The Central Highlands of Kenya

My Wanderings
Enderasha, Kenya: I have now been here 10 days.... I am one of two white persons in a village of 20,000 in the foothills of Mount Kenya. It is a populated rural agricultural area a few hours from Nairobi, which is very hard to describe. It is quite beautiful, like a patchwork quilt with rolling hills and shade trees. The highlands were at one time all forested but much of it until the land starts rising too steeply has been cleared for agricultural land. There is still the original forest cover in Abedares National Park which is a gated preserve where you can see elephants, buffaloes, antilopes, deers, rinos, leopards, and a variety of smaller animals and birds. I did visit the park last weekend---just had to as there are no animals outside the Park’s electrified fences. I went to the Ark, a “tree hotel” located inside the park, where guest can view some of the animals as they come to the watering hole near the hotel. I found myself along with the 20 or so other US and European tourists, fascinated by these animals. Of course the hotel staff sprinkle some salt near the watering hole every afternoon and it attracts the animals. Hotel guests just watch from the balconies and glassed rooms strategically located to provide an unhampered view of whatever wanders nearby. And they came, like a parade--- first it was the elephants, then the buffaloes. Later there were some sixteen elephants out there hogging the pond and as they cleared out, then came the smaller animals: a warthog, some deers, antilopes. I also saw two janet leopards (very small cats) near the hotel and some other small animals I cannot name. It was hard to go to sleep as the animals hung around for most of the evening. Not to worry, if we go to sleep, the hotel rings a buzzer if some interesting animals come in.

My safari was a short outing, less than 24 hours and now I am back at my assignment, writing a business plan for the Endarasha Farmer’s Co-operative Society. The Society has the biggest buildings in town—a grouping of one and two story brick buildings that house farm input supplies, milk cooling tanks , vehicles that enable this coop to collect and distribute milk for the many small dairy farmers in the Endarasha area. Here I work everyday at the Society’s offices along with Mary, a Peace Corp Volunteer assigned to the Cooperative. At the end of the day, I walk some 150 meters to the grounds of the Endarasha Parish Catholic Church where I eat and sleep. This walk is quite fun as I usually meet all kinds of people from the village---adults and children who are anxious to say hello, if I smile at them. The children are beautiful and just beam if I acknowledge them. I have been given a small cabin on the edge of the garden, to sleep in. My meals are taken in the Rectory, with Father James and Anne, the cook and house manager. I am well fed and in good company. There is a guard on the grounds and he stays in the cabin next to me so I am very safe. This is good!