Kenya - Day 5

Monday, June 11

 Mondays are my typical day off in a normal week and that was kind of the case during the trip to Kenya. We woke up early Monday in order to drive into the Maasi Mara (the Kenyan side of the Serengeti) game refuge for a safari.  We took one way there and later in the day we took a different way back to Kilgoris and both routes took us across roads that would not be considered roads in the US. I will never know how our drivers navigated the cracks, crevices, potholes, wash-outs, and other obstacles but they did. On the way we had to stop for a while and fix a pan that had been knocked loose on the bottom of one van (there was no duct tape so the drivers used a rock and a rope). One the way back the road was impassable so we had to pay some locals to drive across their land in order to rejoin the road at a further point.  The trip was not without human casualties as well.  One person did lose his $25 buffet lunch and another participant sustained a concussion when a bump sent her straight up into the ceiling of the van.

During the safari we were able to take in the wonderful landscape of southern Kenya and the creative wonders that God has placed upon the earth.  Most of our time in Kenya was spent in hilly, tree covered areas, but there was a moment on Monday when we drove out of the hills and before us was just a flat, sparse, almost treeless plain.  During the day we saw countless warthogs, water bags (from the antelope family), impalas, hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo.  We got upclose views of zebras, giraffes, and elephants. We saw colorful lizards and butterflies. We entered the park with orangutans up on a hill running alongside our van and we would be entertained by elusive little monkeys later in the day.  And about 100 yards from the gate as we were leaving for the day, our trip guide Pastor David Chuchu proved himself to be a great safari guide as well.  He pointed our driver off of the road toward another vehicle and sure enough we found a mother lion with about 5 cubs.  We'd been hoping all day that after enduring the roads and the time in the van we would see a lion and it happened at the last moment as we were just about out of the park.

Have I mentioned the roads - they added an upleasant element into the day.  Back in Kilgoris with everyone still a little on edge and extremely tired we tended to our wounded. One trip participant's health continued to deteriorate during the night and was taken to a clinic that was connected to the convent where we were staying.  There were some scary moments, but it was a blessing to see God work through people - American and Kenyan - to restore him to health.  During dinner that night, another American who was staying at the convent introduced herself as a nurse so later we knew exactly who to turn to for our medical emergency.  And after a couple days of rest and recovery all of the group was back in good health and able to fully experience and enjoy the people and places we would encounter and meet.