AFRICA: A Journey Home - continued.

Never mess with a rhino no matter what end you deal with!!!

Pre-Note: It is 3:14 am in the morning. Jet lag and time differences are really getting to me. I thought I could just sleep for days and be caught up. Unfortunately that is not the case. Also, after three weeks I finally figured out it is my malaria pill that is making me ill, not the food I was eating. DUH! On our second day in Africa we are to visit the East African Mission Orphanage. This orphanage is the result of one family’s dream. They arrived in Kenya in 1997 from Australia with nothing more than two suitcases each. Today the orphanage is a charitable institution registered with the Kenyan Government to help care for the many homeless orphans who would otherwise end up walking the streets in search of food and often dying a premature death due to malnutrition. EAMO employs local Kenyans that have the same humanitarian vision and also many volunteer staff from overseas. The orphanage cares for over 100 kids the youngest being new-borns left abandoned by their mothers. The orphanage provides dormitory accommodation and three healthy meals a day. The children are well clothed through donations and the children attend school with fully –qualified teachers for all grades. EAMO is supported by individuals that decide to either sponsor a particular child or sponsor the orphanage. A Better World and ADRA Canada have provided funding for water and agriculture projects here in the past. This year’s project is a new dining hall to replace their current overcrowded facility. (Notes on EAMO taken from “Safari Today” our schedule and information journal.)

The Journey continues:

With still some sun left for the journey we managed to stop at Rift Valley.

“The Kenyan Rift Valley is a section of 6 000 km rift system which stretches from the Dead Sea in the Middle East, south through the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique. Major geological upheavals caused a series of lakes in Kenya, some of which (Turkana, Naivasha and Baringo) are freshwater, but the others are soda lakes, with a high saline content. These are rich in algae and tiny crustaceans, which are the main food sources for the millions of flamingos gracing the lakes. The upheavals also resulted in the sprouting of volcanic mountains, including Longonot and Mt Kenya. The scenery in the Rift Valley is breathtaking and the approach, via road or rail, from Nairobi will take you up gently through the highlands and bring you suddenly to the edge of the Rift valley, which drops away to a ribbon of green in the valley floor below.” (go to Africa .com)

Our stop here was brief and was also our first of many encounters with peddlers who want you to buy their wears. Their goods, mostly carved soapstone, are high in price (or at least according to our divers) and they were willing to negotiate. We were all tired and most eager to move on and Randy and Janice who had been there before assured us we would see many more pieces like this and better, so to the disappointment and certainly not the lack of trying, we left our peddlers behind and carried on to Lake Nakuru Park.

The roads are in bad condition. Those that have pavement are in rough shape and in need of reconditioning, the bumping and jarring of the van was beginning to make me feel nautious. Pollution is everywhere. Dust and diesel fumes mix with the smoke of garbage burning, smells of kerosene and the slow burning of wood to make charcoal that is bagged by locals and sold to be used in the small burners for cooking. There are peddlers everywhere on the roadside. People trying to make a few shillings to buy food and clothing for their families. We quickly learned to close our windows at stops and turn our backs so as not to be constantly harassed by these fellows. Plastic bags are everywhere clutching to trees and bushes, definitely an eyesore to the beautiful country side and one I never did get accustom to. I found it annoying that we (Westerners) introduced this parasite to the land and agreed with one of the locals who stated that they were fine with hand woven baskets to carry their goods in.

Eventually with road detours, bumps and skilled maneuvering by our driver we finally arrived at the gates of Lake Nakuru Park and the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge our home for the next two days and our first encounter with wildlife.

There is this wide-eyed excitement at seeing your first Zebra, or crossing the path of a herd of Buffalo and seeing your first wild Giraffe roaming in the open. It is simply awesome and breath taking. Baboons abound everywhere and small “dic dics” (a small mammal). There are no lions in this park or Elephants (although I did mistake a buffalo for one and was to be reminded of my mistake for the rest of the trip!).

The lodge was a pleasant break for weary eyes and after settling in and eating a good meal we met to discuss the following day’s agenda and headed for bed. I was most fortunate to be matched with a young woman by the name of Bianca. She was a delight to share a room with and had a wonderful sense of humour and a most positive and caring view of the world.

We managed to get through our first day. It had been a long one and we were all very tired but unfortunately jet lag, along with anticipation of the day to follow had us all tossing and turning throughout the night.

Day two was a good breakfast and off to the East African Mission Orphanage (EAMO). The description above is as close as it gets. It seemed so quiet at first but we soon realized that the children were in church and we headed over to the service. Our first encounter with the children were a few who were laying in a shaded overhang sleeping. Young and sweet. We were invited inside to the service. I did not last long though as the heat, exhaustion and digestion of the day before began to overwhelm me and I started to cry. I had to get up and leave. There was a baby crying at the same time. I asked to hold her hoping that it would distract me from crying so much and between she and I we were able to settle quietly as I tried to entertain her. She was absolutely adorable and could I, I would have taken her home on the spot. A feeling I would have about every child I encountered from that point on.

The EAMO was a clean and well run facility. The couple who run the orphanage are a loving couple who are also strict and have to be with that many children running around. It is well structured and the children all 100+ are loving and helpful. One little girl attached onto me and toured me through the whole facility, including the new eating area that was being built and the large and well groomed garden. We saw young adults to very tiny, young babies. The children were a joy and I let them play with my camera and they giggled and were thrilled to see themselves on the screen after the shots were taken. It was here that we gave out half of the school packages we made during our packing day. We spent the whole day there and one couldn’t help but be touched by the sincerity and love that we felt by the children and those that worked there. This would be easy street compared to what was in store for us and I am glad we were able to take it in and enjoy it.

Soon it was time to go back to the lodge and head out on a safari. Tonight we would meet up with a rhino as the sun slowly set on the African landscape.