I
got a half-decent night’s sleep. I think
I fell asleep around 11:30 and woke up at 5.
Considering the previous 7 days, 5 ½ hours is pretty good. I’m going to try very hard to beat that
record tonight.
As
it turned out, I was the only resident in the building they placed me. 6 rooms, 1 guest.; not bad at all. When I opened the gate to leave, a bellman
appeared out of nowhere, and he was rewarded for his perfect timing. The smallest bill I had was a 500ksh
note. I handed it to him say, “Good
timing.” He grinned from ear-to-ear
saying “Asante sana!” (Thank you) repeatedly.
I said “Sawa, sawa, karibu.” (it’s ok, you’re welcome).
I
met Isaac at the reception desk just after 7.
There weren’t too many people milling about, as the early morning game
drives depart before 6:30am. In there
place stood a couple small travel groups waiting for their transportation to
take them back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. I settled the bill and walked with Isaac to
the car. En route, Isaac asked if it was
okay if we bring one of his friends with us – he was also on his way to Narok,
and a ride will save him from hiring a matatu.
I didn’t have a problem with it.
Once
in the car, Isaack carefully backed out of the parking spot. He stopped, put the car in drive and was
staring at the dashboard. Before I could
say, “Is everything ok?” he said, “I think we have enough to get there.” It wasn’t at all convincing. “No, no no,” I said, “We are not taking a
chance on running out of gas!” Isaack
was laughing before I finished the sentence.
“Okay, okay,” he said through his smile.
We got another 9 liters and proceeded out of Sarova. The sign just outside the exit warned of
“Wild Animals Roaming Free, DANGER.” I
guess if you get past the armed guards so that you can go for a run, that sign
is the last line of common sense). We
picked up two more ‘hitchhikers” - a young boy and girl waiting for a matatu to
take them to school. Their mother’s were
there selling curios to the tourists who have to stop at the entrance gate.
Despite my inability to speak or understand Maa (the language Masai speak) I
could tell they were pleading with Isaac.
He turned and looked at me and ten minutes later we were on the road to
Narok with three passengers.
I don’t know how, but I think the road is
worse in this direction! I had to push my teeth back in every 15 minutes. Perhaps I should have timed it with the poor
guy that was throwing up every 20. I
felt bad for him… after 90 minutes, Isaac was asking if he had malria. Fear not, the man is okay. Isaac saw him one hour after the trio
disembarked and he was fine. Motion
sickness is not exclusive.
The
migration has begun a month earlier than usual as evidenced by large herds of
impala and zebra we passed long after we exited the park. I was surprised to see so much trash on the
ground. The majority of the refuse was
simply plastic bags, but they were everywhere.
You don’t see anything like this inside the park, and it’s sad to see it
at all here on the open land. Isaac said
that it would only take an area governor to organize people that would walk
through and pick everything up. The
desire, however, is just not there. If
the government doesn’t care about the road that leads toone of largest revenue
generators in the country, why should the people care about the trash littering
the countryside. We’ll soon find out,
because the drivers will be starting a strike on July 1st. They’ll park their vehicles in Narok where
the dirt road begins and no one is able to pass in either direction. People get stuck inside the park and outside
the park until someone from the government shows up to appease them by
providing a date in the near future when the road will be paved or graded. They’ve been saying they’re going to pave it,
but I’ve been hearing that for 7 years.
At best it will be graded. That
should last about 3 months.
There
was a lot more traffic on the road today, so there was extra dust getting
kicked up, and we only passed one broken down van. I was elated when I finally saw the tarmac
approaching. I don’t know if the
vibrating car had any effect on me, but the sun beaming into the car was giving
me the nods. Tonight might be my best
opportunity to get some sleep. It’s only
9pm! I might get to sleep before 10.
Isaac
wanted to take me to a curio shop next to the Kenol gas station. It was actually one of the first ones that I
was ever in, although they’ve definitely downsized. I later learned that the rains forced two
shops to evacuate. It also severely
damaged all the dirt roads through the small villages on either side of the
asphalt. It also explains why they’re
digging what looks like a moat along all those same dirt roads. The drainage has been so bad as of late, that
Narok was flooded, the streets were destroyed and, worst of all, two people
lost their lives. The roads are so bad
that I actually thought the car might flip over at one point. Again, I don’t know how he manages driving over
the deep crevasses in the road. I
thought to myself, “This is how the Grand Canyon started.”
Eventually
we made it to the office of Vivian Mpetti.
She’s the local government executive in charge of community
development. She was all smiles as we
entered her office. We were about 20
minutes late, but not because of Isaac’s driving. It was because the he should run for
office. From the security guard that let
us onto the facility, to the receptionist, to the woman making copies, to the
girls in the hallway, to the military men in the hallways… every single one of
them called to him and gave him a hearty, “Jambo sana… long time…” If he had any interest in politics, he’d be a
shoe-in. Fortunatley for the current
governer, he’s not interested in the least.
We
sat at the two chairs in front of her desk after greeting her. Isaac filled her in on who I was and what our
plans were. I repeated most of it with
more detail and started an exchange with her regarding next steps. It was an easy conversation because she had
already heard about me before I got there.
This is a pretty big city, so I was surprised. She gave us some ideas on how to avoid a
couple of steps towards getting quotations from contractors and assured us that
the county government is eager to help.
She also added that it doesn’t hurt that we’re in an election cycle. The national government would love to have
some “wins” in the books. She informed
us that there was a birthing center built on the opposite side of the
park. She thought it might be helpful to
get those plans and then scale it up or down depended upon what our needs
were. She said there should be 3 rooms:
pre delivery, delivery and post delivery.
I said we were going to do 4 because we didn’t want to completely
eliminate the midwives from the process.
The additional room will be a consultation room for them. In all actuality we’ll have 5 rooms so that
we can accommodate to deliveries. She
thought that both ideas were wonderful, so 5 rooms it is! We said our goodbyes and left her
office. Then we said our goodbyes to
everyone else.
We
got outside and before Isaac turned on the car, he said, “Oh. So sorry.
I forgot to take a picture.” We
were only gone 3 minutes, but it was like the people inside had already begun
to miss him. He is clearly loved in this
community, but what’s not to live. He is
probably the most amiable person I know and he’s always eager to help or
please… whichever is needed at the time. I can’t imagine anyone having a
disliking for him. I just don’t think
that’s possible.
We
went back in and Vivian laughed as Isaac took our picture. She put her hand on her cheek as if she was
thinking (and she probably was) so I said, “Perfect! Don’t move, you look like
you’re making a very serious decision.”
She laughed out loud again, but it was after Isaac snapped the
picture. It came out beautifully and she
was very pleased with it, too.
We left for the second time and made phone calls trying to get the plans from the other birthing center. We had some luck and should be fetching it later in the day.
We left for the second time and made phone calls trying to get the plans from the other birthing center. We had some luck and should be fetching it later in the day.
We
went back to Isaac’s home for lunch where his wife Leah was preparing rice and
goat stew. Before we went into the home,
Isaac had to give me a tour. It’s been a
few years since I’ve been there, and there have been many changes. His home is really attractive, and he’s still
making improvements. Leah’s growing
sugar can and bananas in the back. Isaac built a second home next to his and
will be renting it out soon. The revenue
generated will pay for their children’s (Caleb,8 and Tatiana,5) fees. There’s also a room inside their home that
doubles as a shop with a window on the end so people can come and buy… you
guessed it, goat milk! He next told me
the changes that are in the works: water tank on the roof, gas heater for the
water, septic tank for the indoor plumbing and a second rental house next to
the new one. He’s quite the
entrepreneur. We then entered his home
and after a chai (tea made with goat milk), she brought out plates and the
food. The chai was presweetened. For me, it was like drinking a sweet tea from
South Carolina after a lifetime of unsweetened Lipton. It was pretty good, but there was know way I
could do 2 cups. BTW, she filled the cup
right to the top – no fear of me burning my nose.
She
pulled out a large spoon and put 3 large ladles full of rice on my plate. I was like a deer in the headlights. I was thinking, “Stop!” but couldn’t
speak. I managed to get out a “simama”
(stop) as she was ladeling in the goat stew.
This was a lot of food. Isaac got
served pretty much the same thing. Isaac
was laughing watching try to figure out how to get all this in my stomach. Well, I did and I’m not proud of it. I told him I wasn’t going to eat again until
Friday. Leah’s a good cook. The goat was cooked with fresh coriander,
tomatoes and onions. Deeelicious!
While
we ate, there was a change in plans regarding the drawings of the
maternity. Now they were going to be
delivered to us tomorrow. It looks like
we’re in a holding pattern. I wasn’t
sure what we would do next, until Isaac said, “Adam, would you like to go visit
Caleb and Tattiana’s school?” Would
I? I’d love to! We waited for Leah to change and the three of
us loaded into the car and drove back down the dirt road. Because Isaac spends so much time on Masai
Mara, Leah knows all the shortcuts that Isaac doesn’t. It was nice to see him ask for directions as
we came up on intersections. We later
pulled up to the royal blue Legacy Mixed Primary School.
We
entered the compound and immediately went to Tatiana’s classroom. School was letting out, so we weren’t really
disburbing anyone. Tatti came with us as
we went to the Headmasters office. His
name was Kevin and it pleased him when I told him he shared the name with my
son. It pleased him even more when he
found out I speak Kiswahili. He asked me
to say a few words to his eighth graders and I obliged. They don’t see mzungos very frequently. That was deduced when I left that classroom
and was mobbed by a big group of 2nd and 3rd
graders. They looked at me like children
at the zoo for the first time. The only
difference was that I wasn’t in a cage.
They kept their distance until I held out my fist. “Gota” (go-tah), I said. It’s the equivalent of a high-five. I got a fist bump from the first boy, and the
levy broke. Next thing I know, the
headmaster and Isaac our laughing hysterically and the curious kids rubbed the
hair on my arms, touched my skin, asked to touch my hair, and peppered me with
questions. The next question came before
I even finished the first. Isaac and
Kevin continued to watch me interact with them.
At one point, they wanted to see me run.
Seriously. I told them I was too
old.
“Where
are you from?”
“Where
is your mom?”
“Where
is your dad?”
“Are
you Masai?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“What’s
your second favorite color?”
“Do
you have children?”
“What
are their names?”
“How
old are they?”
What’s
their favorite color?”
“You
have a lot of hair on your arms.”
“Why
is your hair different colors?”
“Why
are you so tall?”
“Are
you sleeping here?”
“Why
do you wear glasses?”
“Can
you take them off?”
“Can
you see me now?”
“Show us your muscles?”
“Show us your muscles?”
“Let’s
run!”
They really were adorable. I enjoyed every minute of it, and as they rubbed their hands in my hair, I thought about what they’d say if Katie and Karen were here. I can’t imagine that they’d ever seen red or blonde hair. During their interrogation, there was also a flurry of hi-fives and the occasional gota. When I finally said I had to leave, the two that were having a laugh at my expense (Isaac and Kevin) said, “I’m sorry,” but no apology was necessary. I really did have fun with them. Isaac took a few pictures of me with the hangers on that followed me to the entrance to the school. Several of them had no intention of letting me go, but I managed to get free. Yes, I overpowered a 2nd grader… in my defense, there were several of them. I hope your laughing, because that’s a funny line.
We
then headed back to Isaac’s house with Caleb and Tatiana, along with their
niece and nephew. Isaac’s brothers
Andrew and Antony live very close together, so we brought home Andrew’s youngest
children.
Another
chai followed as the kids tried on some of the shirts I brought them. Leah broke open the Dum-Dums and distributed
a few to everyone. It wasn’t long before
Tattiana stacked a couple chairs together to go retrieve additionl lollypops
from the top shelf. Isaac just
watched. “Oh man, she’s got you
bad. You are in so much trouble.” He said, “She has complete control.” He’s right, she does. We took some pictures as the 4 cousins were
clowning around striking poses and laughing. I have no idea what they were
saying, but they were having a lot of fun saying it. Isaac gave his customary, “Adam, are you
ready to go,” to which I responded, “Yes.”
I was getting very tired, so I had no problem going right to bed. I wasn’t even interested in dinner because
I’m still working on all the rice. Next
time I’ll ask him to clarify by saying, “Go where?”
We
arrived at Antony’s house and met his wife Margaret. She was very sweet, and asked us to come in
for a chai. Kenyan hospitality is
unyielding. In we went. The children came with us and continued to
play and fool around. We chatted with
Margaret before Isaac said, “Okay, we should go.” Again, should have gotten clarification.
We
arrived at Andrew’s house and met his wife Veronica. I’ll point out that both there husbands work
at Masai Mara and neither of them will be home until tomorrow. Veronica was just as personable as Margaret,
maybe a little more talkative. She’s a
special needs teacher, so we talked about that a lot. She also insisted on feeding us dinner. Beef, broth, onions, carrots, peas and potatoes… my
stomach said “simama!” (stop), and my brain said, “twende” (go). Vanessa’s a great cook! Everything was fabulous. Now the goal was to get back to the guest
house before the food coma began to kick in.
Isaac turned and said, “I should take you to the guest house.” No need for clarification there. “Perfect,” was my response.
Isaac
left the children behind, which was a huge disappointment to Tattiana. Tears rolled freely as Veronica scooped her up
in her arms. That little girl’s got it
bad. In Isaac’s defense, she really is a
cutie.
I
grabbed a couple of waters to consume while I repacked then typed. It’s now 10:45 and I’ve got the nods
again. I’m going to try and quickly add
pictures before falling asleep. I’m
still waiting to hear from Isaac with a start time for tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind if he said, “9.” Nope, I wouldn’t mind it at all. Heck, I’m not kidding anybody. I wake up no later than 5:30 every day. It’s very frustrating because I’m exhausted
at night. I’m shooting for 8 hours of
sleep. Place your bets…
these are just pictures that i thought were interesting or funny
 |
| At the Guest House. I think there should be a cover on that. |
 |
| On top of the wall that surrounds Isaac's compound. Broken glass is cheaper than razor wire but just as effective |
 |
Wegmans. If you look closely at the butcher shop, you'll
see mutumbo in the left window. Mutumbo is Kenyan
tripe... without the USDA. It's the only food I will not eat
here
|
