Monthly Archives: January 2017

Jan 30 – Remembering a great trip

Emirates Airbus A380 – Flight to Dubai 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
   

 
   

 

 
   
 
   
 
   
   

Jan 27 – Day in Nairobi

Today was a day to explore Nairobi.  Peter, the driver I first met at the airport on Sunday, took me around the Nairobi area, including the city center and to two wild life refugees.    One is for orphaned baby elephants.   The other is for giraffes.   Although this was hardly a safari trip it was a pleasure to see these two creatures.    The baby elephants were cute in their own way.   They seemed to be in a low stress mode and liked being touched by the visitors.    The giraffes were simply elegant.    They are such a graceful creature.   

 

After visiting the two animal refugees we drove in the city center of Nairobi.    So what can I say.  A city is a city is a city.   It was busy, crowded and congested with traffic.   No surprise their.   Even so, it was good to see.   Kenya does seem to be a fairly progressive country in this part of the world.   They have a lot of paved roads and also highways around the city.   Even so, traffic is a big problem here.   Peter and I picked a time to travel around the city that would avoid the major commuter traffic hours so we would not get caught up in long lines of cars and grid lock traffic.

 

After driving through the city, Peter brought me to a popular restaurant for lunch.  It is called “Carnivore”.   As the title suggests, it all about meat.  Vegetarians need not come.  You won’t find anything on the menu you like.   In fact there is no menu.  You get soup, salad and meat; lots of meat!   The waiters come around to your table and carve pieces of meat for you.  Let’s see, there was beef, lamb, chicken, turkey and a few others that I can’t remember.   It was a big lunch for me, but I’m happy with that as I’ll probably not get much for dinner tonight.

 

 

I’m now back at the hotel at about 3:15 PM (7:15 AM East Coast US time).   I’ve got a late check out (7 PM) so I’m just taking it easy.   I’ll take a shower soon and take a nap to store up some energy for the long trip home.   I’m glad that this trip has gone along perfectly with no interruptions or drama.    I’m thankful to the Lord for giving me this opportunity to experience a little bit of Kenyan culture and to hopefully have an impact on the computer lab project at Bishop Okullu College.    

 

Bill

Jan 26 – The Trip Home

The time sure has gone by fast.   Of course I was only the Kisumu area for 4+ days.    I’m in Kisumu Int. Airport now, waiting for my flight to Nairobi.   It’s a short flight.  Only 50 minutes lift off to touch down.   When I get there, I’ll have a driver waiting for me to take me to the hotel.   One of the things I have found that is useful when traveling to East Africa is to befriend a good, reliable taxi driver.   They can end up being your best friend in times of travel stress and the like.    The driver’s name is Peter and he is friendly.  He made sure I got in and out of Nairobi on Sunday / Monday with no issues.     

 

Tomorrow I have a long day ahead of me.  My flight out of Nairobi is not until 10:45 PM to Dubai.    Fortunately, the hotel is giving me until 7 PM to check out with no extra charge.   Also, Peter is going to pick me up in the late morning (after the heavy traffic) to give me a tour around the Nairobi area.   I’ll pay him well for the experience.   It’s worth it.  These guys work awfully hard to eek out a living.   

 

Today was a very nice relaxing day.  I spent most of my time with David and his family at their home.   His children are wonderful.  They made me feel right at home.   We were able to talk about all kinds of things together and to share music.     David and I did spend a little while down town in Kisumu where we stopped buy their largest shopping center / mall and walked through the streets together.   

 

Overall I’m very please with how the trip has gone.   I’ve gotten a good idea of what their I.T. needs are at the college.  With some other specifications that David will send me soon, I should be able to put a recommendation together for them with some estimated costs of equipment and services they will need.   I praise God for the opportunity to serve our fellow christians here and hope that together will find the resources they need to complete their computer lab project.   Hey..  The Lord has done it before.   I’m sure He’ll do it again.

 

Bill