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| Our home for the next month |
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| Rhinos along the fence of Solio Game Reserve. We pass them on our way to and from the cottage. |
We talked a lot about how the first month of staying in
Kenya would give us the time to prep for the big drive south. I think a lot of
the talk was to assure other people we were going to be ready good and proper.
A bit of the talk was also to assure ourselves that we can take care of all the
details later. WOW, we have so much to do and learn. This place is no joke! All
the stuff that you see on the sparkling never seen dirt 4x4’s in America, every
bit of that kit is needed here. The driveway in and out of our cottage is brutal.
The owners have each described in recent times they either rolled the car or
have slid off into a ditch. The “main” road to our village doesn’t have much
risk of getting stuck, but it is brutal and teeth chattering, 20 miles to the highway
“of getting after” it takes close to an hour. Kelly is showing great promise as
a rally car driver. She hasn’t fully adopted driving with one tire in the
gutter on the opposite side of the road, but she is still showing great
promise. I noticed before someone gave me proper direction that everyone out
here drove on the wrong side of the road! Me, driving the correct side of the
road was screwing everyone up. So, on the real bad roads often the smoothest
spot is the gutter. So you get one tire down into the gutter, actually I
figured that out on my own. But sometimes it would get a bit steep and scary,
so I would pop out and chatter on down the road. The local solution is to drive
on the opposite side of the road so the driver gets a good look at the gutter
track and just keep that tire in the gutter!
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| Our hot ride in the Usambara mountains en route to Kenya |
Other lesson we are learning about the road trip and living
off the grid is that we consume a great deal of water. One, we need to learn to
conserve better and two, we need to pack an enormous amount of water on the
road. We have a river to draw from for bathing and dishes which of course we
can’t drink from. When we hit the Namib Desert and need to go four days with
only water we pack we’ve got to have our game dialed in!
Henry with his long eye lashes, non shaved head and fair
skin really throws people for a loop here. I would say long hair, but his hair
is not long by any American standard, but here anything longer than a crop cut
is long. So one time early in the trip at a hotel someone asked about my
daughter? I chalked it up to a language issue. Then at a police stop a cop with
perfect English asked about my daughter. I chalked it up to a quick back seat
glance. Then it was the officer looking right at Henry at the border? Not sure
of the confusion there. Then yesterday some local kids hopped a couple fences,
came over and literally just stared at Henry and then the one girl with some
English asked if Henry was a boy or a girl! Go figure! We are really trying to get Henry
and George to return Hello’s and how are you’s with good manners, but I
understand sometimes it is a bit awkward to be such a novelty. I kid you not,
one girl at the market came up within four feet and had open mouth stare at
Henry and George. I tried to engage the girl, and introduce myself and then the
boys, but she just stared in complete wonderment. It is all very sincere and
polite attention if not a bit weird for the boys. I saw that same girl at her
shamba (farm) the next day while running, and she offered a very small and
timid Hello to me.
Henry is loving the working farm here. The farm has three
full time farm hands that he admires and follows around all day learning his
future trade. The farm hands Peter, Peter, and Patrick are extremely nice and
patient and have really taken to showing Henry around. Henry is very confident
his future will be as a farmer and he is working hard to learn the craft. He
has taken a special liking to dealing with the bunnies, but has also learned to
slop pigs, milk a cow and chase chickens. He sets his alarm on his watch for 6am
and is on the clock with guys at 7am milking the cows. Henry, who at times we
worry about having a lot of self-confidence, is in his own element and
confident approaching the guys and asking to learn how to milk a cow or slop a
pig. His farm sense and desire to work on a farm is all him.
The GEESE! Okay Henry is showing a great promise as a
farmer, but he and George have one chink in their armor. They are obsessed with
the geese. I would say terrified by the geese, but they have gotten over being
terrified and have moved to combative foes. The geese do give everyone the
business when they walk by, but a few hisses and fake charges and it is over. But
Henry and George come prepared with branches and waving arms and vow not to
cede an inch. It’s pretty obvious when sitting at the cottage when either Henry
or George is crossing paths with the geese up at the farm.
George has really taken to the culinary arts. He likes to
prepare a menu and then promptly disregard what anyone asks for. Soup Nazi
would find a kindred spirit in George. Dining guests are definitely here to fulfill
George’s whims. Actually we are working with him and he is getting better. We
just need to have him better prepared with the menu and explain that being told
we need to order rice when we are not having rice is a not the best dining
experience. George loves the farm, but would much prefer to manage it with a
sim app.
George’s Birthday was a small intimate affair with lots of
love and good wishes. Henry was on his best behavior and worked to make it a
special day. George early in the morning stated that it was his day and he was in
charge and we had to follow his commands. He later told the cottage owners that
they still had time to run and get him a present, which was actually his third
time directing them to get him a present. George was very excited for his
birthday cake with the only decoration being candles not even frosting.
Classic Georgie in a show of strength grabbed stinging nettle
with his hands to impress the visiting kids. He did show some great strength
with nary a whine. His strength is needed with the thorns, nettles and biting
things that he tackles barefoot and in shorts.
Kelly is learning how to cook with a charcoal oven! She helped
make a birthday cake, and has cooked meatballs and steak with our charcoal
oven. The cottage has a garden and with some local goat cheese, eggs and
cashews we have been making some great salads.
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| Charcoal oven |
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| from garden.... |
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| to salad. delicious |
Kelly when not standing in line
to charge her camera battery is really taking some incredible photos. This
place is a target rich environment for a photographer. Beside the big mammals
that everyone gets excited about, the bird life is unbelievable. We have at
least 5 species of birds with crazy iridescent blue bodies as well as giant
eagle, Ibis, water fowl all of which we can easily watch from the porch. The
Ibis type bird has a very unpleasant laugh/squawk that carries a long ways. Speaking
of squawks, the Tree Hyrax, who gets started at dark, sounds like a witch with
a microphone. We can't find a you tube clip of it so we'll have to record it.
Me? I am fretting about driving up to the highway with
current rain soaked muddy driveway conditions. I am hoping to finish buying the
kit for the car tomorrow. I am doing a good amount of running, but need more
for a race. Oh yeah I dig writing about our adventures. Although right this
moment my glowing screen in the dark is making me a magnet for flying
everything and I am about done! For more information about our trip
Mzungurunner.blogspot.com
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| Now that I'm 5 I can chew gum. See! |
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| Milenze. looks fierce but just a big sweetie. |
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| Georgie's birthday dinner. Wish you were here. |
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