As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." Our "thing" was no exception. Sunday had arrived; the day of departure. We had all packed Saturday night. The Dubbers were staying on in the area for a couple more days although at a different location. We, however, had to leave. So we were up at 4:30 a.m. for a 5:15 departure.
As we were gathering all the luggage together for loading, one couldn't help but think back upon all the fun times that were had by all. Well, maybe not everyone. Pictured at right is Ian and his rather red sunburn*. Despite lathering on the sun screen, the tropical, African sun did a number on his back. Ian enjoyed being outside and in the water be it ocean or pool. Fortunately, there is a naturally occurring chemical that can be applied to areas of the skin where sun screen has failed. Copious amounts of Aloe were applied and Ian didn't miss a beat of the action.
Over the 13 years we have visited Kenya, we have been to the coast 5 times including this trip. However, a "first" occurred on this visit as we were leaving. Alex, the head of the house staff, and the night guard had finished assisting us in the loading of our luggage onto the Land Rover. As we were saying our "good-bye's", Alex asked if we would please join him in forming a circle and holding hands. He then prayed for us and asked God to provide us with a safe journey home. Some how I don't see this happening in our "politically correct" culture back home. I reference the Phil Robertson, "Duck Dynasty" dust-up occurring now in the U.S. news.
As we were traveling along the Malindi/Kilifi road, once again an example of Kenyan road maintenance was experienced. We approached a three-man work crew applying yellow lane markings ... by hand. Two parallel strings were strung a selected distance, each end held by a rock. Two men then at intervals painted yellow lines of fixed length between the two strings. Compare this technique with the use of paint trucks in the U.S. Notice the lack of any protective barriers or warning signs concerning this maintenance project.
As we approached Nairobi, Louise mentioned that she needed to find a choo (pronounced "cho" with a long "o"). This is Swahili for toilet. Jeff then made a "deviation", Kenyan for detour, in order to drive to a Nakumatt store which would have clean restrooms. While we waited in the parking lot, Jeff received a text on his phone warning of a riot occurring in downtown Nairobi. The Uhuru Highway was blocked (our intended route) and stones were being thrown at passing vehicles. Seems a University of Nairobi student was caught cheating on exams. He was arrested and placed in jail. (Cheating is taken seriously in Kenya). Allegedly, while in police custody, the student committed suicide. University students took umbrage at this news and flowed into the streets in a cranky mood Sunday afternoon. The rioting lasted into the evening. As a result, the police shot and killed a student rioter. More disturbances occurred Monday morning with the final result being that the University was closed and all students ordered to return to their homes. In the meantime, we had to take an alternate route around city central which put us on a really nice portion of highway pictured above. Taken out of context, this would look like a section of highway around any American city.
Our route had been altered and the time was getting late. So we decided to go to a restaurant near a mall complex. Pictured at right is the name of the eatery. The Java House has numerous locations throughout the Nairobi area. The ambiance draws many affluent Kenyans, ex-patriots, and Western tourists. The menu would be the envy of many an American restaurant. We make sure we have many opportunities to dine at a Java House location whenever we come to visit family in Kenya.
This is a picture of a Malindi Macciato which one can order at the Java House. This particular example of delicious cuisine was made with decaf coffee and non-fat milk. Having satisfied our hunger with tasty items from the menu, we resumed our trip home arriving safely in Kijabe some 13 hours after our departure. We unloaded the Land Rover and all proceeded to bed. Our vacation to the coast had been successful and safe. While we all enjoyed Malindi and the ocean, being home is best. We praised God for a wonderful 6 days of adventure.
Tomorrow, Saturday, the 21st (which happens to be our 45th Anniversary) we are traveling to see Joyellen's brother, Jason, and his family: wife, Lisa and children, Laura, Andrew, and Aaron. They live about an hour away in Malewa. We will spend 3 days with them, returning Christmas Eve. I shall resume blog postings then as ... there is more to come.
*In all fairness, I took artistic liberty and tweaked the picture a bit to emphasize the sunburn.
No comments:
Post a Comment