The place we're staying is very close to Lake Victoria, south of Homa Bay along the lake shore. Maureen took us to see the sunset at the lake one evening. The lake is so large that you can't see across it and the sensation was the same as the sun setting across Puget Sound, looking west into the light. The difference is that in this part of the world, because it is so close the equator, the sun literally falls into the water - no lingering twilight.
And, of course, as we look around, there are other difference between here and home....
Fishermen come on their bicycles to catch the fish that come up to feed at twilight. Tilapia are a major food source in this region, one of the primary sources of protein. The fishing industry on the lake is being threatened by an invasive species of water hyacinth choking the shoreline and pushing the fish further and further out in the lake. This kind of beach, with easy access to the water is becoming rarer and rarer.
This time of day the children walk from their homes to bathe and to gather water to carry back home in large buckets on their heads. The girls and boys bathe in different areas on the beach - the boys jumping in the waves and playing as they clean themselves. The girls seem more focused, soaping the red dirt from their legs. For those of us who turn on a tap and have water on demand, it's hard to imagine walking three miles to the lake and back - many times a day - carrying these large buckets on your head. I have been told that even young people have significant back pain in this culture from the strain on the neck and back from this kind of labor.
We were a great curiosity, as not many muzungus (foreigners/white folks) travel in this region. The children wanted their pictures taken and laughed to see their images in the LCD screens on the cameras.
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