Meru – Embu – Thika

The nyama choma garden where we’d have sat last night had the power stayed on.

The view from the hotel roof.

We then set off on the road down the east side of Mount Kenya. Unlike the Nyeri-Nanyuki-Meru road, which climbs and falls in long sweeps, this road is quite twisty as it crossed the many rivers running off the mountain. Exposed to the monsoon rains, it’s lush and green, jungle meeting shambas.

We stopped at a stall to buy mangoes

One of the many rivers

Coffee growing on the hillside.

Amazing loads are transported on two wheels.

 

Tea growing on another hillside

We were lucky and got several glimpses of Mount Kenya, even seeing the snow near the summit.

At Embu the jungle and hills stopped, and gave way to flatter land where rice seems to be the main crop.

Another wide load

Drying rice in the sun

Selling rice by the roadside

Apart from overshooting the turn, we reached our hotel at Thika easily enough. Blue Post Hotel is famous (it is mentioned in Elspeth Huxley’s Flame Trees of Thika) and sits above Chania Falls.

Another stream tumbles into the Chania Rover.

Our room is towards the left of this block, looking over the grounds with glimpses of Chania Falls (and we can hear the water falling!)

A Hornbill

A gospel choir are here making a video

The Thika Falls, on the Thika River, the rivers merge nearby.

Two sunbirds on a branch (one with its lunch)

An ibis (I think)

Looking up the Thika River

A banana flower

Many stately trees line the riverbanks

A monitor lizard taking the sun on the far bank

It’s quite jungle-like alongside the river.

And so, back to our suite for tea.