Back home

43 hours from starting out on the tractor Friday morning to arriving home with our dogs late Saturday afternoon, including the 11 hour time zone difference. Good to be home!

Crossing Golden Gate Bridge on our way home

All aboard!

Time to board our flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco.

We said our goodbyes to Sarek yesterday afternoon, Diana last night, and Bruce and Kathi here in Amsterdam. Until we meet again!

Time for a long, hot shower

We have landed in Amsterdam, and have rented showers at one of the hotels in the airport.

Departing Nairobi

Tired, but departing Nairobi on time, 11:59pm Friday night.

Java House

Have we ever been in this airport without spending time at Java House?

Uber in Swahili is Uber

The photo is blurry, but "Uber in Swahili is Uber." So I learned a new Swahili word today!

New! In Nairobi's international airport

About time to make our way to JKIA

Lunch at Aero Club of East Africa

We enjoyed lunch at the Aero Club near Wilson Airport, the regional airport in Nairobi. Later we will make our way to the international airport to leave Kenya.

What item in the photo is a rare treat in Kenya? (At least in our travels.)

Southwest?

We are leaving the local airstrip 2 hours late. Not a good start for our journey home, but we have plenty of slack time in Nairobi, so hopefully won't affect is further - other than spending 2 extra hours in a hot little airport.

This flight had open seating, like the Southwest Airlines of Kenya.

Beginning our journey home

Back on the tractor, leaving the resort Friday morning. Hope to be home in 42 hours!

No caption needed

Colobus monkeys

There are many Colobus monkeys around this little island. They are a bit shy but not too afraid to come drink out of the pool.

This one is a mom with a baby clinging underneath.

The Sands

Indian Ocean

Sunset

Covered boat dock at The Sands

Low tide vs high tide

Different boats, but same area.

Getting to the island

... Please read previous post first...


So the road ends. For real this time.

We are greeted with some bottled water and comfy seats in some shade. By the way, it's hot and humid on the coast, especially compared to Eldoret at 7,000'+ elevation.

We are told to wait. For the tractor.

You see, when the tide is low, a tractor pulling a passenger rig takes you to and from the island. When the tide is high, a boat does the work.

The island is only a few hundred feet from the mainland. There's a route laid out for the tractor. So we went to the island, not by boat, not by plane, not over a bridge, but by tractor. Another first.

The drive from Mombasa

We are staying the next two nights on Chale Island, South of Mombasa, which is on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The six of us were being driven in a van. The drive was quite the experience! First, we had to go through a number of double roundabouts in the heavy traffic. Then at one of the many police checkpoints, we were selected to pull over. The policewoman checked the registration posted on the windshield, then looked at us and noticed we weren't all wearing seatbelts. Some of the seatbelts were buried under the seats so we didn't even know they were there. The policewoman told us to go to the police station and then we'd go before a judge tomorrow. We were a bit stunned but really the policewoman just wanted the typical bribe, because that's how this works in Kenya. Our driver paid the bribe and then fixed our seatbelts and we all wore them.

Next thing we knew we were driving onto a ferry boat to take a very short ride across a shipping port inlet. I'm sure it would have added an hour or more if we tried to drive around the port to get to the other side. This photo is from our ferry ride.

More congested traffic exiting the ferry. But finally we were heading south.

This van didn't look too bad, especially for Kenya, but it had its issues. The back end often bottomed out when we crossed a simple bump.

The van would also die without warning from time to time. It did this probably four or five times. Mind you, the low gas light was on when he picked us up at the airport, so each time it died, we thought we were out of gas. But the driver would be able to restart it, usually while we were still rolling.

Eventually the driver stopped at a gas station. He put in 3 litres of gas. THAT'S 3/4 OF A GALLON! That's all he put in.

Not long after that, the road ended. But it didn't, really. The paved road ended, and you jogged just a bit to the left and you were on a gravel road. Only this is a Kenyan gravel road. It's not like a gravel road in the US. Here a gravel road doesn't really have a base layer. It's just dirt and rocks. Not gravel sized rocks. These are bigger. It makes for a pretty rough road. We continued on probably 10 miles until this road ended.

See next post...

Uber in Mombasa

There are many 3-wheel Tuk-tuk vehicles in Mombasa. This photo is of a tranquil scene compared to most roads. Note the front one is an Uber.

Mount Kilimanjaro

On our flight to Mombasa, you can see snow-topped Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance, above the clouds.

Flight to Mombasa

I've been downgraded to "Mr."

Flight to Nairobi, change planes to Mombasa

Hahaha. She's "Mrs" and I'm "Dr."

Patient from 2011

This is Miriam. She's the aunt of our good friend Mark C. We (the greater "we" that doesn't include me) removed her thyroid in 2011. She had one of those huge goiters. You can see her before picture if you look up Feb 2011 postings on this blog.

Miriam stopped by to see us today and let Susan have a look at her. She's doing great!

Diana's birthday gift

Diana's birthday was Sunday. Here she is wearing her gift.

"Save the chubby unicorns" rhino T-shirt.

Goiter, thyroidectomy

This was one of the patients in Bruce's operating room on Monday, before her thyroidectomy surgery began. She has a rather large (ok, huge) goiter...

Storage trunks

Most of the supplies we bring get used up while we are here or are left behind in the hospital supply room to be used by the Kenyans along with the typical supplies that the hospital purchases.

However, we keep some supplies and specific items in our possession so that we know they will be here next time we return. Indiana house is kind enough to store four of these trunks for us.

While the medical team is doing their work at the hospital today, Monday, I am starting to take inventory of what we will store for next year. I use an app that allows me to take pictures, write descriptions, and note quantities so that Susan can review the inventory next February when getting ready to come again. She will use that info to help her and the others decide what to bring.

Me and my teacher, Wycliffe

Mimi na nina mwalimu Wycliffe

I start my day, thus the bed hair, with a Swahili lesson...

Rhino selfie

Why did the lions cross the road?

These two female lions had three warthogs trapped in a culvert under the road. Two of the warthogs escaped. I'll spare you the details...

Lake Nakuru National Park

We are spending the weekend at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge inside the Lake Nakuru National Park (game park), just outside the city of Nakuru. Nakuru is the 4th largest city in Kenya with a population of over 300,000. Eldoret is the 5th largest in Kenya with a little under 300,000.