Breath-Taking journey

by Cindy kolenyo (Kenya)

A leap into the unknown Kenya

The excitement and thrill that comes with travelling is just a blood rush feeling. I was just a small-town girl living in one of the estates in Nairobi, Kenya. One morning I took a friend of mine called Joy and we set for our journey to Kisumu County for a 2-day trip. My slogan is experience is better in a car. At the crack of dawn, we set out ready as we could be. My camera check, my water bottler check and my bag check. The journey was mind-blowing. On the 10 hour journey, we moved from the green savannah grassland with antelopes leaping from each bush and thicket to the dark jungle green rainforest which is scattered across the forest due to the degradation for fuel and building supplies. Slowly entering the humid climate of about 27 degrees C of the bamboo forest. Arranged as straight as a ruler, the sight of the tall trees was mesmerising. A heatwave of the heathland hit our faces as we slowly entered the land at a temperature of 32 degrees C. The gladden move from all the parts of the earth was amusing and very engaging. Finally, after a long 10-hour drive, we arrived at Jieri village just at the shore of lake victoria the sun threatening to go to sleep. The sun rays hit the surface of the ocean reflecting the beautiful no ending great lake of Victoria. Left dumbfounded at the beautiful scenery we watched as the orange ball disappeared into the unknown. Our host family gave us showed us to our room and helped us settle in before our journey of discovery was about to begin. Day 1 started at the crack of dawn with the crooking of the chicken outside the grass thatched house. We quickly got ready and headed for the villages semi museum. The village had a small mud house that showed their culture in detail. In the house, there were paintings of women in their birthday suits with detailed beads around their waists signifying beauty and singlehood. The men were covered with red ochre in their heads which signified superiority and beauty. With broad smiles that clearly depicted their cultural norm of the removal of the lower six teeth. The Luo community danced their traditional dance called the Ohangla. The ladies dressed in sisal knitted skirts and pounded bottles tops that acted as shakers on their feet. The dancers carried eight drums and a cylindrical shoulder drum(nyatiti) which played as a wooden flute accompanied it. Joy hurriedly joined the dancers as she exhibited her prowess in dancing skills. A day ended fast. We went back to our host and had some well-prepared fish called ‘Mbuta’ with coconut filled vegetables from the cooking pot. We retired to bed. Day 2. Ready for the adventure that awaits us on the island of Rusinga. We woke up early and our hosts had prepared sweet potatoes and groundnut sauce, just by the look I kept salivating. We ate and embarked on the last journey of our two-day trip. ‘Lowo’ is what they called it. It was a big dhow. We entered the dhow and were given safety measure before departure. The island was in the middle of the largest lake in Africa. The young man rowed the boat with so much enthusiasm and zeal. The lake is a very vast lake. In 2 hours we reached the island. The tropical island was small but very big. It was a busy small centre. At the shore young boys fished as they collected their evening meal for the day. We left the shore and walked our way through the island witnessing the amazing display of culture. The stalls on the island were purely filled with the culture of the community. The residents were dressed in cowhides and skin. We went to this particular stall that was showcasing the founder of the community and his achievements‘Ramogi’. There was stone art describing stories in the past of how the community came to be and artefacts like skulls and cooking equipment used in the past. Sadly everything has an end we went back to Jieri village and prepared for our trip back home.