Travel in Kenya

On Saturday morning, Fidelis, Zima's dad, had taken a walk to town to see about booking my transport back down from Chuka to Nairobi. Well, he quickly found out that on Monday all Matatus were going on strike and that makes the buses very unsafe because the Matatu drivers can sometimes target buses, wishing they would also join the strike. (Matatus are van taxis that follow a certain route, and you can get off and on anywhere along the route.)
The matatus are striking because they are tired of paying bribes to police officers. I want to challenge the drivers though, in saying they wouldn't need to pay the bribes if they stuck to 14 passengers, like the van is built for, instead of always saying there is room for one more. Also, if the vehicles were up to safety standards and within the speed limit, there shouldn't be any problems.
So, without a taxi, Fidelis found a relative with a car who was willing to drive me to Nairobi. We were supposed to leave at 7 am, but of course, that is delayed by an hour. Then for the first few towns, the driver was running personal errands and I thought I would never make it to the city. (I was hoping to get there early because a friend of mine came from Uganda to hang out with me for two days before I fly out.)
Then, an hour into the drive, we blow a tire. The tire actually shreds and pulls all the lighting wiring loose on the back left side. Thankfully Zima, her brother, and father, were all with me so we could entertain eachother and help the driver.

Mazi hopped on the back of a motorcycle, that graciously stopped to see if we needed any help, and twenty minutes later they came back with a mechanic. Needless to say, we spent an hour and a half on the side of the road waiting for everything to be fixed. We took the mechanic back to his shop and continued on our way. Only to have the tire go flat two towns later. Another forty-five minutes on the side of the road.

Instead of being in Nairobi by 10:30 am it was almost 3 when we arrived. I was tired and ready to take a nap in my hotel room. It was a little strange having Zima's family help take my baggage up to my room because they were asking so many questions - how much does this place cost, and wow, a hot shower, and a big bathroom. (When you live in the village, and can't even make it to the latrine when it is raining because the mud is so thick - an indoor bathroom can be a real treat.) But soon they realized they needed to turn around and be on their way back to Chuka. I am so grateful for their hospitality. They truly invited me into their home for the holidays.

So now I am exploring Nairobi for a day and a half. I ate Chinese food for dinner and it was a real treat. But I should get back to bed. It's four in the morning and I can't sleep. Good night.