Eldoret, Kenya

bit of catching up... hope you didn't miss the recent lunar eclipse. it was a beauty, eh? couldn't resist taking out the ol' camera. man, i'm a geek...

[ed. note: Eldoret, located at N0 30.954 E35 16.439 in the Rift Valley, has been one of the hot spots for recent post-Kenyan election violence. looking back at the brief time i was there, there was absolutely no signs of inter-tribal rivalry or conflict that has set Kenya on it's current path of tragic self destruction. i'll comment further in the Nairobi postings.]

Long day on the bus, but I finally made it to Eldoret.

Eldoret has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Without violence I guess it's like a mini Kampala. Chaotic and major air pollution. My lungs are not liking it.

My return to Kenya feels kind of weird. Like the first time I was here, I already have an urge to get out. Is it just me? Or, is it really that bad? I'm getting some bad vibes. The people just seem more desperate. Compared to Uganda, the population seems much poorer. Men were sifting through mounds of garbage on my way to the hotel.

I'm gonna have to give it a chance. Just exercise caution...

The saving grace of Eldoret seems to be the local Creamery as reported in the Lonely Planet. I went this aft after checking in. I thought I could taste some of the different cheeses they made. When I asked the counter guy for samples, he just gave me the usual dumbfounded face scrunch. He did know what chocolate ice cream was. So, I bought a small tub (half a litre) and took it "home". It was soooo good. It'd been so long since I had 'scream. I ate the whole damn thing. I feel a lil' sick from it right now...

Tonite should be interesting... the club next door has got the house music cranked. really cranked. I think I booked myself into a brothel. Oh, lucky me...

Tomorrow should be really interesting. It marks my return to the place where I started my pathetic travel career, Nairobbery. Sorry, I meant Nairobi. This time I feel somewhat more confident. Pack light, no night time romps and hopefully, I escape within a week unscathed.

Quote of the trip (so far): "good but not better..." - Indian guy running a petrol station (where I was waiting for the bus) on the outskirts of Jinja commenting on how he felt about living in Uganda. He and his parents immigrated from India. I'm not very good with cliches but I think that's a good example of "out of the frying pan and into the fire" or at best a lateral move.

Out of Canuckistan, Mar 2/07
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