Wow!!!! 2500+ page views...thanks for joining me!!!

Ahhhhhh the simple life....

Check out these 2 in close to 40C weather...Julius in a long sleeve shirt and tie, Dora in a dress and me sweating buckets out of view in shorts and t-shirt! And oh yeah...Coke is 60 cents a bottle and thank goodness - served cold!

I first met Dora and Julius through my friend Melanie during my first visit to Lokichoggio in what seems like a lifetime ago. Julius is a (maybe the) local pastor in this small town and runs this vegetable shop the rest of the the time. 

The vegetable shop is a place to buy veggies, a place to talk and perhaps a place to unburden. And while my Kiswahili is improving daily...I can only get the jist of what is being said. They both speak English well but the local Turkana people speak their own language or Kiswahili mostly.

Julius always invites me in for a cold coke and a chat no matter how many others are in the tiny store or what is on his mind. The picture above shows most of the store with its rough walls and tin roof just out of view. My visits are generally brief because 5-10 minutes in I am usually sweating so badly I look like I'm having a shower while I sit in my chair. Usain Bolt sweats less after a world breaking time in the 100m than I do just sitting with a cold coke.

The conversation is always easy and comes with that special feeling one gets when communicating simply to share; to pass time in an easy way as the day and life move slowly by in this sunny little African town. What a treat it is to have met and come to know these two wonderful souls. If you read this - thank you for your kindness and generosity.

This is Lokichoggio looking out from the MSF compound. It's also the start of my running route I enjoy most mornings when in the town. That rock is one of only a few in the area. The land is mostly flat and covered in sand. And again, on the left with the cool flowering trees. Damn they are cool! At this time of year the leaves have disappeared and the entire tree is covered with pink blossoms.

 The Marabou

 I also want to write about this big fucking bird pictured below. As comical looking as it is large, it inhabits/commands attention in downtown Nairobi where you need to be well-aware when they pass overhead. There's an expression about "if cows could fly" and this is very close to that dire warning. 

The Marabou Stork stands 5 ft tall and has a wing span of up to 12 feet. I have personally witnessed them carrying nesting material that would make a West Coast Grapple Operator envious. They eat meat only and enjoy the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the downtown area. On occasion I've seen them in restaurant gardens hunched over like angry linebackers hoping a lunch guest is intimidated enough run for their lives and abandon their dinner. They creep me out!

And as I sign off for this Sunday it's with thanks to the many people (over 2500 page views...amazing) who are sharing my adventure. Next Friday I will take the bus to Tanzania and on Saturday start the Kilimanjaro attempt. 19,000 ft....big deal.......

Thanks for reading - Layno -

14 Falls.... or is it more!!!!

14 Falls

At first the 500 Ksh (About $5 USD) price seemed a bit steep for 14 falls - but as I counted I realized that it was closer to 16 or maybe 17. Now that!.......... is great value.

Offsetting this trophy of value for sightseeing dollar is the challenge of pollution throughout Kenya and in particular the Mother Nature's waterways. According to my Mom (an authority on all matters because she's an excellent Mom and that's what excellent Mom's do) Environmentalism is a luxury enjoyed by the well-heeled and not the purview of those who must but do not chose to live daily with abject poverty. It's an excellent point.

And I agree with Uhuru Kenyatta, the big cheese in Kenya, that gay rights is on the agenda but unfortunately on the bottom page 24356 of a To-Do list of the same number of pages. Environmentalism is just above. The point he has made is that there are many important issues facing this young country and success requires prioritizing and focus on the big pieces for now.

The lush natural environment of Kenya has a tremendous environmental absorptive capacity and my thinking is that Mother Nature can continue to forgive the sins of the environmental transgressor for a while yet, but I wonder for how long. Pictured below is a closer look at the river....note the garbage caught in the  branches to the right ... and the white is actually foam from the water that is severely polluted from the upstream discharge in Nairobi. Rivers are more part of the production process than the natural environment. Trucks take away finished goods and the waterways remove the waste.

One challenge for Kenya is dealing with pollution in the streams rivers. Damned plastic.....

If you've ever seen the commercial for Dos Equis Beer starring the most interesting man in the world I suspect he was only chosen because my friend was unavailable at the time. His exceptional practical skills are only exceeded by his brilliance in understanding the world around him and being able to live deliberately within it. He wrote and sent this to me the other night.....

The Brazilian doctor tells me a car is needed

To transport a child arrived dead at the ER

The mother is hysterical, do I need her to come too

No, I can do it

I walk through the compound

Thinking about problems I must solve

And the bodies of dead children I've seen

I speak with a driver and he backs up to the ER

I ask in the ER about the child, I'm told it is in the OPD

The OPD is closed but I check each ghostly empty room

Back at the ER I see the child on an examination table

A medic is just finishing wrapping the body in a blanket

And he carries it to the vehicle

The mother follows

She doesn't seem very hysterical

But her grief is palpable

ebbing and flowing

She doesn't know how to be

With her child now dead

she is on the edge of breaking

She throws back her head and shoulders

and wails unrecognizable words

The medic lies the dead child

In the back of the land cruiser

Then after some discussion in Amaric he agrees to ride in the front

So the driver and mother don't have to drive alone

The mother climbs in the back

with the body of her child

Someone closes the door quickly behind her

The vehicle pulls slowly away

And I see through the back window

Her head and shoulders thrown back again

But I can't hear her wailing

Ive barely seen her in the failing twilight

It's as if I've only seen outlines and profiles

Of a tragedy in a smoke filled theater

Colored in shades of grief

I'm left standing there unable

to walk away for a moment

My task is accomplished in securing the vehicle

But I can't take a step until

I tell myself

You've just witnessed

another African tragedy

Then I step, pensive and fatigued

SFW

Below my friend & Sunday brunch partner Shiku gazing at the gazelles after a pleasant brunch in a jasmine scented Karen garden restaurant on a beautiful lazy sunny afternoon in the Heart of Africa.

Shiku operates a charity called "Sports for Change" helping kids in Kenya

http://www.sports4change.org/

Thanks for reading! Layno

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Animals in the Wild: Cresent Island, Naivasha

A near perfect day.......

One of the 2 boats ferrying our group to Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha

Many of the world's cut Roses come from the shores of this lake where kilometers of greenhouses crowd the lake shore for access to the water. This I learned from my father actually - so it turns out he does know a few things about the world - maybe I should have listened more closely :)

Sharing the water with the greenhouses are the many Hippo's grazing or swimming happily about. Considered one of the most dangerous animals - they move slower in the water so you can get up for a pretty close look. They're bigger than expected and cute in their "peaceful" state.

 The two in the water seemed unconcerned by our boat and clicking cameras. Of course they could actually care less happily living in what must be a paradise for Hippos.The Hippos directly below are grazing in a marshy area so thought to be a safe distance from the boat.

Hey Hilda - have you seen my glasses?

Pictured above is a great example of why you read the memos that cross your desk : Wildebeest Dance Party...no Zebras please!! You can see one of the  rose growing operation on the shore to the left.

In one of the final scenes from the movie "Out of Africa", the plane takes off and the runway where that was filmed is right behind the Wildebeest pictured below. 

Heeeeeeeeyyyyyy - that's not a Wildebeest.....

Crescent Island is home to many Dik Dik's  (a small deer-like fella) Impala, Thompson gazelles, Wildebeest, Fish Eagles and my favorite, Giraffes. On this island most of the dangerous animals are absent so you can wander about freely among the animals. We were a group of about 18 - and while generally a noisy talkative bunch, all were pretty quiet as we wandered along. It was a surreal experience. You can't get too close to the various herds as they manage their human/wild animal comfort zones pretty diligently. I tried to sneak closer on a few occasions but they were having none of it.

Giraffes on the other hand have no personal bubble whatsoever. You can walk right up to them and of course I did just that. For 15 minutes or so we walked through the brush and trees (eyes peeled for snakes of course -I hate those fuckers) with a group of about 10 long-legged fellas. Later we walked across the plain for another half hour enjoying the relaxed easy relationship with these magnificent animals. Beautiful and comical all at once - as life should be :)

Likely family members, there were clear differences in size. The Bull Male was obvious, towering above in a stately no bullshit manner - he was clearly in charge.

There were smaller giraffes in the group as well but all moving in a beautiful graceful rhythm that reminded me of dancers rather than wild animals.

In a moment that touched my heart and will likely stay with me forever, we spotted a young giraffe thought to be only days old. Like an unruly 2 year old child, it ran around playfully until suddenly tripped over it's new gangly legs and ended up in a heap on the dry grass. Pictured below are 5 giraffes that came over to see if all was OK. If you look closely you can see it's little feeties sticking up.

I told you so Jr. - no running around on the Savannah...you'll trip and fall and bump your funny looking head.

We finished the day at the Sopa Lodge drinking cold beer (Tusker Malt in the green bottle not the brown one) and swimming in the massive outdoor pool. The field surrounding the lodge sprinkled with these mysterious, wonderful and beautiful wild animals. A near perfect day.....

Thanks for reading my blog!!  Layno

Making a difference....

Doing whatever it takes......

MSFers doing what is needed to help the people of South Sudan

Governments, NGO's, and in fact most of the world's population are holding their collective breath hoping that the current peace agreement will hold in South Sudan. Unfortunately it is unlikely given the near intractable positions and heavy dependance on military dominance rather than  negotiation to bridge this deep civil divide. Pictured above is part of the MSF team working in South Sudan to reach the people needing basic heath care. These civilians are fleeing to the swamps to avoid the fighting in the villages. Without access to healthcare, MSF is going to them. I'm proud to be associated with these team members who are prepared to do whatever that takes.

And speaking of whatever that takes, in this same area, two MSF team members were recently killed caught up in the violence ostensibly directed toward combatants but seemingly indiscriminate in light of these events. To both these MSFers and the grieving families, my sorrow and gratitude are limitless. I am also proud to be associated with these two team members who so unselfishly gave themselves to the service of others in need.