Today we started the journey west from Nairobi to Migori, where we are staying during the training days in Moheto. At 7:00 this morning David met Pastor Ken & I at the Methodist Guest House in Nairobi and we set out with our driver, Moses. Steve drove up from the Masai Mara with a driver to meet us in Narok.

The distance from Nairobi to Migori is 240 miles. Our journey today took 11 hours! The roads in Kenya are being improved with the assistance of the Chinese, which was good news & bad news. We drove on all paved roads (the good news), but between traffic jams getting out of Nairobi on a work day, a traffic jam in Kisii, and road construction in multiple sections along the way (the bad news), it was slow going. The Kenyans drive in the left side of the road, so that took some getting used to as a passenger 🙂

Our journey took us across the Great Rift Valley, which was beautiful. This valley extends from Lebanon, through Kenya to Mozambique – 6000km long! We were able to stop to get out to enjoy the view.

Our drive took us through small and medium sized towns, past many outdoor markets bustling with people. We went through the area around Narok, which is inhabited by the Masai tribe. They raise cattle along with goats & sheep, and farm mostly corn, wheat & beets. In that area we primarily saw women & older children tending the herds & working in the fields.

At 10:30 we met up with Steve at a mall in Narok. This was our one long break in which we were able to get some food to take in the car and get some lunch to eat.

Kisii was the largest town we went through. I noticed signage for 4 universities in that town. It was so busy there – both with traffic and also people on foot everywhere!! This is one of the most densely populated areas in Kenya. In this region it is very hilly with very fertile soil and the farms are very lush. They also get a lot of rain throughout the year. The Kisii tribe lives in this region and they grow tea, bananas, sugar cane and some coffee here.

The road between Kisii & Migori was very hilly and under construction with large sections of dirt road. So slow!! As we finally pulled into our hotel in Migori it began to downpour! We were so glad it hadn’t rained hard while we were driving that last stretch!!

Steve, David & I enjoyed a meal of tilapia in the hotel dining room. It was so nice not to have to go out again to get our dinner!

Tomorrow morning we travel to Moheto to begin the business training 😊

Today began at 6:30 again with our game drive. It was a beautiful morning to be out on the savanna! The sun came up just as we got started and the sky was so clear!

There has seemed to be a different theme & tone to each of the game drives, based on the animals that we find & the traffic/road conditions we experience during our 2+ hours on the savanna. This morning there were very few other people we encountered, which made for very pleasant driving. Today, the theme seemed to be hippos & ostriches. It seemed wherever we drove, there they were – and the hippos were out in the grasses, not totally submerged in the water! We even had a hippo run alongside of the car for a short while!!

We also saw several animals we’d seen before, including a pair of lion brothers, and we also saw baboons which we hadn’t seen before! Here are some views of my last hours in Masai Mara.

We had only a short distance to drive to the airstrip from the lodge. I was comforted to see that the airstrip was dry today – no mud to deal with during take-off 😊

Once I landed in Nairobi, my focus shifted to preparations for our journey to Moheto tomorrow to begin our training mission. Pastor Ken from the Moheto UMC came into Nairobi this afternoon to join us. David & I enjoyed meeting him & having dinner together with him tonight. Pastor Ken & I are both staying at the Methodist Guest House in Nairobi tonight. Tomorrow morning David will join us again and we all will head off toward Moheto at 7am. Steve will leave Julia’s River Camp in the Masai Mara tomorrow morning and meet up with us in the town of Narok along the way.

I’m excited to begin this next part of my Kenyan experience as our team spends the next 9 days in Moheto in the western part of Kenya and gets to know the people in Pastor Ken’s church!!

Happy New Year!!

Today has been a very relaxing way to start the new year 😊. Everything here is so much quieter now than the celebratory excitement of yesterday. Even the animals have been quieter & less visible this morning. We started the morning with heavy fog all over the savanna, which set a peaceful mood for the day.

Last night there were special activities to mark the time between dinner & midnight. Right after dinner there were two dance performances by folks from two tribes in the Masai Mara area, the Masai and the Kuria tribes. It was enjoyable to sit outside by the pool with the gathered community to see the performances.

Three Japanese visitors are now accompanying me on the daily game drives. Their main interest was to see big cats, so yesterday that’s what we set out to do and we weren’t disappointed. We came upon 2 very sleepy brother cheetahs & a pair of lions also lounging in the sun.

The vehicles that are used in the Mara are varied. Ours is a Toyota Land Cruiser. They all must have amazing suspensions & 4 wheel drive to deal with the variable road conditions in the park. Ours has 4 back seats & the top is popped up so we can stand to get a better view when necessary. No one is ever allowed to exit the car when we are on a game drive. On my first couple of drives I wondered if they ever could get stuck – especially when ours has been the only vehicle in an area with horrible roads! Well they do get stuck – yesterday we had to push another vehicle to get it moving again, and then again today our driver had to get out to coach a driver who was stuck & blocking the road! My driver, Paul, has been doing this work for 20 years at this lodge. He needed to have passed coursework re: the animals & birds as well as driving skills before applying for a job as a game driver. He said it’s a very competitive occupation & only the best get the jobs. This is definitely not a job for the faint of heart! Paul calls this land paradise & he finds such joy being out in the wild areas of this beautiful park 😊

This afternoon’s game drive was a bit of a reality check as to some of the dangers in this environment for the wildlife. As we approached the Mara River we saw a zebra’s body floating, surrounded by at least 4 large crocodiles. They were all floating down the river as a pack, the crocodiles eating the zebra as they all went down the river (thank heavens the actual eating was happening under the water). What we learned is that the homeland for the zebras in this part of the Mara is actually in the northern part of the park. In order to get there they have to cross the Mara River, which now is running fast because of the unusual amount of rain in December. We saw zebras across the river who were calling to the large crowd of zebras on our side. As we looked a bit down river, we saw that there were 2 large & 1 baby crocodile waiting in the mud flats where the zebras would be choosing to come out of the water. Much of the river bank has high walls, which the zebras can’t navigate to get out of the water. We watched as several zebras went down to the water’s edge, but then would retreat & others would try. None chose to cross while we were there, which we were grateful for. Our guide said that they were all very aware that one had been lost just before we got there. We all felt for the tension that existed in that herd.

Here are some views from the calmer parts of today’s game drives.

As a part of the reservation I made at this lodge, I receive two 2-hour long game drives each day. One is at 6:30am as the sun comes up and the other is at 4:00pm as the sun begins it’s descent and the animals come out because it’s starting to get a bit cooler. I have been the only passenger for the 2 game drives I’ve been on so far & they have both been so exciting! I so enjoy being out on the savannah in the midst of this beautiful land!!

Yesterday afternoon we saw so many different animals & birds – all different species than I’ve ever seen before in the wild. Most people who come on game drives want to see the big 5 – elephants, African buffalo, lions, leopards & rhinos. So far I’ve seen 3 of these. I’ve not yet seen a leopard or rhino. For me, though, the highlight is seeing all the different species in their natural habitats and hearing stories about each of them. My guide has been so helpful with the names of each animal, as well as additional information about them, which I’ve found to be so interesting!

Here are some photos from yesterday afternoon’s game drive.

This morning’s drive produced a few animals I could photograph, including a pride of lions & some hippos, which were so cool!! Most of the time we spent driving through the savannah on very undeveloped, two-track, very muddy roads near the Tanzania border. I now a have a visceral experience of what off-roading must be like!! I’m so thankful for the skill of my driver in getting us back safely!! But, that being said, I loved being the only ones out in that part of the savannah this morning!!

The surprise of the morning came when my driver stopped at the side of the Mara River & had me get out of the car. I was met by another team member and escorted to breakfast by the river!! There were about 20 of us in the end that gathered here for breakfast. This area of the river is known as the hippo pool & there were several hippos in the water in the area of the river by my table. I was told by the armed conservationist that the current was too strong right now for those hippos to cross to our side of the river. That was a comfort to know, since the hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in this area. It was so amazing to have breakfast in this most beautiful place!! It is definitely one of the gems of this trip so far!!

Tonight there are New Years Eve festivities here that will include performances of Masai dance and Kuria dance. I’m looking forward to seeing a bit of the culture of these tribes who live on the lands just outside of the park.

Happy New Year to you all from here in Africa!! We will get to midnight 9 hours before Chicago 😀

This morning I headed to Masai Mara National Park. I took 2 airplanes to get there, which gave me the experience of landing on wet dirt air strips twice-ugh!! After walking through the mud to retrieve my backpack in order to board an adjacent plane, I was totally convinced that our team made the right decision to drive, rather than fly to the Moheto area :-). At least in this area, the daily December rains are continuing so air strips are not drying out.

It was so interesting to fly over Nairobi & see the city & surrounding suburbs. It was a beautiful day, so I had a clear view of the landscape from the air. Everything is so lush & green due to the rains. The land between Nairobi & Masai Mara is beautiful & sparsely populated. I was struck by how few roads were present & those that were, were usually dirt. The soil is very red, which make the dirt roads quite distinct in the landscape.

My hotel, the Serena Lodge is positioned on a ridge and is the only lodge or camp located in the Mara Triangle, a 500 square kilometer area of the park. The views of the landscape & animals from here are amazing! Right after I checked into my room, I heard a noise & looked out to see 6 warthogs grazing on the grass right in front of my room! Talk about being up close & personal with the animals!!

The people I’ve met so far in Kenya are some of the most hospitable that I’ve met anywhere I’ve traveled!! It’s been such a pleasure to be with them! My guides have been so knowledgeable! I’ve learned a lot from each of them. Tonight I went to a talk given by a man from the Masai people, who are the indigenous people who live in this region. It was fascinating to hear how they blend their traditional way of life into this modern world around them. They still live apart from others in traditional villages and are nomadic in this region of Kenya & Tanzania.

Tomorrow I’ll post some photos of animals I encountered on today’s & also tomorrow’s game drives. Because so many folks here at the lodge have cell phones & computers, the wifi is very slow uploading the photos for my posts.

After 15 hours in the air on 2 different planes & a 2 hour layover in Paris, I finally arrived in Nairobi!! It feels so good to be out of the plane! That said, my flights were very smooth with wonderful service from both Air France & Kenyan Air 😊

The weather here is wonderfully warm!! So pleasant! And everyone has been so helpful! They are still having more rain than normal, so I’m told that we should see more green vegetation than usual at this time of year. Our temperatures should be in the 70’s during the day – perfect!

Tomorrow morning I board a small plane and fly about an hour flight to Masai Mara National Park for 3 days. I’m looking forward to flying over this city that I couldn’t see tonight & definitely I’m excited to be in the up country (I’m told that’s the term for the rural areas of Kenya…) with the wildlife!

I’m sitting at O’Hare airport waiting to board Air France to Paris, the 1st leg of this journey! This will be my first time in France as well as Kenya. It’s too bad that I won’t be able to see anything but the airport terminal in Paris 😦

My flight to Paris is 7+ hours, then a 2 hour layover in Paris before boarding my 8 hour flight to Nairobi!! I will arrive in Nairobi at 9pm their time tomorrow. I’m thankful I get to go to bed as my first activity in Africa😊. It will have been a long flight and I need to be ready to head to Masai Mara National Park on Monday. I’m excited for the adventure to begin!!

Tomorrow I head to Paris and then on to Kenya for arrival Sunday night! Steve arrived safely in Nairobi today and David will arrive in Nairobi on New Years Eve 😊

There have been so many details involved in getting ready for this trip! Many of which I have not had to deal with before in my travels. Just the list of shots recommended for Kenya can make one’s head spin. I ended up getting 5 shots in the last few weeks. I’m also starting to take malaria prevention pills tomorrow & will continue for a week after returning home. There are definite health considerations related to food & water that we must be aware of each day. In spite of that, I am really looking forward to tasting Kenyan food!!

Then there have been all of the logistical details related to how to get the 3 of us from Nairobi to Moheto and back again. Heavy December rains have impacted the air strips in towns near Moheto making our potential air travel unpredictable. So the choice was made to hire a driver & car. Now we will have the opportunity to see much of the interior of Kenya during our 7 hour journeys to and from Moheto. That I’m also looking forward to! We will be staying at a hotel in a neighboring town near Moheto and now that we have a driver & car, our transportation is taken care of, lessening the burden on the people of Moheto – no need to find us taxis each day.

We also have had many details to work out around the actual training we are doing. We now have 21 people signed up to be part of the training – 15 women & 6 men. Among them are a variety of businesses & experience. It has been fun to meet these folks on paper before we actually arrive. All of our training will need to be translated into the local language, which none of us speak. Right now Pastor Ken is translating the curriculum schedule & handouts for us. And then there are teaching supplies – some are being brought from Chicago & some will be purchased once I get to Nairobi.

And last but not least, there all the personal details we each have had to arrange to be out of the country for 16 days! So many details!! In the midst of all the details & tasks today, as I sat in my dentist’s office I was blessed with an amazing bird’s eye view of Millennium Park & Lake Michigan, reminding me what a beautiful city we live in and how blessed we are to be able to make this trip and have this adventure in Kenya!!

On September 1st of this year my church, Evanston First United Methodist Church, began a partnership with the Moheto First United Methodist Church in Kenya.  Rev Kennedy Mwita, the pastor of Moheto First UMC, invited our minister, Rev Grace Imathu, to preach before the all church meeting took a unanimous vote to associate with the Reconciling Ministries Network. They are the first congregation in Africa and outside of the US to make this bold commitment.  As the United Methodist Church is struggling at this time to define who we are as a global church, the commitment of this African church to continue to be fully inclusive of all of God’s people is so important.  You can read the story of this historic vote here:  https://www.umnews.org/en/news/first-church-in-africa-becomes-reconciling .

Since September, through the generosity of an anonymous donor from our church, fresh drinking water has been provided to the people of Moheto from a new well dug next to the church.  The Moheto church has also been building a clinic on their grounds since 2003, which will be completed and able to serve patients in 2020.  As a continuing piece of our partnership with the Moheto church, three of us from the Evanston church will be traveling to Moheto on January 3.  We will be teaching small business skills to 21 business owners who are part of the congregation in the Moheto church, and we will be providing support for their efforts to grow their businesses.

Our team from the Evanston church is made up of:  David, the coordinator of academic/career programs and instructor of business education at Truman College here in Chicago; Steve, our current church treasurer, who is a retired auditor and banker; Barb, a spiritual director and retired special education teacher.  We are working closely with Pastor Ken from the Moheto church to align our teaching and support with the needs of our adult students.  Here in Evanston, Pastor Grace, has been instrumental in arranging the logistics necessary for our trip and she has provided tremendous support as the vision for this trip has unfolded.

David, Steve and I will depart for Kenya this week to spend a few days exploring Kenya before we begin our journey to Moheto on January 3.  I am so looking forward to experiencing all that awaits us in Kenya and to see where God will lead this partnership between Moheto First UMC and Evanston First UMC in the future!