Hell's Gate National Park

ell'sYesterday we went to Hell’s Gate national park. We were so excited about it, especially because all the Canadians and most of the Kenyans had never been before. The 2 hour drive to Naivasha was breathtaking. We had our first glimpse of the Rift Valley! We drove through prosperous country side, where apparently most of our food comes from. We saw avocado trees for the first time, lots of donkeys on the road, and cows enjoying the green, lush fields. We passed through Kijabe, the town where one of the YESS members (Gaddiel) comes from, so it was neat to see where he lives. Driving in, we saw zebras, a couple giraffes in the distance, lots of antelope, and lots of warthogs. We drove Kenyan-style, that is in a matatu, which is like a squished 14 seater van, which blasts hip hop music while playing music videos on a TV screen. We parked and had a picnic lunch, that Sammy had made us (he came with us too). By the picnic tables were signs that said “beware of the baboons.” Then we had a guide take us down into the gorge (that is mostly dried up). It was a couple hours of hiking and climbing through the gorge. It was so incredibly beautiful. And the hiking was so much fun. This was definitely a good team-bonding time. The bit of water that was flowing through some parts of the gorge was fed from underwater springs, so there was some cold water, other parts that were warm, and some was so hot you could barely touch it. There were mini waterfalls down into the gorge. One area was called the Devil’s Shower, because as you climbed down the rocks, you couldn’t avoid being “showered” by the water spraying down. The rock on either side of the gorge was carved from years of water running through it, before it dried up. The views from the top were spectacular. There was a geyser in the distance too. It was a great adventure all around. We are excited to get back to work, and prepare for teaching at St. Jean Paul II Secondary School this week.