  We decided to give the roads another shot and headed out for a short morning safari.  Apparently the animals weren't as interested in being out in the rain and we didn't see much.  After packing up the tent we headed out of the park and made our way to Kisindi Lodge and Spa, a nice hotel right on Lake Victoria.

Josh and I had heard of this hotel and wanted to see what it had to offer.  After a night in the rain it was nice to be a bit pampered.  We played bocci on the lawn and everyone took advantage of the hotel spa.  The views from the hotel were spectacular as we looked out onto the lake.  You could see Rusinga Island and Mfangano in the distance.  That night we even got to participate in a proposal as the only other guests at the hotel got engaged.

View from the hotel

Sunset over Lake Victoria

The next morning we set off for Kisumu planning on stopping Simbi Lake.  Simbi Lake is a volcanic lake that is alkaline in nature.  Researchers aren't sure of its source and local legend states that an old lady flooded the lake in revenge when no one in the village allowed her shelter.  We spent some time walking around the lake and taking some pictures.

Kael throwing some stones into Lake Simbi

It was a quiet trip but it was great to get away from Kisumu for the holiday.  We ended up having a blast with friends despite the poor weather and even ended up coming back in time for New Year's Eve.  I think these past few trips has just been the start of our realization that our time here is coming to an end and we want to fill that time with as many memories as possible.

Here's to a wonderful 2013!