Yes we can!

Yes we can! - Barack Hussein Obama, 2009

Edit: I was explaining here why I didn't upload the photos with the story. Well, only thing I had to say, was: kesho. Kesho is tomorrow in swahili.. very common expression in Kenya and doesn't have to mean exactly tomorrow, but just some other time.. maybe even never. Anyway, I got the photos up and kesho something new already. And as always click on the photos to see bigger versions. Certainly click the drawing, as not seeing the full version it's not the same.

from 15.03.2010

It was second time to go to Kipkaren river agricultural training centre. This place was to be the beginning of our long hike to Kaptebei hill. Last time when we were at this training centre we felt amazingly welcomed and we were said that if we come again, then we get cheap food and place to stay. Well, this time everything was different. Director of this place was present this time and he really tried to get lots of money from stupid white guys. Tenting place had a price, wood to make fire too and more than anything else breakfast, that this time wasn’t anything special, had ridiculous price (cost for lousy omelette was heavier than price in Eldoret for a really good meal). Of course we argued and got a price down somewhat, but still, this time they certainly ruined our view of their hospitality.
Anyway, we got there late and our night was still on the territory of this training centre under a little eucalypt wood. For dinner we cooked the food on ourselves, and although we were said that people here is very Christian and we should obey some rules, as soon as people from training centre left our camping site, we started drinking rum, making jokes on Christianity and finally went to swim naked in the river. Also Helen and Josiah who had decided to sleep in a small guesthouse of the training centre and again had to pay amazing big money for it, had troubles. Someone asked from Love if Helen and Josiah are married and getting no for an answer, then some committee was called to decide if Helen and Josiah could sleep in one room after all. Of course they decided that no they can’t. Therefore Josiah had to take two rooms, even though at some time they still were in one room. I really haven’t seen such bullshit before. Christians and their ethics.
So, next morning little disappointed, we left to our great hike (Girls decided that they are not up to this hike and take a matatu to the finish site of our trip), accompanied by a dog from that training centre. As we didn’t know his name, we named him Rover, or with terrible hunger and under the scorching sun we later also gave him a nickname hot dog. Over time we found out that Rover was amazingly loyal and tough dog. Moreover, in the finish we got to know that he had never left the territory of that centre in over ten years. There have been lots of visitors (maybe not white people but still) and now with some crazy strangers just came to a hike maybe about 20 km long including really heavy climbing, tolerating terrible thirst and so on. It was, as he would have recognized the kindred adventurous soul in us and found a new calling for himself. So actually Mykolas would have liked to take this dog to our home, but talking about it in house with everyone, majority still decided that this would be too much trouble. Ok, I too liked this dog, but I thought that I couldn’t live together with him. And after all, when we go away from Kenya then we have to take him back again.

Rover

Our hike took us through really amazing nature – river and small creeks surrounded by tropical thicket, rocks, stair-like hillsides that we climbed and finally of course also Kaptebei hill with its cliffs in the top. And of course we passed through rural areas. Children were often running to meet us, just to see us or in some cases also to give us greeting hand. Old people who didn’t even talk Swahili, but only Kalenjin, but who still were extremely enthusiastic to talk with us and find out who we are, where we come and what we do here, where we are going. First time we saw real rural life in Kenya, first time we communicated with people who didn’t know even one word of English. From some people we asked where to go, where to find the bridge, where to get to the rock we saw on the road, where is right path to Kaptebei, with one family we talked quite a lot and asked if we can buy some bananas from them and finally Mykolas talked with one old man who talked only Kalenjin. Often we didn’t understand much of each other, yet we talked and even got needed answers. We were offered a guide from training centre, but we declined. Who knows how much we would have needed to pay for this and anyway we knew that alone we get much more genuine contact with this place and get probably to go to places where otherwise we wouldn’t be taken (like some shortcuts through wildernesses).

Kipkaren river

Over-river naighbours looking

Dinner time!

Far view to the Kaptebei hills

Tunaenda kilima Kabtebei

First contact with white people

Village houshold

By the way, bridge we were looking for, was most interesting “architectural monument” I had seen so far. It was “built” of four big trees just hewed down over the river. Ahh, just look the photos.
We zigzagged through villages and even went through some yards and over the maize fields. People had nothing against letting us pass their land, but this meant we had to use our little Swahili to explain where we come and to where we are heading. Like I already said there were some “little” rocks around too, and on about half the way to our “holy mountain” there was one of these rocks and we decided to climb to it. Kids of course followed us. On top of the rock Carlos was surprised how in just few seconds when he looked to the other way the number of children at least tippled. And these children were simply sitting there and watching us. We of course just made a first stop on our journey to drink, eat few tomatoes and rest a little. Even from this rock that maybe was only around 30 or 40 meters high, we had a great look to the villages around and the blue silhouette of mt. Elgon at the north-western horizon. Also from this rock we saw the short way over the fields and through the thickets to the hill. So we decided that we don’t go by road that took a pretty big round around. Before the hill though we got back to the road and there were these places where we wanted to buy some food from villagers. We already understood, that we took too little food. What we didn’t think yet, was that worst would be the shortage of water after the climbing. Sadly these bananas we wanted to buy weren’t ripe yet. But anyway it was so cool to talk with them and also they were extremely happy to meet us, even though man of the family said that we are not wazungu as we are brown not white. Like Mykolas said, best possible compliment here.
Sawa, after some more walking we found out that we have another follower – a boy who at first followed us on the hills from secure distance, but later on the hill approached us, and as we finally saw, also he was very loyal companion, helping us find the way and coming with us to the finish of our hike. Couple more people to greet, asking permission to cross the property of one family, going straight over the last field and under many barbed wire fences, and we finally started our ascent to the hill. With our big bags, it was harder than we thought. It was really, really hard. In Kenya most of the hills start with slight slope and end with cliffs that actually would need gear to climb. Also Kaptebei was that kind of hill. Not very high, about 200 to 300 meters, but with pretty tricky cliffs.

The bridge

Our fan club

Group picture with lots of kids

View from the "small" rock

Over the fields of gold into the jungle

And now the hard part

Climbing the wall

Such view makes everyone want to fly

Like some computer game: pick up the villagers and...

Of course there was a dolmen on top of the hill

Back there you see hills that were our conquest for next time

We got to the top and although it didn’t mean that all our struggles were over, we again could have a break there, eat our last tomatoes and carrots and also drink the little water that was left (thanks to this hike and climbing, next time we knew exactly how much more water we needed. Basically smart is to leave everything else that you can leave, take only as much water as you can and some sweeties). Also Rover finally found a place where to drink some water finally. So far he had escaped all our tries to give him some water from our bottle. He was very proud dog, absolute tough guy character with such reserves of strength to surprise us. It was amazing that he managed this entire walk and climbing without water.
I took a nude sunbath there (as I had burned my body stupidly full of transitions from snow-white butt to almost the same brown hands as locals) and made a sketch of surroundings. It was just amazing there. You see the small houses down and blinding, hot sun above, making you think all kinds of philosophical thoughts. At the same time for such a Civilization games fan as me, it all seemed like from some god-like view – I can just take control, pop some buildings there, take these villagers and send them to the farm fields to bring some food for the kingdom, etc. My kingdom seemed happy in all of this peacefulness, simplicity and seclusion.

And then we suddenly got call from Helen. They were wondering where we are. As we finally found out, they thought we going for another hill. Anyway, she said that we should come down and find the Maryland school where we were already awaited with food. It certainly sounded good, but of course we didn’t had much idea where it is. Our human follower helped us in that matter, but road was long. Much longer than we would have thought. I guess about same much as the way from training centre to hill. If we could have known the exact place then we could have gone again straight over the fields and made it half shorter, but now, without water and ever hotter sun it felt like some scene from movies where someone is trying to find his way out of the desert. Just walking and walking the endless path, feeling that weakness is coming to crush you soon.
When we got down from the hill, from one of the households ran out old lady holding a little handmade bottle. She of course wanted to sell it and first price she proposed was 500 shillings – always too high prices for wazungu. But as was said, we were not wazungu anymore. So I said: “No way, maybe hundred.” At first they didn’t want to accept it, but when I walked away, she sent her son after me. “Hundred it is then,” but when I searched money and he gave me the bottle, he asked, “Perhaps you can still give fifty more.” So I came to good Idea. I still had one of our plastic bottles. We never left garbage anywhere lying from us. So I said: “Ok, you get fifty more, but fill this bottle and the small bottle also with water. Guy took the bottles and ran home. So was my water deal with Kaptebei farmers that basically saved us. At the same time others had walked a little bit ahead and Mykolas had already filmed kind of last words, saying that hopefully we survive somehow, but if not then at least we leave this video from us. We drunk this one more litre and water from the small bottle we poured onto our head, but it was midday and sun was too hot and soon we again felt that this journey may have been too much. Soon though one guy who was also from the training centre, but also was someone in this Maryland school, finally found us on the way and leaded us to the right place. He said that we have only one more km to walk, but still reality was about five or six. Now we also saw that dog was really tired, and some of us said that legs are not holding for long anymore. Yeah, actually it was so; we weren’t far from falling from our feet. And our minds weren’t working right anymore. But we gathered all our strength and came to the glorious finish. People from Maryland school welcomed us with singing, hugs and necklace.. and of course proper hot meal and as much water as we could drink. It was so beautiful. It felt like we would have been some heroes. Well, we were heroes of ourselves for sure. Also our guide and dog got food and water. Rover was so tired that he didn’t respond to the talking of other dogs there. He just went to the shadow and fell down for a while. It was certainly hardest tryout of our time in Kenya.We left the same evening to Eldoret and next morning we had to wake up already early to go to Chepn’goror Secondary School. If last evening someone would have asked, then I really wouldn’t have believed that any of us would be able to go anywhere next day. But I woke up when our matatu was already at our home. Really quick cold shower, even faster breakfast, and 40 klicks from what about a half was rough rural road, started. Amazingly we all were going. But yeah, promise is a promise, and after all it was important project planned there. Actually something that changed our view on entire project and caused us to re-plan everything. Chepn’goror was the highest place we had visited. When last days conquest of Kaptebei hill was 2729 meters above sea level, then this place was more than 3000. At least we didn’t have to climb there.

A Snowwhite with brown hands

Long road under the African sun

And some more views from climbing

Wouldn't want to slip there