Kenyan transport

Our health team walked a lot-just as many Kenyans do

We've been home 10 days, have returned to work & resumed our normal, comfortable life in America.   However, thoughts of Kenya & our myriad experiences there keep flooding our brains.    I decided I wanted to write a blog about Kenya's transportation system.

Girls we met near our host's home in Bware

Walking from our home to St Joe's carrying donated medical supplies from Seattle's Virginia Mason Hospital

Walking:  This is by far the most dominant form of transportation.  People were walking, walking everywhere.  They walk on the roads and streets in villages like Bware, small & medium sized towns like Migori, and even the largest city, Nairobi. They carry amazing loads--water, of course, but also children, bags and bundles.  We saw one woman carrying a bed on her head!  Sometimes people push or pull carts.  When people don't want to walk, can't walk, or need to haul something that's too hard to carry by themselves (e.g. babies & small children, groceries, supplies), then they hire a piki-piki (motorcycle taxis). 

Kate & BUCHWA members walked daily to making home visits

Kids carrying loads

Delivering passenger to St Joseph Hospital gate

Waiting for passengers outside Migori District Hospital gate

A piki-piki would deliver us to our host family's front door

Piki-pikis:  Ubiquitous, they can be found anywhere people congregate.  Men on motorcycles wait for passengers at cross roads, outside entrances to hospitals and major intersections in towns.  You can phone a favorite piki-piki driver & he will pick you up at your doorstep!  Most piki-piki drivers do NOT wear helmets & I never saw a helmet for a passenger.  Piki-piki transport is extremely important to Kenya's economy, especially in towns & villages.  Besides hauling people, piki-pikis transported a wide variety of materials, including:  pipes for a tent canopy at a political rally,  steel straps so long they dragged down the dirt road, towers of plastic milk carton-type containers filled with bread, water-filled jerry cans, HUGE stacks of sugar cane (one bunch was strapped side-ways over the gas tank, the other was strapped to the rear of the cycle) and firewood.   Loads seem limited only by the driver’s imagination!

Matatus:  These are privately operated small buses which run up and down the road.  Theoretically Matatus hold 14 passengers, but squeezing on extra passengers maximizes profits.  The  Matatu staff  includes  a driver and a conductor.  The conductor is an energetic guy who rides on the running board or hangs out the open door of the van.  Sometimes he acts like a tout cajoling and bargaining with customers, squeezing them on, tracking their destinations, arranging their baggage.  He raps on the side of the van when debarking passengers are out, or boarding ones are on, so driver knows he can take off.  Our only Matatu ride was not even a real squeeze by Kenyan standards but it was too much for me.  First we flagged down several, waving them off when they seemed too full.  With rain threatening, one with 12 passengers stopped.  The conductor said they had enough room “he would just rearrange.” A large man moved to the back, a small man moved in next to the driver. Kate and I were levered into the front seat next to him—plenty of room!  Seat belts you ask?   Forget it.

Bicycles:  made with sturdy frames & forks to hold up on the rocky, bumpy dirt roads; often equipped with a milk crate strapped to the rear as a carrier.

A long distance coach with matatus passing in other lane

Another long distance coach in Migori

Long distance bus coaches (similar to Greyhound buses):  useful for transporting school groups on outings & members of the public over long distances (e.g. Nairobi to Migori-8 hours, Migori to Mombassa-14 hours); comfortable with good views because you ride high up; holds a lot of baggage in the storage compartment under the seats; on-board toilets?  No way.

Ray of Hope-Kenya used the safest & best taxi drivers to transport us 

Lorries & taxis on main Migori road

Other vehicles:  taxis, private cars (fairly rare), lorries, mules, donkeys, oxen

Migori-man & mule on road btw our home & St Joe's Hospital

Bware-oxen & wagon passed on road next to Dispensary

Safari - Masai Mara is Wildlife Extraordinaire!

Day 41-Thursday, November 1-Ol Moran Tented Camp, Masai Mara National Reserve
How can I describe what an amazing experience we've had viewing wildlife in Masai Mara National Reserve over the last 2 days?  I'm afraid I'll run out of superlatives.  Maybe a short description, then I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

This grazing herd completely surrounded us at one point 

Lion prints in mud was promise of what was to come!

Cub drinking after gorging itself-it's belly was so round!

King of beasts

Hippos resting on shore of Mara River-they travel 10-15 km at night to graze

Amazing lizard on rock near Mara River

Two cheetahs resting-must have fed earlier

Family group

Entrance to Masai Mara National Preserve

3 weeks after the major wildebeest migration-still saw 1,000s

Wildebeests-Thousands & thousands everywhere...and these are the stragglers from the major migration of millions of animals that occurred 3 weeks ago as they began their return journey to the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania immediately south of Masai Mara.  They will return north in June.

Lions-Close-up views 2 major prides after they'd made kills; one was lazing around, obviously stuffed, while the 2nd was in the midst of tearing apart a wildebeest the lionesses had killed 1-2 hours previously.  Neither seemed concerned in the slightest in our presence.  We got fabulous photos & videos.  You will be amazed!  Viewed another group of 4 females in open grassland; however, they seemed interested in us (looking at us as possible prey?), making us think it had been a while since they'd eaten!

Elephants-many different herds:  one large herd walked towards our open-topped vehicle as they grazed  & seemed completely unconcerned; at one point we were completely surrounded by them; another smaller herd gathered in the shade of an acacia tree, rubbing against its bark with their skin; that group of females included a small calf & an adolescent in addition to moms & aunties.

Giraffes-so many different groups; so graceful as they walked by us, seemingly in slow motion.

BIG croc next to Mara River

Hippos & a huge crocodile-along the banks of the Mara River.

Cheetahs-observed a a female & her adolescent offspring, lazing in the sun, apparently stuffed after a kill, resting, unconcerned by our vehicle & our presence; but I noticed their rapid respiration rate (being the good nurse that I am) and counted them (~128 breaths/minute).
Servile cats-saw 2 of these elusive, solitary cats our guide says are rare to see; warthogs-frequently saw a mother followed by numerous piglets (?).

Zebras, Cape buffaloes, Thompson gazelles, impalas-too numerous to count or describe.

A zebra foal & his mother

Saw many solitary ostriches like this male

Masai Mara has got to be one of the most amazing places on earth to see wild animals on their own terms in their own habitat!

Cute safari couple at Mara River

"Do you want to visit Tanzania" our park ranger asked?  "Yes" we replied, after learning it was only a short distance away.

Altho we did not see any leapords, we did see evidence of their kills hanging in trees to keep it safe from hyenas & jackals.

We toured a nearby Masai village.  They entertained us with traditional dancing. Here, the higher a young man jumps, the less cows he needs to pay for a bride price!

The women in our group with the Masai men.

Teaching us how they make fire

Lion king

Elephants everywhere

Here you can see how close they were to our vehicle

Thompsons gazelle

Gathering around a watering hole

Weaver bird nest

Our group watching for animals (the roof elevated so we could stand & search & take photos)

James wearing his new Masai blanket on our tent/cabin porch, Ol Moran Tented Camp

They're rubbing against the tree to itch their hides-we could hear them rubbing against the tree

Saw many giraffes

They walk so gracefully-almost in slow motion!

Alert but relaxed cheetah

Acacia tree before big storm hits the park in late afternoon

Cape buffaloes-they always looked cranky & ready to charge