08.23 The night at Riversands Hotel in Kisumu, Kenya is over. Some of our countrymen on various forums on the internet are angry, cursing and wishing the life out of all muslims. Nothing new there. There is also a unconfirmed rumour that the Turkish leadership had ordered public beheading after the coup attempt. As usual no criticism regarding the source of the news. For our own part the problems are that the city we currently live in is completely unfamiliar to us, and that we can't switch off the shower water. These problems are easy to fix. Worse in the best cases, are our one eyed and one eared countrymen.

08.48 I don't know how it happened but we were suddenly able to turn off the water. In addition, my phone, which had the bad habit to switch off, has re-spirited. It might be a good day today? It is Sunday so we'll see how much that is open. The main thing is that we can eat, fix the bus tickets and get to see the city.

09.40 There is perhaps some things to complain and moan about regarding our current hotel. This however does not apply to our breakfast. It is tasty, varied and filling. We have, among other things, enjoyed weetabix. For those of you who don't know what weetabix is, it is big pieces of breakfast cereal that dissolves in, for example, milk. We had breakfast in the large dining room, which we pass when going from the reception to the stairs leading up to the rooms.

10.42 Kisumu and Kenya are waiting for us out there. We better head out to see what they want and have to offer. It looks to be a hot day today. Kisumu is Kenya's third largest city. It is only the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa that are larger.

View from our room window.

In Kisumu these vehicles are part of the public transport.

We are finding our way in our first Kenyan city.

10.58 Quite soon we realized that it is very quiet in the city centre. There is hardly any traffic to speak about. Here, it is obvious that it is Sunday. We stay in the lower more worn part of the city in the vicinity of an inlet to Lake Victoria. The standard raised then we reached farther up in the centre It is better standard of fine hotels, bank buildings and better streets.

11.19 Some more walking has taken us through the city centre of Kisumu and to the shopping mall West End Mall. Here we hope to get to order coffee and juice. There are several sorts of thirst to quench after the trek through a hot city. We have found Java House (the http://javahouseafrica.com) that looks promising. West End Mall is new, fresh but rather small. There was not much to look at or choose from.

12.15 It was refreshing and good. Americans poured in here to eat lunch during our coffee stop. They seem to belong to a Christian group. Not surprisingly, most of them ordered burgers. We have withdrawn more shillings at the ATM here. Now it is time to turn home again. We have just seen an old acquaintance parked here, a tuk-tuk. These vehicles are more associated with Thailand than in Kenya.

12.50 We were called some different things by the minibus people on our way home. As usual, there is little understanding that you can just walk past vehicles and don't want to go with them. We were offered trips to the border and various places we've never heard of. It was, among other titles, such as brother and friend. The winner but most honestly, however, was, you white man, where are you going? We also bought some beverages in a petrol station. They wanted 85,40 shillings for a litre of diesel. It is under US$1. Outside the petrol station we met a greeting man who smelled of liquor and wanted to shake our hands. We have also re-looked out towards Lake Victoria, at least a small bay. We can hear a call for prayers somewhere in the city. Kenya is a country with both christians and muslims.

13.42 The room offers us relaxation and rest. The Wi-Fi connection provides us with connectivity and information. Incidentally, it is +29°C in Kisumu today, our hottest day so far this trip.

We have found this day´s coffee place, Java House in West End Mall.

An excellent but somewhat expensive café.

Peter is having coffee and juice at Java House.

Outside West End Mall.

14.40 After a short stay in the room, and out in the virtual world, we are now out on the balcony/patio to enjoy the purchased goods and to get us out in the literary world. It's not the most glamorous patio we sat on, but we can fit two chairs and have some views.

15.27 It has been said before and I will say it again. It is relaxing to move out of the kingdom of books.

16.18 We are back in the room and reality again. It is time to think about the rest of the time we have here in Kisumu.

17.08 Now we are going to leave the room. There is little more to do this Sunday.

17.55 We are now the owners of bus tickets that will take us forward from here. We have been to the bus company Easy Coach's office and station. It was a tough walk here because once again we were forced to make it past all the minivans and larger buses that stood in the way and tried to get back with new passengers. Now, we are in a small shopping arcade adjacent to the bus station, United Mall and have just ordered the dinner with Rehmuz. We had intended to go to a grill restaurant here, but people there mostly drank beer and played music at an absurdly high sound volume.

18.30 One of the staff allowed us to wash our hands in a small tub. There was also liquid soap and water in a red jug. These routines are common, especially in the muslim restaurants in Africa. Cleanliness is important before a meal.

The roundabout at Oginga Odinga Road.

We are heading towards our part of the city.

Even a small outside terrace is a terrace.

19.00 There was plenty of food in the proper amount even if it took a while before it was ready. Now Christer has entered a grocery store here in the mall, Tuskys Supermarket. His mission is, among others, to buy two evening beers to us.

19.45 There was no evening beer. They sold no alcohol in any form in the shop. Christer bought some other things though. On the way home, we met different people at the minibus stop. Some examples of what we heard was hey brother, hey friend, look a white man. The worst was he who on two occasions winced and pulled in my small backpack. I wondered what he was doing. You are going wrong, he said. You must go there, he continued and pointed across the street. No, said I, I shall go home. Once again, we create confusion by actually being out there and walk instead of going by bus or taxi. Once back at the Riversands we have paid for the room. Earlier today, there were no staff in sight but now it worked. Up here in the room we have just discovered that our sink is leaking.

21.10 What does a leaky sink? It is good to use anyway.

22.55 Outside I hear a repeating jingle being played. The internet announces that the Swedish golfer Henrik Stensson has won the British Open in golf. I am mostly lethargic, and have just spread out the mosquito net I am soon going to crawl under it. Now, we shall let the silence speak.

Before eating you should wash your hands.

Dinner at the restaurant Rehmuz in United Mall.

Monday 18th of July

07.56 The city (Kisumu) has woken up and we have done the same thing. A new week is here and this is one of those pack and head on days. There are more of Kenya to see and discover. Since we are in the westernmost part of the country, we will naturally move east. Today's movement, however, will be short.

08.30 It has become time to take the stairs down to see what the breakfast table has to offer.

09.19 Now it has become time to summarize our stay here at Riversands Hotel. Sure, the hotel has small errors and shortcomings, but the price is good. Safety could have been better though. During parts of the day, the reception is unmanned and anyone can go in and out of the hotel. The staff warned us to have something valuable lying around in the room. There is nothing wrong with the breakfast. However, it is for the two of us impossible to pour the hot milk in the cups of coffee. The spout on the jar is non-existent. Half of the liquid ends up outside the cup.

10.07 The happy taxi driver Peter drove us from the hotel to the Easy Coach bus station. Here we sit in their waiting room and are waiting to travel to the next place.

10.30 We remain in the waiting room watching a nature documentary on TV. In Guyana, the rivers have some interesting fish, peacock bass, piranha, and payara. The latter, the payara have 10-12 centimetres long fangs/teeth in the lower jaw. There you should not swim.

Weetabix for breakfast.

We are watching natur documentaries while waiting for the Easy Coach bus.

Our bus is here.

Today´s bus trip will be a short one.

10.52 After having been approved by the RFSL, we have gone on board the bus. At the baggage loading, a small boy wanted to tell his mother what made him puke. She advised him not to do so. RFSL is a security company

12.01 The landscape we are travelling through is flat and green. The road is bumpy and black.

12.15 We have left Kisumu, which is more or less located at Lake Victoria and travel in a much more hilly terrain, a lush beautiful place where tea is the main source of living. We are on the way to the small town of Kericho, which is located at 2014 metres above sea level and has a history as a tea town. Around here they grow large quantities of the tea.

13.11 When we arrived to Kericho and the bus stop at the OiLibya petrol station we were asked by the bus driver if we would really get off here? When we stepped out we got help from a guy to unload the backpacks and arrange a taxi. We were told by our taxi driver that he also works as a doctor. He was asked to take us to New Sunshine Hotel. He drove us to the much more elegant, and more expensive, Sunshine Upper Hill Hotel. We pointed it out. Aha, he said, you are going to the old one? He drove us to the right hotel. The word New was there, just pasted over. It had apparently been called the New Sunshine Hotel but covered New when the better opened. We had missed that we booked two single rooms and were surprised when it was mentioned. Well, now we have the rooms, 307 and 309, which are to be cleaned during our lunch.

13.21 Life is easy when the hotel you stay at, also serves good food. In addition, the man in the reception was very professional and helpful.

Our bus is traveling through green mountains.

Countryside in western Kenya.

Lunch in the hotel restaurant.

A sign in Christer´s room.

Christer´s neighbour is visiting.

14.07 We were served a good lunch here in the hotel restaurant. We were not alone. It was, to say the least many who had chosen to eat their lunch right here. After the meal we got information about the code to the Wi-Fi as well as were the Easy Coach's office for tickets for tomorrow is located. Now when I packed up a few things I'll go over to Christer in room 307.

15.20 Damn, how easy it is to get lazy! This can't go on! There is a town here that should be covered and issues that need to be done.

15.58 Now, things happen. We went back to the OiLibya petrol station where we jumped off the bus. Here we have bought the bus tickets by the Easy Coach, which has its office in a small kiosk right next to the gas station. We have also purchased refreshments inside the petrol station. On the way here Christer heard a man say, do you want to have a little bit of dill, Håkan?, in Swedish to another man. When you've been abroad a long time you start to finally hear Swedsh here and there. These auditory hallucinations have also happened to us before.

16.23 On the way home, we stopped at Quick Service Restaurant. It is a restaurant in the vicinity of a petrol station and near the spot where most buses arrive and depart. We sit in the terraced gardens behind the restaurant under the parasol El Paraíso. Here we have managed to order two block coffee instead of two black coffee. Block coffee sounds strong, but it was what it said in the menu.

16.45 After a relaxing coffee stop we should now get in motion again.

17.04 We have returned to the hotel again. Now it will be mostly quiet for a while. Not that we need a rest but what else can we do? Kericho is a small friendly town in a nice climate, but this is not so much to see and do if you do not have a passion for tea.

Outside our hotel in Kericho.

They are breaking the law in this town too.

The main road going through Kericho.

Peter is having a coffee stop at Quick Service Restaurant.

Our quick waiter just gave us coffee.

17.40 Even on days when you haven't done so much, it is nice to just take it easy.

18.15 Singing and clapping can be heard from somewhere in the hotel, possibly from the restaurant, it is a party or?

18.49 The singing and clapping has ceased. The travel companions are reunited in room 307.

19.16 Now it has happened again. It was just a power outage. A few seconds later there were a racket. A generator started up and the light returned. Huh, now the light flashed despite the generator. It is light now but for how long. How does the kitchen work in this situation? We're just eating dinner here at the hotel.

20.27 No problem! The good lunch was followed by an even tastier dinner. We ordered the mixed grilled meat and got a plate that was pure work of art with many exciting small dishes. Now we also have high expectations on the breakfast.

21.30 Some evenings, we go to bed earlier. This time, it is because we do not have any sleep in the morning.

Tengecha Road, Kericho.

We are staying at Sunshine Hotel.

This evening´s delicious dinner looked like this.

The bed is waiting. Time to loosen the mosquito net.

Tuesday 19th of July

07.16 There is not much that can be heard this morning. It is a lonely singing bird and some various voices. In general, it is completely silent.

07.43 As tradition bids we are going to head towards the breakfast table to load with food, drink and energy. It is really cold outside the rooms. We are at over 2000 meters altitude and it is easy to notice. Ice-cold memories from last year's trip at high altitude in the Andes mountains comes over us. It is about +9°C in Kericho this morning.

08.34 Breakfast here at the Sunshine Hotel was no disappointment. Now I have again packed all I own in the backpacks. All that remains is a final visual inspection. It would be foolish if I missed to pack something.

09.00 We have checked out from the hotel and Kemboi drove us for 500 Kenyan shillings to Easy Coach's stop at the OiLibya gas station. Now we must wait. At the ticket office we were told that the bus will leave at 09.30 and we would be on site at 09.00. According to the ticket we received, it says that the bus departs 10.15, strange!!!

09.03 OK, now we have got clarity after Christer pointed out it all for the man at the ticket office. It is 09.30. We have also once again met the guy who helped us upon arrival yesterday. He was happy to see us again and asked if we would return to Kisumu? We explained that we will go further to the east.

Tea plantations outside Kericho.

We are going through green hills between Kericho and Nakuru.

09.50 Since about half an hour, we´ve been out in the sun waiting outside the petrol station. It is nice to get the body warmed by the sun's rays but it is starting to get a little tedious to look for our bus. The TV in the waiting room showed, a clip from the republican presidential convention in the United States. OK, the bus is here.

09.56 We are on the bus from Easy Coach. There are not many other passengers on board today. We have placed ourselves at the rear of the vehicle. Our backpacks had to follow us into the bus. At the convention in the United States a man spoke positive about Donald Trump and all the good he has done and would do. It was completely the opposite when they talked about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

11.07 Small and big bumps follow each other. Here at the back of the bus we are jumping up and down in pace with the bumps. Nature around us is beautiful. It is green, hilly and we have previously passed several tea plantations. I have just asked for and had a pee break. All the jumping and bobbing has affected the bladder.

11.45 Now we have arrived at today's destination, Nakuru. It is Kenya's fourth largest city and here we'll spend a night before carrying on the adventure. Now we are going to go by tuk-tuk. There will be a premiere for this kind of vehicle in Africa. In the past we have used tuk-tuk in Asia and North America. In addition, we have seen these vehicles in Europe and South America. We expected that any taxi driver would pick us up but no taxi appeared.

11.52 It is a really a comfortable journey in this vehicle. You do not see much of the surrounding area, but we sit comfortably and it is cheap.

12.12 Our latest hotel is called the Eagle Palace Hotel and their room number 405 is currently being cleaned. While waiting for it to be cleaned and that we can move inside we rest on the rooftop terrace with its wonderful views of the city and away towards Lake Nakuru.

When reaching Nakuru we used a tuk-tuk to get to our hotel.

View from the roof terrace at Eagle Palace Hotel. You can see Lake Nakuru with its national park.

Peter are making some notes in the travel journal.

We are looking down at Oginga Oginga Avenue.

Christer in room 405.

12.42 We have left the terrace, and now to moved into our new rooms. We wonder who stayed here during the last night? Eagle Palace Hotel is an incredibly nice hotel. We wonder how it can be that we are able to stay here. Did we really understand the price right when we booked the room in the spring? It was a bit more expensive than many other hotels on the trip, but we did not think it would be this fancy.

13.31 Now, when we have unpacked and got in order, we shall head out and see more of the country's fourth largest city.

14.08 A calm but determined walk through our new easy walked home city has taken us to the Westside Mall (http://westsidemall.co.ke) and Java House, the same chain that we visited in Kisumu. Here, we have ordered a burger lunch.

14.47 It was yet another good and nourishing meal on the African continent. The rain hangs in the air right now. There are dark clouds over us, which is a shame because we had planned a leisurely sunny afternoon on the roof/terrace of the hotel.

15.20 After lunch we looked around a bit in the small mall. It did not had much to offer us. Now, we are covering more of the city. According to a traffic sign is moped and tuk-tuk traffic prohibited here. We have also passed a place with the odd name Hygienic Butchery Café.

16.01 We have slowly moved us home. Once inside the room, I have washed my clothes. Now we think about transport from here tomorrow.

16.50 We have reached the end of the laziness for a while . There are plans to re-deploy us up to the roof terrace.

Where two streets meet.

Our walk ended here.

Burgers and juice at Java House, Westside Mall.

The road outside Westside Mall.

We are heading back to the hotel in the shadows under the trees.

17.05 Above us, the sky is bluish-black and the wind blows cold here on the roof. Why can't the sun shine when we have a reading session on the terrace? Well, we had a sunny moment here before at check-in.

17.24 It was verging on cold where we sat. We have therefore returned to our room instead.

18.31 It seems to be even a day/evening then we are not doing as much. It is perhaps not the most amazing but we can't create events.

19.49 Now we are going out in search of food, a dinner, or a restaurant to begin with.

20.09 We went down to the front desk and then went up to the restaurant on the first floor. There are not so many interesting restaurants in the area so we choose a hotel dinner.

20.52 We paid for our dinners. We were alone in the restaurant. Everything was quiet and still. Full and satisfied, we have drawn ourselves back into the room. It has now become time for travel planning for tomorrow and other things.

22.01 This day has been verging on tedious. It is so much more fun if something happens, and with the less fun events are in all cases events. During a long journey, however, one must accept that some places are just a bus-stop, a place where we sleep, gets new stamina and then takes aim towards the next place. Nakuru is one of the nicest cities we visited in the summer, but the sights are not to be found. Should you travel here, you should probably see the national park in the surrounding area but the time we do not.

23.17 From the Kenyan night and darkness we hear barking dogs. Soon it will be dark here in our room too.

Eagle Palace Hotel, Nakuru.

Dinner in the excellent hotel restaurant tonight.