Our first real rain!

Shortly after dropping our friend Debi off at the Daraja Academy, we turned around and began our two-hour trek into the bush. With Bennett now being an expert driver of a stick shift vehicle, I decided that it was my turn to refine my talents.  So, I took over the wheel.  A few minutes into our trip, it began to rain.  The rain soon turned into a sheeted downpour, and the clouds boiled over and obscured any view of distinguishing landmarks.  We had mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety.  The land and animals are in great need of rain, yet we wished to instead be enjoying the rainfall from a comfortable position on our veranda - instead of zigzagging across eroded roads disappearing quickly beneath flowing water.  On several occasions we were skimming across pond-like entities, and often delicately maneuvering the car so as to not dip into the trenches that were becoming increasingly steeper on either side of the vehicle.  Bennett took over when he exclaimed that I had made a “bad choice” (or maybe it was “bad choices” :), which I really think was the lesser of two evils.  The car became wedged in between two banks when I attempted to avoid plummeting into a ditch, while the rear end of adopted the behavior of a severed fishtail.  Thankfully the four-wheel drive was in good working order, and Bennett resumed the battle to keep the fish tail under control.  At one point we barely escaped careening into a passing Land Rover.  The driver smiled sympathetically.  Bennett and the vehicle continued to do a great job, and although we spun out a couple of times, and unknowingly took the wrong course through the middle of private land (the worst part being our detour past a small lake of water, all the while balancing the car on a tight rope of concrete land, avoiding engaging the car in a swim), we were making good time and avoiding disaster.  Using my GPS we were able to track back to the main roadway without having to make a u-turn, which would have meant again testing our talents against the tight rope.  Then, just about 8 miles from home, the car called it quits.  We came to a sputtering stop next to a group of baboons, all of which huddled miserably beneath whistling thorn acacia (and not receiving much cover from the sparse branches).  Sharing in a mutual despair, we exchanged glances owning our inevitable prolonged discomfort.  Bennett and I prepared to sleep in the car.  Of course we were not too thoroughly prepared.  Us in flip lops, summer clothing, no rain jackets, no flashlights, a phone receiving almost no reception.  But we did have a baguette of bread and some mozzarella cheese, a sleeping bag, some rum and juice, and my computer along with a few pirated DVDs we bought in town for a dollar a piece.  We prepared to keep warm, fill our bellies, and be somewhat entertained. 

Fortunately, Bennett found a small snippet of satellite reception.  Balancing an umbrella and crouching within a thicket to avoid enticing the lightning, he was able to get in touch with Charles (currently visiting family in Nyahururu), who in turn was able to call the conservancy's head of security.  Lakrende and Richard came to our rescue and after tying a rope to both their and our vehicles, we were able to jumpstart the fatigued vehicle.  They insisted on guiding us home.  We asked them what we could offer them in return for their help – money, anything.  They modestly replied that they did not require any compensation.  I gave them KSh 1,000 each ($25.00 total).  An equivalent service would have cost hundreds dollars in the U.S.  These guys just wanted to help out, no strings attached.  I hope we can return the favor in the future.

Unfortunately our niche within the Plateau did not receive much rain – only about 8 mm – but the neighboring downpour is just a vision of much more to come.  We look forward to enjoying it from the veranda :)        

Maria