Friday, August 12, 2011

The Road to Kisumu

Today we left Nairobi and headed NW to Kisumu and Lake Victoria. Kisumu is the 3rd largest city in Kenya and 40km south of the Kakamega Tropical Forest. Within a few hours we crossed into the highlands area of lush green rolling hills of fertile soil. Quite different from South East Kenya where we traveled a few days earlier.

We then reached Limuru – which is the leading producer of potatoes in Kenya. From a popular overlook we viewed a stretch of the Rift Valley (divides Kenya from Ethiopia in the north to Tanzanian border in the south)

Making good time we stopped at the Lake Naviasha for a boat ride and tour of the national park. During the boat ride we saw different birds and group of hippos just lazily taking it easy in the water. Being used to visitors they kept a side glance at us but otherwise continued their leisure swim.

After crossing the lake, another guide took us on a walk through the park. To our surprise we were able to walk among various wildlife (only because they are not considered predators): zebra, water bucks, gazelles, blue wildebeest, giraffes and a camel were there for our entertainment and education. This was Africa!!!!! But not as I expected --- so much, much better!!!!!

As we continued on the road to Kisumu our eyes witnessed a breathtaking landscape change – luscious, green tropical forest trees and rolling hills known as the highlands. This was Londiani. We stopped to purchase vegetables from the kids selling them – huge bunches of carrots, peas, and cabbage! Bigger than I have ever seen! So here there is more rain, more food, more of anything that is not in Northern Kenya where the worst of the drought is occurring. The farmers in this area have worked hard to produce their best harvest, but there is no way that all this food can be consumed by their families or in their markets. The harvest is plenty! Irony maybe, tragedy definitely! Adequate infrastructure does not exist that could be used to transport this food to places in Northern Kenya and beyond to places that are in desperate need.

As we contemplated the reality of our situation we continued on the road to Kisumu. Due to road construction we were diverted into an alternate route that took us around the construction. This road was quite bumpy and definitely not one for the faint of heart. Thank God for such a skilled driver, Silas! Unfortunately, because of the rain and condition of the road we were soon met with a traffic jam - many other travelers taking this alternate road which typically carries travelers going to Uganda. We learned the traffic jam was due to a tour bus and transport truck that was stuck in the road. Well, we learned that the less traveled road is not always the easiest road, but it is the one that has many lessons for us to learn. Looking at the bright side of the situation, we noticed that the entire village had come out to see the traffic jam. This was a rare opportunity for them to look at the travelers and provide fresh discussion for the next month. They smiled at us, we waved at them, the kids gave us their most serious expressions and then broke out into grins when we took their pictures – of course they quickly ran back to the safety of their parents soon afterwards.

After a few hours we made our way through the alternate route and joined our original road to Kisumu. We arrived safely and definitely quite tired but learned much this day. This 2011 Journey may not just be about the fabulous work that World Neighbors and their partners have accomplished, but how many obstacles they (and the communities they support) face each and every day to create and maintain sustainable livelihoods. One drought, one road diversion can mean the difference between a community having enough food to eat or getting adequate supplies to where they are needed. The best lesson of all is that perseverance, patience, a lot of hard work can make the difference in any situation – even on this less traveled road. I’m very glad we took this road today.

- Beverly Thompson

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