Flight Across Kenya - July 19, 2009

A short flight across Kenya, flying first over the outskirts of Nairobi and then across the plains rolling out, a reddish brown carpet falling into the Rift Valley. This is a very different trip than the one Marshall and I took in 1970, bouncing down dirt roads on the way from Nairobi to Kisumu in a matatu, a Land Rover like taxi that was (and still is) the primary mode of transportation in Kenya. These matatus are crammed with people, chickens, bags of goods and furniture. Now-a-days the police pull them over for road side checks on the number of passengers and other possible violations, but then, it was cram as many folks as possible into the vehicle and drive like crazy!

Landing in Kisumu, Kathryn and Julie walking toward the small terminal where a busload of girls from the Ombogo Academy are waiting to carry our luggage and ride with us on the three hour journey from Kisumu to Kochia, on the edge of Lake Victoria south of Homa Bay.

Now I smell Africa - the sweet odors of soil and plants.