BOHAPO VOLUNTEER: 8) DAYS GOING TO BUNGOMA

Here is Iván ready to take the "matatu". These small buses are the main transports in Kenyan cities. They can hold up to 10 people but they are always overloaded (10 X 2 ;)

In the pictures above: another "public" transport called "tuk tuk". It is smaller but with as much fun as the Matatu !

So after taking the matatu from Kabula or the tuk-tuk from Kanduyi, we were off to Bungoma where you can have access to the Internet. In the picture below is the Internet Cafe where we used to go. First pic outside and second one inside.

...

Internet is really cheap and sometimes reeeaaly slooowww....

Below : BIG DAY ! Of course we were in Kenya the day of the election. People were really excited in Bungoma and in the whole country as well. Everybody we met on the street was greeting at us saying "Obaama!". I guess they all thought we were Americans.

So it was all about Obama on TV and the streets after the election, more than it could have been in Europe I imagine. Obama grandmother still lives in Kenya and the fact that the president elect has origins from Kenya is a great pride for people there. Some think that it will help modernize the country and make their lives better. Some people even said that now they will be able to have American citizenship. Anyway, hopefully this will help the country even if there is still so much to do.

Also, the day after the election, the government declared a public bank holiday in the whole country. This was maybe to make people forget about their everyday problems or to prove that the government's 40 ministries can be "generous" and "helpful" to people.

...

Above : even matatus had their Obama fever !

Market place in Bungoma after a rainy day.

In the streets and along the roads in Kenya, many people sell grilled sweetcorn.

...

Above: still in Bungoma town, near the National Bank.

...

Above : having a drink with some of Edwin's Friends.
...

One evening, before taking a matatu to go back to kabula.

They were frying fish in the street and these children wanted us to take a picture of them.

...

The market place one evening where we arrived the first day at 4.30 am to wait for a cab to Kabula after a journey of 22 hours.

...

Ok now, let's go back home and take a tuk-tuk !

...

Below : on the way walking to Kabula. Actually, as there is no electricity in the streets, everybody has to walk in the dark passed 7 pm... It's really ok but you have to think about avoiding puddles (which can be spoted after a bit of training ;-). Otherwise, you can still use a Kenyan mobile phone, they all have the torch option included !
This reminds me of one evening when the matatu broke down and we had walk back in the dark. We had the option then to be given a lift on either a motorcycle or on a Bora-Bora (bycicle). The thing is that the road in the village was all muddy and this would mean the driver would have to avoid the puddles.