Close to Comfort

I believe I mentioned a few weeks back that I hoped to be able to walk through town ‘comfortably’. The last few days; I don’t know when it started really – I feel like I’ve arrived in that place of comfort, at least to the degree that is possible in Kakamega. A walk in Kakamega town includes hot sun, dust, noise, chaotic traffic of bikes, motorcycles, matatus, cars, livestock and pedestrians, diesel smoke, potholes, litter, men asking for 20 shillings or please buy me breakfast or where are you going, are you going to Kisumu (asking is far too light of a term), children shouting how are you relentlessly (I’ve seen mothers training their little babies to say how are you mzungu), street children sniffing glue walking too close with their hand out if your lucky, harassing you if your not so lucky.

So, as comfortable as you might expect one can be on a walk with all of the aforementioned, everytime… that’s how comfortable I am. The fear is gone. Not vanished gone, but far enough at bay that I am free to come and go as I please without needing Terry by my side every moment of every day – which is VERY good for our marriage :-) (Don’t worry mom, I’m safe and cautious, not taking any risks).

The Lonely Planet says about Kakamega, “There is no real reason to stay here,” I beg to differ. The authors clearly didn’t stick around long enough to appreciate all that this noisy, busy, dirty town has to offer.