Kakamega - Day One
So I left yesterday for Kakamega (my new site for those of you who didn't read all the way through the last post) and after a 10 hour bus ride I finally arrived. The Kenyan landscape is amazingly diverse and the ride from Nairobi to the Western Province is beautiful. It's so lush, green, and rainy here and it's incredible how much it differs from dry, dusty Kitui and the Eastern Province. On the way here the bus drove through the Rift Valley and there were Baboons and Zebras right on the side of the road. We even drove past a lake full of Pink Flamingos.
So anyway, my house is nice and I'll try to upload some pics before too long. It has electricity, clean water from a well outside, and a fantastic view of rolling green hills and Mt. Elgon in my back yard. It's only about a two hour matatu ride to Mt. Elgon, Uganda from my house so a climb to the top is definitely in the near future. Kakamega seems to have about everything I will need. There's an Internet cafe, a decent grocery store, and plenty of fresh produce from the market. There are even huge basins full of dead termites, which are apparently a delicacy here. The biggest issue I will have is the rain every single day. I'm going to need to get some breathable rain gear from the states and get used to being wet. At least it's sunny half the day so things could be worse.
The main mode of transportation here, besides a matatu, is a boda boda, which consists of a guy on a bicycle and a small seat over the back wheel. I took one of these into town today and had to walk with the driver up the steep hills and then get back on for the downhill ride. Total price was 25 shillings so it's hard to complain, although I'm looking forward to having my own bike.
I still don't have much info about the people I will be working with or the exact details of what I will be doing, as my supervisor isn't in town this weekend and I am staying with the current Peace Corps Volunteer. Tomorrow I will go to my office, meet my supervisor, and get some additional details. I'm not sure when I'll be near the Internet again but I'll be sure to post updates soon.
So anyway, my house is nice and I'll try to upload some pics before too long. It has electricity, clean water from a well outside, and a fantastic view of rolling green hills and Mt. Elgon in my back yard. It's only about a two hour matatu ride to Mt. Elgon, Uganda from my house so a climb to the top is definitely in the near future. Kakamega seems to have about everything I will need. There's an Internet cafe, a decent grocery store, and plenty of fresh produce from the market. There are even huge basins full of dead termites, which are apparently a delicacy here. The biggest issue I will have is the rain every single day. I'm going to need to get some breathable rain gear from the states and get used to being wet. At least it's sunny half the day so things could be worse.
The main mode of transportation here, besides a matatu, is a boda boda, which consists of a guy on a bicycle and a small seat over the back wheel. I took one of these into town today and had to walk with the driver up the steep hills and then get back on for the downhill ride. Total price was 25 shillings so it's hard to complain, although I'm looking forward to having my own bike.
I still don't have much info about the people I will be working with or the exact details of what I will be doing, as my supervisor isn't in town this weekend and I am staying with the current Peace Corps Volunteer. Tomorrow I will go to my office, meet my supervisor, and get some additional details. I'm not sure when I'll be near the Internet again but I'll be sure to post updates soon.
posted by KenyaJoe at 1:21 AM
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