In Memory of John Mumba Mwagandi

John Mumba, father of Sidi, Samuel, Joseph, George, David, Jacob and Elizabeth, died on 6 December 2012 and was buried at his shamba on 12 December 2012. Soon after we arrived in Kenya we were told “on 12 December we will all go to the rural home for a memorial service”. And so it was that Joe picked us up early and, together with Samuel, Ed and John we drove to Mariakani where we stopped (for ages, it seemed, in the hot sun) to buy supplies. We then proceeded to the shamba.

Most of the family were already there, having travelled earlier. Mary (now with her long hair!) was looking after Anton (her first cousin once removed).

The kids wasted no time in exploring Joe’s truck.

There was a lot of activity, segregated on gender and age. The younger men had slaughtered the goat and were butchering it.

Many of the women were sorting rice for pilau

others were peeling vegetables

The kids were mostly just having fun

The older men (wazee) sat under a tree and chatted (in Giriama).

An old radio, powered by a small solar panel, played music.

Jacob had told us it was de rigeur to wear the traditional kikoi and commemorative t-shirts. In fact, we were the only ones with the new polo shirts, though several people had the t-shirt printed last year. There were only a few people sporting kikois too, but it comfortable attire and it’s nice to be somewhere where no-one bats an eyelid when you wear one.

The pilau gets under way – I thought we’d brought a paddle for someone’s canoe, but it was just a huge stirrer.

Some of the family with granny, John’s widow, sadly now getting rather forgetful.

Patrick and Mary – brother and sister together for once!

This man seemed to spend the whole day making a mat.

John takes a nap.

Selina plaits Elizabeth’s hair.

Mama of the spoon.

A lot of mnazi (palm wine) seemed to be consumed in some quarters.

Little Tina got hold of my phone and took some random pictures of her family

Joe with Chris

Samuel

The pilau is served

Oh, that’s me (asking for my phone back!)

As we ate lunch, the grey clouds gathered.

Mass was postponed as we sheltered in the tent (the brolly was necessary because the tent has holes)

The women were in the house, dancing and singing, and came out to chase the rain away.

It worked!

There was a lot of rain in a short time!

We soon gathered for Mass around the tent (in case the rain returned)

Joe preaching

Blessing the water

Around the grave, the cross ready to be installed

Installation

Processing back as the sun gets lower

We then distributed the clothes we’d brought from various friends in the UK, which were greatly appreciated. Jacob and Robert had to act as askaris (security men) so we didn’t get squashed! Some of the recipients put their new acquisitions on straight away.

The face fits the t-shirt!

They didn’t seem to care whether the clothes were gender specific or not!

Tina and Grace

The moon is out- it must be time to go home.

I thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of everyone who had the traditional kikoi on (I thought there were just 5 of us, me, Meld, Jacob, Elizabeth and Gladys) but suddenly loads appeared! (Sorry, I gave Grace a big challenge to take this in the half light)

And then, everyone wanted their picture taken with the kikoi!

So, we headed home in the dark, and eventually arrived safely, tired but happy after a wonderful celebration day. (It was also Kenya’s 50th Birthday, and we saw lots of that on the TV when we got back)

 

A Couple of Quiet Days

We’ve had a couple of quiet days. Tuesday Eunice and a friend came round to discuss a website for Okoa Jahazi, the women’s group we met a few weeks back. We sat under the mango tree and ran through things,using my camera as a scanner, until the geckos on the tree distracted me.

After lunch I went to Shanzu for shopping and met some friends, ended up in Bundus drinking Tusker…

Wednesday we went to Samuel’s to collect Edward. Their eldest sister, Gladys, was there and we found John dressing his nephew, Anton.

We headed into Mtwapa, went to the post office (a first!), then lunch at Al Mansura (lunch for 3  including a soft drink for £3.50). We had planned to go to Kikambala so that Meld could get her hair cut at the salon at North Coast, but Ed mentioned the hairdressing school in Mtwapa so we wandered round there. But they said “we’re a salon we style hair but you need a barber” and sent us to Club Lambada (a night club). Strange as it seemed, they have a combined beauty salon and kinyozi (barber) and we both got a haircut (Meld’s first with clippers rather than scissors). The guy took a lot of care and £10 for 2 seemed cheap to us (and expensive to Ed!)

Ed, who has a fractured hand after an unfortunate encounter with a drunk in Shanzu a couple of days ago, seemed happy to wait and watch!

Haller Park with Barnabas kids

Today we took a group from Barnabas Children’s Center to Haller Park.

First we stopped in Shanzu to pick up supplies for lunch and caught Joyce enjoying her breakfast.

Somehow we got 8 adults and 27 children into the matatu.

The kids sang as we drove the few miles to the park entrance.

After we’d been dropped off.

Queuing to pay the entrance fee

Graffiti on the leaves of succulent plants.

Walking to the park centre.

Water lily

Antelope

Mongoose

Blue-balled monkey

The kids listen attentively to the guide

Single file for the reptile park

Is there a snake in there?

Looking at the dangerous snakes behind glass

Green mambas

Snake hanging in a tree eating a lizard

Tortoise

Nile monitor lizard

More information

I know Miss!

Just chilling

Feeding the giraffes – everyone had a chance (and most took that chance)

Crocodiles

Heron

Looking at the fish – tilapia elsewhere, koi carp in this pool.

Eland wading

The sole zebra

Kingfisher

Looking up at the tree Jomo Kenyatta planted

Giant tortoise

Lunch – roast potatoes

and squash and biscuits

Little boy enjoying the end of the potatoes

Monkey – one of them stole a potato that fell on the floor

Walking out of the park

 

Legion of Mary at Vipingo

Today we attended Mass at Vipingo, north of Kikambala. We went with Joe, and abut 20 members of the Kikambala community who are members of the Legion of Mary. They sang in the back of the pickup as we headed north.

Vipingo was laid out for an open-air celebration.

Processing Our Lady’s statue

Liturgical Dance

New recruits are commissioned

The congregation sheltering from sun or rain (at different times!)

We were fed on pilau after the celebration

Most people had their pilau served in a black plastic bag (and it’s amazing to see locals eat rice with their hands, with no spillage)

A Day in Town

There was no specific blog entry for yesterday because we didn’t do very much! I worked on the CLP website, Meld read her book, and we had several visitors, including Selina who (apart from befriending Black Jack) plaited the fringes of my kikoi and took some of Melds skirts away to reduce them in width.

Also, a local lady came to give me a massage, and I’m very glad not to have photos of that to share with the world, but I did emerge very relaxed (and all for under a fiver).

Today we went into town. First stop was Marikiti (a corruption of Market by the local Giriama speakers) where there are lots of clothes and fabric shops, We bought kikois, shirts, dresses and shoes.

Then down to the ferry at the south end of Mombasa Island, and a walk around Mama Ngina Drive.

Pilot boat returns, having dropped the pilot on an incoming ship.

There were many huge baobab trees at the south end.

Fresh casava crisps (casava is a root vegetable, widely eaten here – also the source of tapioca)

The ship (a car transporter we think) approaches the entrance to the harbour.

The coastline

A container ship leaves port.

Bird on a rail

Parts of the coastline are quite unspoilt, considering you are in town.

The golf course

Walking round the golf course

Smart houses

A lighthouse

Quite a location for the golf course

The coral is in evidence

Unusual road sign (Tuk Tuks are little 3-wheeled taxis)

A park by the council office

Into Old Town

Not a lighthouse, but a mosque

Good tag line “You ring, we bring”

Swahili doorway

Another mosque

Ornate balcony

Then home via the shops, including pyrethrum shampoo to try to rid the puppies of fleas. As the sun set, we bathed the little wrigglers.

So, after a shower, Meld modelled one of her purchaces, a dress for church tomorrow.

Then it was definitely G&T time!

 

Kikambala Building Update

The pups are growing, but they still like to suckle their mum (who is patient – for  while)

 

We took the matatu to Kikambala to see Joe and witness the progress on his new house. They are rendering the internal walls.

Progress is evident

Surveying the works.

The render is drying over the blockwork.

Most of the windows are now in place.

Teddy was drying maize in the sun.

Joe dropped us at North Coast while he went to bank.

Back at the church, rain was coming so Teddy was now rescuing his maize!

The church choir were practising dance routines for their video.

We stopped for shopping on the way back and dropped off some yoghurts for Gloria and Shanique. Shanique loves her yoghurt.

Back home, we went round to David’s for supper. The house was full, not just with his family, these are 2 neices (twins) from Taveta.

Emanuel and his friend Dick.

The house cat – actually friendly (and purring!)

Then we enjoyed a great Pilau before walking home under the stars, straight to bed, to awake to learnt that Nelson Mandela had died and Africa is commemorating his life non-stop on TV.

A Relaxing Day in Shanzu

After our trip, this morning was the time to catch up with washing clothes – Tina and Mary came and did most of it, while I was childminder of Shanique.

Later, David and Eunice came round with baby Tina, and Meld got to hold her.

Then with Jacob and John (brother of Nick, Ed and Tina) we took a matatu to Chalets beach. The monkeys watched us as we walked down the track.

After a long swim, we relaxed with some of Jacobs neighbours from Majaoni.(and a drink!)

Well, the view was relaxing, as the sun set.

A boat sailing by.

Looking north

Up the Creek

After lunch and a little rest, Jacob took me to David’s (about 200m away). It was the first time I’d seen David with his baby daughter.

They have a neat little tent to keep flies and mosquitoes away from the baby.

David took me for a walk down to the creek, where there are many fishponds amongst the mangroves, though some tell you to keep out.

Fishing canoes (dug outs)

A new canoe being made, they are cut from a tree with very low density

A mother and child wait for the boat to return

Here they come – bringing supplies from across the creek rather than fish (fishing is done at night)

Carrying the shopping home – charcoal

and firewood

A baobab by the low evening sun

 

Riding the Lunatic Line

Well, I slept though Meld didn’t! When I awoke, about 05:45, we were coming into Voi station and it was starting to get light. Past Voi we saw the Sagala Hills.

The sun rising

We passed along the edge of Tsavo East National Park

The only animals I saw were these cattle with their Maasai minders

We had to stop frequently to let freight trains pass (using passing loops, it’s mostly single track). This train was carrying Magadi Soda.

Our train rounding one of many curves. Children waving at the train and asking for money was a common sight.

The signal box at Miritini

Another signal box, handing over the token for the next section of track.

Water containers piled up on the outskirts of Mombasa – there’s no running water here, but at least the houses are reasonable.

The track does downhill, and so does the accommodation

And these “dwellings” are on a rubbish dump, just before the causeway onto Mombasa Island

Fishermen on the edge of the island

Coming into Mombasa station – wreckage of old sleepers (we’d seen buckled rails alongside the track at many locations)

We’re here, at last, after 16 hours (only 2 hours late!)

The smoky loco that hauled us here

We stopped at Tuskys for supplies, opposite this temple.

Then a taxi home to Majaoni.

 

Trains for Julian

From Helen”s we took a taxi to the Railway Museum, before catching our train “home” to Mombasa.

The museum documents the history of the “lunatic line” from Mombaasa to Uganda, and the other East African routes.

rack inspection bicycle

One of the huge locomotives 4-8-4-4-8-4 configuration

Meld boarding our train to Mombasa – looks like something out of the museum

A local train

Cattle claass

Meld in her compartment (we ended up with one each!)

And so, a mere 45 minutes late, we left Nairobi. Dinner was served as we passed through the suburbs and out through Athi River, then we retired for the night (there nothing to see in an African night!)

Elephant Babies!

After a leisurely breakfast, we travelled with Helen to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage for baby elephant feeding hour. While we were waiting we saw a Thomson’s gazelle nearby.

The tiny babies came first

Then the bigger ones came for their milk.

Nuzzling Noses

Eating greenery

 

Caption competition? “I can shovel my own….” ??

More milk (actually, SMA baby formula from the UK)

I can do this myself

And I can steal another bottle (but it’s an empty)

Not quite got the drinking with my trunk thing – I’ll stick my mouth in the water like other mammals

Time to go home

Helen and Me

One of the elephant stables – the keeps sleep with them on the bunk

From there we went to the Karen Blixen Coffee House, and looked at the Swedo house, the older house that Karen lived in before the house we visited on Saturday.

Elegant puss

The restaurant (we had lunch in the garden)

Jua kali (literally “hot sun”) workers work along the roaadside, this is a furniture workshop

And here they make sculptures out of metal (I’d like to take that giraffe home, but think if the excess baggage)

Then back to Helen’s for tea, packing and farewells. Asante sana Helen and James

A Surprise at Bomas

After our luxurious night in the Intercontinental, we walked (just next door from the hotel) to the Holy Family Basilica for the “English” Mass. Ironically, the hymns were all in kiswahili!

It had rained heavily during mass, and the sky was heavy with grey clouds.

After Mass we checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to Helen and James’ apartment near Junction. After coffee and lunch we headed to Bomas of Kenya, expecting to visit the traditional homesteads and see the traditional dance displays. However, when we got there we discovered another event going on in the main hall (and didn’t realise the traditional dances were in another hall). We bought tickets to the show, which we were told would include traditional dancing and singing and went in…

The event turned out to be a show by / for a girls school. They were supported by The African Boys Choir who were absolutely amazing.

Some of the girls did aa fashion show.

They also sang as a choir, and did a wonderful display of song and dance, but I was so engrossed I failed to take and photos or video.

Out to Karen

Last view of Chania Falls before we leave Blue Post and Thika.

We drove uneventfully down the Thika Superhighway to Nairobi and reached our posh hotel (The Intercontinental). Having checked in and relaxed a little, we headed out to the Karen suburb of Nairobi to the Karen Blixen House, a museum to the famous Danish author of Out of Africa. (Traffic was awful, but we eventually got there).

You’re not allowed to take photos inside, but the grounds are also interesting. This is a Fordson tractor bought by Blixen in the 1920s.

Coffee beans – she tried to grow coffee here, but without much success.

Trees Karen brought from Durban, South Africa, in 1921.

A little bird on the agapanthus.

In the garden

Back of the house

Another bird in the hedge

Australian Flame Tree

Is it a tree, or is it a cactus?

Front of the house

After lunch we drive to Lang’ata following another strange load.

At teh Giraffe centre there are also wart hogs – with piglets.

Feeding the giraffes

Giraffe kiss?

Kyanzavi

Fourteen Falls on the Athi River

Water hyacinth

Above the falls

Oldonyo Sabuk NP entrance

Jacaranda

Del Monte Pineapples

Panorama

Meru – Embu – Thika

The nyama choma garden where we’d have sat last night had the power stayed on.

The view from the hotel roof.

We then set off on the road down the east side of Mount Kenya. Unlike the Nyeri-Nanyuki-Meru road, which climbs and falls in long sweeps, this road is quite twisty as it crossed the many rivers running off the mountain. Exposed to the monsoon rains, it’s lush and green, jungle meeting shambas.

We stopped at a stall to buy mangoes

One of the many rivers

Coffee growing on the hillside.

Amazing loads are transported on two wheels.

 

Tea growing on another hillside

We were lucky and got several glimpses of Mount Kenya, even seeing the snow near the summit.

At Embu the jungle and hills stopped, and gave way to flatter land where rice seems to be the main crop.

Another wide load

Drying rice in the sun

Selling rice by the roadside

Apart from overshooting the turn, we reached our hotel at Thika easily enough. Blue Post Hotel is famous (it is mentioned in Elspeth Huxley’s Flame Trees of Thika) and sits above Chania Falls.

Another stream tumbles into the Chania Rover.

Our room is towards the left of this block, looking over the grounds with glimpses of Chania Falls (and we can hear the water falling!)

A Hornbill

A gospel choir are here making a video

The Thika Falls, on the Thika River, the rivers merge nearby.

Two sunbirds on a branch (one with its lunch)

An ibis (I think)

Looking up the Thika River

A banana flower

Many stately trees line the riverbanks

A monitor lizard taking the sun on the far bank

It’s quite jungle-like alongside the river.

And so, back to our suite for tea.

 

Round Mount Kenya to Meru

Start of the day at Treetops.

After a leisurely breakfast we were driven back to Outspan, getting a good view of Mount Kenya on the way.

We took tea and coffee on the terrace, waiting to meet the manager ( a friend of Joe’s)

We explored the flowers in the gardens.

Doing yesterday’s blog words

Sadly, the manager could not get away to see us and we had to hit the road. We had an easy and scenic drive through Nanyuki (crossing back into the North) around the west and north of Mount Kenya (lost in clouds). Not far before the road splits to Isiolo and Meru we stopped for lunch, watching a small plane spraying the crops.

Then the clouds descended and enveloped us/

And then on to Meru through pouring rain. We eventually found a hotel that seemed OK and checked in, and crossed the road to the museum. This had interesting information on the Meru people, local geography, and local animals.

Tortoises

Monitor lizard

Snake sleeping in  tree

Mamba

Sykes monkey

A kiimeru hut

The living Mugwe

The historic museum building.

We then walked to Nakumatt -and the heavens opened.

An umbrella – on a motorbike? (A previous motorbike had 5 people and an umbrella!)

Aberdares National Park

Aganpanthus in the Outspan garden at breakfast.

Mount Kenya viewed from the terrace – digitally enhanced, but only to remove the haze (honest!)

Flowers on a huge cactus

An ibis at the KWS offices where we bought our tickets for the park.

A young buffalo

Baboon

Nice yellow flowers

Big buffalo tries to hide

Salty rock – you can just see the marks where the animal scrape it with their teeth.

Monkey!

Heading up – the park is in three levels (tropical forest, bamboo, and moorland)

Out on the moorland

Despite the gloomy weather the vies were good

More flowers

Chania Falls

Something like a teasel

“Fur”  hangs on the trees

The Chania river

A sole hill on the moorlands

The next fall –

Queen’s Cave below the falls

A female reed buck

Amos, our driver, named her “Imelda”

View from lunch

More antelope

Moor views

Bush buck

Monkey

LEOPARD! (I know, it focused on the tree, but I don;t care!)

Buffalo on a hill

Water buck (female)

And male

The whole herd

A sole elephant – like in Araboku Sokoke, we saw lots of evidence but few animals!

A big wart hog

Back at Treetops, a sole male elephant was eating the mineral-rich soil

A pair of hyenas (we saw several more in the night, chewing on a carcass, but the light was too low)

Looking over the water hole at night

And so to bed in the Queen’s bed! A night of luxury 🙂

Hemisphere Hopping to Nyeri

Lucy joined us briefly as we ate breakfast to say farewell, then rushed off to class. We were soon on the road, heading south east, descending into the Rift Valley to Nakuru, crossing into the souhern hemisphere near Mogotio. The highway was reasonably clear and we had a good run. At Nakuru we stopped to buy food for lunch, then headed up the road north east towards Nyahururu.

The road was awful, but the views were good as we climbed.

This is a tea-growing area, and we stopped by Lasit Tea Farm to view the crop.

Tea picking

The rolling hills.

Opposite the tea factory

An interesting flowering plant (a.k.a. weed)

We were soon crossing into the northern hemisphere again at Subukia.

Either side of the sign

We climbed up the Laikipia Escarpment to a viewpoint above Subukia. The signs suggested we had another brief visit to the southern hemisphere, but I’m not sure (and haven’t checked the GPS logs yet). Anyway, the view back over the rift valley were spectacular, and the hawkers not too troublesome!

From here the road took us to Nyahururu. Soon afterwards, the road quality improved dramatically and we had a smooth drive almost to Nyeri, crossing back into the southern hemisphere on the way. We diverted from the Highway to climb to Christ the King Major Seminary to visit Gabriel, from Mivumoni, who is in his second year here. But this is not Gabriel, just a toad sheltering from the rain.

The refectory, where we took chai and lunch.

One of 3 chapels, this is Theology’s chapel I think.

View from the top of the seminary’s farm – they produce most of their own food.

Gabriel’s school, Philosophy.

Philosophy school’s Chapel

Cabbages – we’d seen huge cabbages being loaded into trucks and for sale by the roadside.

The staff building (common room and refectory)

And then, via a rather mucky murram road, we reached the highway and Nyeri town, and located Outspan Hotel, where we are checked in and relaxing ahead of dinner. It’s cool but pleasant (pwani people, read that as BARIDI SANA).

Church, Cheese and Chilling in Eldoret

Lucy joined us for an even heartier breakfast than yesterday, then we drove into town to Sacred Heart Cathedral for 10:30 Mass.

The hearty breakfast was necessary, as Mass started late and lasted well over 2 hours. The cathedral is large and full of people.

A stunning tree in the cathedral garden.

The rear of the cathedral.

From church we searched and found the famous creamery – and a cheesy photo!

Milk here still arrives in churns

And is manually poured into the tanks

As we stood outside the creamery eating Ice Cream, a big bird few low overhead.

From there, via Naiva’s supermarket, to Poa Place (“Cool Place”) which has a number of facilities, including a museum / animal park. The starlings were lying on the grass roofs of the huts.

Inside one of the Kalenjin huts

Gourds used to ferment milk to make mursik (like yoghurt with herbs). Lucy’s description doesn’t make one want to try it!

A cluster of huts

The animals include tortoises

Lions

More huts

Small antelope (duijker)

Cranes (non-construction)

Mambas

Snakes

Lucy is not a great fan of snakes!

The Pokot’s first wife’s hut

Then a picnic in the garden, a little stroll, and back to the hotel for chai and dinner.

 

Down into the Rift Valley

After a good sleep, a healthy breakfast and picking Lucy up, we headed towards Iten on the edge of the rift valley. There were some pleasant views on the way (and some amazingly bad “tarmac” road).

Iten is where many of Kenya’s long distance runners come from, and we saw runners and cyclists in training.

Kerio View is a hotel / restaurant / view point hanging on the edge of the valley, overlooking the Kerio river way below.

The gardens have many lovely flowers

The views are spectacular, but hard to capture on a hazy day

Maybe a panorama does better

The escarpment drops to a flatter area, then drops again towards the valley floor.

A crocodile sculpture

And his smaller cousin

We went on to Iten town, which had a massive market where we bought some lunch items

Down on the terrace, looking back at the escarpment

Looking down into the valley

Tarok Falls – we could have hiked in to the falls, but it’s a half day trip

Interesting flora

Looking up

A kind of starling

At our lunch stop, swarms of ladies descended on us trying to sell us their produce, but we already had most of what we need (but we did buy 3 mangoes for 20/-, that’s about 5p each. Lucy loved the water.

Back near Iten

Then back to Eldoret for tea, then into town for dinner and football!