Terry here. Cant sleep, but feeling good.
(pics are coming once we find some cheap internet- they are slow to upload)
Since its dark here at 7 and nothing to do out here in the ex pat burbs and city is too dangerous, lots of time to blog. I just read Tanya’s entry and she pretty well covered Day 2. I was so glad to run this morning. I don’t feel like I have arrived somewhere until I have run there. Feet sinking into red mud, jumping giant puddles and potholes. Imagine trail running except the trails are full of people walking, running and riding both ways interspersed with speeding trucks and vans. Trail running is for wussies compared to this.
I am having a bad (?) habit of comparing everything to India. Its way mellower here, but way more expensive. Because of lack of tourists I guess there is no competition so if you say “no” to someone they know you are kind of stuck. I sense it’s a working class town. People are neat, poor and busy -dressed in drab Salvation Army toss outs. Unlike India where everyone poor or not (other than extreme poor) was wearing brightly coloured clothes. Lime was huge. Like India however its amazing seeing these beautiful young people stylishly dressed emerging from the shacks to catch a bus, text messaging as they pick their way through the garbage and goats.
We haven’t seen the extreme poor yet or slums. By design we are acclimating to the scene.
Tanya has impressed me so far. I was afraid I was going to have to be the leader full time, but she has really done her homework and is taking charge and not hesitating to ask for directions. She thinks I’m being shy, but my style of travelling is to wander around looking at stuff in the hopes of getting lost. Between her take charge and my sense of direction we are doing well. Cody is just going with the flow and taking a BIG look around. The smells and crowds and lack of infrastructure are.
So far EVERYONE speaks English. This is annoying cuz I want to try my Swahili.
They are insane for Obama here. T shirts and bumper stickers everywhere. I even saw an Obama movie being shown at a theatre and the newspaper is advertising a special front page section on Obama. Even Obama specials on TV. One person explained that it just gives them all hope for miracles.
We are up at 4am- if I sleep- to catch the plane to Kisumu. It’s on Lake Victoria and according to Lonely Planet we may go to an awesome market or look for hippos. Then a 2 hour drive to Kakamega.
It’s so cool to be here. Actually warm not cool. What a treat to go outside without gloves, to not dress in layers and to wear flip flops all day. I am feeling grateful for it all and for all of you that gave us this great wedding present- and of course my boss Bill who gave me the time off! And Rotary which has given us all these connections and Marco who’staking care of the real estate, and, and...Oh dear what have I started…List of thanks to be continued. I’ll never sleep if I start now;its too long. Under my mosquito net I go.
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