Today we travelled from Kitale to Nairobi. We awoke at 4:45 to a clear, black sky filled with beautiful stars. But, we were all pretty bleary eyed. Imagine our surprise and gratitude when we saw Danelle had prepared her homemade banana bread for us one more time before we left the TI Compound. MMMM - we took some pieces with us, loaded all the bags and ourselves into the three vans and were on the road to Eldoret Airport by 5:45 a.m.! We were all feeling sad to leave our new friends in Kitale, but, fortunately, tired enough that there weren't any tears.
The 75 km drive from Kitale to Eldoret takes almost 2 hours! This isn't because of traffic - particularly at that time of the morning! But, because of the condition of the road - particularly from Moi's Bridge to Eldoret. Other travellers BEWARE!!! Personally, I think Kenya could market this road as a tourist attraction because the adventure is quite remarkable. Several team members have pictures and videos but as we are in a convent in Nairobi right now, we can't download them.
The sunrise over the plains was stunning and, aside from one flat tire that was quickly repaired, we all arrived safely at the airport. We checked in without any problems and awaited our flight. The flight was beautiful as the plane flies quite low and it was a clear day. We watched as the squalor of Eldoret became a pastoral scene of farms and fields and beauty and then settled in for the 45 minute flight. We had a clear view of Mt. Kenya on the way as well as several volcanic craters in the plain. That was just awesome!
We were met at the airport by Steven in a beautiful, big green bus!!! We all cheered to know that we were not going to be stuffed into another old matatu! It was soon apparent that Nairobi is very different from Kitale. A major city with a population of approximately 4 to 5 million people. We arrived at Rosa Mystica, a convent in a multicultural district of the city. We now all have private rooms with private baths. And we are missing our roommates!!! The grounds at Rosa Mystica are lovely and the rooms are nice as well. It seems like such luxury after the compound at TI, but we are all missing the proximity and comraderie we experienced there.
We had lunch at a restaurant at the mall and then headed off to the Maasai Market to do a little shopping. We managed to get past the "agents" at the gate who want to do one's negotiating, and then enjoyed bartering with the vendors. Each of us found a special "treasure" or two for loved ones back home.
Then, it was back for supper and an early night. Tomorrow, we visit the Maasai women. Now that will be a wonderful day!
Sally
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