Along a Country Road in Kenya
Sunday August 28, 2005 
We are heading towards tonight's campsite in a truck called George. We are going to be camping way out in the middle of nowhwere.
The road we are travelling is pocked with potholes, covered in craters. It is slow going as George is forced to weave back and forth across the dusty ground, seeking the parts which are less likely to bounce our heads against the roof. My teeth knock together as I laugh in disbelief.
These are holes which are several feet deep in places. The dust rises in clouds around us. Jeff and I are sitting up in "first class" which has more padding. I am grateful.
The roads pictured in these photos are from slightly further on. I swear I was holding on too tightly to keep from falling off my seat to take photographs! :)
Someone points up. Screws are actually working their way loose from the truck's ceiling. Occasionally someone will jump out of their seat to rescue a loaf of bread or a bag from the grocery-supplies shelf from upending itself on our heads.
The reason that this road is in such bad condition is that it is used by the export rose business. There is an enormous amount of shipping traffic along this route, although we didn't see any. A huge amount of the world's roses are shipped from this part of Africa, their propagation causing all sorts of water-use and irrigation problems.
Apparently the water-level in nearby lakes has dropped precipitously. For instance, the nearby Crescent Island, where the movie 'Out of Africa' was filmed is no longer an island sanctuary because the lake level dropped so much that it became a peninsula and the animals there wandered away. We see modern-looking greenhouses from the road.
Sometime on this jouncing ride we spot our first wild African animal--some zebras grazing in the distance.
After an hour or so the roads become more even again and the going is faster. Before the road was nearly deserted of habitation. Now we see lots of people walking and bicycling, animals and various small buildings by the roadside. A few children wave as we go by.
The sun has come out and the day has grown hot. I love that the sides of the truck are open. We can see so much.
We are heading towards tonight's campsite in a truck called George. We are going to be camping way out in the middle of nowhwere.
The road we are travelling is pocked with potholes, covered in craters. It is slow going as George is forced to weave back and forth across the dusty ground, seeking the parts which are less likely to bounce our heads against the roof. My teeth knock together as I laugh in disbelief.
These are holes which are several feet deep in places. The dust rises in clouds around us. Jeff and I are sitting up in "first class" which has more padding. I am grateful.
The roads pictured in these photos are from slightly further on. I swear I was holding on too tightly to keep from falling off my seat to take photographs! :)
Someone points up. Screws are actually working their way loose from the truck's ceiling. Occasionally someone will jump out of their seat to rescue a loaf of bread or a bag from the grocery-supplies shelf from upending itself on our heads.
The reason that this road is in such bad condition is that it is used by the export rose business. There is an enormous amount of shipping traffic along this route, although we didn't see any. A huge amount of the world's roses are shipped from this part of Africa, their propagation causing all sorts of water-use and irrigation problems.
Apparently the water-level in nearby lakes has dropped precipitously. For instance, the nearby Crescent Island, where the movie 'Out of Africa' was filmed is no longer an island sanctuary because the lake level dropped so much that it became a peninsula and the animals there wandered away. We see modern-looking greenhouses from the road.
Sometime on this jouncing ride we spot our first wild African animal--some zebras grazing in the distance.
After an hour or so the roads become more even again and the going is faster. Before the road was nearly deserted of habitation. Now we see lots of people walking and bicycling, animals and various small buildings by the roadside. A few children wave as we go by.
The sun has come out and the day has grown hot. I love that the sides of the truck are open. We can see so much.
posted by Spider Girl | 12:49 PM
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