Grateful for escape

Someone visited today and I realized we have never received home visitors, not in Nairobi at least. The only visitors we received were back when in hospital. This has been partially by design and partially by visit fatigue (if that word doesn’t exist then I should get the credit for coining it lol). By design I mean we either tell people we are not home or just decline requests. These kind of visitors keep reviving all the tears I have cried loool. They keep reminding me of the reality I sometimes try to escape. They remind me of a reality where I am always giving - professionally, religiously or family-wise. A reality that sometimes drains me so much I have nothing left. A reality where I am always praying helplessly for one thing or the other to work out.  A reality I love don't get me wrong (because it is punctuated with so much love and testimonies) but a reality I need breaks from. A reality some might perceive as a luxury while I would in a blink of an eye trade it all for a simple quiet life somewhere in Antarctica maybe? Haha not sure of this last part lol. As the visitor left, she started off a speech, "You know in medical school, we were taught that those who take care of their loved ones are the ones that face the most…" Luckily, she was interrupted by one of those 'mare mare' village sellers hahaha and that was my cue to get the gate and let them out before the speech left me vulnerable and tearing up in front of a complete stranger.

In my true escape fashion, I will divert your attention to one such recent form of escape, traveling up North to Marsabit county. While reflecting on the nature of that visit, I realized that one of the biggest reasons I travel is because it is a chance to forget my reality. To be a little girl, to take risks a firstborn, a wife or mother wouldn't. When I travel, I receive sooo much and so I will point out a few things I received from my Northern Kenya tour.

I received love as children give - I met two groups of children; In Ngurunit while rock sliding and at El-molo village while on a cultural and donation tour. Children always remind me how to live. I forget how easily they trust water, how easily they go with the flow, how joyfully they laugh at absolutely everything, how curious they are to learn and most importantly how loving they are with each other. Some of these we lose in our adulting period. We become very guarded thanks to all the lessons life throws at us but we lose a huge sense of wonder in the process. So I slid down slippery rocks with children, I sang and danced with them. I made beaded necklaces with a few and silently watched as some joyfully walked naked in their community. For a moment I felt that the innocence Adam and Eve had was that of a child. Adulting made them realize they were naked hahaha.

I received the trait of resilience - I met so many strangers along this journey I lost count. One overarching element I observed was resilience. These people live in a very under-developed area under very harsh conditions. They have to walk for hours to and from their workstations. They make-do with what they have - which I have to add is very little. I remember Simon telling us how they would carry construction material up a hill we hiked to set up the Safaricom booster. That must have been days of hiking up and down that rock such that what was initially a beautiful sunrise spot, became a cement, stones, water etc drop off point...

Simon and I at the base of Kilabunyo hill/mountain after our hike

...I remember Ngas and Laura sharing how they would walk ~3hours daily in the heat of the desert, to make ends meet. I remember how the children of Elmolo village needed to cross Lake Turkana daily to get to school. I remember how the girl scouts of North Horr Primary School swam in their full PE uniform to respect the cultural norms. All of this spoke resilience to me. Reminding me of the amount of grit and stoicism I needed to muster each time I re-enter my reality.

Ngas, Laura, Jojo and I right outside Loiyangalani Desert Museum

I received kindness -  Our driver Tony was a true display of kindness. The number of times I had forgotten one thing or the other in the car yet still he didn't tire of going back to the car. His patience. My trip-mates were all ladies, and we ladies love photos (for different reasons) but Tony did not tire of capturing some of the best moments when we got lost in joy. I am grateful for the kindness I received through him. 

Jojo, Tony and I advertising Lisa's t-shirts at Chalbi salt pan

I received the gift of nature - Oh I captured a most beautiful dune sunset photo which I will add to my sun-rise/set photo collections. (Side note: If you are planning on going to Dubai, please do. The true picture of Chalbi desert is that it is more of a saltandclay flat/pan rather than a dune filled desert. As a traveler, I owe it to you that you do not miss out on the beauty and amazement that dunes bring! Chalbi has only one dune - which is alright but do both and if you have to prioritize funds, then pack your bags and go to Dubai. Please do not let tour operators sway you o lol)...

Sunset photo at the ONLY dune in Chalbi desert

...The highlight for me was Marsabit National Park. I have not seen such a dense forest in my life. The trees are breathtaking. Sokote dam and Lake paradise are peace inducing. I really really loved the park for the forest in it and the different shades of green there were and so I will definitely plan a longer camping trip there (the accommodation was closed unfortunately).

I received flexibility - I had initially hoped for international travel during my time off. But as fate would have it; on plan A, the embassy in Kenya was not issuing visas, and on plan B, the COVID-19 South Africa strain wouldn’t have it. So I had to re-organize. I couldn’t let my full month of unpaid time off go down the drain. In this moment, the flexibility to travel domestically was a true blessing. February still has a couple of weeks left and so hope there's more to flex on the local itinerary because indeed Kenya is beautiful. :)

Cancelled only means delayed :)

There's so much more I could unravel about the trip - like the herds of camels along the way, how beautiful Lake Turkana is on the backdrop of a very harsh terrain etc but I am not a travel blogger am I? I stand with the gratitude that overwhelms my heart through all the experiences I get. I stand for the compassion people share and I leave that space for those that love to blog about the when's, what's and how's of travel lol. I pen off with this lovely song that I felt was befitting of the sunrise we caught at our hike with Simon - for o what a wonderful world it is.

***An important addition I have to make is that for the first time in the ~6 years I have been employed, I did not carry my laptop with me. I was in a totally different county from my laptop!!! This, I am most sincerely grateful for.

Until the next gratitude and compassion filled write up, may love keep winning. And wherever LOVE is, I swear I will be too.

Forever love, D.