My morning routine this morning was interrupted by most of the kids coming down and watching the sunrise. It was spectacular this morning and I loved being surrounded by my Kenyan family.
Leaving Kitale is always an emotional day. The Karibuni and it's staff were our home for the last 2 weeks. Theresa and her team always do an amazing job of looking after us and it really is a home away from home. Her boys, Kalvin and Morgan become part of our team, our family too and there were many tears shed saying bye to them.
We had arranged to make a quick stop near where our Kenyan grandmother Mrs Sitti lives and we stopped for a few words and photo with her whilst we were there. This was the first moment that I couldn't hold it any more and simply burst into tears. She is such a force for good and always takes care of us while we are Kitale and I will miss her immensely.
My 'Kids'
Our students, my kids, have continued to be brilliant up to this point. I really thought that we were really starting to come together as a 'family'. It is my birthday, allowed me to see their true colours. They had all signed a card, and then a present arrived. This was the most hideous thing I have seen and was clearly well-planned in advance.
The T-shirt was completely obliterated with my face. The photo was taken at the grad dinner. They weren't sure that I would wear it but being their 'Kenyan Dad' how could I refuse.
The journey to Nakuru
The journey down to Nakuru is a good 4 hours and the roads are mostly single-lane roads, each way, with climbing lanes on hills to allow trucks and coaches to move over to allow others to overtake. The roads are completely nuts. They are the only real infrastructure in Kenya. The rail network has not seen trains on for years, at least the rails to Kitale and beyond, so all freight uses the same roads as passengers and everyone else so they are really really busy. Overtaking is fairly perilous, vehicles come at all angles, using every inch of tarmac and beyond!
We came across road works which was like nothing you'd believe with cars and minibuses taking the muddy section next to the road and one getting stuck. Our drivers, Amos, Henry and Walter are very adept at managing the roads and get us safely to Nakuru with just a short pit stop to get fuel and a chance to stretch our legs.
Nakuru
A busy town roughly half way between Kitale and Nairobi and home to the Nakuru safari park. The lake in the centre of the park has an every raising water level and it has no natural drain so the level is constantly rising.
Our hotel is a very lovely. It has a pool, gym, spa area. The food is a buffet style with plenty of choices and the rooms are really spacious and lovely. This is a real lap of luxury for the last part of our trip.
At the end of dinner my birthday cake arrived. This 3kg cake was huge and was paraded around the whole restaurant with the staff singing and dancing. Then the singing continues when I cut the cake.
These are traditions in Kenya with the celebrations around birthdays, there are other traditions that go with this but fortunately for me these weren't being observed today. Rubbing icing into the birthday person's face isn't something I fancied last night.
Despite spending most of the day on the bus I had a really lovely birthday surrounded by my Kenyan family!
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