Allan at the walk's travel page

Thursday, 14 September 2006

Location: UK

Just a quick update on Ken. He is now on crutches as the last operation was a success and he is looking forward to returning home to Nakuru soon.

Monday, 11 September 2006

Location: UK

My last diary entry!!

Sorry for not having the opportunity to update you over the last few days, it’s been pretty hectic!

On Wednesday evening at football, Ken, the man responsible for starting the dump's football team, broke his leg. I thought I had seen the last of the hospital but it was not to be!

Ken is as inspirational a person as you could wish to meet. His work in starting the team for the boys who live on the dump has provided about 40 boys with motivation to give up drugs and to attend an early evening English class. His passion for football is contagious, and his good nature unrivalled.

Alex brought his Toyota estate to the pitch and we loaded Ken in to the back after putting his leg in to a splint. He was in agony (not a word I would use lightly after this night). We took him to the local hospital where we got an X-ray. There were no doctors at the hospital and they had no Morphine. Ken was falling in and out of consciousness due to the pain of being trolleyed around (largely unnecessarily) from waiting room, to X-ray, to waiting room, to ward etc. While he was conscious, each join of the paving stones that we had to go over brought screams. The X-ray revealed that he had broken his femur just below the hip. The hospital's answer was to put him in a ward until a doctor could see to him. With the possibility of Ken sustaining brain damage from being unconscious, and the prospect of leaving him lying there for days just waiting to be seen by a doctor, never mind being operated on, we decided to buy some morphine, administer it and take him to a private hospital near Nairobi.

This was not a decision taken lightly. There is a main artery running down the leg near to the broken bone, the consequences of any damage to this were potentially fatal. The road to Nairobi, which I had previously found exciting due to its rugged, untarmacced surface and remoteness from civilisation, suddenly filled me with dread. I had not counted on having to gamble with a friend’s life. We reached the hospital at about 12:30am.

Surgeons operated on Ken on Thursday but during the night the bone popped out the side of his leg as they had botched the operation. He was operated on again on Friday morning. When we visited him on Friday afternoon he informed us that doctors were not happy with the second operation either and they were due to do a third operation on Saturday.

I hope that Ken is better soon. And will update this diary when I have information.

Well that’s what dominated the end of the last week but despite taking Ken to hospital, worrying about him and visiting him, there was still opportunity to visit the Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi and to eat out at Carnivores Restaurant.

The Giraffe Sanctuary was fun and we were able to hand feed Giraffes which was fun, if not a little slimey!

Carnivores is my type of restaurant! For all vegetarians, stop reading now, I hope you have enjoyed my journals. For the rest of us savages Carnivores is one of the 50 best restaurants in the world (according to some official info). About £25 all you can eat meat fest. Whilst your flag is raised waiters will bring skewers of meat, cooked on a massive BBQ, to your table until you give up and put your flag down. Lamb, Ostrich, Pork, Crocodile, Chicken, Camel, Beef.... I was also offered a potato but I refused.

And now I’m home! It’s a little odd, and feels like I dreamed the whole experience. I didn't, but I will certainly dream about going back.

Tuesday, 05 September 2006

Location: Kenya

Teaching this morning. We have been writing letters to a school in Manchester. This was really good. In Maths we drew pictures using only triangles, squares, circles and rectangles. Ali drew a scary face on the board during break as we were preparing the lesson. One of the younger kids who came in to the classroom saw the picture and started screaming so we had to rub it off.

This afternoon we wnt to the Menegai Crater which is nearby. We veiwed the crater from a high point which enables you to see nothing but a vast expance of countryside in every direction. It wasnt perhaps the safest place in the world since there were steep sided cliffs on every side. The cliffs went so far down, you could just about make out the white specs that were in fact cattle, at the base of the cliffs.

Going off to football training now.

Monday, 04 September 2006

Location: Kenya

The weekend was really enjoyable. We went to Kisumu which is almost directly on the equator and further inland than Nakuru, the weather was great. Kisumu is where Lake Victoria is, or at least where part of it is. Lake Victoria is the second biggest freshwater lake in the world. Its waters lap gently on to shores in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. During the four hour journey I slept, or at least did something that is as close to sleeping as one can get on a kneecap smashing, head banging, bone shaking matatu. So, naturally when we arrived at our hotel i was ready to sample the food and the hospitality. We ate and were merry!

Perhaps we were a little too merry! We just made breakfast at 10:00 and then walked down towards the lake. This took a little longer than expected and we got to the lakeside at 12:00. It was worth it. However, due to our afore mentioned merryment we failed to remeber to bring any food or drink. Still, i soon forgot my hunger and thirst as we hopped on to a dubious looking, but sturdy enough rowing boat with a trio of guides that we hired to take us out on the lake. At my request we also tool some fishing equipment (a stick, some line, a hook and some bait seconded from a local perched on a rock nearby). Titus (Captain), John, and Daniel (crew) rowed us out to the sunken island (not sunken at all in fact, but damn beautiful!), on the way we saw a few Hippos and other fishermen, but generally i sat in awe of the size of the lake and listened to Titus's tales of crocodiles, and the history of the lake under the hot sun rocking contentedly in the boat. To me this was heaven! When we reached the sunken island we waded through the shallow water, reeds and sand until we reached a fantastic spot with a small secluded beach. We had not seen any other tourists otherwise known as mzungu all day and i could not imagine bumping in to any other human being here. This was our island and i sat and fished happy as could be for a couple of hours before i finally got dragged back on to the boat for the return journey.

On the return, the clouds came over and Titus (and crew) showed impressive stength and durability to beat the storm. Not only did they beat the storm but they were able to pull up at a restaurant on the shore. Talk about arriving in style! We 'refreshed' ourselves and ate the best meal i've had since coming to Kenya. It was made better by the fact that the i had just spent the day on the lake from where my delicious dinner had been caught. titus refreshed himself rather too much. His passion for the lake became even more exaggerated and i have to admit it rubbed off on us and we were pursueded that watching the sunrise on from Titus's boat on the lake was the best plan for the following day.

So, early to bed, early to rise. Taxi to the lake at 6:00am, on the boat. Take a look at the photos, they don't capture the beauty of the place, but neither can words. Titus was there at exactly the time he said he would be (despite my doubts given the state he was in at the restaurant on the previous evening!). We spent 2 hours on the lake watching people working, fishing, washing, just getting on with their daily lives. The lake shapes the way of life for the people who live here. By the way, hippos can be scary if you get too close!!! We spent too long on the lake in the morning. I'm glad. We had to get out in a nearby village which we walked through to get to the main road where Titus sorted us out with a few boda bodas to take us back to the hotel. The village was so peaceful, the cows were sleeping, the people were just starting their day. The huts were made from mud, poo and straw. It was like a scene from a book. Boda bodas? Pedal bikes with a seat on the back. What a way to get from the village to the hotel in time for breakfast and to check out.

The matatu ride back made me wonder why i slept on the way there! Stunning countryside, so big, so erm rural! and so, so big!! I managed to lose myself in thought for four hours, staring out the window. Every now and then it reminded me of England, but only for a couple of seconds before i'd see something that would remind me that i was in another world; children no older than five or six wandering round with no supervision, nor need for any; Cows, donkeys, goats just wandering in to view with no apparent owners; Twists in the road opening the scenery up to reveal the vastness of the countryside which we could never have on our little island; The few seconds between the rain shower starting and the fully fledged storm when it feels like an English shower. Like i said i was lost in though for hours, these were just a few of them.

It was back to work today, i'm teaching again. The kids were as pleased to see me as i was to see them. We are writing letter sthis week to children in of the same age in a school back home. Its fun and the kids cant wait to find send their letters and get their replies.

You are a lucky lot today! New photos, and something of an essay!

Thursday, 31 August 2006

Location: Kenya

Today has been a day of extremes. We completed the purchase of the football boots for the lads off the dump and had a match between ourselves. They loved it and i was so happy to have been able to help. However, during the match there was a house fire on the dump in which a 4 year old boy named Mwangi was burned to death. His mother was drunk. There is a picture of him on the untitled photo page.

My thoughts are preoccupied with Mwangi, to the extent that i nearly failed to mention my visit to the hospital today. One of the lads had a broken hand so Ali and I took him to the local hospital. I was taken aback by the conditions. during the 3 hours we were there we witnessed a woman go in to labour in the waiting area. She subsequently lost the baby. After she had gone another very sick lady was laid flat out on the same bench where the other lady's water had broken (still not mopped up) she was lying in her own excrement. She was still there when we left, nobody seemed very bothered about her and there was little opportunity to speak to staff to ask them to help her. I hope she gets better.

I am in Kisumu over the weekend and will update on my return hopefully with more pleasant news. More photos to follow soon as there has been a power cut and am pressed for time.

Wednesday, 30 August 2006

Location: Nakuru, Kenya

I've been building on the dump this week. We are building small houses out of branches, stones and corregated iron for the roof. This is pretty hard work! I think i'm actually starting to develop muscles! I'm certainly developing blisters! But it is equally as rewarding to see something i've made to seeing the kids understand something i have taught. We were digging foundations for the poles of a structure today using tools that were like big long chisels. I wondered at first why we were not using spades. This soon became apparrent after we had got passed the initial layer of rubbish and topsoil, as we were digging through rock. My team of 4 dug five holes about 2 ft deep in about 4 hours. This is hard work made worse by the stench of the rubbish we are digging the foundations in, and the accompanying flies!

I've spent the afternoon in town sneaking in to shoe shops with a ruler trying to work out from their foot measures, what size feet all the lads at football have as we measured them with a ruler last night at training. The plan is to get them boots before the match on Thurs. Half of the cost is being met by another volunteer, the rea\st by me and a couple of others. The lads will be made up to be able to compete on an equal footing as it were! Off to training now so photos and another update to follow shortly.

Sunday, 27 August 2006

Location: Kenya

Hi folks, Sorry I’ve not posted anything since Thursday, been really busy! Ally has now arrived which is good as there are going to be less volunteers this week as 3 of the girls have left.

Despite seeing some of the largest expanses of land imaginable, I am reminded that this is a small world. Lucy, one of the girls that has just left has a sister who has just started in the Development Department of the one and only Great Places! If she’s anything like her sister then the HR Department have done a grand job on the recruitment front!

Teaching went really well on Friday, with the kids using the Hockey Cockey to learn their left from right. This was Ally’s idea but it seemed to be me doing most of the singing!! Still I guess if they learned something then I don’t mind looking a little daft (as I do most of the time anyway). We had to conduct the whole lesson outside as Sheri (one of the boys in my class) was getting a burn treated on his leg in the classroom. He lives where the ‘changa’ (local homemade booze) is brewed. We have our doubts about how accidental the injuries are. If it were me having alcohol wiped on to open wounds infested with flies I’d be screaming like a baby but not one noise came from Sheri though you could see his tears. Once they’d finished I went in and taught him what the others had been learning and he picked it up really quickly and we had fun doing it despite the fact he must have been in some pain.

After a tiring week we decided to hop on a couple of matatus to Lake Naivasha (see photos) My shoulders and knees are a bit bruised from being thrown against the windows of the invincible matatu, but it was well worth it for the hospitality and relative luxury of the Crayfish Camp. We had initially planned to stay for one night but at only 2000 Ksh per night we decided to stay an extra night. Saturday morning was spent on the lake in a boat looking at Hippos, Flamingos, and Pelicans. This was great, particularly the Hippos, which just seem far too big to be hanging around in a lake (see pics). The afternoon was spent walking around Hell’s Gate National Park. We all had a really good day and due to Liverpool being on the telly at Crayfish we decided it was getting a bit dark for the ‘scary at the best of times’ matatu ride back and booked in for another night! Checked out the local nightclub at about 3:00 am. This was basically a big corregated iron shed with a few chairs and barrels for tables. Rolled in to bed about 5:00am, got up at 8:00am, got matatus back to Nakuru, played football with the team, lost, got back to Alex’s, had tea and here I am writing my journal! Speak soon!

Wednesday, 23 August 2006

Location: Nakuru, Kenya

Yesterday i took a football coaching session in the evening, there were about 20 boys aged about 13 upwards from the dump. The 'pitch' was an unkept field which was bumpy and had lots of holes. The center spot was marked with a big boulder! The goals were made out of branches. some of the lads had football boots and some played barefoot. However, this did not stop them flying in to challenges against the lads with the boots. When they play matches most of the opposition have boots so the dump team are always at a disagvantage and likely to injure their feet. I am thinking of buying boots for them before sunday's game. Boots are about 800 shillings (about 6 quid) so should be able to supply all for about 70 pounds. Despite the conditions there are some good fotbalers amongst the lads and they learn very quickly.

The kids at the walk had were all bought a mattress and a blanket today by one of the volunteers that had raised some money. When the truck pulled up to the school piled high with colourful mattresses the kids went crazy, dancing and shouting. it was amazing to see.