Bucket List - Things To Do Before I Die

Earlier, I wrote that my proposed overland driving trip to Kenya was one of the things I want to do before I die, and I could not think of anything else that falls into this category.

But now I have thought of something else I would really like to do. I would love to see the Rio Carnival.

So, having started, I am going to try to make a list of ten things to go on my bucket list:

1. Drive from the UK to Kenya (and back?)
2. Visit the Maasai Mara/Serengeti
3. Attend the annual Rhino Charge 4x4
4. Go to  Rio for the Carnival
5. Visit India
6. Attend the Notting Hill Carnival - should be easy enough.
7. 
   

Well, it's a start! I will add things as they occur to me - I really must get a life.

What is your Bucket List?

Gentle Drive to Kenya

This blog is getting taken over by my dream/hope or whatever it will eventually turn out to be, so I have decided that all further posts relating to it will be on this new blog.

Even More musings - Gentle Drive to Kenya

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

When I ... sorry, if I ever get my project going, I will be driving through the whole of Europe, through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and finally Kenya.

But then what? I will be in Kenya with a car I cannot sell, because I cannot import it as it is over 8 years old. So what to do with it?

Well, I was thinking (a painful process, especially on a Friday evening), what about driving it back to the UK? Now that sounds like a mad enough idea, but I wouldn't be the first, would I? No, of course not.

So, where would I go from Kenya? I have always fancied visiting Malawi. I don't know why, it is just somewhere that I have read about and it grabbed my imagination. So, do I go through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, or go straight to and through Tanzania to Malawi. Difficult choice. I can decide that later.

But from Malawi, I will traverse Zambia and Angola, then follow the Atlantic coast north to Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, bits of Mali, then into Mauritania and Morocco. Cross the Med at or near Gibraltar and then through Spain, France and the Channel Tunnel - to home. Simples.

Gentle Drive to Kenya - the Vehicle

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I have been thinking a lot, talking to lots of people, and reading accounts of others who have done the same trip, one way or the other.

One thing I have found is a suitable vehicle, a 1996 Isuzu Bighorn Irmscher (a grey import Isuzu Trooper). It has a 3.1 litre diesel engine, automatic gearbox, and lots of space. It has done a low mileage and is in excellent condition. More importantly, it is well within budget, leaving me a little to put new tyres on it and give it a good service.

I just hope it doesn't get sold before I can raise the money to buy it.

Update: Being quite old and therefore not all shiny and new-looking, it is less conspicuous to car-jackers, something that I have been told is not only a prolem on the african leg of the trip!

Only in Kenya

Update: Following on from a comment to this blog, there are a lot of Kenyans living abroad in Europe, USA and even Japan. You must have seen things in your host country  that strikes you as funny, peculiar or even downright mad - things that would fall into the "Only In ..." category. So, let's hear about them.

-oOo-

Oh! How many blogs have I read with this title? Most are humorous, one or two are disparaging.

This blog has not been written to criticise Kenya or Kenyans, but rather to point out the differences in points of view between Kenyans and "Westerners".

I was visiting a hotel in Kisii. It is not the most luxurious hotel in the town, but it is very cheap and  more importantly for the visitor, clean - spotlessly clean. It is set in beautiful gardens with many colourful plants and shrubs. Even the trees are colourful - and it is close to the town centre.

It is purported to be the oldest hotel in Kisii, having been built in the 1920s, and it shows. Some of the windows in the cloisters are rotting, even to the point that the lowest pane of glass has fallen out. But it doesn't matter, I was told. The windows are never closed, so why replace the glass. It is superfluous. Logical. If the window pane is replaced, eventually it will fall only out again when the frame rots.

Outside, there is a large covered patio where patrons can sit, eat their meal, sip Tusker (other lagers are available) or just enjoy the gardens. The patio is supported by rough-hewn poles, typical of Kenya. But either they were too short, or the roof has been raised, and, the gap between the top of the poles and the roof trusses is filled with bits of planed 3x2.

It rather detracts from the overall impression of the place. I asked why bits of off-cut wood were used to extend the poles and was told that it was practical. In other words, the bits of wood nailed to the tops of the poles did what was necessary, no more, no less. Of course, from a purely practical point of view, the solution is practical, and a lot cheaper than replacing the poles, or seamlessly adding more pole to the existing ones. Practical.

A couple of days later, I visited another hotel in the town, at the insistence of the Mayor. Now this was a different kettle of fish. If they had the star rating system, in Kenya, this hotel would have five. It was brand new and looked it. Again, it was set in grounds with manicured lawns, mature trees and clipped hedges.

The centre-piece is a bar and seating area. It is covered, but with open sides. It was magnificent. Quiet Kenyan music played in the background, not intrusive. The staff were attentive. This was truly a nice hotel. My associate and I sat in the bar area and sipped tea as we chatted to the manager. But, when she was  called away to deal with things that hotel managers deal with, I looked around - and up.

The roof of this bar area is part thatch and part corrugated steel sheet. And on some of the sheets of this roof in this excellent hotel were - black prints, not just faint smudges, but real full-on hand prints.

It really spoiled the effect of this hotel for about five seconds. Then I laughed quietly to myself. Only in Kenya. Don't get me wrong. I love this country, I love the people, and maybe this is part of the reason why. The roof is perfect, the hotel is perfect. And after all, what is a palm print on the inside of the roof? It can be cleaned off - later.

These little anecdotes are, to me, what makes Kenya Kenyan. Never mind what it looks like, if it works, don't fix it! Maybe we could learn something from this.

Education - different stokes for different genders?

I have just been listening to the  headmaster of Eton College on the radio, explaining the differences between boys and girls, when it comes to education.

Girls will sit down and apply themselves to work, whereas boys' minds will wander, they are restless and cannot sit still for too long.

There is a good  reason for this, an inbred reason, which will apply even more in developing countries.
Let's take, as an example, the Maasai. What do Maasai children traditionally do (if they are not attending school)?

Boys will be charged with looking after the flocks and herds. They will be constantly scanning the horizon for danger. They will be constantly gazing over their charges to look out for strays. They are not focused on anything close at hand. Their gaze is in the distance.

Girls will be at home, preparing food, making bead-work, looking after younger siblings, or whatever. They will be concentrating within their immediate environment.

Take these children and put them into a school environment where they are expected to sit at a desk and concentrate on their immediate environment - the chalk board, teacher, books.

Who is better equipped, due to the environment they are used to?

Well, it would appear that these activities that are carried out by the Maasai children today are inbred into all children, so even in a developed country, where children have been going to school for generations, these traits still come out. Boys will be looking into the distance, wanting (needing?) to move around, whereas girls can sit and concentrate on their immediate surroundings.

I accept that the above is a massive generalisation, but when I think about it, it seems to fit in with my experiences of child behaviour in class or other situation where sitting quietly is the requirement.

I will try to remember all this if/when we expand Twiga to include classrooms.

Gentle Drive to Kenya - Middle East to Kenya

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

Since my last blog (not that long ago) in the subject of a fantasy[?] overland trip to Kisii from the UK, I couldn't find a way to get from Syria or Jordan to the west bank of the Suez or Red Sea. But now, I've found it!

So, the next part of my trip will be as follows. On leaving Turkey, I will travel south (as best I can) through Syria and Jordan, avoiding Israel like the plague.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Israel, but if I get any sort of stamp in my passport showing that I have been there, I will not get through some of the Moslem countries, apparently. So, I will avoid Israel like the plague as that is easier than avoiding passing through Moslem countries.

In Jordan, I will make for Aqaba, where I can then take a ferry to Nubeiba. In this way I avoid Israel and Palestine. The next trick is to cross either the Gulf of Suez or the Suez Canal.

Once over the canal, I will make my way down to Aswan and this is where, by all accounts, the next problem arises. It would appear that there is no unauthorised road crossing between Egypt and Sudan. This was certainly true for north-bound traffic in 2008 anyway. This is Egyptian law.

So, it is another ferry, from Aswan to Wadi Halfa, along the Nile. From there to Khartoum, then on to Al Qadarif.

Then it is in to Ethiopia, Gondar, Addis Abeba, Hawassa, Moyale and across the border into Kenya. An alternative route would be to go west of lake Abaya to Arba Minch, Omorate and across the border into Illeret on the NE shore of Lake Turkana.

There is an almost direct route to Nakuru, at which point I would consider myself "almost home", as it is an easy run from there through Kericho to Kisii.

So, apart from crossing the Suez (canal or gulf), the itinerary is sorted.

Any comments?

Kid Swap

In the aftermath of the case of the boys from Edlington, who beat and tortured two other boys, a youngster, Ben (13) from Cheshire, wrote to the Daily Mail, suggesting that these youth offenders need to be taught self-respect, regard for others, respect for authority and a sense of responsibility for their actions.

He continued that he attends a school with good facilities and considers himself lucky. He wants to learn. However unruly behaviour by others can spoil the lessons and a significant minority of pupils do not take a proper interest and can contribute to indiscipline.

Ben then says that he has heard of African children who are clamouring for an education but have inadequate facilities. He asks what they would give for an opportunity to attend and benefit from facilities that he enjoys? So he suggests an educational exchange.

"Why not let the unruly pupils at schools like mine experience poor facilities in developing countries? They would become more appreciative and respectful. And why not open the vacant places created by the exchange to the children from poor countries, the ones intent on learning?"

In principal, I am with you, Ben. The unruly kids would find themselves without computers, mobile phones, game consoles, running warm water, safe drinking water from the tap and even electricity - it would be a severe culture shock. As for African children in UK schools, they may find themselves out of their depth, but I am sure they would jump at the chance to attend a well equipped school. But, how long would they be in the UK? They would be loathe to return to their tin hut schools with slates and chalks.

And why should an African country have to cope with Britain's feral children? If a child is capable of beating another child in the UK, he would still be capable in Africa, although he may find that retribution is swift and sure.

I would love to see British kids going to rural Kenya to "see how the other half lives", but I would prefer it to be an education, rather than a punishment. Dealing with a violent child who is on the defensive because he is out of his comfort zone could be disastrous.

However, showing a child that there is life beyond the TV, games console and cell phone, where they can learn that bacon does not come from sheep, and the chicken on the plate was running around the yard earlier in the day, the vegetables for dinner were grown in the back yard, would be an education indeed.

Ben, I agree with your Dad. The exchange could be a good idea, but it will never happen.

Farming in kenya

I watched a very interesting programme this evening on BBC2, Jimmy’s Global Harvest. I hadn’t seen the previous episodes and this was the last one, and it focused on Kenya.

First stop was in Luanda where he visited two shambas growing maize. The first showed a poor crop which did not provide enough food to feed the farmer’s family. The second, smaller farm was not only growing enough to feed his family of 8, but had a surplus for sale.

The first farm was blighted with stem boring moth larvae, which eat the fibre of the maize plant, killing it. It also had striga weed growing among the maize plants. This weed is parasitical, seeking out the root of the maize plant and tapping it for nutrients.

So what did farmer 2 do that farmer 1 didn’t?

He used a low technology solution to combat the stem boring moth. He planted desmodium amongst his maize plants. Desmodium lets off a chemical that repels the stem borer moth. He also planted napier grass (or Uganda grass, elephant grass) which attracts and traps the moth.

Desmodium has a second use inasmuch as its roots give off a chemical that actually kills the roots of the striga weed.

So farmer 2 was producing far more maize than his neighbour.

The next stop was a banana research unit in Thika, run by Dr. Florence Wambugu.

The problem for banana growers is that to produce a new tree, farmers traditionally dig up a sucker from a main tree and transplant it. Unfortunately, he will also transplant any sickness and disease in the plant and in the soil.

Dr. Wambugu has developed a laboratory process that not only produces disease free plants, but also, she can produce 1,000 new trees from a single sucker plant. this technology is certainly NOT low tech, but it is not so complex that it could not be set up regionally.

Third stop was in Naivasha, where the control of red spider mite was the problem in the massive hot houses growing cut flowers for export. They have cut their pesticide spray by 50% by introducing a bug called phytoseiulus, which eats red spider mites, then themselves, leaving the plants virtually bug-free.

The programme continued with a visit to the north-east where camels are farmed for their milk and finally to Selengei were it was found that the Maasai red sheep has built up an immunity to wire worm, neither of which were relevant to our River Cottage plot in Kisii, or to farming in Nyanza in general.

But, we know farmers in our area who grow maize and have a problem with stem borers, and others with diseased banana trees, so a bit more research by KCIS, then an educational trip is called for, I guess.

Also posted on Tool-using Thing-maker

Gentle Drive to Kenya - Confused!

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I have been getting advice from all over to the effect that parts of and Ethiopia are safe/unsafe, certain areas should be avoided and that the best route is through the Sahara, etc.

Now I am so confused about where I can go, where I shouldn't go and where I should avoid like the plague, that there is now a broad band of red on my map, which effectively cuts off Kenya from the rest of Africa.

Will I ever find a way to Kenya that doesn't involve getting shot at, arrested, kidnapped, blown up ...?

The last information I received is that Ethiopia is OK, as long as I keep away from certain bits. And now, I am told that even in Kenya, the road from the border to Isiolo is dangerous as there are bandits in the area.

But I won't give up!

Gentle Drive to Kenya - First Brick Wall

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I asked for advice, ideas and comments on my proposed route, I have been told that parts of it are very dangerous. A stretch of a particular road is mined and in other areas, fundamentalists will take a pop at anything that moves - that would be me, then.

I have also been given certain alternatives that would take me through areas that I would have avoided - like the Sahara Desert, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Nigeria - oops!

So now, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, or rather, a desert and a minefield.

Obviously, Dafur, Somalia and Eritrea are to be avoided - I didn't need advice on that - but I have since been told that Ethiopia is OK (at the moment) by someone who has just driven through there. But everything can change overnight. We could set off and by the time we get to sub-Saharan Africa, the whole political landscape could have changed for the better, or more probably, the worse.

Do I give up? Er, no, I don't do giving up, not without a fight, anyway. So, how about passing through France and Spain, getting the car over to Morocco and traversing that sand-pit called the Sahara. I didn't want to, but, if the eastern route is blocked ...

What would it involve? From Morocco, we would drive to Algeria and turn right (south) to Tamanrasset to Kano (Nigeria), then through Cameroon and CAR, DRC and Rwanda - plain sailing from there. We pass into Uganda and then into Kenya, quite close to our objective, Kisii. Simples, as any self-respecting, Russian meerkat would say.

Another possibility would be to retain the trans-Europe route, but instead of turning left at Suez, we carry on westerly through Egypt and Libya (is that such a good idea?)

Then turn left through Niger, Cameroon, etc., as above.

Frankly, driving through France and Spain sounds a lot less interesting than traversing Europe and Turkey, but if I got shot or blown up, the kids at the Twiga Centre would be very annoyed with me.

So, I am confused. I will sleep on it and be confused in the morning.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya - 1st Leg

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

This is the first leg of the journey, from the UK to the Turkish/Syrian border as dictated by GoogleEarth (2687 miles)

Unfortunately, GoogleEarth refuses to plan my route between the Syrian and Kenyan borders.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya - More Musings

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

Within my self-imposed budget of £3,000, I have so found the following diesel, automatic vehicles:

• Isuzu Bighorn (Trooper). 3.1 litre, very strong car, needs new tyres;
• Mitsubishi Pajero LWB, 2.8 litre, fine except it has not cylinder head;
• Nissan Mistral (Terrano) LWB, 2.7 litre. I like these, but apparently, they are not too strong, more of a soft-roader.
• Toyota Surf, 2.4 litre manual, fine except the turbo doesn't work, but I am sure it can be fixed cheaply. But is the 2.4 a little underpowered, and don't they pack up rather easily? (I do like these!!)

Looking on the Interweb, my personal choice, good HiLux king cabs appear to be rarer than rocking horse manure.

I don't know about the other bits of Africa that I will be travelling through, but Toyotas are very popular in Kenya, so spares and repairs would not be too much of a problem. But what about the rest of the trip?

Musings on A Gentle Drive to Kenya

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I wonder how much the insurance will be?

After all, it is not your regular stroll down a country lane, is it?

From what I can gather, the route from Calais to Ankara is dual carriageway, apart from a stretch in Bulgaria. But once into Syria, it's all change.

And I need to find out the safest route between the Turkish border and the Kenyan border. Should I avoid Lebanon? Or Jordan, or Ethiopia?

Are there any other hotspots I should know about?HELP!

The intention is to visit charity projects en route to give them a bit of publicity. I hope that at least some of them can collect used deep fry oil that I can use as fuel.

What else will I need, apart from tents, cooking facilities? A co-driver, preferably someone with reasonable knowledge of the workings of a 4x4 vehicle would be good. Someone who can put up with a grumpy old man (me).

I suppose that, whatever vehicle I manage to acquire, it will need to be "modified" as well as having a full service before we set out. A sump guard springs to mind. An extra spare wheel wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

More musings, comments and maybe even some thought will follow - maybe.

If you have done this trip or something similar, or have any ideas, please let me know.

Bucket List

I was talking to a friend yesterday about my fantasy/project/dream to drive from my home in the UK to my "home" in Kenya. He thought I was mad, and he is probably not too far from the truth.

Then he said it was one of my "bucket list". My face must have shown my confusion so he explained that it is one of the things i want to do before I kick the bucket (wherever did that phrase come from?).

That got me thinking. Apart from this little overland jaunt through Europe, a corner of Asia and about half-way down Africa, I asked myself what else should be on my bucket list - things I want to do before I die?

Well, I want to see the residential bit of Twiga Children's Centre built and occupied, but I can think of little else I want to do, other than to continue to travel to Kisii on a regular basis, or maybe even settle there one day.

I would like to travel to the Far East, but it is not a burning passion, so that doesn't count.

OK, so maybe there are things I want to own before I die, but I can't think of anything at the moment.

So, either I am very boring (or easily pleased) or my life so far has been very fulfilling

Maybe you have something (or a list of somethings) you want to do before you die. Let me know in the comments.


Your ideas may inspire me.

More thoughts on ... A Gentle Drive to Kenya

A gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I slept on this and I am still enthusiastic, although I can see a myriad of problems. Still, it would be no fun without problems.

First off, I need to choose a vehicle. I have decided that I should not spend more than £3,000 (not that I have £3,000 at the moment), which limits the newness.
It needs to be 4WD with hi-lo and probably diff.lock
It needs to be diesel, as I would like to use bio-diesel which I would make on the way.
So what are the options?

• Toyota HiLux - very difficult to find a good one. they are too popular
• Toyota Surf - ditto for models with the 2.8 litre engine
• Toyota Landcruiser - too heavy, fuel consumption too high
• Isuzu Trooper - fuel consumption is high, but this is one strong vehicle
• Land Rover 110 - I am told they break easily and the diesels are underpowered
• Discovery - Hmmm, nice, but a good one is expensive
• Range Rover - thirsty
• Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun - with the right engine, this could be the one.

The route

I reckon the first leg across Europe (Calais to Ankara) should take about 5 days, allowing 8 hours driving a day. Of course, with an enthusiastic co-pilot/navigator, this time could be halved and that knocks almost 3,000 miles off the total.

From there on, I do not know the state of roads etc. through Syria, Jordan or Israel to Egypt, across the Suez canal and down the west bank of the Red Sea, then to Aswan, Khartoum, Addis Ababa. But I am fairly sure that south of Addis, into Kenya, down to Marsabit the road is pretty awful, and I am not sure about the road to Nyeri and Nakuru either, but from there to Kericho and eventually Kisii, it is not too bad. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Would it be better to go further west and into Uganda?

Duration? Well, if it takes 5 days to get to Ankara, which is less than half-way, and the roads deteriorate from there on, the second leg could take 10 to 15 days, assuming we hit no snags. Then there are the border crossing delays. I have read that these can take anything from 10 hours to 36 hours. Oh boy!

So, 25 days would be the target, from Highclere to Kisii. That's a long time to be in a vehicle.

We will need sponsorship, so NGOs and charities with ongoing projects on the route would need to be contacted. I will be doing a lot of filming on the journey, and could highlight work done.

We could do with a high-profile patron as well. Within a couple of miles of where I am sitting, I have Lord and Lady Carnarvon (Highclere Castle would be a fantastic starting point!), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Keith Chegwin, and there must be others. In the past Mick Jagger lived not far away and Rod Stewart nearly moved here, too.

There is a lot to think about, but I reckon it is feasible for an old(ish) mildly disabled, grumpy old man can do it.

Happy birthday, Blog

When I started this blog, I thought that blogging was going to be one of those fads that disappears within a few months.

Well, this is the 2nd anniversary of the Baba Mzungu blog, so I guess I was wrong. This is the 287th post on this blog although I also write on the KCIS blog (89 posts) and Tool-Using Thing-maker (92 posts).

I didn't know I had it in me.

Anyway, thank you to all those who are following the blog.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya?

The dream of a "gentle" drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

When I returned from South Africa, I wanted to go back. I wanted to drive the length of Africa. That was my dream.

Since my first visit to Kenya, I have dreamed of driving there one day - not in my present vehicle as I doubt it would get to Dover - but in a suitable conveyance, an old Landrover 110, for example.

Then, this Christmas, I got a Garmin GPS, into which I can enter Long/Lat. coordinates, so I did. I entered the coordinates for the Junction in Kisii and lo! A map popped up of the Junction in Kisii - brilliant.

So I told the Garmin to calculate the route from my home in the UK to Kisii, and it did, giving a distance of 6,497.2 miles. I love the .2 miles, how accurate is that? And I will arrive at 23:03 if I leave now. It doesn't tell me which day though, just the time.

So, could I do the trip, or will it remain a dream? Frankly, the logistics frighten me more than the trip itself, but then, I get nervous flying out to Kenya, and let's face it, when flying, virtually everything is done for me! It's not like I have to fly the plane. Actually, I wouldn't mind giving it a go, but I would need a navigator, unless I could fly low enough to pick out landmarks.

I had imagined getting sponsorship to cover the trip expenses and make some money for Twiga and KCIS, but people have done the whole of Africa, so a trip to Kenya is a bit tame really. Would I get sponsorship?

And then there's the vehicle. I don't have the funds to buy even the oldest and tattiest of 4x4s, let alone all the kit I would need en route.

I have just realised that I am being very negative, which is not allowed in my New Year's resolution.

So, keeping a positive frame of mind, of course I could do it, of course I can get a suitable vehicle, of course I can get sponsorship.

So, how long would it take, driving through Europe, around the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and then following the Nile (roughly)? 6,500 miles, 8 hours driving a day, at an average speed of ... 15? 20?

I reckon that driving every day, it would take about 54 days or nearly 8 weeks, almost 2 months.

I also reckon we would need about 800 gallons of fuel. At present UK prices, that alone would cost almost £1,000 - wow! That's two return trips to Nairobi by air (off-season, of course).

Next question, could I find someone who could put up with a grumpy old man to accompany me? How about a Kenyan wanting to return home from Europe? I might learn a bit more Swahili on the trip.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't have a clue about how to plan a trip like this, let alone have the ability to raise the money to put it into action.

So, if there is anyone reading this who has a fantasy of driving through Europe to Kenya, get in touch. Add a little reality to my dream.

Raising a Profile ... and Funds

I have just seen on Twitter that one of the people I follow promoted a fund to rehouse a couple of Vietnamese families, and within a few hours, quite a lot of money was raised.

Which got me thinking ...

What is the most pressing need at KCIS?

There are many, but I suppose that we need to build the planned dormitories so that we can offer a secure and adult-supervised home environment for a few of the Twiga Children who live alone with no adult.

Although these children are coping, more or less with help from us and other members of the community, they are not children - they are not leading the lives of children, even Kenyan children. they have no time to play or relax. Life is one relentless grind of cooking, washing, cleaning, growing food, as well as the more traditional child activities of school, homework and study.

When we build our home, these adult activities will be taken over by the resident staff (one paid "matron" and several volunteers).

In the diagram, the part in red exists already. It is made from traditional materials, which we intend to continue in building the two dormitories, to keep the cost down - we only need to buy cement, poles, steel sheet, windows and doors.

I am trying to get an estimate for quantities and costing for the materials and furniture, then I will have to start a big promotion. (if you want to pre-empt the promotion, [click here])

We have PayPal and MPesa accounts, so we can receive donations from anywhere.

All we need now is people to donate - a few bob each will soon add up to enough to build our home, won't it?

Driving in Kenya

The first thing anyone asks me is what side of the road Kenyans drive on.

Well ... I am no expert, but I have covered a few thousand kilometres on my various visits to Kenya, so here goes.

Officially, Kenya drives on the left, like the UK, but unlike the UK, this rule has conditions, like which side has the fewest potholes, least traffic, fewest pedestrians, cyclists, other obstructions. That is the side you (or at least, they) drive on. Oncoming traffic is not a consideration. Flash your headlights, sound your horn … and go!

On occasion, where the road is in a very bad state of repair, you may will be overtaken by matatus driving along the verge. Marvel at how they miss the pedestrians.

Traffic lights – these work the same way as in the UK, when they work at all, the difference being that no one takes any notice of them, even the Police, who may wave you on against a red light.

Note: Arm signals from the police are not the same as in the UK. For a start, the officer will rarely stand in the middle of the road, he values his life too much. So he will stand on the edge of the road and wave at you. Don’t wave back, just go. If it is raining, the police officer will be hampered by his umbrella, so take extra care. He may not be waving you on, but just clearing excess water from his umbrella.

Whilst on the subject of the police, when driving, you are likely to come across a lot of roadblocks, comprising a hand-written ‘STOP’ sign and then two metal strips with 6” spikes in the road. At night, they may be illuminated – or not.

These roadblocks are manned by several officers carrying AK47 assault rifles and are there to catch drivers without licences, un-roadworthy vehicles, etc. for which an on-the-spot bribe fine is levied. The offender is then allowed to go on his way.

You may find several roadblocks in the space of a couple of kilometres, especially towards the end of the month, just before pay day.

Direction indicators. Where these are fitted to a vehicle and working (which is not always the case), they are used to indicate that the vehicle is about to turn left or right – perfectly normal.

A slow vehicle may use them to indicate that it is/is not safe to overtake it (right indicator = not safe; left indicator = safe to pass). Don’t blindly take the driver’s word for it. He does not know how powerful your vehicle is, or how hard you are willing to gun it.

Rear lights. These are compulsory, which means that about 50% of vehicles have them with at least one bulb working. Matatu, motorcycle and bicycle drivers think they are exempt from having working rear lights, or brake lights, come to think of it.

So if you are thinking about driving at night, a word of advice - don’t!

Roundabouts. The rule is if you are on the roundabout, you have right of way. No one follows this rule. The unwritten rule is, if you are bigger/braver/suicidal, you have right of way.

Motorbikes. These are indestructible and the riders are immortal. They will be driven anywhere on the road to avoid actually having to stop.

Matatus. See motorbikes. Also, expect a matatu to stop in the middle of the road without warning in order to disgorge or pick up passengers. Have patience, the poor guy is only trying to make a living and he doesn’t care if his passengers are mown down when they get out. After all, they have already paid.