Our first morning in Nairobi came only 5 hours after the last day ended, but you would never know the night was short from the excitement at the breakfast table. Our beloved Dr Rosie from last year’s clinics came to say hello as she is unable to join us for the rest of the clinics. Getting ready that morning, I was reminded that the danger is in the familiar; you can’t drink the water coming for the tap, or even use it to brush your teeth, even though it looks innocuous. The shower, though identical to our showers at home, gave me a false sense of security. I turned the hot water on and immediately the stream of water that came out was near boiling. After a few attempts to turn the spout off and cowering in pain, I finally covered my arm in a towel and completed the task. My arm was red like I had a sunburn and was just as painful.
Our team was on the road by 9am and had two surprised ahead. We went to a giraffe feeding center, where just as it sounds, the team got to feed giraffes. People were surprised with how black, long, and slimy the tongues were, and Cheri left with a bit more than a kiss. Then onto the Elephant Orphanage where there were 20+ young elephants in a pen only feet from us! We got back in our combis (a combination safari vehicle and 9 seater van) and headed past Embu to Castle Forest Lodge, where we would stay for the night.
Along the drive, the team was struck by many differences. Gaylene was astounded by the amazing scenery. We were in a particularly lush part of Africa where tea, coffee, rice and fruits are grown. There are factories and many jobs. Galene described it as as a ‘tropical, lush area, so serene’. The soil is red like on PEI, but Jennifer notes that it’s redder than our soil. We driving on a divided highway that had speed bumps every few miles followed by a cross-walk.
We passed buildings similar to stripmalls, with butchers and chemists (pharamacy). Each business is slim and long, bunched together and constructed out of quarry stone rock with a tin, corrugated roof. Each buiness is painted bright, brilliant colors advertising Huggies, Tusker (beer), Safaricom (cell phone) and more, creating a collage effect. Apparently, the product is sold within and pays for the paint on the building. We passed outdoor markets selling rows of unblemished fruit, offering carpentry services, selling mattresses, welding, etc. One person we passed crushed rocks by hand for a living, turning it into gravel. He makes less than $2 a day. A two lane road is shared by oxen carts and two directions of traffic, as well as people walking along the side. The road has a ditch on either side that’s full of different plants, meant for the animals to feed on. A team-member noted that every inch of space is used.
Joseph enjoyed the front seat for the 3 hour drive and described the traffic as ‘different than at home, but it worked. There seem to be no rules to the road, but people just drive’ He said he was never nervous as we passed trucks with traffic oncoming, but he wouldn’t want to be the driver. Our drivers are professional guides through a trusted tourist company. They are part of our team and worked harder than we do most days. They earned certificates and diplomas to have the position that they do, and we trust them implicitly. They have all the answers to our questions, such as ‘Benson, how many provinces are there?’ Followed by ‘8 provinces and 42 tribes’. We are grateful to them as they are polite, patient, and so informative.
We stopped at a fruit stand for lunch and enjoyed mangos, bananas, and thorny pumpkin that tasted like a sweet cucumber. The fruit is so fresh and tastes so much better than at home. The skin peels off mangos with ease here.
The countryside described here is very different from the city. The first thing Jennifer noticed was the billboards. They’re huge compared to at home! Amy, a veteran of Kenya, said it felt like she was returning home. The only difference is that this time she had no culture shock when she arrived, so she ‘could see the little differences instead of being stunned. Everything seems normal’. The one thing that did get her attention was the slums that we drove by at one point. She ‘knew the slums were there, but had never seen them’. Urban poverty in Nairobi and Mombasa is much too prevalent and is so different that the rural poverty we’re exposed to in Mikinduri.
Allison, also a veteran of Kenya, described her return as normal, but she had a great big grin on her face while she said it. She said fondly that the smell of Kenya is smokey – from all of the wood fires in the huts.
Gaylene added that already we have a sense of how hard working the people are. We couldn’t carry the loads the women do. They’re so hard working and resilient. The amount of walking they do is amazing. They walk for miles. We passed ladies carrying rice bags that weighed more than 100 lbs (easily) and carrying a great bundle of 6ft long tree trunks.
We stayed for the night at Castle Forest Lodge, a beautiful serene spot to rest before the activity of the next few weeks. Team members enjoyed chapatti bread with supper, curry for a late lunch, and even a fried banana with whip cream for dessert! There were a few tuskers (beer) to be seen as well. The team got to see a nearby waterfall. ‘The greenery was thick and there were many varieties of trees. The water was gushing and the sound of it was incredible ‘ (Gaylene). An elephant even graced us with a visit in the valley our hotel!
Everyone had a nice rest and was ready to head to Mikinduri. Our next blog will have stories of children and our arrival at the hotel!
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