Ahhhhhh the simple life....
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| 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 -
