North to Samburu

Today I leave Nairobi and head to Samburu Heartland. I was seized by a shock of anxiety when I looked at my gear: laptop, camcorder and mic, SLR camera with an assortment of lenses, tripod, my clothes and boots, binoculars, field guides, GPS unit, and of course the small arsenal of cables, batteries and blank tapes. I hate not traveling lightly, but this small roving media center is critical to the success of my story-telling mission. I’ll be joining Fiesta and the Heartland team at Shaba National Reserve, a place in the arid Isiolo district north of Mt Kenya. I’m traveling with a large group in a van that will make the journey north in about 5 hours. Goodbye Nairobi, hello bush!