10:30pm     Wake up at 5:30am, 5 hours of sleep.  Kevin made a great breakfast with eggs, toast, and Kenya Tea.  The drive into town, 3 lanes of traffic but no lines on the road and cars swerving in and out and people walking on the side to go to work or school.  Akon is playing on the radio, and I discuss the Marley Brothers with Kevin.  Lots of vendors, people with guns, run down shacks…talk about a change from Poulsbo and Eugene.  We arrive in a parking lot/mud pit where about 20 huge buses are sporadically parked.  I sit with the windows up while Bernard and Kevin find me a bus.  When I step out of the car, everyone’s eyes turn to me, I can’t tell if they’re friendly but it doesn’t appear so.  I hear “muzungu” a lot.  (The word people use for white person). 

I meet peter on the bus, a young man from Nairobi and I don’t feel any bad vibes from him.  At first I find the crazy driving and immensely bumpy pot-holed filled roads exciting.  But after an hour of hitting holes at ridiculous speeds and being thrown in the air every 10 seconds, it gets old.  Flat tire, things flying off the roof, things dragging off the bottom, dust coming in the windows, I’m in Kenya now (8 hour bus ride). 

Driving rule I’ve already caught on to:  Flash the lights and honk the horn numerous times if you want something, someone, another vehicle to get out of the way.  If that doesn’t work, just swerve off the side of the road to avoid an accident. 

I am welcomed by everyone when I finally arrive at Mama Maria.  The people are great, the food is good, and it is beautiful here.  I have already taken so much in and it’s only just begun.