I drove for the first time this week. The trip was not unlike our flight from Nairobi into Kisumu; the ride was bumpy and we may have done a barrel roll or two. I’m sorry ‘rest of the world’ but driving on the right side of the car (left side of the road) makes no sense to me (the metric system neither).
For last night’s outing, I took the backseat in order to video tape our regular drive/walk from our gate to the highway. We were on our way to Red Hat, which is a fine Kenyan BYOB establishment where the owner looks strangely like Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad.
Sorry for the short vids. For some reason, I can only upload 2 min of video at time. (???) The internet connection here is spotty but I’m trying to blog more frequently by accessing it during the early morning hours. In the meantime, this should give you some more insight into where we are located and what life is like here…
The car turbulence was caused by potholes. They slow you down considerably. To make matters worse, there are thousands of them littering every path in the city, making it extremely difficult to avoid bicyclists, pedestrians, large trucks, and the local flora and fauna.
Fun fact - pot holes indicate a severe lack of government involvement and inversely relate to the concern for its people. Despite their annoyance, potholes are picturesque of the statehood of Kenya; a would-be-narrow path to success yet wrecked at its center.
The recent ICC indictments are cause for celebration. However, they tell a much more harrowing tale of a corrupt political system that is rooted in tribalism and plays like a broken record. Uhuru Kenyatta and his cohorts will stand trial for the war crimes they committed yet, the former deputy prime minister and son of Kenya’s “founding father” rejoices over having to resign his post in the Finance Ministry. Now that he’s got so much time on his hands, he can spend his time campaigning for the next election. He is now a viable presidential candidate. So tell me again, why do people hate Obama so much???
I’ll step down from the soapbox before it’s too late…Before I got sidetracked, I was meaning to talk to about our reason for going into town. FOOD.
If you ever come to Kenya, you have to try the Chips Masala. It’s basically a giant heap of french fries covered in a sweet, spicy sauce. Mmmm…so good. That dish alone is definitely worth the 2-day trip across the world. We were hoping to get into Uganda this weekend for a proper burger but alas, work responsibilities take priority this time. Maybe next month.
This past week was difficult but our health is good. Mosquitoes still love me. No malaria yet. We spent a few days without running water and electricity but survived with the help of a few locals and a couple of donkeys. These people work so hard to make sure we have water and power. I’ve never felt so guilty about leaving the light on or for taking a long shower! Hence, I no longer do those things…
Since I’ve had so much time on my hands lately, I’ve been writing a lot and sketching. I’ll try to share some of that with you while I’m here.
I realize that this is late but I have to pay tribute to her somehow. This is one of my favorite live performances of all time and I actually own this on DVD. Watch it if you know what’s good for you. RIP Etta.
Be good to yourselves and to each other. Peace.
jason
