Journey to Marsabit

The director of Kampala Coach bus company calls to say “sorry, the bus has a problem and will not be making the journey from Juba to Nairobi today... you just travel tomorrow.”  No, I can’t just travel tomorrow; I have a plane to catch in Nairobi.  So I quickly finished packing my bags and parked my car at a team-mates house.  A friend picked me from there on his piki-piki (motorcycle) and we went to main street Soroti to see if we could find transport that would begin my journey to Nairobi.  Just as we were pulling on to Main Street, the Teso Coach started to pull out.  We chased the bus, honked and the bus pulled over and let me hop on.  Amazingly there was still a seat on the bus for me... with two Christian ladies, who come from the same church where I helped lead the one week children’s camp.  God is so good.  The conductor only charged me 8,000 ugx to ride which made my seatmates upset, because they were charged 10,000.  The conductor told them that’s because they boarded at the bus park (even though I was only getting on maybe 300 metres down the road).  We all ended up having a good laugh, because usually mzungus are charged more, but this time I was an Atesot.  Yeah.

Sunday night, after a two hour bus ride, I reached Mbale and stayed with wonderful friends there.  We talked, watched a video called “Judgment” with Mr.T, and spent time in prayer before I settled in a guest house for the night.  As early as possible on Monday morning I walked over to the taxi park to find a matatu (14 passenger van) that would carry me to the Malaba (Kenya) border.  I stayed away from all the money changers and walked the many meters between each customs point before finding a bus on the Kenyan side.  To my surprise there was a Kampala Coach reloading after customs... it had come from Kampala instead of the Sudan.  There were extra seats, so I was able to book a ticked and by 11 am we were on our way to Nairobi. 

The journey was good.  Lunch in Eldoret.  I spotted 27 zebras, loads of deer and a bunch of elk (elands) on the side of the road.  Reached Nairobi at 7:30 pm only to be stuck in an accident jam for 40 minutes, with rain leaking through the seals of my window.  At 8:15 we finally reached the bus park.  A taxi driver found me as I was coming off of the bus, and he promised to take me to the guest house.  This driver knew the place, but was a horrible driver... rude, impatient, and honking at everyone.  I was so grateful to get out of the car and finally enter the guest house at 8:40 pm.  I took a long hot BATH and rested for the evening.

Tuesday morning I joined the other guests for a French toast breakfast before getting in a van at 8:40 am and heading for Wilson airport.  So intriguing.  I arrived at a MAF (Missions Aviation Fellowship) building amongst a bunch of warehouses.  The first room I enter has weighing scales.  I placed my 13 out of 20 kg’s worth of on the scale and then it was tagged for Marsabit.  Next I had to step on the scale so they know how much fuel to put on the plane.  J  Walking over to the next door, I paid the bill and sat in a small waiting room for 10 minutes before 3 of us were taken in a van over to the departures building about 500 metres away.  After waiting maybe another 10 minutes, we were escorted outside to a small six-seater MAF plane.  The female pilot was checking all the gages when we arrived.  She welcomed us aboard, prayed with us, and started the propeller engine.  Within moments were taking off for our two hour flight to northern Kenya.

The scenery was amazing.  It went from lush green, to rolling hills, to the snow-capped Mt. Kenya, to drier parts.  When taking off she said we would have a relatively smooth ride, but there were moments when I was glad the little black bag was near.  It wasn’t the smoothes flight, but thankfully I never lost my delicious breakfast.  In the distance I started to see a decent sized village, and before I knew it, we were circling in to that same town.  A gravel runway out in the middle of no-where.  A soft touch down and the three of us exited the plane.  My two travel companions hopped in vehicles and took off.  A FH (Food for the Hungry) vehicle arrived to bring more fuel for the plane.  The guys asked me if I needed any help... since there was nothing around... just a simple shelter for shade and a pit latrine.  I explained that I was waiting for a friend to arrive from Kalacha – a few hours’ drive into the Chalbi desert.  I couldn’t get hold of Eddie on the phone and so I thought I should remain at the airport until he comes to find me there. 

The airplane took off for another village and I took out my Sudoku puzzle book.  Peace reigned as I watched the stirrings of outer Marsabit.  Sheep herders sat out in the hot sun while their flock munched on dry grasses.  The wind turned up small funnels of dirt and uniformed school kids ran up the path following the fence of the runway.  I knew I had water, and I soon got hold of a phone number for another Africa Inland Missionary, in case I needed it, but within 20 minutes the FH vehicle came back.  The driver asked if I was Karen.  Apparently Eddie had left a message the day before for me to ride with FH into town because he had a meeting to attend.  I chuckled and hopped into the vehicle.  Off to the office we go.  I sat in the board room and read for a while, but then I started getting bored and hungry.  At 1 pm I decided to go for a walk.  I explored the whole town of Marsabit.  The streets are filled with vegetable and cloth vendors and the northern people are a beautiful bunch.  The Islamic people are wrapped in glittery cloths and the tribal people have their necks, head, and ears loaded with small beads.  I wish I felt freer to take pictures, but I hate being a tourist and this is their home.  English was hard to find and I felt bad for not knowing any Kiswahili.  FYI, TMI – I delightfully found a package of feminine pads in some far, back corner shop – I forgot to pack them for my two week getaway and was just thinking that morning about what I was going to do.  I was starting to imagine that I was going to be a real village woman and go sit on a rock for a few days.  J

After touring town I found a restaurant with strings of beads decorating the door that could offer me water, stew, and corn meal ugali.  I ate in peace before heading back to FH, where I was presented with a cup of chai and told that I would need to keep waiting.

Well, now it’s 5:30 pm... still no sign of Eddie.  FH has transferred me to their guest house... I’ve emailed Rachel that I’m safe in Marsabit and that I’ll see her when I see her.  Oh... TIA (This Is Africa)... things never happen according to plan or time.  J