The rooster needs to get a watch. Unless he’s a rooster from Bangkok in which case he doesn’t need a watch. 3am in Nairobi is 7am in Bangkok. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. The rooster was followed by a pack of angry dogs. I’m familiar with the dogs because they fight every night. Maybe it’s just every night that I’m here. Although it startled me out of my slumber, it did not deter me from returning to it.
I woke up at 6am and met Isaac for breakfast at 7 – omelet, sausage, toast, mango juice and Nescafe instant coffee. It all worked, with the exception of the beef sausage. We finished our meals, checked out, loaded the car, started on the road to Kisumu, realized that I still had the room key and returned to the hotel. Fortunately, we were only a few miles away when I felt the key in my pocket. I’m not sure what I’m heading into at the Rotary House (our lodging choice for the next 4 days), and it gave me an opportunity to say “goodbye” one more time. The Royale really is a nice hotel. The rooms are nice, the entire property is clean, the food is good, and they have a pool and a workout room. What’s not to like?
The road to Narok and Kisumu took us through many different climates and landscapes. It was a chilly 62ºF when we left. I was glad that I through my fleece in a suitcase at the last minute. I was sorry that I left it there. Isaac turned the heat up in the car and I was fine. As we left the busy streets of Nairobi, we passed by town after town of varying size and produce. I say "produce" because everybody has their own crop. Surprisingly, we didn't see many bananas or corn until we got closer to Luoland. The first change of scenery came in the form of a 300 acre wheat field. It was a beautiful pairing with the dark green forest in the background. Unfortunately is was very overcast, so the colors don't really pop like they normally would. As we continued through the rift valley we hit large sections of fog. the first 30 miles of the road are right next to a sheer cliff face that falls... you guessed it, into the Rift Valley. Their was a misty rain falling which didn't help the visibility.
We passed by small kiosks selling Kenyan curios as well as "viewing areas" where you could see breathtaking views of thevalley. Unless, of course, it was obscured by thick fog and a misty rain. We even spotted a bunch of baboons walking along the valley's edge. Apparently that's the 100 yard stretch of land where everybody throws out their garbage after leaving town. The baboons just sit in that area and wait for scraps.
We finally arrived in Narok somewhere around 11:30am. This is where Isaac lives, so he knows all the good spots. We had a cup of coffee and shopped briefly at a curio shop where he knows the owners. They're prices were absolutely outrageous, but they had some beautiful pieces. They wanted 5x what the pieces were worth so I took about 15 minutes to haggle with them. Isaac thought it was hilarious. They wrote down their "asking price" on a sheet of paper and passed it to me asking me to write down what I thought was fair. Trust me, it was a much smaller number. They kept coming down in price, then passed the paper back again. My number still didn't move. "Please my friend, just come up a little." I reached into my pocked and pulled out a 20ksh coin and placed it on the paper next to my price. I though Isaac was going to wet his pants. The guys I was dealing with were laughing, too. Ultimately I left with some nice stuff and we'll both have some good stories to tell. Isaac want to bring me back here for barbecue when we return to Narok after our work in Kisumu. We left the shop and headed to Tuskies - it's a smaller version of Nakumat ( think Kenyan Walmart). Isaac's sister works there as security guard so we saw her on the way in and talked briefly before grabbing some bottled water for our stay. Now, however, it's back to the car and back on the road.
We passed women along each side of the road with their beautifully packaged and displayed tomatoes and potatoes. Donkey's were mixed intermittently, too. Most were just wandering on their own while others were pulling carts maiden with everything from charcoal to fruits to timber. Next came the tea fields of Kerecho. They seem to be more and more prevalent with each trip we take. Cheap labor. The sun was starting to come out (and the temperature was rising) so the clouds were burned off revealing some really picturesque photos. There are more shades of green that I could possibly count. We stopped for lunch at around 2pm. It was in a town whose name I can't remember. You'd have thought I'd commit it to memory because we were served so fast. It was as if they have somebody reading your mind as you walked in. Isaac ordered beef with ugly and skumawiki. I ordered chicken and chips. The guy literally walked into the kitchen and came out with Isaac's plate. We turned to each other with the same expressions of disbelief. The man turned, went back to the kitchen and returned with my plate. It's customary to wash your hands before eating, and every restaurant handles it differently. These guys had the most common set up - a large metal canister with a valve that turns open or close. It was kind of like an oversized iced tea dispenser, except it's filled with dirty water. There's rarely ever a towel to dry your hands, but that's what pant legs are for. I sat down next to Isaac and he said, "Is everything ok?" "Yes," I responded. "Where's that water come from?
"The river," he said.
In case you're wondering, this is the same river that they bathe in, wash their cars in, etc, etc. If there's one rule in this country, it's DONT DRINK THE WATER. The next rule should be, "or get a drop on your finger at put it on your food."I diplomatically made that point with Isaac. He smiled and handed me a napkin to dry my hands.
The chicken was very good and I'm happy to say that I survived the digestion process. Yay me! Again, back in the car heading for Kisumu.
Children were coming out of school, so we saw boys and girls of all shapes and sizes in the uniforms that coincided with their school. Brown skirt, white shirt. Purple skirt, white shirt. green skirt, white shirt. You get the idea. The younger children walk arm and arm through the dry dirt next to the paved road, oblivious to the cars racing by. By the time they realized they saw a white guy in the car, it's too late, I'm already gone. You can hear the feint, "Mzungo," as their friends turn around to catch a glimpse. I guess that makes me kinda like a Yeti. No, not really.
We finally got to Kisumu where the temperature had risen to 84ºF. The streets were crowded with people selling their wares. Jeans were draped over guard rails, shoes were meticulously laid out on a sheet on top of the sidewalk, people cooking whole ears of corn on a wood fire. the smell is intoxicating unless your behind a lorrie. They're everywhere spewing huge billows of diesel exhaust that coats you like a spray tan would. It's all part of the experience.
We stopped at Chuolembo to pick up Job and headed for the Rotary House. It sits on the property of Maseno University, so it's very safe. It's a nice looking unassuming building with 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom. There's a latrine outside if absolutely necessary. I was please to see a water heater on the shower head. Thank God. Although I tried to be, I was not mentally prepared for the "basin shower." It involves throwing cold water from a basin onto your body. If you're 5' tall it's not too bad. When you're 6'6", it challenges gravity and several other laws of physics. Did I mention the water was cold? Warm water removes diesel dust much more efficiently. We moved our bags inside and put them in my room. Isaac and Job entered through the door first and immediately began to laugh. "What's so..." There was no need to finish the sentence. Bunk beds. Seriously. It turned into a comedic picture shoot. They snapped pictures of me standing next to them. Sitting not he bed. Looking at the bed. Me on the top bunk, Isaac on the bottom. The top bunk didn't go past my armpit. I told Isaac that I was pretty sure I had the bed wetting under control. That made him and Job laugh even louder. It was hard to pull them away from the bed.
Anywho, we sat outside on the veranda talking and telling Job of our exploits earlier in the day, as well as talking about our agenda for the next few days. A nurse from North Carolina rents out the Rotary House. I met her several years ago when we were facilitating visits from student nurses at Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College. She also runs an orphanage behind the guest house. She arrived about 30 minutes after we did, pulled up a chair and joined in on the conversation. There was a brief interlude where Jessica went inside to have the top bunk removed 0 Isaac has his own room. We went in to see the new setup and laughter erupted again. The mosquito net was floating above the bed. There was a 2' gap between the bottom of the net and the top of the bed. After some maneuvering of the strings holding up the net, we got it into an effective position and returned outside to talk more. By the time the conversation was over, it was almost 9pm and dinner had been sitting on the table since 7:30. Isaac took Job home while I redistributed items in my back in preparation for tomorrow. Fleece, terry cloth and pul for the Pad Project we're starting at Caleb's school, and then crocheted infant hats and blankets donated from friends at the Church of the Assumption for the newborns at the clinic which is having it's government run grand opening tomorrow afternoon. The clinic's been running for 2 years, but now's a good time for a grand opening.
Isaac returned at a little after 9 and we immediately sat down to eat. Rice and beef, skumawiki, soup and mangoes for desert. Isaac was busy telling us stories from his past that we hadn't heard yet, and then we effortlessly segued into stories about Jim (Nowak). We laughed as each of us shared a tale or two, as well as retelling some of the stories that Jim had told us. He's the one that found Jessica and ultimately introduced her to Isaac and me. The smiles remained on our faces as we cleaned up.
I returned to my room and continued to distribute and redistribute items.
It's almost 3am, and while I was able to talk to Andrea, Katie and Karen, the "3am" factor was making things difficult. I didn't want to speak so loud that I wake the others in the house that were sleeping, AND it was 3am! It's always nice to hear their voices. I miss them all very much. It's definitely the most difficult part of coming here. Their absence is felt most in the moments of silence and again in times of solitude. I start my return trip in another week. There's still much to be done, but I'm going to count the days down anyway. See you tomorrow.
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