Amanda and i have begun our journey back to western Kenya! we've had an amazing go of it here on the coast, and i must say that the beaches along the Indian ocean are the most beautiful I've seen!
since we've got about 8 more hours to kill before our bus to Nairobi, I'll go ahead and blog about the first portion of our trip! I'll have to add photos when we get back home.
the whole TI crew headed to Nakuru on Dec. 1st. We made it just fine and found our hotel quite quickly...Crater View Hotel...sounds classy, I know! I never saw the crater. We found it in a travel book, checked out the rooms when we arrived, and all agreed that for $3 a night it was do-able! (Let's just say that our standard for what is do-able has changed drastically over the last few months.) We had no water, but did have pillows and blankets and a lock on the door. All you really need as far as I'm concerned! Jared was anxious to find a TV to watch the Arsenal soccer game, so we all set out on a journey. I bought a fleece sweater on the way as I left long sleeves at home accidentally. for 100/= it was a good deal! (about $1.25) We asked a few people about places with TV's and finally settled on a really fun sports bar type place with amazing food! Pizza, mac and cheese, and fish...yumm! We had a great time, headed back to the hotel, played cards and hit the sack. Daniel was able to set us (Amanda, Faith and me) up with a great deal on a safari! We paid a total of about $40 and go our own van with pop up roof! Our guide was a ton of fun and found some great animals for us! We pulled up at the gate of the park and already saw about 40 monkeys! From there we entered and here's a list of what we saw (pics to come later): zebra, African buffalo, water buck, impala, flamingo, hyena, egret, ibis, marabou stork, wart hog, giraffe, Thompson's gazelle, grand gazelle, tony eagle, white rhino, bik bik, baboon, pelican, talapia (yep, we saw it jump in the water) and finally a guinea fowl. It was incredible!!!! But it had to come to an end. As we waited at the main gate for our ride back to town, we saw a few cute little monkeys. We had a little bread so we threw them a few pieces. Soon after one of them stole the bread back out of Amanda's sack....she'd set it down in order to dig out the camera. Seconds later we got a warning not to feed the monkeys. We complied, thinking...what's the harm. Then two of the small monkeys around us run away. We weren't sure what was going on. About a minute later the three of us are standing close together and out of the corner of my eye I see a large baboon running full speed in our direction. I stop and think "wow, this isn't good AT ALL!" So I yell "baboon!!!!!" and the girls turn around...we all start screaming and the baboon is circling us. Finally it rips a plastic bag from Faith's hand, sees that it is only water bottles, and runs away. In short, we were attacked by a baboon. Way scary, but a great show for all the locals that were standing around laughing at us. We asked if they would every bite humans and the response was "they wont' bite you, but they will scratch you until they get what they want" ...gee, great hope in that!
Me, Meredith, Jared, Faith, Amanda and Daniel at Taidy's for dinner and the game!
The rooms in Nakuru...so nice! ;-)
Monkey and baby
First cool bird of many...Jamie, I'm counting on you for the names!
bird
Flamingo...thousands of them!
Stork
Grand Gazelle
Those cliche African trees
Tony Eagle
Me overlooking Lake Nakuru National Park
Female Water Buck
African Buffalo
Impala
Zebra
Pelicans
Wart Hog
Mean, mean Baboon!
Rhino with 3 month old baby
Did you know the Rhino can run up to 55 mph?
Thompson's Gazelle
Giraffe
We headed out and on to Nairobi. Faith, Jared and I were squished into the back of the shuttle van. Probably one of the worst squishings I've had in Kenya...and such a terrible road. Either way, we made it! Only a few bumps and bruises! Daniel's brother Luke is in the country for a few weeks and he and girlfriend, Ruth, met us at the hotel and got us settled in. Another adventure was soon to follow!
The sky over the Rift Valley
Carnivore is an elite restaurant for eating wild game. We decided to partake! While nothing was too exotic (as that would be illegal) we did get our share of meat at this Brazilian steak house formatted dining facility. Here's a little list of what we ate: lamb, chicken, turkey (bigger than me and Faith's heads put together) beef, crocodile and ostrich. The ostrich meat balls were buy far my favorite! We even got yummy dessert! It was a blast and all of us were sooo full by the end! Definitely a must try for those world travelers out there!
Look at that meat!
The group! Me, Amanda, Faith, Meredith and Jared: the token male!
Daniel with his fanny pack. Just a little question for Larry and Danel: Is this what you envisioned your son growing up to be? Has home school done this to him? At least he's secure!
Luke and Daniel...matching...surprised?
We headed back to the hotel and I had the second worst night's sleep that I've had in Kenya...and this in a hotel that actually has water and towels. The morning was great though...we went to Nairobi Java House for breakfast and coffee! They have a yummy, fairly western, menu and the best coffee drinks in the country! My vanilla latte was to die for! Could be because I haven't had one in months...but I think it is just that good!
A little shift in pace...
Afterwards we headed a little ways out of town to meet with some friends who would take us to the third largest Nairobi slum, Soweto, with over 200,000 people inhabiting it. This was one of the most humbling experiences I've had in Kenya thus far. As we walked up there were children all around. Their little bellies were hanging out of their clothes and their eyes were sad. There is a stench there that is not matched anywhere else. The river we crossed over to arrive there had been lined with trash and the water was gray. We were told that the last three people who had drank the water had died within hours of it. Every few minutes we saw men with large barrels on make-shift dollies running down the street. It wasn't until later that we learned those barrels were filled with feces to be dumped into the river. If these things are not evidence enough of the condition of the world we live in I don't know what is. There are children as young as two staying at home all day alone as their older siblings are in a free school and their widowed or abandoned mother is out from dawn to dusk finding work to provide a couple bites of rice for dinner. Like I said, their eyes are sad. The children jump and yell at the excitement of us being there, but as soon as we loose their gaze their heads drop and the smiles are wiped away. Seeing us is a sign of hope, a sign that there may be change in the future. But this hope doesn't last...these children know that many others have walked through these streets before and nothing has changed. Their hope is fleeting and momentary. We heard of a lady with a sick child. We went into their home and prayed for healing. We were able to leave a little money with them, but how many more were there that we didn't hear of. How many more were suffering in the shadows?
There's an amazing lady named Mary who has begun the only free school in the Soweto slum. She had 103 students last term. A cell phone company here heard of what she was doing and built a cafeteria ( a long room with a ceiling) and a kitchen (not like your kitchen at home...but very functional in this area)...but there is no one to provide the food. If the children here eat at all it is only two or three bites of rice, a small cup of liquid that a few fish bones were boiled in, or nothing. Another problem in this area are widows and women who have been abandoned by the fathers of their children. Across from one building is another with many rooms. Some are used as classrooms and others are now used to house desperate women and children. This gives them a place other than the streets and a roof over their heads.
The situation is desperate.
TI is planning to begin working in this area. We plan to begin a feeding program at the school so that all of the students get at least one good meal a day. We plan to design a program that will assist these desperate women in getting on their feet. We plan to do a work that others are not willing to do.
My time in the slum that day was life changing. I walked away with a heaviness in my heart and a mission on the mind. Please pray for these who so desperately need to see a way out, a way that is hopeful and redeeming.
The school Cafeteria on the left
The hallway of the 10 room school
the baby of a widow who lives in the school
me with Kate (right) and her little sister
some of the sweet kids that followed us all day
the trash pile on the other side of the river, within feet of people's homes
a typical home in Soweto
We headed back to town and went our separate ways. Amanda and I stayed with my friends Lindsey and Ryan and took a bus to Mombasa the next day. I'll blog the rest of the journey when I return to Kitale. As for now we've got an 8 hour bus ride to Nairobi and another 8 hour ride tomorrow to get home.
Please pray for safe travel, hearts dependant on Jesus and a clear vision for my last week in Kenya.
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1 comments:
Selfishly we cannot wait until you get home to Texas but I know you work there is life changing. We are SO proud of you Kate! We love you!! We already have your stocking hung!
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