Week 14

It appears Kenya’s “long rains season” has begun – and it is much needed. It has been very dry but on each of the last few days we have had periods of heavy rain. Because of the drought, cows have not had their expected good food source and there is a shortage of milk all across Kenya. We have not found milk for a couple of weeks. One store put up a sign asking us not to take more than two (500 ml) packages of milk. Behind the sign were empty shelves.

This Sunday at the AIC morning service(s) they had a mass wedding. The theme of recent messages has been involvement of God in our lives and families. They encouraged couples that had been living together to get married at one of today’s services. Twelve couples got married during the service we attend. All couples said their vows together but took turns signing the register, so it took some time. They first song played on the video monitor during this time was Just As I Am – not a song we have ever associated with weddings.

We have seen many bicyclists and motorcyclists transporting high loads “to market”. Sometimes they are pushing the bike and can barely balance it. Yesterday Grace saw a motorcyclist with about 20 – 25 squawking chickens hanging from the back of his bike. Not many cyclists carry live product. Most are like the example below.

Road construction in town is much less mechanized that in Canada. The road in front of our place was being constructed when we got here. Large rocks, with a texture somewhat like shale or coal, are delivered. Then, people with sledgehammers break them into sizes suitable for the base. People with smaller hammers break them into smaller pieces for other purposes to eventually providing fairly fine shale like material for infill. Before they spread oil, they bring out the street sweepers – people (generally women) with brooms. Finally, they asphalt the road. Then they finish the ditches as in the pictures below. The ditches are dug by hand and pre-poured forms are laid in place. Lastly, concrete is hand-mixed and trowelled in the gaps to form a finished project. All in all, very labour intensive.

We have recovered from the excitement of last week (see Week 13 for our incredible experience). Since some of our travelling companions have left and more are leaving later this week, we will have three quiet weekends (and weeks) in Eldoret before spending a week at the Indian Ocean near Mombasa and hopefully a short safari from there to Nairobi in the middle of May. This is not the peak tourist season for Kenya, but check one scene from our Masai Mara safari below. There are about 25 safaris just looking in the direction of this picture. Drivers were in constant communication and if one of the more reclusive animals was sighted, safari vans in the area quickly gathered. I have also included some the other wonderful animals I managed to take pictures of last weekend.