Bogoria

And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens."
Genesis 1:20

It’s a beautiful place. The hot springs bubble and boiling water spouts out of the ground, sending a hot mist across our path in the breeze. The steaming water flows down to the lake, where thousands of flamingos feed on the algae in the silty bottom.

Lake Bogoria remains an isolated and nearly untouched wilderness setting. Enjoying the heat, Kathy and I walked along the hot springs, watched the flamingos, and spotted a family of warthogs in the distance. We saw tall ant hills, vervet monkeys, Maribou storks, a family of ostriches, and an old tortoise.

Taking a break from Kijabe, we were staying in a beautiful cottage (with a pair of laughing doves nesting in the porch) on an old English farm about 3 hours from here. The farm was settled by the Nightingale family from England in 1905, and it’s been in the family ever since. They raise thoroughbred horses, sold to buyers around the world, and manage a large dairy. We were served hot breakfast and supper in our cottage; breakfast included a pitcher of cold milk for our cereal, and a pitcher of hot milk for our coffee, both fresh from the dairy.

The Nightingales have also started a knitting business for local women. They are trained to knit sweaters, scarves, and other items that are marketed in many other countries. Starbucks and Pottery Barn will be selling their products! The women who come are usually very poor, often widowed by AIDS. Along with knitting, they learn to read and write, gain basic computer skills, and attend a clinic once a week for preventive care and HIV counseling and testing. It’s a remarkable ministry to Kenyan women in the countryside.

We spent one afternoon touring a site where, back in the 1930’s, the Leakeys unearthed remnants of an ancient settlement belonging to the Sirikwa people. From there, we could look over Lake Nakuru National Park, and see the sprawl as Nakuru becomes a bigger and bigger city.

And we went shopping in Nakuru’s stores and open-air market, bringing quite a few bags of groceries and supplies home to Kijabe. We may not see a grocery store again for a while.

It was a good break. The farm was peaceful and beautiful, the cottage charming, and we enjoyed being together for a few days, away from home and the routine of Kijabe.

- Doug