Please be patient if this posting gets interrupted for a hr, day or what ever as we can have internet, power drops, just plain computer crashes or writer frustration!!!1
Ok, so the 4 of us Angus, Jessica, Katy and Tom made it to Kanyawegi after a 9 hr bus ride from Nairobi. We thought the tiring time were behind us after climbing Mt. Killimanjaro but brother Kenya wanted to show us what he could do to wear us out. We should have known what we were in for when the Professor who we stayed with in Nairobi told us he doesn't come to visit his mother who lives in this area because the roads were rough and the ride is long!! When a Kenyan tells u that then that should be a warning. The road lived up to it's reputation as we felt like we were in a stagecoach in the wild west (of Kenya). We got bounced and tossed around for a few hours. The roads were also quite dusty as there were big trucks also hauling goods. It would have been a lot better if drivers slowed down but that's not in their volcabulary. Our poor bags in the storage below were all covered with dust. My nose was so plugged I could hardly breathe. Oh well we made it and now only have to do it when we return to Nairobi now! It ranked up there with the 18 hrs bus trip from hell we took from Bangkok to Seim Reap Cambodia last March, luckily it was shorter.
We were met in Kisumu by John's brother (John is the Kenyan who is taking his Phd in Vancouver who set us up to come to his village) and rode in a smaill bus the 40 mins to his village. The name Kanyawegi is a sub location comprising many villages so it's confusing. I've been here almost3 days and I've been lost 2 times. Yesterday the 4 of us went for a walk to the shore of Lake Victoria. Well I stopped to talked to some villagers and see their mud & cow dung hut with grass roofs. The huts are amazingly cool in side and have 2 rooms. A room for eating and cooking and generally living in. Then there's a wall which separates the bedroom. I didn't go and check out the bedroom because the lady had babies in there and didn't speak English. I didn't want to upset her by walking in there and checking it out by taking pictures. I can be sensitive to others sometimes plus who knows if her big brusinng husband may have been in there too. Well after checking out a few people and huts I got lost from the other guys. The whole area is just a bunch of trails between sort of bushes and land. It all looks the same so a person can get lost easily. Well like Stanley and Livingston I pushed on through the bushes os Western Kenya searching for the shores of Lake Victoria. After searching for weeks (would u believe 1 hr) I stumbled upon a real road (actually rings most of Kanyawegi). I thought civilization couldn't be far so I pushed on to the shores of Lake Victoria. I came up what I was told is a beach park and thought "wow I'm saved if there is a beach park". Actually the name beach park was given to an area where a bunch of locals gather to sell a few goods. There were also a bunch of fisherman preparing their nets and selling taplappea (sp). The people are all so friendly and waved but I wondered what they were saying to me? Probably something like 'Can't we just hang out without a bunch of foreigners intruding'. Well I stayed long enough to take a couple pics and started my journey back to my estate in the woods. I call it an estate because we were given the use of a beautiful home by village standards. The owners are a principal and his teacher wife who teach and live in Kisumu. We each have our own rooms with our own mosiquito nets. Those are important to keep mosiquitos and bats off u at night. I had to chase a bat out of room the first night before crashing. Someone mentioned bats may have rabies and I thought christ I didn't get those shots (got every other one though) as it would have cost me $600 for 3 shots.. We have our own cook Milldred and helper/security guy Bernard, plus cleaner Parmella. We'd rather do with out all that help but the owner wants them there so we have no choice. Can't believe the security they use there. They look 3 barred doors in the front and 3 in the back before we go to sleep. We do have to use the outhouse so the locked doors could be a nuisance. sure hope I don't get a case of dieherra during the night or I could be in trouble. It's not like there are Zulu warriors or wide animals on the prowl. The most dangerous thing I've seen is the neighbor's dog and rooster. Hell I've checked my appearance in a mirror and it would scare off any thing! We asked them why so many doors as we have to go to the out house at night. I guess the owner wants it so who are we to say anything.
It gets dark here by 6:30 until about 6:30 am so we have been going to bed about 8 pm (boy that's the earliest I've been to bed since I was a kid-this from a guy who normally goes to bed at 1 PM). I've been getting up with the birds and chickens. This morning I decided to go for a run to John's sister's house (has electricity) to charge my camera, phone and mp3 player. Well his house is about 2 miles away I'd say as we walked there yesterday. Well I must have took the wrong turn as I got lost and couldn't find the house. I asked someone for directions to John's house but of course they didn't know what I was talking about. So I walked across this field and got more lost. I made it to a road and walked to the highway and flagged down a taxi truck to take me back. I left the house at 7 am and got back at 10 am and never did find the fouse to charge my stuff. Then today we came into Kisumu to check out some stuff (maybe buy a bike to get around), use the internet and whatever. Tomorrow we have ameeting wtih the KASOW (Kanyawegi Support for Orphans and Widows) committee on the priorities we and they want to get done while we're here. So I'll try to explain what our objectives and goals are in my next blog - whenever. I hope to add a few pics the next time so please be patient as the internet is slow - this has taken me some time. I don't expect or want everyone who reads this to call me as I have a pay as you go phone but I bought my cell phone and changed the sim card to a Kenyan card. My number from back home is supposed to be +254 735003016 (254 is Kenya and the + is keyed by holding done the 0 key. I may get John to call me to confirm this number as my sister Kanae tried it and couldn't get through. Once I confirm it I'll put it in my blog.
See you soon!
Ok, so the 4 of us Angus, Jessica, Katy and Tom made it to Kanyawegi after a 9 hr bus ride from Nairobi. We thought the tiring time were behind us after climbing Mt. Killimanjaro but brother Kenya wanted to show us what he could do to wear us out. We should have known what we were in for when the Professor who we stayed with in Nairobi told us he doesn't come to visit his mother who lives in this area because the roads were rough and the ride is long!! When a Kenyan tells u that then that should be a warning. The road lived up to it's reputation as we felt like we were in a stagecoach in the wild west (of Kenya). We got bounced and tossed around for a few hours. The roads were also quite dusty as there were big trucks also hauling goods. It would have been a lot better if drivers slowed down but that's not in their volcabulary. Our poor bags in the storage below were all covered with dust. My nose was so plugged I could hardly breathe. Oh well we made it and now only have to do it when we return to Nairobi now! It ranked up there with the 18 hrs bus trip from hell we took from Bangkok to Seim Reap Cambodia last March, luckily it was shorter.
We were met in Kisumu by John's brother (John is the Kenyan who is taking his Phd in Vancouver who set us up to come to his village) and rode in a smaill bus the 40 mins to his village. The name Kanyawegi is a sub location comprising many villages so it's confusing. I've been here almost3 days and I've been lost 2 times. Yesterday the 4 of us went for a walk to the shore of Lake Victoria. Well I stopped to talked to some villagers and see their mud & cow dung hut with grass roofs. The huts are amazingly cool in side and have 2 rooms. A room for eating and cooking and generally living in. Then there's a wall which separates the bedroom. I didn't go and check out the bedroom because the lady had babies in there and didn't speak English. I didn't want to upset her by walking in there and checking it out by taking pictures. I can be sensitive to others sometimes plus who knows if her big brusinng husband may have been in there too. Well after checking out a few people and huts I got lost from the other guys. The whole area is just a bunch of trails between sort of bushes and land. It all looks the same so a person can get lost easily. Well like Stanley and Livingston I pushed on through the bushes os Western Kenya searching for the shores of Lake Victoria. After searching for weeks (would u believe 1 hr) I stumbled upon a real road (actually rings most of Kanyawegi). I thought civilization couldn't be far so I pushed on to the shores of Lake Victoria. I came up what I was told is a beach park and thought "wow I'm saved if there is a beach park". Actually the name beach park was given to an area where a bunch of locals gather to sell a few goods. There were also a bunch of fisherman preparing their nets and selling taplappea (sp). The people are all so friendly and waved but I wondered what they were saying to me? Probably something like 'Can't we just hang out without a bunch of foreigners intruding'. Well I stayed long enough to take a couple pics and started my journey back to my estate in the woods. I call it an estate because we were given the use of a beautiful home by village standards. The owners are a principal and his teacher wife who teach and live in Kisumu. We each have our own rooms with our own mosiquito nets. Those are important to keep mosiquitos and bats off u at night. I had to chase a bat out of room the first night before crashing. Someone mentioned bats may have rabies and I thought christ I didn't get those shots (got every other one though) as it would have cost me $600 for 3 shots.. We have our own cook Milldred and helper/security guy Bernard, plus cleaner Parmella. We'd rather do with out all that help but the owner wants them there so we have no choice. Can't believe the security they use there. They look 3 barred doors in the front and 3 in the back before we go to sleep. We do have to use the outhouse so the locked doors could be a nuisance. sure hope I don't get a case of dieherra during the night or I could be in trouble. It's not like there are Zulu warriors or wide animals on the prowl. The most dangerous thing I've seen is the neighbor's dog and rooster. Hell I've checked my appearance in a mirror and it would scare off any thing! We asked them why so many doors as we have to go to the out house at night. I guess the owner wants it so who are we to say anything.
It gets dark here by 6:30 until about 6:30 am so we have been going to bed about 8 pm (boy that's the earliest I've been to bed since I was a kid-this from a guy who normally goes to bed at 1 PM). I've been getting up with the birds and chickens. This morning I decided to go for a run to John's sister's house (has electricity) to charge my camera, phone and mp3 player. Well his house is about 2 miles away I'd say as we walked there yesterday. Well I must have took the wrong turn as I got lost and couldn't find the house. I asked someone for directions to John's house but of course they didn't know what I was talking about. So I walked across this field and got more lost. I made it to a road and walked to the highway and flagged down a taxi truck to take me back. I left the house at 7 am and got back at 10 am and never did find the fouse to charge my stuff. Then today we came into Kisumu to check out some stuff (maybe buy a bike to get around), use the internet and whatever. Tomorrow we have ameeting wtih the KASOW (Kanyawegi Support for Orphans and Widows) committee on the priorities we and they want to get done while we're here. So I'll try to explain what our objectives and goals are in my next blog - whenever. I hope to add a few pics the next time so please be patient as the internet is slow - this has taken me some time. I don't expect or want everyone who reads this to call me as I have a pay as you go phone but I bought my cell phone and changed the sim card to a Kenyan card. My number from back home is supposed to be +254 735003016 (254 is Kenya and the + is keyed by holding done the 0 key. I may get John to call me to confirm this number as my sister Kanae tried it and couldn't get through. Once I confirm it I'll put it in my blog.
See you soon!
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