Sept 25, Again - Finally to Camp

     Finally, by mid-afternoon, we arrived at our friend Izzo’s safari camp. We weren’t sure what to expect. The last time I was there, in May of 2018, the camp was only a series of foundations and somewhat random walls. When my kids were there this past January, there hadn’t been a lot of progress.

 This trip, however, we were greeted with a young Kenyan woman carrying a tray of glasses of fresh pineapple juice for everyone. As well as three nearly completed bungalows.

 The configuration is that each building will have three units in it – two larger rooms for families or groups and a smaller upper unit for couples.

 Of course each unit will have its own en suite bathroom, with as much hot water as needed, thanks to the 30,000 gallons of water these tanks hold (more on that on a future post).

 The upper story is the couple’s suite. They have amazing views into the Masa Mara.

 The remaining three bungalows waiting for funds to be finished.

 Our room.

 Plenty of space to spread out and fresh, clean linens. Comfy beds too.

 Our bathroom.

 The current dining room for guests.

 Eventually it will be turned into one of the family units, after the dining hall is finished.

 If you use your imagination you can see this as an amazing dining room, can’t you?

 The current outside dining space when weather permits. 

 Our breakfast one morning. Nothing fancy, but tasted great and filled us up.

 In case you wonder what other safari camps in the area have to offer, I thought I’d share pictures from a few of the others I’ve been to.

 This is Fig Tree Camp, where we stayed the first time, I was in Kenya in 2006. It was very nice, I thought, almost too nice. Like, it didn’t feel like I was in Africa, far from any cities or towns.

 Manyatta Camp where I stayed the last two times I was at the Mara. A little run down and rough around the edges.

 But now, here is really rough. An abandoned camp we walked passed one day. Seems like such a waste.

 Our last afternoon at the Mara, we toured another luxury camp, Explore Nature Masa Lodge. Way too nice.

 All I need is a clean bed and to wake up to this view in the morning.

 Next time, I’ll finally start sharing the stories of the many people we met while out there.

Sept 25 - Another Stop Along the Way

     After my last two posts, where I shared the harrowing trip to the Mara, this post may seem a bit anticlimactic. Yet, it is a more important story than any sort of drama I have going on.

 I believe it was four years ago, that our host Izzo, while driving out to safari one day, passed a tree similar to this one. Under it sat an adult and a group of children. When Izzo was driving back down this road, heading home from safari, he noticed the same group.

 He stopped the van, and he and the group traveling with him got out to see what was going on. This was an improvised classroom. There are no schools close enough for any of the area children to attend, so a caring adult gathered together whoever he could and started teaching them under that tree. 

  Izzo’s heart went out to them, and he started raising funds to build them a school. First it was just a three-walled tin shelter, but it eventually grew into Ripoi School.

  Denise and I had the opportunity to visit it on our way to the Mara.

 Third Grade 

 Second Grade

 First Grade

 Kindergarten 

 Nursery 

 You may notice that each grade has fewer and fewer supplies, until the nursery class has nothing but rocks to sit on. But look at how many children there are in that classroom?

 It’s all about hope. Sharing hope and keeping hope in your heart.

Sept 25 - Drive to the Mara, part 2

     Shortly after I posted Wednesday’s blog, I rather regretted it. I love sharing all my pictures from my trip to Kenya, but I feel that I am doing a disservice to you as well as to the overall trip by not going more into detail. I just didn’t have time last time.

So here it is, the story in words instead of in pictures. (Ok, just a few pictures.)

As mentioned Wednesday, we left our Kenyan home promptly at seven a.m. to ride out to the Mara. Bonny and Dann picked us up, and Denise, Izzo and I jumped in the safari van with them. There was another woman (or more of a girl) in the van already also; I won’t mention her again, so if you forget she was there, that’s ok.

We stopped once in Kikuyu town for gas and to pick up one young man. Then a few blocks later we picked up another one. These are all people who work for Izzo in one capacity or another at one of his various endeavors. Oh, and there was also a quick stop at the police station in between.

It’s only 18 miles or so to our first real stop, but because of the short stops and because it is mostly city driving up to that point, it took close to an hour. (Well, there was that stop at the police station, but that only took a minute.)

You may be tired of hearing about the Rift Valley, but I will never get tired of it. So, I do have to share another picture of it.

So, at this stop, some of the guys got out for their hot beverages and also to gab with whoever else was there. Mostly other safari vans. All the nervous tourists on their first safari sitting anxiously in the vans waiting for their drivers, as the drivers were all getting their morning drinks and bull-shit sessions. Sometimes I get it, and sometimes I don’t. But most of the time, you just have to experience it or you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about.

Once we got back on the road, it was about a two-hour, 70-mile drive to our next stop. Narok. Last potty break for the day and last chance to buy anything at a good-size store. That store would be Tusky’s, a small version of a Wal-mart. I bought snacks and Denise bought a book to read and if I remember right, a charger.

Here’s something crazy I just noticed. The receipt from Tusky’s reads “Tusker Mattresses Ltd”. What exactly does that mean, do you suppose. I could just scan you a copy of the receipt, but I’ll just tell you instead that I bought a juice, a bag of mints, bag of chips and package of cookies for three dollars.

Back on the road, we drove a few more blocks, when Dann had to jump out to get something. No idea what that was. Or maybe I just don’t remember….

Once again back on the road, and I’m not going to be able to tell you much about time or distance. Google maps doesn’t show me the route we always take. Oh, probably because Google thinks we drive on actual roads. The route Google has from Narok to the town of Ololaimutiek is 62 miles. That kind of blows my mind. Google also says it should take two hours and 22 minutes. Hmm? Don’t I wish.

After around two and a half hours, we made a short stop at Ripoi school. I want to tell you all about that, but that will have to wait until next time.

As we were leaving the school, we could see the rain clouds gathering in the west. Only a few minutes later, it started raining, and 15 minutes later we got stuck for the first time. We barely got unstuck, when the van got stuck again.

Dann, Bonny and the other two boys jumped out and admirably pushed and rocked the van for a long time, as herds of cattle, sheep and goats were herded passed us. Denise and I had no idea how we could possibly ever get out of the mire. As the rain continued to fall.

Finally, they decided someone had to walk for help, so Dann and Bonny started down the road. Izzo thought it would be about a ten-minute walk to the next point of civilization. It may have only been twenty minutes or so before they came back with someone in this safari van.

Denise and I looked at each, as the new van spun its wheels turning around next to us. We thought, there is no way he can pull us out.

Somehow or other, maybe another ten minutes later, we were moving. Granted, we were slipping and sliding, but we were moving.

     Just as a side note, in discussing the weather with Izzo, he mentioned the Katabatic rains. On Google, they are actually winds, which are a drainage wind, that carries high-density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Which makes very little sense to me.

Sept 25 - the drive to the Mara

     Finally, at seven o’clock, Wednesday morning, Denise and I jumped in the van to head out to the Mara. Our goal for the whole trip was to meet with the Maasai women who live next to the Masa Mara Game Preserve, to see what their needs are and find ways to improve their lives.

 The drive into the Rift Valley never gets old.

 Dann and Bonny, two of our companions for the trip.

 Took too many pictures out the window.

 I’ve been riding through Narok for thirteen years and it really never changes much.

 Just gets more congested.

 Random, yet fascinating sites along the way.

 Such as this river bed.

 And the washed-out bridge.

 All was well until it started to rain and we got to this spot.

 Then we ended up here for over an hour.

 The various herds of livestock walking by didn’t help much.

 Even Dann the Maasai couldn’t get the cattle to get out of the road. 

 We were shocked that this guy was able to pull us out. 

 But we were finally on our way to the safari camp. . . Stay tuned.

Sept 24 - St Dorcas and Toothbrushes

     Today we delivered Denise’s toothbrushes to St Dorcas School and Orphanage.

 We were instructed to walk over to the volunteer house (which I may have already mentioned is about a ten-minute walk). We got there plenty early enough, just as the guy who was taking us there was leaving with someone else. He said he’d be back in just a few minutes, but we knew better.

 A few of the other volunteers came through the house as we waited, and we got to visit with them a little bit. Plus, there was also mandazi left over from breakfast. We waited until we were asked to try some before I plowed into a couple of them.

 Then we waited and waited some more. I think it was over an hour. But it’s Kenya. No worries. We did ask the house mom to call him, and she came back to say his phone was turned off.

 Finally, our escort returned, full of apologies and saying that his phone battery had died. And here I need to apologize because I do know his name but have no idea how to spell it. I can’t even venture a guess. He’d been taking us around for five days already; someone had spelled it for us the first day, but think I could remember?

 We finally arrived at the school and met up with the three volunteers who were working there. I sometimes feel like a bit of a slacker as most of the volunteers have permanent placements. They are in Kenya between one and six months, so go to the same place every day, just like a regular job, with regular responsibilities. Being as I’ve only ever been there for two weeks at a time, I end up in a different place every day, doing what is needed and sadly, not connecting with the children and adults in any of these places.

 Anyway, but our task for the day was those toothbrushes. Denise’s dentist had once again generously donated a hundred toothbrushes, and we needed to deliver them and be sure the kids knew how to use them and how important it was to use them.

 We went from one classroom to the next, introducing ourselves, handing out the toothbrushes and giving our spiel.

 I wish we had taken more pictures, one in every classroom, but we were loaded down with our gifts.

 And then after we handed them out, the kids were moving so much to show us how to use them, that everything was a blur anyway.

 The classrooms, as well as the school grounds, were pretty typical for Kenya. Dirty, old supplies, shared supplies, but the kids were all happy to see us.

 Can you imagine?

 Here’s my random picture for the day. That’s artificial grass on the dashboard of the matatu we took in the morning. Interesting, huh?

 Sometimes I wish I would have taken more pictures (like the 1,200 I took wasn’t enough), but there was a lot of randomness every day. Every Single Day. Just like I am missing Kenya Every Single Day.