Jungle Fever

So my weekend was completely amazing. We didn't have class on Friday, so myself and five other friends decided it would be fun to go to Kisumu, a town in Western Kenya that sits on the edge of Lake Victoria. Kenya 'owns' 6% of the Lake, with Uganda owning 44% and Tanzania the remaining 50%.

We took an 8 hour bus ride from Nairobi to Kisumu, which was lots of fun. On the way there we saw an overturned petrol tanker, this one was not leaking fuel, so no tragedy ensued.

Kisumu is this fantastic town. Its the third largest city in Kenya, after Nairobi and Mombasa on the coast, but it feels very much like an African Racine (for those of you in Wisco), without the hick vibe. I think it would make a great central place from which to make various backpacking trips around the Western Highlands. Its got a great past-its-prime feel, while still maintaining an strong and contradictory vibrant undercurrent. The streets are dusty, the building facades crumbling (in some cases). The city just had a very slow and relaxed manner to it. Very different from Nairobi.

Anyway, Friday night was relatively uneventful-the 6 of us stayed in a hotel, each sharing a twin bed with another person, with the entire night costing us ksh.250, or about $3.

Saturday morning we called a number given to us by some friends who had visited the area a couple of weeks ago. The man on the other end was none other than Captain Willy, owner of a long boat on Lake Victoria. He took us out for a two hour spin on the Lake, which was amazing. It was beautiful and leisurely, and everything a Saturday morning boat ride should be. Willy and his associate, John, took us to a Luo fishing village where we got to walk around and see a bit of Luo life, which was very cool. I think I just want to live in Dungu on Lake Victoria's coast, just for a couple of months. Or years. Whatever.

After the boat ride, we grabbed some tuk-tuks back into town(always a fun ride) and decided to take a matatu to nearby Kakemega, and camp in the rainforest. Yes. Camp in the rainforest. We got into Kakemega in the early afternoon and headed straight for the Forest (LINK TO INFO).

Luckily Devin had brought a tent with her, so we were mostly set. Unluckily, it was a three person tent, and we numbered 6. Further complicating the story is the fact that none of us (save one) brought a sleeping bag, but we made do.

At the gate of the park, we met some German doctoral researchers who offered to give us a ride to our camp site, which was awfully nice of them. We pitched our tent and then watched the sun set over the rainforest. Campfire then ensued, followed by the most ridiculous nights sleep I've had in a long time. We are not small people.

Early Sunday morning, we headed into the forest proper for a nice long hike (6 hours, and probably around 10 miles, give or take) It was insanely beautiful, and full of absolutely enormous trees and tons of plants.

We got a bit lost, but eventually found our way out and made it back into town with time to spare for one of number to crack the windshield with her head after going over a particularly gargantuan pothole, courtesy of local officials embezzling money.

We boarded our bus with sore bodies and a single-minded desire to pass out, as soon as possible. We had just finished eating peanut butter sandwiches for the 7th meal in a row in an alley behind the bus station, and we were all ready to catch a little shut-eye. Silly us.

The freeway was under construction for the first 6 hours of our journey, so our 48-passenger bus drove on the dirt road next to the highway for quite a while. I literally cannot explain to you the cacophony of noise the bus made, or the degree to which everything was vibrating and bouncing. It was the single most uncomfortable bus ride I've ever had, and it lasted all night. We finally got into Nairobi at 4am and grabbed a taxi home, giving me just enough time to collapse into bed for 2 hours of sleep before class. Thank god for the delicious coffee of Nairobi Java.

Thats all I've got for now. I've edited a couple of pics from the weekend, and those are below. As I edit more, I'll post them so keep checking back. I'd say I had a pretty good weekend. Next weekend I'm supposed to be hitting up the coffee farm Alterra gets there Kenya AA from, so stay tuned for more details. (especially Barrique's buddies and Alterra afficionados!)

Tutaonana baadaye.