Many of the decisions we made this past weekend were not the smartest. For example, the nine of us interns decided to take a 4 ½ hour matatu ride at 6 PM on a Friday night. This was against the wishes of our supervisor who warned us that nine mzungus travelling at night to Nakuru was highly dangerous. Instead of taking his advice, we signed a contract giving away any responsibility of FSD.
We arrived at our hotel safe and sound despite the comments throughout the drive to remind us that “this is how NGO workers die.” However, when we got there, the hotel kindly gave away our rooms (Good luck: 0; Bad luck: 1). Fortunately, another Kenyan was also searching for a hotel at midnight, and as it turned out works at Lake Nakuru National Park and knew much about the city (Good luck: 1; Bad luck: 1). He led us to a hotel that was much cheaper and safer than the first – only in Kenya can you find a hotel room for $6 a night! It is even cheaper when splitting it between four people. Even though the pit latrine was at the end of the hall, we were at peace knowing there was a security guard stationed at the front entrance.
The next day our new Kenyan friend, Willis, bargained a deal for our group to go on a one-day safari (Good luck: 2; Bad luck: 1). The safari through Lake Nakuru was absolutely beautiful! The lake is famous for being home to a third of the world’s flamingo population. But more importantly, we saw lions, giraffes, zebra, hyena, buffalo, baboons, rhinos, and so much more! It was such an incredible sight to see these animals in their natural habitats. The animals were only feet away from us (including the lion that was sleeping)!
Here are pictures of the baboons, the buffalo, and the giraffes:
Willis then took us to a hotel within the National Park where he works as a bartender. This hotel could not have been less than 5 stars, and looked like it was taken right out of a beach in Hawaii. It seemed most out of place since just down the road were huts where the Kenyans lived, but we took full advantage, ordering cocktails and coffee. After saying goodbye to Willis and our safari driver, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and to a discotheque for dancing. At the discotheque is where we really stood out. Instead of the long skirts and covered shoulders that women in Kakamega are dressed in and what we have adapted to, these urban women were wearing tight dresses and heels. It was a club straight out of Hollywood! We were shocked but had an amazing time (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 1).
The next day is when our luck began to run out. We decided to visit the Menengai crater about a 30-minute drive from the city. We hired a matatu to take us, but about ¾ of the way, the car started steaming and we were told that “the matatu was out of fuel” (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 2). We then proceeded to walk to the rest of the way up. The crater was so astoundingly huge that it did not even resemble a crater! It was too vast to see its entire area.
Here I am standing in front of the crater:
After the matatu had been fixed, it picked us up from the top and drove us back down. We ate a quick lunch, and went back to the matatu station for a ride home. Within minutes of being at the matatu station, one of the street kids stole the wallet out of the backpack of another Duke student, Lauren (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 3). He was about 15-years-old and proceeded to taunt us with his stolen goods, jumping in front of me and waving the stolen credit cards. Fortunately, when he jumped in front of me, I was able to snatch the credit cards out of his hands, but he had taken the money and wallet for good. I am starting to appreciate the rural life in Kakamega compared to living in an urban city like Nakuru, because although there are a few street kids in Kakamega, they are everywhere in Nakuru and were openly sniffing their glue bottles.
The bad luck had not run out just yet. Within the first half hour of our drive, the matatu was pulled over by a cop for not having our seatbelts on (people never wear seatbelts in a matatu) (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 4). The police officer attempted to bribe us, asking for 2000 shillings each in exchange for him not sending us to jail. I FROZE. Luckily, another officer walked up and excused our wrongdoing (Good luck: 4; Bad luck: 4). I cannot believe I witnessed Kenya’s corrupt government firsthand! Kenya never fails to surprise me. After that, it was smooth sailing and I arrived at home just in time for supper. What a weekend.
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