Safari report (2); views, clouds and a cold bath !

Once safely into our rooms, we had a look round the lodge ('we' is old Maseno friend D., his brother A., and 21 year old student L., whom D. sponsored through school.

I was sharing a room with L  We briefly unpacked; she had a nap, I was off out again to explore the lodge and soak up the scenery.  The lodge has been built in the style of Maasai enkang but I did say 'in the style of' !!   Nothing like any Maasai homestead I ever visited !   When I looked at the web-site for Serena Lodge, the rooms looked a little like shipping containers covered in a mud plaster !!

The lodge is built curving around a slight escarpment ....

..... and the rooms are long and narrow, with bathrooms and views down to the plain.


While we waited for someone to tell us what was happening re the vehicle and our driver, I sat near the pool and watched an approaching storm.   The wide horizon meant I could watch the clouds building and getting blacker and bigger and nearer ...

... the rain when it started was TORRENTIAL .... I raced across to shelter in a grass roofed place where they stored the pool-side seats, and I've never seen a storm like it.   I half expected to hear Wagner as part of the sound-track.  The swimming pool churned as the rain sheeted into it, and after I had sheltered for half an hour, I was getting wetter and wetter, and the roof started to leak .... so I made a mad dash for the lodge building .... two or three steps in the storm and I was soaked to the skin with water pouring off me !    Once inside the lodge, I think my wet, dripping form rather startled Americans sipping their cocktails ...

Later, once I had showered and got dry, we had our dinner and the manager came to inform us he had heard from the safari company that they were sending a new vehicle for us to use for the morning drive; having no vehicle, we had missed the first evening game drive, but in actuality, I suspect with the storm, it would have been called off anyway.

Still, there was some interesting wildlife at the lodge ...

Yellow vented bulbul, (Picnonatus barbatus).   Very familiar bird in Nyanza.

Dung beetle - they leave an acrid smell on your hand !

Safari report (1), broken gears, a good Samaritan and arrival in the Mara

We were picked up in a people carrier from the guest house at 7 a.m., and left town towards Ahero (rice paddies) and then turned right onto the road to Kisii (sugar and tea) .... which was excellent ... but soon deteriorated. Passing through Kisii it rained, and a new thing with the piki-piki drivers are umbrellas, which are shaped into an extension at the back over the passengers !

Continued south into Maasai land, with some excellent new tarmac roads, and rough lumpy, bumpy stone and earth roads.   Somewhat short of the park, we broke down !!!!

The driver got out and crawled under the vehicle and tapped various things with a minute spanner; another vehicle going to the lodge stopped, but was full, so couldn't take us.  While the driver was tapping and knocking, I went for a short stroll in the bush to look around and photograph flowers and object d'arts ....

... and the driver eventually emerged, having decided one of the gears in the gear box had broken, and we couldn't move !  He got on the phone to the company in Kisumu (four hours away !), by which time a lovely man who worked at the lodge in a car coming from that direction had stopped to try and help.   He immediately offered to take us and our bags back from whence he had come .... which we later discovered was 50 km !!   A good Samaritan indeed.   How many drivers in UK would pick up stranded people and drive 50 km AND back to where he picked us up ??   Not many, I suspect.

Once at the park gate, we showed our passports and the Samaritan explained what had happened, so we were let in with no tickets, 'pay later' !!  

                                                                           The delightfully named Oloololo gate

Once we had checked in at the Serena Lodge (greeted by staff with cold drinks and wet cloths for our dusty faces) I sat by the pool and enjoyed the views, but had to shift previous occupants off some of the seats ...

My joy is complete ....

We've arrived back from our weekend in the Mara Maasai.  There's too much to write about in one blog installment, so I'll write it up over the next few days, but put up some of my pictures now.    Highlights were elephants which I had longed for several years to see again .... what's the modern expression ?   On my 'bucket list' !!   Then we saw lion resting up next to their zebra kill, and later a pair of lions cuddling up and copulating !   The hippo walking on dry land towards us, and little things like the birds and beetles .... so much ....

Lilian, and a visit to the bank

Another visit to the workshop, this time with David and his brother Andy (David lived & taught English here in the 70's and I've kept in intermittent contact).  David was very impressed with the workshop; it was much bigger than he had imagined.   Paul explained the history of it, and told them my hands were all over the building !   His students are amazed that a Mama Mzee could do such work !!

While at the workshop, we walked through to Nyamasaria market, and found where Lilian has moved to.   She is the lady who cooked for us four years ago, and also makes some money by sewing dresses for ladies. She greeted us so effusively with hugs, and then insisted in buying us all sodas.   Lilian always prays before you take any refreshment, and before you leave.  Little Davis who had a bad bout of malaria when we left last year, is well and thriving.   I'll do some photos next week when I take Lilian some baby clothes for him.

Then tuk-tuk back for lunch and after lunch we three went into town for me to get some money from Barclays.  I queued for nearly an hour, only to be told I could take K Sh 40,000 from the hole in the wall; this proved to be wrong as the machine said 20,000 maximum !   So another trip maybe on Monday ....

We had a cold drink before walking back.   And tomorrow we leave at 7 a.m. for our safari !!

The completed stairwell in the workshop; we could have done with a handrail when working on the building as I nearly fell many times when the stairs were covered with rubble and dropped cement.

~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~

The wind is getting up and its getting dim; the trees are rustling and I think we may get rain.   I do hope so ... I love the hot peppery smell of rain here.  This is the rustling tree outside my room !   One year there was a large lizard living in it  but I haven't seen it this time.  Maybe if I sit quietly on the veranda one afternoon .....

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Later:-

Yesterday was National Toilet Day !!    Siku ya Choo !!     It was to encourage people to use the public toilets rather than just go outside, ESPECIALLY in the towns.  Ten shillings per poo !   (That's about 7 UK pence).  There were graphic ad's on the local TV, and even a government minister was featured in the newspaper demonstrating ...  Thank goodness we have 'high type' at Mill Hill !

To the workshop and then Nyalenda.

A somewhat lazy day; I went to the workshop by tuk-tuk this morning (I'm told a piki-piki is cheaper but a bit more dangerous).   The tuk-tuk man dropped me on the road near the Coptic church and I walked through to the workshop.   What a sight compared to four years ago when I first saw it !   My laptop is getting a bit warm, but I'll later find a 'before' photo and one from today for comparison.

Paul was there and greeted me like a long lost sister; more hugs in front of some bemused new students !  The upstairs which we last saw with just the roof timbers, still open to the sky, is now finished, with a smart ceiling, windows, and the stairs up have a hand-rail, and air bricks to ventilate .   Outside, is an almost completed little brick shed to house the planer, which until now used to fill the workshop with dust and sawdust when used.

Paul called for Milly, who came running over to greet me; she is now 11 and looks very happy.   Emily's children are there; Brighton the same, but his brother Gerald who was such a fat glossy baby, is now about 18 months, walking and very skinny.  Fidel was there; I must take the photos of him as a baby to show him.

Continued later:-

The trees that Wendy, Jonathon and I planted last year are thriving; mine is in the centre with the broad leaves, Wendy's to the left with the feathery leaves, and Jonathon the larger tree to the right.  

The end wall of the workshop has been painted, and this can be seen from the road, so is some good advertising for the workshop training.

And the little building which will house the planer, as mentioned above.   It has yet to be completed, but I'm assured it will be 'soon' !!

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Another tuk-tuk back to the guest house, where I met Father Hans, and we drove to Nyalenda, one of the very poor shanty areas of town.  Hans does a Bible session there on a Wednesday, and the conversation is usually very interesting and amusing, but with some deep thoughts.   We had lunch there; rice and green-gram soup to pour over.  And sweet oranges for pudding !  

I've arrived !

Long journey .... bus from Chepstow to the airport (Heathrow), and then a five hour wait for the plane, but, on the bright side, once on the half empty plane, I played the age card and chatted up one of the hostesses to find me three empty seats in a row, so after a spicy cod supper and watching Mrs Doubtfire, I was able to stretch out and sleep.

At H'row I got chatting to a lady who was going on from Nbi to Watamu, and she seemed very vaguely familiar.   I stupidly (tiredness) only got her first name, but it was obvious from our several hours chatting that we knew many of the same people from 'the old days'.   She has my email, so I hope she gets in touch; again, I forgot to get hers.

Once we landed in Nairobi (in THICK fog) at dawn we continued our chatting as we waited for our onward flights; mine was at 10.30, hers at 3.   I had booked a window seat so that I could take photos of the rift valley as we crossed it, but it was about ten minutes before the fog and clouds lifted, so I didn't see Longonot and Suswa as I had hoped.

Tea growing around Kericho on the west side of the rift valley, and .... 

... rice paddies on the Kano plain with Lake Victoria appearing under the wing of the plane.

Good to be back at Mill Hill House and to meet the fathers and other guests and staff.   I was greeted with hand-shakes and bone crushing hugs from all !   

More tomorrow after I've been to the workshop and town .......

Flying tomorrow ....

D-day is tomorrow at 7 in the evening.   I managed to check-in online and have one of those seats with no room on the first flight, but next to the aisle; however on the second one across the Rift Valley, I've managed to book a window seat with no wing blocking the view.   I've never flown across the Rift Valley before, only done it hundreds of times by car or bus, so am looking forward to seeing the spectacular views.   Lets hope for clear blue skies.

Safari salama !!

Meeting Jennipher

One of the HATW volunteers has been going to Zambia every year almost since the year dot, and he (and by extension his family) have met and got to know Jennipher really well.    She is a Zambian lady who is HIV+ but is taking anti-retro viral drugs every day, and is very well, active, and a wonderful person to have met.

Our volunteer (Chris) managed to get her a visa to visit Britain, and paid for her to return with him after his last trip, so he could show her how airports work, how to deal with her luggage, and most importantly, how to find the correct flight on her return by herself.  

She is amazing; despite being ill herself she has devoted her life to helping others with HIV, and has cared for several children, and started women's self-help groups for other sufferers.   One of Jenniphers groups has some land near a reservoir, but no means of getting the water up to water their vegetable gardens, and food is essential in the treatment of HIV.    Jennipher came to visit our village Bible group, and we donated some money for her work.   She now reports that she has bought a treadle pump for the support group women to use, and now the vegetables can be watered !

 

Two of the Bible group with Jennipher.

 

Jennipher had a wonderful visit and met most of the HATW team in our office; she visited London and Oxford; dabbled her toes in the sea; learned to knit; ate all sorts of strange foods (and gained weight as she was very thin); and was able to visit hospitals and centres for the disabled, and marvelled at the wonderful National Health Service FREE treatment available in UK.   She even had her portrait painted !

 

It was good to meet such a wonderful lady.

 

 

 

 

More about ebola

People who ought to know better have been making what are really quite silly and unintelligent remarks to me about returning to Africa when ebola 'is everywhere'.

Have a look at this map .... see how vast Africa is ?   Is ebola everywhere ??

 

 

It is true that today on the news we hear that there are now several cases in Mali, which is to the north of Guinea, but what actually surprises me is that the ebola virus hasn't spread further.  Doctors are saying that the rate of infection seems to be dropping, i.e. a few months ago, each person with the disease could infect four or more; now the figure is nearer one or two.    So although the death toll is now just over 5,100, the rate of new cases is more significant than the total death toll, as it reflects how fast the virus is spreading.

There is still a very long way indeed to go in order to wipe out ebola, but at last the WHO and aid agencies and even Bob Geldof  (!)  are tackling the task.   Education of people  in the affected countries about the disease is an essential.  Caring for the hundreds of orphans who may have lost parents and yet themselves recovered from the illness, and who are even now ostracised by their neighbours, will be an enormous task when the medics go home.    The cry of 'Ebola boy, go away' must be heart-breaking for a recently bereaved and hungry child.

I'm still here

What a long time since my last posting, but I thought it was high time I resuscitated the blog, as once again, I'm off to Africa in a weeks time !    Such a lot has happened in the African world since the death of Madiba, the main one at the moment being the ebola outbreak in West Africa.

I follow the African news every few days on  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/africa/   which always has news I'm interested in.   And for the last few months, ebola has been the headline news.   I see that an ebola vaccine is being trialed in Mali on health workers .... where it is still possible that there could be cases appearing after a small child who had travelled there from Guinea died from the disease, and caused the many people she was in contact with to be quarantined. 

 

 

One reason the disease has spread so quickly is that in parts of Africa, the customs concerned with dealing with deceased members of the family involves family members (and there can be a lot of them) touching, hugging, kissing the dead person, who may have been bleeding, sweating, vomiting etc.  All and any bodily fluids are highly infectious. Clothing, mattresses, bedding etc.,  from the deceased person are another source of infection, and are kept by family members for re-use instead of being burned.   Apart from person to person spread, it is most likely that this outbreak started by the eating of bush-meat, mainly large bats, which can carry the virus.   So posters such as this are appearing in West Africa. 

 

 

 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

 

Having re-started my blog with a serious subject, I must write some up-dates of news from PALUOC,  what's been happening at HATW, and about a visit from Jennipher from Zambia !





Madiba ......

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

R I P Madiba ......

 

 

18.07.1918  -  5.12.2013

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(I haven't forgotten my blog; its just that I have been so busy since arriving home again, that I haven't got around to writing about our last week or ten days in Kenya, where we had no internet access .... and there's a lot to report.   Soon ....)

The road .......... oh, the ROAD !!!

Day 21       5th November

I have made several passing comments on the back shattering, boob bouncing, bum bruising road we travel each day  in a tuk-tuk !!  

I'm not sure if pictures can convey the full horrors of it, but I'll add a few.   The government of Kenya has a multi-billion contract or arrangement with the Chinese government for road building.   There seems to be a special way to do this here; first you import many Chinese engineers and give them all identical wide brimmed straw hats.  They order the stripping off of the old tarmac, thus revealing the murram underneath.  Then you add water and allow traffic to use the stripped off road for weeks, months .... until it has worn into pits, ridges, corrugations ... and then, only then, do you dig it up, and divert the traffic to the edges which resemble ploughed fields !   

Next, culverts and drains are concreted in here and there (needed as the road from town to Nyamasaria crosses a swamp).   Add structures to eventually support bridges for new roads going who knows where.

Lastly, persuade people that something IS happening by building new stretches of road, complete with several layers of tarmac .... but only a few hundred yards of new road here and there (will they ever actually join up ?)   And this process is going to be repeated for hundreds of miles, as far as the Uganda border.  But in the meantime, some of the fuel lorries supplying Uganda and Rwanda are still using the road .... and the coaches, and buses, and other lorries, and cars, and piki-piki, and tuk-tuks ..... 

I must make an appointment with the osteopath for when I get back to straighten out and put back all the bones shaken out of line travelling this road daily .... 

HATW Prayer Prompt for November, and A.S.B. !!

Day 20      4th November

I have produced the 'Prayer Prompt' for this month here in Kenya.   I have been searching for some inspiration for a few days, when it came from Father Hans book I was re-reading !   Here it is ......

November Prayer Prompt

I'm in Kenya at the moment, working on a HATW building project in Kisumu. Its very hot and humid, and we spend some afternoons lazing around outside our rooms, watching the world go by and doing nothing much at all, (only please don't tell David !)     (The head of HATW)

So I've been re-reading a book written by one of the Mill Hill missionaries here – 'Words of Passage' by Father Hans Burgman, which is a record of his pilgrimage and his return journey, from his native Holland to Compostella, on foot, all the way. Its full of philosophical wisdom, humour and Biblical knowledge.

It suddenly struck me that working for HATW is a sort of pilgrimage. We decide to help on a project in India or Africa, really knowing very little about what to expect. We are taken out of our 'comfort zone' and put into a strange place, in a strange country, among people we don't know, not really knowing what to expect along the way, despite advice given before we leave home.

So this is good stuff !  It forces us to make new relationships with our fellow volunteers, and more importantly, with the people we meet in the new country. We have to cope, we gain new knowledge and insight about ourselves, we are cut down to size and have to reconstruct ourselves to fit into the new country.

And like travelling on a successful religious pilgrimage, we never know how it will end and how we will think on it in the future, but of one thing we can be sure; we won't be the same person that started off on this journey with a phone call to David ….....

Wherever you are, please pray for the success of the Paluoc workshop in Kisumu …. and all the other ongoing HATW projects in Africa and India.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I went with Wendy to try and buy some maps of Nyanza from the Survey of Kenya, which I discovered no longer exists.   They used to produce excellent Ordinance Survey type maps back in the 1960's and 70's, and I wanted some of my favourite areas of Nyanza.

So we went instead to the Land Registry offices.   We hung around for a bit until someone appeared to ask what we wanted, and took us upstairs from office to office, until she found someone who could help, a young lady called Teffy !   She wasn't sure she could help, but took us to another room where we were shown a huge map of Kenya divided into little squares (like the back of an OS map in UK).   I picked out four that might be what I wanted and said I'd like to buy copies.   40 years ago the whole process would have taken perhaps ten minutes ?

Oh dear !   A.S.B. .... or 'Africa Strikes Back' as we say here when things don't turn out as we expect !!    The maps weren't actually for sale ... they had to be ordered from Nairobi, when they would be sent in a .pdf format to my email address !    Teffy said they could be sent to her office via the phone ... and she proceeded to request this.   An hour later, they came .... but no-one had a memory stick with enough space for the .pdf files to be saved on !   I whipped out my camera and removed the card, which I put in the computer there and had the files saved on it (just in case that email never arrived !)

But Teffy managed to get them saved on another memory stick.   Oh no, they couldn't actually print them for me there .... that had to be done in a shop down the road !    So we followed Teffy, and went up some stairs into a room with a huge printer that could print large maps !   And three of the maps printed OK; the fourth had been sent as only HALF a map !    

All this took over three hours ........ and I go back to the Land Registry tomorrow, to see if Nairobi have sent the whole map, and go through the process again !    .......... A.S.B.

Something pretty and calming to the nerves to end with  ....... 

A visit to the Northern Hemisphere and to Pauls Mum

Day 20    3rd November

Paul hired a mini-bus to take us, his wife Lucy, and sons Graham and the twins (who to my shame I still can't differentiate or name) to visit his Mum and family up in Sega, which is north-west of Kisumu in Western Province and near the border with Uganda.

Of course we had to stop at Maseno (where I once lived) for the usual photos .... 

(Photos courtesy of Wendy)

We made a detour to Yala Falls, which look more spectacular on a little video I made, but here they are .... 

.... and then drove on to Sega where we were greeted by Pauls family, and especially his mother ... 

On from there to visit Lucy's mother .... 

Both these ladies are around the same age as Wendy and myself, and both are widows.

Finally back to Kisumu in time for supper !   I have over 100 photos of our day out with Paul, and Wendy has even more, so I'll post some more another day.

The roof, the roof ........

Day 18      2nd November 2013

At last, the roof timbers are in place and we get an idea of what it will be like, though as we leave here Wednesday, I suspect we won't see it with the mabati on (corrugated iron).   

We took the bubble machine to the workshop today, and the kids loved it !    Bubbles everywhere, the children (and their mums) chasing them to pop them !

(Bubble pictures courtesy of Wendy)

We also took along a large bag of childrens clothes, and gave each child who lives around the workshop a  t-shirt, or shorts, or dress, and vest and pants !   It was a bit of a scrum, but Paul was on hand to maintain order !!!   Some of the kids insisted on wearing their new clothes on top of their old !

A special thank you to all our friends who donated the over 50 kg of childrens clothes and ladies bra's we brought out !   Most of the clothes have gone to Pandipieri centre where they will be distributed to the women and new mothers who use the medical facilities there .... the baby clinic, the HIV clinic, etc.   The rest of the larger clothes and knitted jumpers we are taking on to Maua when we go there next week.