Mashaka Update - Monday August 10th

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2009

9:00 AM

The power just went out again. (Which means no Internet connection--so much for the hot “chat date” I had set with Andy.) It goes out a lot here. There is a generator here at the hotel –right outside our single-paned window. I appreciate the generator, but not so much at night when its rattly roar is not exactly a lullaby. At the moment even the generator isn’t working. Hmmm..

There is a drought here in Nairobi so, not only do the locals have to deal with electricity that is only available intermittently, but it is also being rationed. This was most noticeable to us the other day when visiting the Karen Blixen House. There were no lights at all in the place. It was a bit amusing when our guide, Charles, would point to a picture to tell us about the subject and it was so dark we had to inspect it from about twelve inches away. That’s normal for me without corrective lenses, but I was wearing my contacts! However, exploring the house in the dark gave us a more accurate experience of what living there would have been like in Karen’s time.

Ah…the gentle snore of a dragon. The generator is back on.

Jill