Monday, February 17, 2024

While I would have liked to get 6 hours of sleep, it turned out to be closer to 4.  I woke up for no reason, and tossed and turned for the next 30 minutes before getting up and showering.  It was already quite warm, but after not showering since Saturday morning, I was ready for some soap... and deodorant.

I quickly reorganized my bag and went outside to meet up with Katie & Mike.  They were already up, sitting at a table with Caleb and Isaac.  Even though the sun was obscured by some billowy clouds, the table umbrella still felt like it provided some relief from the sun's rays.  We talked more about the plans for the next couple days and made some minor adjustments.  Breakfast consisted of a plain omelette, a sausage and sliced potatoes.  Very tasty when you're hungry.  The coffee we had made me want tea even more. My day will come.  Katie and Mike drank a few pots of it, so they obviously enjoying it.  

Isaac and the hotel staff grabbed our bags and we were off.  First stop; The Giraffe Center.

They loved it!  The center has really changed, mostly because of COVID.  The place looks very unassuming when you first enter.  There was a lone employee standing at the base of a green, painted cement ramp.  If he wasn't handing out small gold bowls containing food pellets, you wouldn't know what this place was.   It actually doesn't look like a park at all.  Winding paths move you past a curio shop and small restaurant, then lead you up to an elevated hut.  In the past, that was where you went to see the giraffes, and they would walk right up to the guard rail to say, "Hello."  This time, the path continued in front of the huts.  There was a much more sturdy barrier separating you from the animals, and then there was another burlap covered barrier that prevented the giraffes from getting to close to you.  They were able to get their noses closes enough for their elongated tongue to emerge and remove a food pellet from between your index finger and your thumb.  As soon as you turn the corner, there they are.  I counted close to 10.  Most of them were quite young and had to lift their heads in order to retrieve a pellet.  An older one,  who was significantly taller, arrived and began moving his head over the barrier and reaching for some food.  He was a little more interesting because we could get a closer look at him.  His head was within inches of us.  The expressions on their faces was priceless.  I think this was a real treat for them.  Once all the food was gone, we made our way back outside where Isaac was waiting with our driver.  Narok, here we come.

It's about 11/2 hours from Narok, and the roads were good so we had no problems.  It also helps that it's downhill through the Rift Valley.  Coming back is never that easy.  Mike and Katie were chatty with Isaac and Caleb the entire way.  Mike was taking it all in, and Katie was pointing things out so that Mike didn't miss anything.  Women waving as we drove by their roadside produce stands,   men coming to the window hawking potatoes at intersections, and the scenery that makes you smile... children in different colored uniforms heading home for lunch, young men out grazing their cattle and goats... and then there's the landscape.  This really is a remarkable place.  

We stopped at a small curio shop and snapped some pictures overlooking the valley.  It's really impressive; the pictures don't do it justice.  We walked through the curio shop (don't worry, honey, I didn't buy anything) then went next door for a chai (tea).  I was really looking forward to it as I had coffee with my eggs in the morning.  When the British left Kenya, they left a lot of things behind.  One of them was terrible coffee (but great tea!). The tea here is usually made with water and milk and they use tea leaves, not bags (although bags are provided if you like your chai stronger).  It's also Kericho tea which is farmed in the town of Kericho a few hours from here.  It was delicious, despite the first sip burning my tongue.  Katie and Mike also had tea, and Mike really like it.  We saw something I'd never seen before, too.  As we looked over the side of the embankment, this beautifully colored bird flew by.  Katie noticed it, too, and pointed to a tree below where several had landed.  While we had our chai, Isaac explained that they are Bee Eaters although I'm not sure if that's their name, or that's just what they do.  He then explained that they eat bees, along with a detailed description of what the bee goes through before being injected.  Suffice to say that you don't wan tot be a bee in the Rift Valley - it's not a pleasant death.

We hopped back in the van and continued driving.  It was nice to listen to the four in the back constantly talking.  I was in the front seat and had a tough time discerning everything they were saying, but the conversation was lively and included lots of questions.  Mike spotted the baboons as we continued down the hillside, and I told him we'll see more of them Saturday when we're on our way back to Nairobi.  That ride is much slower, and gives you a chance to really look at them.  I'm sure we'll see them on the Mara.

We arrived at the Park Villa and I immediately noticed that, like the Giraffe Center, there were a lot of changes.  They added another restaurant, outdoor seating and a clothing shop.  The owner, Alan, was sitting outside at a table talking on the phone when we walked in.  He hung up the phone and smiled at us as we approached. My hello, was met with a "Welcome back," followed by Mike quickly introducing himself, and Katie being identified as my first born.  We moved to the other side of the patio and ordered some barbecued goat, kachumbari and ugali.  The driver joined us and informed us that he was a vegetarian - not very common in Kenya.  He had French fries, ugali  and cabbage.  I weep for vegetarians.  

We rose and walked over to the corner of the patio where there was a small sink and a soap dispenser.  In our experience, regardless of the tribe, all Kenyans wash their hands before eating.  Sometimes they can come to your table with hot water, a basin and a bar of soap, but this was all self-service.  You return to the table with wet hands, but that's okay.  Your hands usually air dry by the time the food arrives.

After the veggie plate was set on the table, the butcher came out with a couple large barbecued goat legs and began cutting off the meat into chunks and placing it on a plate.  It took him three plates to complete the job, and we almost immediately dug in.  It was delicious.  Strangely enough, the last time I had goat was over the summer, when Isaac made it for us in our home.  He came over to help celebrate Katie's wedding, and was happy to make a delicious stew with the goat meat.  In case you're curious, Wegmans sells Goa in the freezer section.  The only problem with getting it there is that you really need Issac to prepare it.  Okay, enough.  Back to lunch.

The kuchambari is basically, tomatoes, onions, and parsley, but this one included piri piri, which Isaac refers to as "tear gas."  This one was a lot lighter than usual.  It didn't even register on Katie or Mike's internal spice-o-meter.  I'm sure Isaac will try to remedy that situation - he's the consummate customer service representative.  Mike said he loves spicy food, and Isaac is eager to please.  That most assuredly means that we have piri piri in our future.  We cleaned most of the plates and went back to our rooms to get settled and perhaps take a nap.  We were to meet Isaac downstairs at 4 to run some errands and eat dinner.  That gave us 2 hours of free time.

Once I got "settled," I looked at my watch and sighed.  It was already 3:30, so there was no point in taking a nap.  Mike and Katie are next door, and I hadn't heard a peep since they locked it behind them.  In true Kenyan fashion, Isaac called at 3:45 to inform me that the car wash was going very slow and it might be better to meet at 4:30.  At 4:25 he called and said, "Can you meet me at the car wash.?  These guys are not very fast, so I have the driver from today to coming to pick us up at the car wash."  "We'll be there in a minute," I responded.  So Katie, Mike & I walked the couple hundred yards to the car wash.  This would be. good FYI moment.  The car washes here are nothing like the ones in the states.  They're basically a couple guys with a power washer and towels.  All the doors get opened, trunk included.  How else are you supposed to spray the inside of the vehicle?!  And yes, they do.  Everything gets wet and rubbed down.  In there defense, they really do a good job.  It's just that everything gets wet.

Anywho, the driver shows up, we hop in, and it's off to the races.  

Sidebar.  I just woke up.  I don't know how long I was out, but I'm still exhausted to I'll try to finish and get it posted first thing in the morning.  Have no fear, my "first think in the morning" is your 1am.

Okay, I'm back at it.  

We went to the "Hub" which is basically a 2-story quasi-outdoor strip mall.  They have the only Safaricom store in Narok county and I need a new SIM card form my modem.  Thankfully, Isaac knows someone there so they were expecting us.  We got the modem squared away relatively quickly and then it was back to the van.  roughly $30 fro 40gigs of internet... pretty good deal.  Let's see you match that one, Verizon.

As we were pulling out, a man walked up to the vehicle and Isaac said, "Hey! Do you know this guy?" We did. It was Isaacs cousin David (Anthony's son).  He actually was the one who did the most recent tiling project at the maternity!  We'll be going to see that one on Wednesday.  We chatted briefly before heading to an ATM to withdraw some money.  That was easy.

Isaac next wanted us to stop and see Kim. He is a local curio shop owner that I visited every time I was in Kenya.  He's close to the Park Villa hotel, and next door to a really good restaurant that we'd frequent.  When we pulled in, I noticed that the restaurant was closed.  That didn't bode well for Kim, as they were responsible for providing the vast majority of his customers.  Drivers would bring their guests here for lunch, and they would invariably visit the curio for knick knacks an chachkis.    Side note: there are 4 different ways to spell chachki.

We saw Kim walking up to the shop and Isaac said, "Go surprise him.  He doesn't know you are coming."  Surprise him I did, and he was very happy to see me.  My suspicions about the restaurant were correct.  He is struggling to stay afloat.  Regardless, I was going to let Mike and Katie pay the equivalent of $165 US for 2 small beaded bracelets and a bottle opener.  That's just ridiculous.  I realize that they enjoy haggling, too, but that kind of markup is offensive.  After some sad haggling, he settled for the equivalent of $15.  I gave him an extra 1,000ksh because I knew he could use it.  We exited the shop and began moving back to the Member's Club for dinner.

The driver dropped us off and left to go spend time with his family.  We won't see him again until Saturday when we come back to Narok on our way from Massai Mara.

It was beginning to to cool down (it was probably around 65 degrees) so we chose to eat inside a small private room at the end of the main restaurant building.  This was the place where I had fried potatoes for the first time.  Yes, that's exactly what they are.  They peel then boil the potatoes and quickly fry them to a golden brown.  It's like eating a golf ball sized French fry, but they're spectacular.  Katie and Mike loved them.  Such a simple thing.  We chose ku ku (chicken) instead of goat, and had a plate of spinach.  Everything was wonderful and we all washed it down with a White Cap (Kenyan Coors Light).  Everybody except Caleb... he had juice.

We were only a short walk from the hotel, so Isaac and Caleb walked us back.  It was pitch black, and very busy, but it was a level sidewalk, albeit an uphill climb.  We said our goodbyes and will meet up with Isaac and his wife Leah tomorrow morning at 8am to travel to Nakuru to see Sharon (one of the Downes Syndrome girls we help).  She's a sweetheart, so I'm looking forward to that.

I'm managing to speak with Andrea intermittenty through the day.  I do miss her so.  She would have enjoyed today (except Kim's curio shop), and I know we would have enjoyed having her.  Right now, she's too far away from me, and I'm too far away from her.  Shout out to FaceTime for helping to try and fill some of that void.

We will chat again tomorrow...