Blogs from Western Province, Kenya, Africa - page 2

Here I am in Lyn struggling to get ready for my great adventure. I shall fly on the 21st with Ethiopian airways to Nairobi and hope to arrive just after noon on the 22nd. First stop is Addis Ababa (12 1/2 hours)!! Three hours on the ground and then two more to Nairobi. Ben insists that he is coming to meet me because he is afraid the taxi driver will mug me. After a night in a hotel we will have a ten hour bus ride to Bumala. What to take and how to get it there? I can have two 50lb. Cases on the plane but Megabus will only take one. There are so many wonderful clothes that the good folk of St. Paul's are giving me, and there are the gifts I certainly want ... read more

Today was a good day to be in Kenya; we went out to Anton’s forest sanctuary. This paradise is located about a 15-minute drive away, just right on the edge of Kakamega rainforest. The Kakamega rainforest is a Protected rainforest forest; so admittance into the forest is prohibited unless you pay for an entry card. Anton’s land borders the forest boundary line. This plot has been transformed from an industrial sugar cane field, into a thriving ecosystem full of life that was originally removed for cash crop farming. In Kenya the farmers cash in on Sugar cane, because it grows well and pays even better. This is not a sustainable process for the locals because they dedicate most of their usable farmland to grow sugar, but you cant feed your Children sugar cane all year. I ... read more

We've had an evenful trip and are on our return now. We spent three days in Kitale/Liavo teaching at the school and spending time with the orphans at the Children's Home. Florence took good care of us. Gary and Timothy have spent endless hours on the phone trying to resolve the shipping issues of the containers. The broker is attempting every delaying tactic most likely for a bribe. Gary fired him and now is working with a woman who is at least attempting to resolve issues. Besides the school building we had so many books and supplies to distribute to various places in the ministry. So we are disappointed with that setback. We enjoyed the drive to Kisumu. The city is in a lush valley on the shore of Lake Victoria. From there it is only ... read more

Throughout this blog I have lazily used ‘Ugandan’ to refer to everything and everyone. I do it because it is easier but it ignores the rich diversity of cultures and customs across the country. Of the many tribes in Uganda (I have never got the same answer as to how many) I could only really claim to know the culture and customs of one of these moderately well. I started my stay in Buganda with a Baganda family and was quickly rechristened David Katumba Cousins of the Nkima (monkey) clan. There are around 75 clans amongst the Baganda, mostly named after things in nature and a sexual interclan relationship would be viewed in much the same way incest would be in England. The clans can be traced back to the beginnings of the Baganda kingdom and ... read more

Seit dem Mount Elgon National Park bin ich mit Apollo unterwegs. Er war schon im 2008 mein Tourguide als ich um den Mount Kenya herumgereist bin. Da ich jetzt mit einem privaten Safaribus unterwegs bin, bin ich flexibler und nicht mehr auf öffentliche Verkehrsmittel angewiesen. Es geht jetzt Richtung Nyanza County (Name der Region). Die Temparatur wird merklich wärmer, da wir von fast 2000 m.ü.M. auf 1500 m.ü.M. runtergehen. Die Landschaft ist wie immer traumhaft schön. Hier findet auch ein kleiner Wechsel statt: vorher wurde hauptsächlich Mais angepflanzt, jetzt gehts in die Region des Zuckerrohrs. Auch wenn es "nur" eine Fahrt zwischen zwei Orten ist, geniesse ich die Landschaft in vollen Zügen.... read more