25/07/2011 Mbaka Oromo PS/Clinc

The day started out earlier… we were out the door at 7:30. Our driver was a little late, so we sat out front and watched traffic go by for 10 minutes, talking about the day ahead. There was a strong breeze accompanying thick ominous clouds. Kevin was actually wearing a sweatshirt, and for the first time ever – I had a jacket on. Who would have thought that 74 degrees would feel this cold?

We drove to Layla Station to meet up with headmaster William Kabbis. He, too, was running on Kenyan time, so we were delayed another 15 minutes while we exchanged stories. He’s been ill since our last visit… ulcers, malaria and pneumonia all in the span of 5 months. I hurried them (yes, his wife Priscilla was there) along, and exited his home to find that Vincent’s car battery had died. It took another 10 minutes to find another car battery for a jump. And yes, it was just a battery. They didn’t have cables at first. The plan was to rest a tire iron across the positive ends, and a metal rod across the negative. Kevin took a giant step backwards as we watched this disaster unfold. Thankfully, someone emerged from another home with wires. Although they didn’t appear to be heavy enough to do the job, they did. One person had to hold the ends tightly against the heads of the batteries, but it worked… and nobody was injured.

We made it to Chulembo at 8:30. The bus was supposed to pick up the choir at 8, but it ws nowhere in sight. Smiles fell across everyone’s faces when they saw us in the back seat. When Kevin emerged from the vehicle, applause broke out! It was wonderful to watch. We walked up and greeted the 76 students as they waited shivering in the cold wind. It was a typical elementary school scene… boys on one side, girls on the other, but keep in mind that some of the students are in their late teens. Duties at home often prevent them from going to school. This is much more prevalent among the girls, but boys fall victim to it as well. It would be another hour and a half before we continued on to the school. Kevin played with the boys while we waited. The girls would watch him until he raised his gaze their way, then they would giggle and turn away. I don’t think he had a clue. The local butcher shop got a delivery of meat, so that was a learning experience for him. A motorcycle pulled up with an icebox on the back (minus the ice). It was bungee chorded closed with 4 cow legs (hooves and all) under the chord atop the box. The butcher emerged, removed the legs, opened the box, and began removing a slaughtered cow. He hung the pieces on a hook in large locker so that patrons could see what they were buying. No window on the box, and no refrigeration. I asked him how long it would take before all the meat was sold… usually not more than two days. Usually! Yikes. Kevin stopped watching when he began weighing the cow’s innards. I won’t post that picture.
 

  


Despite the bus not arriving yet, we really needed to get things done at the school so we headed out. Despite exams ending last week, and most teachers going to Nakuru with the choir, there were still over 200 students there. No classes, but there they were in their uniforms playing with each other. We emerged from the car and greeted the remaining teachers while William called the students for assembly. William spoke of our return trip before asking me to speak. I wasn’t aware that Kevin was snapping pictures while I talked. It probably helped that he was busy, and didn’t give him an opportunity to think that he might have to say a few words, too. He dodged that bullet.
 

The chairman of the school board, Lawrence, arrived and he joined us as we walked to the clinic. Kevin and I photographed and cataloged the rooms so that we would have that information when we went to see Hilda Ayieko, the regional Health Minister, later in the week. We then inspected the building top to bottom. I showed Kevin the difference between a good foundation crack and a bad one, and we proceeded to go through each of the 16 rooms carefully. We then went outside and inspected the foundation for signs of erosion. We decided that 2 cisterns should be place at the ends of the building, and gutters installed to catch the rainfall and prevent further damage to the soil against the outer walls. After we finished, we stopped my Jim’s monument to say “hello.” The once flowered wreaths were reduced to dry dark petals. I could tell that additional things were brought to the site, but these are poor people, and flowers are not easy to come by. I removed the dead leaves and petals and slapped the monument on the shoulder as if it were Jim’s. Emotions snuck up on me quickly, so we continued back to the administration office in silence.

Here's a picture of Kevin between John (left) and Lawrence (right)

Once there, we returned to talk about the clinic and scheduled a Clinic Committee meeting for Friday. William’s predecessor, John Ogongo, arrived and he and Lawrence began an engaging conversation about his community service. It then turned into questions about college, courses of study and government “support.” That led to questions about assistance on this side, and thus began the history lesson. It started with Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya’s first president) and carried on straight through to the current regime. It was quite interesting, actually. Once we finished our scalding chai, we went back out to play with the children and visit with some families. One in particular was a very poor family. The grandmother was raising 6 grandchildren and caring for her mentally ill husband. We brought the two younger girls (Susan and Emmah) and the youngest boy (Danton) presents from Andrea and Karen. The sun had returned to the sky, and the temperature had risen to 90. We removed our jackets and sweatshirts before walking to their house. Susan was sitting outside on the steps of her classroom. I took her hand and asked her to take me to see her sister. She held it loosely as we walked. Susan is always more guarded with her smiles, but the other two were beaming when we arrived. We handed them their gifts, and nothing could stop the smiles. Sadly, when I took off my jacket, I had left my camera in the car. Their grandmother informed me that the girls wanted to sing a song for us. It was beautiful. Susan did most of the singing while Emmah mouthed the words. She mentioned Karen and Andrea by name as she swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the song. Her soft voice hung in the air. After many thanks from both sides, we went back to the car, grabbed the cameras and returned to find the girls already dressed in their new outfits and Danton playing with his ball and the watercolors. I snapped some quick photos of everyone. Susan would smile, but as soon as I grabbed the camera she would stop and shy away. I managed to get some of her anyway. They’re both adorable.
 

 
We then stopped at Samuel’s for a quick lesson in Kenyan agriculture. Kevin marveled at the size of his avocados, and his corn stalks were at least 9 feet high. The corn itself was the size of my forearm. Samuel’s a great farmer… I’ve never seen crops like his.


We then set off for Kisumu for a kuku (chicken) lunch with Vincent and our friend Fina. We had a great conversation reminiscing about our times with Jim, our families, and what we’ve been doing for the past 5 months. The chicken was delicious, and it made it hard to stay awake during the ride home. Before that, though, and after we dropped Fina off at work, I took Kevin back to the Kibuye Market. It usually less crowded on weekdays, and wanted to show him what it looked like. Thankfully it wasn’t jammed with people… we walked leisurely as I pointed out all the different shops and items for sale. We bought three oranges and a carpenter tried to sell us a stool on the way out. Kevin said he understood how intimidating that place could be if it were packed.
This is two pictures of the market.
 

Back in the car, and we headed home. We passed by the new airport that they continue to build. Already 1 year later than they expected and not even close to being finished. It’s the Kenyan version of the “Big Dig” in Boston. The shoulders of the road were busy with people walking, or working. One of the hardest jobs that I see are the guys pictured here. They make little stones out of big stones. All day long, they take a rock the size of a watermelon and break it into stones the size of strawberries… while sitting on a hot rock under a 90 degree sun. All this for about 200 ksh per day (the equivalent of $2.50). There’s no minimum wage here.  And nothing says, "Third world poverty" like a cell tower in the skyline!
 

We got back to our room and Kevin immediately wanted to hop on facebook to check in on friends. I changed into shorts and sat on the bed patiently waiting for the computer. Once in my hands, I hopped on Skype and managed to talk to Andrea and Karen in Toledo. It was great to see and hear them. After that conversation, I started this blog entry. I’ve fallen asleep 4 times, with the heat coming off the computer waking me. I’ve been trying to upload pictures, and some have gone smoothly, others were problematic, but at least it will give you a taste of what we see.

Tomorrow it’s off to Nakur to see Springs of Hope orphanage and the choir sing in the national competition.

Lala salama (sleep peacefully)

PS Before I forget, for those of you who wish to see our lavish lifestyle, here's a picture of our room, and next to it is the critter for the day... the only other resident at the guest house so far! Kevin caught this guy outside trying to leave without paying his bill... and he had his twin brother with him.


 

24/07/2011 Kisumu and back

I woke up this morning at 4am after 5 hours of sleep.  It took me another hour to fall back sleep, but thankfully I did.  Kevin never moved.  Not until 9:30 when I woke him up... that's 30 minutes shy of 12 hours of sleep for those of you keeping score at home.  Vincent picked us up at 10:15, and off we went.
He was in a different car this time... a silver Mitsubishi. This one's a little bit bigger than yesterday's, and the trunk stays shut. That's a plus.  It would have come in handy yesterday - every time we hit a bump, the trunk would fly open and Job (yes, like the old testament... how'e you like to have that name) would start screaming at him.

I contacted Noel Shinali (she's a college student working on her Masters in Community Health Development) and she met us at Tusky's (a local restaruant that doubles as a walmart).  I took Kevin through the store while we waited for her to arrive.  In the first isle they had generators, excercise equipment security fencing, saws, drills, crackers, milk and refrigerated dog food.  Nice.  The store's about the size of walmart, minus the organizaiton.  I think you get the idea.

We sat at Tusky's for the next several hours talking about Mbaka Oromo Primary School - orphan feeding program, health screenings, dispensary, clinic, supplies.  Kevin listened intently, and made comments where appropriate.  He would ask questions intermittently, too.  I was quite proud of how he handled himself today.  Most of the discussion centered around the welfare of the children at the elementary school, and how best to meet their needs.  We took a lot of notes, and set up appointments for later in the week.  Noel will be our feet on the ground after we return - she'll be responsible for the clinic project.  Job and Samuel will have oversight on construction.  I'll see Samuel tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I'll have more time to spend with him on this trip, while Kevin works with the children.

We broke up the conversation with a trip to the Masai Market.  I can't tell you what we picked out because it would ruin the surprize.  I think we got enough to make everyone happy.  Some pretty cool stuff during this round.  Haglling, like always, was being done at a fevered pitch.

We finished buying things and headed to Kiboko Point for lunch... lunch a 3!  The retaurant was close, and always guarantees good food and nice scenery.  We were seated immediately.  Kevin got terryaki chicken wings, I got pepper chicken with vegetable rice, Noel got tilapia and vegetables, and Vincent got chicken marsala.  A trip to Kiboko Point is not complete without ice cream, so Noel and I obliged and Kevin got a chocolate shake. Delicious.  Noel asked Kevin questionsd gave him things to be aware of as he worked with children.  It was a nice interchange.

We left and dropped Noel off at the market.  This is the Kenyan equivalent of a flea market and a farmer's market combined.  Thousands of people selling their wares and thousands more buying them.  I've been there several times and it's a marvelous experience.  The colors and the smells are worth the trip.  Bright fruits and grains sit in burlap sacks against the contrasting earthtones beneath them.  Women cook chicken or tilapia on grills, others roast corn on the cob or make popcorn.  When we got out of the car, however, I got a bad vibe.  I've never had it her before, so I thougtht I better listen.  We said our goodbyes to Noel and I told Kevin, "Change of plans, get back in the car."  I explained to him the reasoning for it, and he was fine.  I think he fell asleep in the car during the 40 minute ride back to Maseno. 

We unpacked, and Kevin hopped on Facebook while I got the gifts ready for tomorrow's visit to Mbaka Oromo Primary School.  Ann packed special items for her and Karen's friends from the last trip - Susan and Emmmah, and thier little brother Danton.  As I placed the items from the plastic bag into the gift bag, I reallized that Danton's was gone.  The only thing that remained was a Star Wars blanket and a purple ball that bounces 75 feet in the air.

Karen called, and I forgot to tell her about Danton's gifts.  I'll try to find some things to add to the bag later.  Someone must have taken it between Dubai and Nairobi. Back to Karen... she's on her way to Toledo with Ann, LB and Mrs Ingram.  It was so nice of them to come with both of them for this trip.  It's an 8 hour drive, and I'm sure the doctors visits going to be stressfull.  We continue to hope for some answers.  Despite one syncope episode, karen had a great day at the tournament hitting 3 triples (and I don't know what else) and playing great defense.  She got the MVP for both the games they played yesterday.  She rocks.

Kevin's already fallen asleep, on pace to get another 12 hours of sleep.  He zonked after about 6:30, and we're being picked up tomorrow at 7:30. Bevore he closed his eyes, he let out a he let out a heavy sigh and said, "I feel like I'm old."  Nice.  I hope he sleeps with one eye open.  Anyhow, the Mbaka Oromo choir is leaving for Nakuru tomorrow for the state competitions.  Kevin and I will travel to Nakuru on Tuesday to see Springs of Hope Orphanage and hopefully catch the choir performing.
Because I am old, I'm turning in, too.  I do have some pictures to add, but my battery's almost dead, so they'll have to wait until tomorrow.  TTFN

23/07/2011 9:45Eastern Kenya Time

We've made it to Maseno safely, and dry!  While I sit here typing, a heavy rain is falling outside.  It's keeping it cool which is wonderful.  We're both exhausted, and a cool breeze can only help us sleep better.  There apparently were many stories about a drought in Somalia and Kenya.  If there's one in Kenya, it's not in Western Kenya.  As we watched the clouds forming in the distance, he said, "We have had enough rain, we don't need anymore!" 

The flight from Dubai was ok... I asked to get exit rows for our flight to Nairobi - non were available.  When I asked for an upgrade to business class, the dude just laughed and handed me back my passports.  My "Silver" status doesn't afford me the perks I thought it did.  We got on the plane, and went to our seats. 29J and 29K.  We got on before everyone else, and it was discouraging to walk past empty business class and exit row seats before we got to ours.  We thought they'd fill up, but two of them apparently didn't!  A British guy comes up to me and says, "I belive you're in my seat.  I pulled out my stub, and they both said 29J.  Fortunatley I was already in the seat, but better yet, just as I pulled out the ticket, a stewardess says, "Mr Jablonski, Mr. Jablonski, would you mind moving to these seats?"  Business class, baby!  We weren't sitting next to each other, but it was much more comfortable.  The food was great - and had carpaccio with crab for an appetizer, and lamb for dinner.  Don't get me started with the desserts.  I would get up periodically to check on Kevin, and he was asleep every time.  That's a good thing.  We got off the plane and he said, "You know, I think I'm ok with economy, Dad."  That was nice of him.  The problem is, I don't think I am!  Every time a steward or stewardess walked by, all I could think of was Karen smiling on our last trip.  It was a wonderful memory.

We called Ann when we landed in Nairobi, and again from Kisumu while we ate dinner.  She's with Karen at a softball tournament in Saratoga.  I'll have to type faster so I can call them to say goodnight.  I'ts already 10:15pm.

Kevin's sleeping soundly now, and I'm ready to turn in also.  We are exhausted, and the 40 minute ride on Busia Road in absolute darkness didn't help.  We're getting picked up tomorrow at 10 and heading back into Kisumu to meet some friends and talk about the dispensary supplies that are still being itmeized.

Thunder's rolling in now, lighnings a couple seconds ahead of it, but it's still close.  Kevin just rolled over and said, "Thanks for bringing me Dad."  "Thanks for coming with me Kev."  The mosquito nets are fluttering a little, so it looks like we'll have a breeze to keep us and the rain company through the night. Tutaonana

Kenya, July, 2011 - Me and Kev

You know it's going to be a good trip when you have stories to tell before you leave the country.

 JetBlue has a partnership with Emirates, so we were able to check our bags straight through to Nairobi. I know what you're thinking. I'll let you know if they get there.  We get on the plane and find our seats.  The stewardess comes over to us to ask if we're over 18 and know that we're sitting in an exit row.  I say yes grinnning, and Kevin smiles and nods.  As she walks away, I turn to Kevin and say, "You know, she wasn't checking my age..."  He responded, "I'm never shaving again."  He makes me laugh.



This trip was thrown together rather quickly. Andrea, Kevin and I finally committed to the trip last week, and I sent our passports (mine & Kevin's) to NYC to get our travel visas (it's just easier -or so I thought).  Well, I was supposed to recieve our passports in the mail on Monday. Then I was supposed to recieve the passports on Wednesday.  Then I was informed that they'd be overnighting them to us today. Yeah, that doesn't work.  Long story short, they had a courier bring us our passports this morning.  We got off of our JetBlue flight in JFK, walked towards the Emirates departure desk, stepped outside to a non-descript Dodge mini-van, signed for reciept of 1 manilla envelope, tore open said envelope, removed our passports and checked into our flight.  Holy shnikies that was close.  But it all worked out.

So we get to the Emirates desk, and I ask if there are any exit row seats for our 12 hour flight.  He calls the supervisor who's standing 30 feet away.  I see her nod "yes," so I mouth "thank you."  BUT, she doesn't hang up.  She keeps talking on the phone to the agent at the desk.  Then I hear him say, "He was born in 1993."  She smiles and walks over to us. "I saw you (motioning to me) and then I saw him, and you didn't look old enough to have a son that old.  You are over 15 right? (motioning to Kevin)."  Kevin just shook his head as I smiled.  "Did I mention I have a daughter who's 20?" - I was thinking it, but I never vocalized it.  Here's another one I kept to myself - "My wife stole me from  my crib."  I chalked it up to the possibility that the supervisor wasn't wearing her contacts.

We're sitting outside our gate now, Kevin's tied into his iPod.  He's gotten quiet, so I know he's thinking about Andrea, Karen and Katie.  So am I.  I can feel them all with us, though... eith every step we take. 

See you in 12 hours.

02.25.2011 Final thoughts... after the traveling finally ended...

Well, we landed in Keekorok after a much smoother flight.  It didn't matter, though.  Although she waited until we got on the bus to take us to Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Karen still passed out.  It was a longer one, which obviously stresses us out more than the shorter ones.  She lay across the seat, with her head against Casey's hip.  Again, everyone was eager to help, but wait for us to ask for it.
It took a while for her to come to, but once she did, she was fine.
We made it to the airport in short time, and after we got all the bags inside, most of the group went next door for something to eat and drink, Tamye and Kevin stayed behind with the bags, and I went to Unit One to see if Kevin's bag was still there. 
I had a much easier time.  The Duty Officer was much nicer, and 10 minutes after talking to her, I was wheeling Kevin's suitcase to him.  He was excited to see it, but didn't show any interest in opening it.  He's a good kid. We continue to be amazed at how easy it was for him to deal with not having his clothes when he cam eto visit a third world country.  I'm not sure the rest of us would have faired as well.

Everyone came together at 9pm, and we got our tickets, went through immigration, and immediately headed for the Emirates Lounge.  Yikes, the one in Nairobi is different than the one in JFK... and the one in Dubais for that matter... we should have expected that, though. 

Karen set up a Facebook page for Rich while the boys slept on leather lounge chairs.  I tried to do more blogging - still unsuccessfully.  It seemed like forever before we finally boarded the plane.  The inside of the plane was nicer than the lounge was.  It was a quick 8 hours to Dubais, then another 14 back to JFK.  The plane ride lasted forever.  Everyone slept a little, but I wish I would have slept more.

We landed in JFK, and proceeded to the JetBlue counter for our flights home.  We checked our bags in and were all set.  Rich's family wasn't so lucky.  While Andrea waited with Jack (who was feelig nauseous), Rich, Tamye and Casey got worked over by the ticket agent.  They had a reservation, but they didn't have seats.  It took quite some time, but miraculously, seats appeared.  We headed for the terminal, grabbed a quick bite to eat, then went to our gate and waited.

We got on the plane a little later than scheduled, but we were happy to be on our way.  Or so we thought.  No sooner did the plane take off, but it turned around and landed right away.  I was asleep, but Andrea was among the many passengers that smelled something similar to an overheating curling iron.

As we landed, the runway was full of fire euqipment.  It was incredible to see, and somewhat unnerving to experience.  We sat on the plane for far too long before finally being told we could leave.  They said they were bringing another plane for us.  They did.  2 1/2 hours later.  We landed in Rochester at 1:30am, and didn't make it home until 2.  But we're all home, and we're all safe.

Being able to share in this trip with my family was just short of miraculous.  Although we weren't able to share this journey with Jim, he was with us every step of the way.  I'm glad that our friends felt him, too.  Although they didn't get the opportunity to shake his hand, they, too, met him in every child's smile and every adults hug. 

It's not easy to leave all that you know behind and travel to a 3rd world country, yet they all did it.  That may say something about me, but I think it says more about them.  My family and friends are what made this trip that much more special, and I can't thank them enough for being there with me through it all.

This journey continues...

Thursday, 24.02.2011 Last day

We left at 6:15… Father Ed was sleeping soundly, or at least that’s what we hoped. We went to his tent to check on him, but after several unanswered calls, we assumed he was still sleeping. Tamye wasn’t feeling well, so she decided to skip the game drive this morning, too.
 


 

 
 

 
We set out for the hippo pool, which Kevin wouldn’t have missed for the world. The hippo’s his favorite animal, and he was eager to see one up close. He saw a lot more than just one! As we journeyed out, we passed by hyenas and more buffalo. Elephants marched in the distance, and giraffes were picking leaves off of the tall trees. We drop past herds of gazelle and antelope, and finally arrived at the hippo pool.

 

 

As I said, he saw more than one. They were absolutely enormous. There were some baby calves and larger bulls. They didn’t look so big as when they were mostly submerged with just their eyes and ears showing, but on several occasions, they rose high out of the water, and you could see how immense these animals were. Kevin reveled in it. We stood on a fallen tree to get a better look at them. It was perched above what looked like a small beach that the hippos might come to and rest in the shade. Kevin asked Isaac what would happen if he jumped onto the beach. “In less than 2 minutes, you’d have hippos at your feet, and they would not be happy.” Kevin stayed on the log.

Other people joined us, and soon after, one of the individuals jumped onto the shore. Sure enough, next thing we knew, there were 3 hippos about 3’ from the water’s edge. It took a lot less than 2 minutes. Isaac quickly told him to get back up onto the log. He obliged, and after a few minutes, the hippos returned to the deeper water.

After lots of pictures, it was time to head back. As we passed by a small plant, Isaac said, “This is a morning glory.” Jim’s voice echoed in my head. When we would arrive at Mbaka Oromo, Jim’s first order of business would be to go to the 1st graders and sing “Good morning morning glory, chased by the dew. Good morning, morning glory. God morning, good morning to you!”

I silently sat in the jeep for the ride back.


We got back, and cleaned up. The plane from Keekorok wasn’t leaving until 4pm, so we had some time to kill. We gathered in a sitting area away from the restaurant that overlooked the pool area and the courtyard. There was a bar nearby that kept us all from getting thirsty. We sat and told stories about our favorite parts of the trip so far. Isaac joined us, and Andrea and I brought out the gifts we brought for him. He was happy for the fleece and the blanket. We also brought him one of my Building Futures Inc., golf shirts. We added gift, however. Andrea had given Jim a Building Futures embroidered jacket. It was a prized possession of his, and spoke about it often. It was among his things that we retrieved from the embassy. Isaac was the first guide to ever show Jim around Masai Mara. He was 5 years younger then, and a new guide. He had older brothers, Andrew and Daniel, who were much more seasoned, but Jim chose Isaac. He’s been choosing him ever since. Everyone he sent to the mara, he insisted that they use Isaac. Isaac had a special bond with Jim, as did all of us. He believed in Isaac, and Isaac knew it. He’s now very well known on the Mara, and knows all the trails like the back of his hand. Andrea and I decided to give Isaac Jim’s jacket. He stood up and put it on immediately. Tears filled his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Isaac said some words about Jim… how he was like a father to him. How he looked out for him. How we should keep him alive within all of us. The tears continued, despite his best efforts to the contrary.


Just then, something pretty amazing happened. Although we haven’t seen a bee since we’ve been here, a solitary bee joined our party, and landed on the lip of a soda bottle. Ed pointed it out, and I said, “Oh, that’s a honey bee.” Andrea simply said, “Jim.” I can’t tell you what I was feeling at the time… all I could think was “wow!” You see, Jim was also a beekeeper.



I knew he’s been with us through this entire trip, and if the morning glories weren’t enough, that bee was certainly was.

After some more stories about Jim, Isaac informed us that some friends here in Fairport were bringing him to the US for a visit in the summer. We were so excited to hear the news, that we almost came out of our seats.

Now we look forward to July to once again be reminded of our days at Masai Mara.

We left for Keekorok at 2:30, and looked for more animals as we drove. We had additional time at the landing strip to take some pictures with Isaac and Andrew. The plane arrived. We loaded the bags and headed back to Nairobi, waving to Isaac as the plane lifted into the sky.

 

Wednesday, 22.02.2011 Masai Mara

We went out for an early game drive.  They had coffee and tea with small cakes to snack on before venturing out.  We weren't alone in thinking that it's good to get out early.  The restaurant didn't open for breakfast at 6:30, but we were leaving before then.  We drank what we could and departed.

It's cool in the morning, and most of us were in long pants with a jacket.  They didn't last long, because as the sun came up, the jackets came off.  We were returning before breakfast ended at 9:30, but our guide made the most of it.

 

 
 


We ate our fill at breakfast… made to order omelettes, cereals, fruit plates… it was all delicious. We talked earlier about going to a Masai village as opposed to going on a game drive, so Isaac and Daniel picked us up at 10:30 and drove us to a nearby village. The Masai are dressed in bright colors so that they can be seen from far away. It also does something for the livestock they keep, but I missed that part on this tour. Sorry. We watched the men performing a traditional dance done before hinting lion. Scared the crap out of Karen! They jump up and down grunting and leaning forward as they land. They moved closer and closer to Karen who slowly moved behind me. It didn’t help her though, as one of the tribe came closer and closer to her, finally finishing with a loud “hi!” at the end. Kevin, Jack and Casey then joined in, carrying a traditional Masai weapon. We then went inside the village to see the women dance, and Andrea, Tamye, Karen and Katie took part in that. They put beads on them as they continued to sing and dance.
 

  

  

 

  


The village itself is made up of two concentric circles made of long thick branches stacked on top of each other The outside circle protects the village from predators, and the inside circle pens the livestock at night. Their huts themselves are made of dung, and are built by the women. They’re pretty short, too, because my shoulders were level with most of the roofs. We stepped inside to take a look around, but it’s difficult to see in complete darkness, though it was broad daylight outside.


They showed us how they made fire using two sticks and some brush… pretty impressive actually. I think I’d have been impressed if I was ever a boy scout!
  

It was shortly after this that Karen pointed out that the men from the village were rather fond of Katie. I later found out that we could have got 10 cows for her. Isaac was kind enough to point out that her computer skills could bring it up to 13. Although tempting, we moved on into the village to barter with the craftsman that make all kinds of trinkets. Bracelets, necklaces, salad spoons, masks, animal carvings… it was very similar to the masai market we went to in Kisumu. Boy do these guys overcharge! They followed us everywhere collecting everything we showed any interest in, then tried to charge us a price for groups of pieces. This is where, once again, Jim’s spirit took over. You see, I’ve seen Jim work his magic with the people in the market in Kisumu, but have never really been as flamboyant about it as he was. He’d get people laughing, and large groups would surround him as he haggled over pennies. “It’s all part of the fun of it,” he would say to me. I could hear his voice in my head as I did the same.

The masai would write a price on their arm, and I would erase the last digit. They’d look at me as if I was nuts, then the haggling starts. I would say things like, “For that price, you can no longer be rafiki yangu (my friend)!” Crowds gathered, both from our group as well as from within the village. I didn’t realize until we were almost done that we were surrounded by about 30 people. That’s where the height comes in handy. I had an absolute ball, and the look on everyone’s faces reminded me of the look that must have been on my face as I watched Jim in action. It was awesome.


I thought another moment about the 13 cows, but Katie said, “I love the people, I love the area, but the dung huts… not happening.” We left with Katie, not the cows.



We got back to Sarova Mara, had lunch and relaxed before the last game drive of the day at 3:30. After that, we were going to have a bush dinner. They drive us out into the mara and serve us dinner. We didn’t know what we were in for, but I’ll get back to that in a minute.


 
 

 

 
 




The sun had gone down by the time we left for the bush dinner. We pulled up to a roaring fire in the middle of nowhere. You couldn’t see more than 30 feet in any direction with the exception of the tables set for our dinner. Lanterns hung on the poles that supported a hug canope that would keep the rain off. The rain never showed, but the winds certainly did. Thankfully they died down as the night progressed.

We stood around the fire for a bit, and talked to a masai warrior who told us what was happening. He had us say something in masai, but I can’t remember what it was. We later learned that it was, “come out.” After we shouted, about 15 warriors came running out of the darkenss yelling and screaming. They immediately began their “we’re hunting lions” dance. The warrior that scared Karen earlier in the day was there, and he smiled a brilliant white tooth filled grin as he came by her. She was once again hunddled behind me as they ran from the trees. Tamye was on the other side of me doing much the same. No sooner had they arrived, they disappeared into the dark. They were our protection for the evening. They would prevent any animals from wandering into the area where we sat. Thankfully, they succeeded.

The food and drink was delicious, but the conversation was even better. Isaac and Andrew joined us for dinner, which made it even more special. We told stories of our adventures thus far, and mixed in stories about Jim. It was another wonderful evening. I was sorry that Andrea and Kevin couldn’t be there, even though the wind would have made them both very cold. I always feel better when Andrea’s near, so I was excited when we finally headed back to Sarova. Kevin was feelling a little better, but was still not interested in eating. We filled them in on what happened at dinner, and they filled us in on their antics while we were gone. Apparently, the animals around the tent were pretty active, so they were happy to have us home, too.

Our last game drive is tomorrow morning. We decided to start early so that we could clean up before leaving the hotel.


Kevin was feeling worse and worse, and his stomach ache was joined by a migraine, so Andrea decided to stay back with him while we went to the bush dinner. She’s a good mom. Really. I’m a very lucky man.