Wednesday 20 July 2011

Our Kenyan Gappers are building a toilet block at Camp Muhaka


A blog from our Gappers in Kenya... First morning we woke up relatively early and boarded the bus for Riverside Resort to do some snorkelling on Diani Beach. The water was warm and the reef was interesting but not very colourful, still a lot to see. There were starfish, sea snakes, eels, lots of fish and sea urchins! After about an hour in the water we boat backed to the resort then headed to 40 Thieves for the afternoon, which is a beach bar and restaurant, where many good days of sunbathing and hearty meals and smoothies, and long exciting nights would be held for the rest of our trip. Here we also met two other English girls who had been travelling through Africa and full of endless, adventurous stories which by the end of this trip we’ll no doubt have too. We saw what a karate expert Gerry was as he swam out to the floating pontoon and spent some time showing the ladies and the locals alike his grand moves.

At about 4:30pm we left the beach and went back to Muhaka. We had a weird maize concoction with rice and a vegetable stew. Our bodies weren’t very used to the amount of carbohydrates we we’re consuming, but still no complaints. All the food we’ve had at Camp Kenya has been exceptional, with the occasional dud, it’s always compensated with chapatti’s (the new favourite meal which is just flour with butter and made into a pancake type thing) or a western style hamburger of some sort. The next day at the beach, Jane got a sea urchin in her leg, but with the persistent help of the beach boys and some medical aid she fought through and, No worries Mrs Stevens, your daughter is in perfect health!

The Monday following was World Environment Day, and the campers joined the children and teachers from the local primary school and Islamic primary school, to plant trees in the sacred Kaya forest. This was a great start to the programme because we could really feel motivated, being part of the community and visibly making a difference. That afternoon we prepared the area we would be using for our projects including a community toilet and some work on classrooms at the primary school. The next day was our first 21st Birthday of one of the English girls, Becky, in the group, and beginning a tradition of our group, we had a birthday cake, (bought from Nakumatt Supermarket, “Have a Nakumatt Day”) and then headed out to party it up at the Full Moon Nightclub where we had an awesome time!

The next day Camp Kenya was hungover! But even with pounding headaches or continual nausea we all powered through and made bricks or dug the 15ft pit we needed for our main project at Muhaka...the toilet block.

The one monthers or two mothers from England had left the camp for a marine Conservation camp one week and then work at an Elephant Sanctuary in Mwalunganje the next.

We left on a Monday morning for Tsavo Camp which was about a 4 hour drive from Muhaka. Here we would spend the next 12 days, and experience a whole new Kenya, red dirt, savannah trees, wildlife and all!!

x aLexandria x
:)




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