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Traveling to Bondo July 19th, 2008 |
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July 19th, 2008
Allie and I got up early this morning and was off a little after 6:00AM to get Silas and Joseph and the agreed meeting place. They were there as scheduled and we proceeded to drive to Kisumu. Things went well with the exception of making a wrong turn and having to turn around to get on the correct road. Exits on and off of some of the roads here are not that clearly identified. The roads were not that bad, relatively speaking, A good portion of the road to Narok is under construction though and many places are still dirt. There was one place where a truck had gotten sideways as there is a bit of mud due to rain in places. Matatu’s were getting stuck and people had to push them a bit to get started so the traffic could clear.. I am glad we have 4 wheel drive on the van as I made it quite easily when my turn came. My beard and long hair is a bit unique here and the road crews are always making friendly gestures to me. Joseph and Silas explained that having a beard and being a large person in their culture makes them think I am someone important. They said for them it is like riding with a chief. It is so different than in the states for sure. We have a good bit of mud on my freshly washed van and a passing bus splattered our windshield pretty good with red mud. Joseph suggested I use the wipers but I told him it would only smear things where we could not see at all. We drove on into Narok and found a filling station to get some fuel. They were sold out of diesel so I had the attendant at least clean the windows so we could proceed. We went a while further and at a much better speed as the road from Narok to Sotik is very good. We made a fuel stop and I noticed they had a car wash there. I paid 150Ksh to have the van washed and they even blasted under the wheel wells. Were had a good break while it was being washed and then got in and went to Kisumu to meet Grace.
We made it into Kisumu just fine and went to the Mega Nakumat. It is shopping mall and huge by Kenyan standards. We got a few things and I called Grace to let her know where we were. She came inside and met us and then waited outside until we were finished with our shopping. Our friends Don and Nancy Richards had given us a list of things to pick up for them so we got their list filled as well. When we got outside we found out that Grace had her brother-in-law with her as well as her baby niece Michelle. I also found out they were planning on riding with us to Bondo. That will be interesting because the van is already quite full. The entire back is filled with our luggage with only two seats filled by Silas and Joseph. Not much room but this is Africa. Grace sat on the ice chest, her brother-in-law squeezed in on a ledge behind the passenger front seat (where Allie was sitting) and the baby rode on Allie’s lap. Oh, did I forget to mention we also fit in their luggage and the things we bought at Nakumat. Needless to say the van was not quite full. On the way to Bondo the chatter was constant as Grace and Silas and Joseph conversed in their mother tongue. We made it to the Grace’s family home with the van bottoming out a few times due to the load we were carrying. I really don’t like it when this happens as it is hard to get things repaired here let alone properly. As we turned into her family’s property we were greeted by a bunch of people dressed in their very best and the women making a loud noise like a high pitched la-la-la-la-la-la….. And then singing, swaying together and dancing. I looked at Allie and said “welcome to the bush!” She smiled and was pleased at the greeting.
The group followed us onto the house where we were seated and greeted by shaking every hand there. The members of the best 12 women group are very hospitable and they wanted to make sure we felt at home. Many of them told us to “Feel free to be at home!! Welcome! Welcome! Karibu!!”. After all the greetings we sat there in the house unattended while things were going on outside. Silas and I went outside to get some fresh air as inside the home was a bit warm (at least for me). When we stepped outside Grace asked “is something wrong?” I told her nothing was wrong but I wanted to step outside to enjoy the cool air. She urged me to go back inside and we did. It is the coldest month of the year here and everyone is bundled up like it is freezing. The temps are probably in the mid to upper 70’s (Fahrenheit) and quite comfortable to me but I suspect they think it is way too cold for the way we are dressed in shorts and all. Too funny. We then ate some dinner and I got the chance to meet Grace’s father (who we are staying with) and we all talked a bit about the situation here.
There are two very important needs in this community. One is illiteracy and the other is water. It is very dry and they have to haul water from a very long distance in dry times (sometimes as far as 7 kilometers away from a muddy pond used by the animals and people to do bathing and washing). They could really use a borehole for the community to have access to clean drinking water. We were fed roasted peanuts at first which was plenty for me to eat but as it turned out it was only the appetiser. They then brought out a whole bunch of food including stewed beef, stewed chicken, fried beef, rice, beans and Ugali. After a while we went to bed and Allie and I shared the room where Grace’s parents slept (they were sleeping in the grain storage room while we were there). They had mosquito nets for which we were grateful. The beds here are a bit short and I had to sleep diagonally on the mattress to stretch out. There were many noises since there was no glass in the frames in the windows. It was secure because of the bars and all, just no glass in the frames. A rooster kept crowing through the night, dogs barking, people talking in the distance and not so distance and the sound of music playing because of a funeral. I also slept a bit light to listen for any issues with the van parked right outside my window. Allie claimed I snored but that fact has yet to be proven. I personally don’t recall snoring at all! She must be mistaken. Maybe she was dreaming or something.
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