Two days after Thanksgiving, I left for Kenya and Tanzania. Having previously visited Egypt and South Africa before, I was all ready to be engulfed by the sites that have attracted us as tourist. What I was to find however, was a totally different story. Unlike visits from the past, I had an opportunity to sit up close and personal with the women, men and children of Africa. The experience left me humbled, appreciative and grateful for my life.
Each day we awoke to a phoned wake-up calls, ate a hearty breakfast and began our journey. Our transportation was considered elite for the people of these two countries - well used and older model passenger vans and school buses. The roads were often dirt - rich red dirt that melted beneath the drops of rain that sometimes showered us in drenches and created craters of holes large enough to swallow Land Rover tires.
Our meals, that were often prepared in the communities and villages we visited were rich in eggs, wheat, rice, potatoes and strange green vegetables that tasted liked collard greens. We never went a day without, so that our bellies would not growl. Everywhere we went, we didn't have to worry about the water, for bottled water sat comfortably in our purses and knapsacks.
Each day we returned to fresh sheets laced with mosquito nets and hot showers for our sun soaked bodies. And each day we woke up early and started the day fresh.
What was so different for me was what else happened each day! Stay tuned...
Ronita darling:
It is an honor to know the priestess that is Ronita; it is a joy to laugh with you and a delight to have shared so many adventures with you. I can still laugh until tears flow down my cheeks when I think back to some of your perfectly-timed humor in Africa.
I know that you will continue to bring your gifts forth into the world for the highest good. We are blessed to receive them.
Love,
Kathe
Posted by: Kathe Schaaf | January 23, 2007 at 06:22 PM