A wooden giraffe gets a new owner

We got up early this morning and left USA River by 6:00. It was a little cool this morning, but quite pleasant for driving.

The bus is an interesting social environment (I can’t think of the word I’m looking for – something like biosphere or ecosystem where people have to coexist in a confined space.) The front and the back of the bus are the quiet spaces. You can usually tell if someone heads for these spaces they’re looking for some quiet time. This morning, Rachel and Tim were sick, so they sat near the front to avoid the bumps as much as possible.

Those who gravitate toward the middle are usually looking for some social interaction. Some people are quite unaware of the signs people send when they want to be alone or want to be exclusively with one other person. I’ve managed to find a fair bit of alone time, but sometimes it’s at the risk of being a little rude.

We stopped at the border into Kenya. Border crossings around here are interesting and confusing. It seems you have to stop at three places – the exit point, the entry point, and some kind of vehicle toll in between. None of these places are well marked, nor do their placement or appearance make a lot of logical sense. To top off the confusion, there are always a lot of people milling around and it’s virtually impossible to discern the officials from the loiterers. Almost anyone could walk up and demand a toll and it would be almost impossible to know if it were valid or not.

There were a lot of people trying to sell handicrafts at the border. They swarmed our bus, reaching in all the open windows with their wares. When I walked back from the washroom several women insisted I buy their bracelets and necklaces. They were willing to trade almost anything – pens, t-shirts, rings, etc. I ended up with 4 bracelets and a ring in exchange for a few pens and a cheap silver ring. I also got a tall wooden giraffe for $10 U.S. In retrospect, I feel a little ashamed for getting so much for so little, but I guess it’s better than nothing for them.

There was a visit planned at a CRWRC project on the way – a cattle and farm project. Peter, our dutch farmer, really wanted to stop. In the end, only a few people (Peter, Dan, Ed, Solomon, and Brenda) stayed there and the rest of us carried on to Nairobi.

We stopped for lunch at the Java House – a trendy little chain that seems to be popular with ex-pats. They have a fairly extensive western menu. I ordered a veggie burger and fries. It was delicious, but WAY too much food.

For the next three nights, we’re staying a the Hampton House guest house (a Baptist guest house). It’s quite nice. The rooms are fairly big – set up like small apartments. We have 4 people in our room – Rachel, Joyce, Corrie Lynn and me.

Shortly after we got here, some of us went to the Sarit Centre for some shopping and a visit to the internet café. I sent another group e-mail and a few others. Mom told me some of the details of her date with Paul, the dutchman from Alberta. It sounds like she quite enjoyed herself. Yikes! I also found out from Jayne that I’ve been nominated to be an elder. I think I’m probably headed in that direction, but I have to process it a bit more first.

I walked back to the guest house alone. It was quite nice to be alone for awhile. I’m enjoying this group quite a bit, but I still value my alone time.

When I got back, I had a warm bath (yay!) and shaved my legs (double yay!). Now I’m sitting in the patio/sitting room close to our room. It is very comfy. The air has cooled enough to be comfortable and there are no bugs. Aaahhh! A very nice moment!