A few days off....

The first group of PH volunteers loaded up early in the morning and were headed back to Nairobi, their work was done! Four of us stayed behind, we had signed up for both weeks of work on the island. Week 2 was the medical week, so Mame Fancett remained along with my husband Mac and Len (Leo Trey Fetch) Len had decided during the first week to extend and stay over to help, we were glad, he made us laugh, a lot!  

We slept in, but had also decided that we wanted to see more of the area. We had Mayor Mike make arrangements to get us a boat ride to the little island  you could see from Wayondo Beach Resort. We got to take our first piky piky rides! Piky pikys are motorcycles or dirtbikes used like taxi cabs on the island, you will see everything from 5 people on one to a cow, a couch, a goat, someone once saw a casket on the back of one! We hopped on them in pairs and headed to the resort to meet with the boat crew and go on a new adventure.  

Mayor Mike and Chris, one of the other young men who had been helping out that week joined us. There was another couple staying at the lodge that joined us for the ride. We had 2 row boats meet us. Mac, Len, Mayor Mike and I hopped in one while Mame , Chris and the other couple jumped into the second boat.  We headed out towards the island, about 15 minutes into the ride I noticed the boat taking on water, so we were given plastic buckets to empty water out with, the other boat had to do the same… the crew didn’t seem worried. When we got to the island we followed it around counter clock wise to the opposite side, noticing different kinds of birds along the way, about half way we started noticing pairs of eagles, lots of pairs of eagles! It was amazing! We stopped halfway so the crew could get breakfast.

Birds were everywhere 

A panoramic view off the front of our boat

There wasn’t much to see other than the boats that were anchored on the shore, the islanders probably had a bigger kick at looking at the strange white people.  The crew got something to eat while we visited and looked around.

We loaded back onto the boats and continued the rest of the way around the island. It must have been bath day that day, we got a chuckle out of the bare bottoms of the little kids we saw diving under the water and playing, while their mothers washed dishes at the shore. You read that correctly, they bathe, wash and consume water from the same source, Lake Victoria!  Clean water is on on-going problem on the island.  

 Taking a snack break on the island

Bath day!

Once we had made full circle around the island our guys decide that it would be fun if they rowed and raced the other boat back to shore, the original crew agreed and sat backed and rested laughing as our men rowed us home! It didn’t last too long and the crew took back over, not that Len and Mac were doing a poor job, matter of fact they were in the lead, I don’t think they wanted anyone on shore to see the white men rowing!  

Making it back to shore

Upon returning we got another set of Piky Pikys and took them around the entire perimeter of the island, it was neat seeing more than just the one road we had been on that week back and forth from Kibisom to the hotel. The island is small and even in the poverty that exists there, it is beautiful.

When we finished for the day we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the new group of volunteers that would be arriving late that night. I had to make room assignments, and because of the size of the group Len had to move to another compound down the road. 

We made the room assignments and placed their supplies in their rooms, and created a welcome sign for week 2. We packed Len up and journeyed over to the other hotel about 1/2 mile away to get him checked in, then came back for dinner.

Taking Len to his new home

Our artwork to help welcome week 2 and us goofing around

The group got in late that night, we didn’t really have time to meet any of them other than JW and Sarah Alexander, the other couple from San Angelo (our home), before heading to bed, tomorrow would be a busy day with new adventures!

Darren arriving with Week 2

Have you ever wanted to live outside the box? Do you have the desire to travel to Africa? Do you have  the drive to help those less fortunate than yourself?  If you said yes to 2 or more of these questions you should join Project Humanity on one of our upcoming trips! To volunteer with Project Humanity email me at kay@projecthumanity.com  or go to our website  www.projecthumanity.com and sign up for a trip, you won’t regret it!