Jun 24 2008
Walking to Kilifi
Lyanda: Hello dear friends! Our walk to Kilifi this morning was truly beautiful–a couple/few ultra-peaceful miles through the plantations to the road, then a matatu into the town, which Tom says reminds him of the old west. We walked through the rickety stalls and shops, and changed traveler’s checks in a bank that truly did seem like it could be robbed at any moment by Butch Cassidy, in slightly modified attire. This morning I was packing Claire’s lunch for school, and she said, “white bread and peanute butter for breakfast AND lunch again? We told her, “Mommy and Daddy are walking five miles to get you corn flakes and mangos, so you just better be grateful!” We’re like Pa Ingalls. Claire is doing so awesome–the more off the beaten path we get, the more she seems to love it, and just settles right in. Traveling with Tom is also a treat–he is so at-home and savvy about the sometimes-opaque logistics of east-african travel. Part of it is experience, of course, but part of it is a gift–a matter of heart, which I appreciate. We’ll pick up a few groceries here, then head back the path we came to Takaungu–I’ll pick up CLaire at school, while Tom does his video work. We are all tremendously well and happy. xo, L
Hi Lyanda, Tom & Claire,
Just a note to let you know I’ve been following your journey. It sounds like great fun, especially the Colobus Trust. Seems that you’ve figured out the best way to travel.
Love Andrew
Just back from 2 nights at the beautiful sunny Oregon Coast and now I move intoTakaungu village and environs! Feel a little familiar with the setting, thanks to your video of the project there, Tom. By now, Claire, you must be exchanging a few words of Swahili with your classmates! And white break and peanut butter sounds yummy to me, but I’m a peanutbutterholic. Glad you’ve all arrived at the new destination and I’m sending love from this end. Cookie Oh yes, I’m glad you finally did get to see bushbabbies, Tom. xxoo
This space came up twice and I don’t know why but am happy to send, again, love to you three. I’m considering moving away from dial-up! love, cookie
Thanks for the photos and the updates, guys. Its like playing “where in the world is Carmen Santiago”, except way more fun! We are particularly impressed by the size of the tree in the “Giant baobab” picture. How old are those things? A tree that wide around here would be maybe 300 to 500 years old. We had the same question about Mzee the turtle, or is it a tortoise; how long does it take for one to get that large? So many questions, so little time. We are so grateful for the opportunity to follow your journey in a virtual sort of way. Good luck in your travels.