Drive to Tumutumu

Leaving the gates of the CHAK complex we were formally introduced to Nairobi.  Having arrived in the dark and being confined within the cement walls of the conference center we finally learned the origin of all the sounds and smells of the street.  Vendors and pedestrians of all sorts and social classes crowded the streets.  This was more of what I expected.

CHAK is located in a Western district of Nairobi.  This particular Friday was also the last day of school before Easter break so the streets were especially crowded.  Daniel, our driver, first informed us that cowards have no place on the road in Kenya.  Agreed: I don't think I would last long on these streets.  Traffic, which includes pedestrians, buses, cars, rickshaws and manutus (11 passenger vans, part of the public transportation system), all move with fluidity and aggression that is so foreign to us tame US drivers.  It was an hour before we escaped the traffic of the city.

Everyone said it was only an hour and half, maybe 2 hrs. from Nairobi to Tumutumu but our journey took 3hrs.  I sat in the front and spoke with Daniel about everything we were seeing.  Matthew was in and out of sleep in the back.  Along the way we passed coffee and tea plantations, Kenya's main cash crops.  Interestingly enough, we've only found instant coffee served here.  Coffee, which is harvested when the beans turn red, should be ready to harvest in the next few weeks.  Pickers are paid 100 shillings a day and every bean is picked by hand.

Other crops we passed on our drive north to Tumutumu:  pineapple, mango, bananas, pawpaw, timber, catfish, avocados and taro.  Much of this reminded me of Hawaii.  Pineapple thrive in this red soil, rich in iron.  As large as Dole's Pineapple plantation was on Oahu, I think Del Monte's here in Kenya is larger... it went on and on for miles.  The taro crops were much smaller though and the plant is used mainly as bird feed (taro is a staple to Hawaiian diets)!  We also passed quite a few plant nurseries on the way.  Families that can afford cattle keep small numbers, 3-5, and they are kept on a rope and walked to find food.

This leads to a growing problem here:  drought.  Sitting almost on the equator the region has no warm and cool seasons, just wet and dry.  April should be wet and cool but not this year – the region is thirsty.

 Guest House

We passed through Karatina, a town of about 10,000 people, and drove another 5 km to the community of Tumutumu, much smaller town, which sits on a large hill.  The hospital is the heart of the town and we arrived around 5pm.  The guest house is lovely.  Perched higher than the hospital it affords a nice view of Mt. Kenya on the horizon.  We were warmly greeted by Helen, the innkeeper, and Margaret, who also helps with meals and upkeep.  Tony is the security guard who mans the gate to the guest house.  We settled in our room and then ate a delicious meal before surrendering to sleep once again.

View from our window West

View from our guest house of the top of Mt. Kenya