bus trips to the coast and back...always an adventure!

Some fun statistics on traveling from the coast to Nairobi with comparisons to California

Driving distance from San Diego to San Francisco 502 miles.

To drive from San Diego to San Francisco should take approx. 8 hours and 16 minutes (by car)

Actual time it takes to get from San Diego to San Francisco (according to google maps) is around 7-8 hours.

Driving distance from Nairobi to “the village” is 332 miles.

To drive from Nairobi to the “village” should take approx. 7 hours and 5 minutes (by car).

Actual time it takes to get from Nairobi to “the village” is anywhere between 10-12 hours!

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I have to admit there are nights where I have dreams of the smooth, straight roads that exist in America. There are also nights where I have nightmares about potholes and terrible dirt roads that exist here. I was giving directions to a friend taking me home from a hang out last night and I had to include more directions on avoiding potholes and speed bumps than I did on left and right turns.

pretty sure this is one of the streets I walk down often in Nairobi... that's just sad I recognize it.

who knows how deep this hole actually is

 I was also thinking the other day that streets in America have lines to separate the two sides of the road and very rarely to cars cross it… unless to pass but that doesn’t really happen in the city. Street lines don’t exist here and it’s not surprising when your commute involves more driving on the right side of the road than the left… which would be fine if we were in America but we’re not… we’re suppose to drive on the LEFT side of the road here!

yes the bus is on the wrong side of the road...and do you see the truck coming on?? This happens ALL THE TIME!

Another thing that amazes me is the lack of traffic lights and stop signs to help the flow of traffic. Drives that should take around 5 minutes can stretch to more than an hour! This also means there aren’t designated areas for people to cross the street, instead you look right, cross to the middle, then look left and finish crossing once you have enough room to finish (usually sprinting).

no other words needed

And the funny thing is… all these differences from America… seem completely normal now! I’m actual thrilled when the matatu’s (see below) I am in drives aggressively because then I will get to my destination less late than I already was! …I have picked up the terrible habit of running late and even worse not letting the person know! What is wrong with me??

matatu

And I saw all this to give you an idea of what commuting looks like here. In the village it’s all walking (my village is tiny) but when I want to go to Kilifi or Watamu or Malindi I take a matatu and they drive just as crazy as the city drivers.

BUT! Nothing truly compares to the buses that drive from Nairobi to the coast. It’s a normal diesel bus you would see in the states, the seats recline, the air definitely does not work(maybe doesn’t exist) and lately (probably due to rain and then rust) the windows don’t open either. And for some odd reason the stereos are never broken! Good thing I can sleep through just about anything! But I’ll tell you what I can’t sleep through… off roading in these buses on dirt roads that aren’t suppose to be roads with potholes bigger than the one’s on the “actual road”.  They do this because they are avoiding traffic or slower trucks and it’s quicker than waiting for a break in the oncoming traffic, but definitely not comfortable for the passengers who are trying to sleep!

The buses that travel to the coast (and other parts of Kenya) look like this. MASH is the name of this company.

I have been in Kenya for almost 5 months now and will have made the drive 7 times! 7 times!! This last trip back to Nairobi however is definitely one to note for future.

I got a text around 6:30pm, my bus was late and I was to report to the station 30 minutes later than originally told. (normal) Just before 8pm I left the place I was staying in Malindi and walked the 10 minute or so walk to the station, getting there just after 8pm (late as usual) and the bus arrived around 8:20pm. (pretty good) We boarded and pulled out of Malindi at 8:45… only 45minutes late, not bad. I stayed awake to wave bye to my village (even though everyone there was asleep or in their homes… no electricity will do that) and fell asleep soon after that. I woke when we stopped in Kilfii to pick up a few more people and but slept through the Mombasa stop. Around 11:15pm I awoke to our bus off the road, on all sides were other buses near inches from the bus I was in… and none of us were moving. I found out we were just outside of Mombasa and people decided this would be a good time to move very large containers which meant blocking the one road for long periods of time. This was when I discovered that only one window opened in the entire bus (a few seats in front of me), it was around 85 degrees outside and so much warmer inside! Those around me (all Kenyan's) sat in sweaters and suits (I don't know how they do it!), I sat with my skirt pulled up as far as I could without being inappropriate and a t-shirt that I’m sure had sweat stains on, babies crying, kids wanting to get out and walk and everyone curious as to when we were going to move again, if ever. The gentleman sitting in the blessed seat with the window that opened got up to close it and with tears wanting to weal up in my own eyes I kindly pleaded, “please sir do not close the window”, he looked at me, smiled and sat down… I wonder if he saw the sweat on my face and felt bad for the mzungu??!

About an hour later we finally passed the 20 feet or so that was blocked and now was following a long line of traffic. Our bus driver wanting to not tailgate (that’s kind of him), not drive slow and make up time from just sitting decided that the side of the road would get us where we were going much quicker. I definitely didn’t sleep, held my hand on the seat in front of me (thinking that would have helped me not to fall over if our bus actually did…) for most of it and prayed a lot!

yup that was me... just in the bigger bus pictured above...

another part of the road that we take to get from Nairobi to the coast and back.... good times!

We normally would stop around 2am to use the toilet and stretch our legs… we made it to our stop at 3:30am… surprisingly I wasn’t dying. I normally arrive at the gas station where I have a taxi waiting for me around 6am… I got there just after 7:30am… with the taxi ride to my home in Nairobi I opened my door, set my stuff down, looked at my phone and it was 7:45am… Over 11 hours of traveling that should have taken 7!!!! I remember thinking, I am so glad I don’t have to see that bus for another 3 weeks!

I really am not complaining, it’s not the most fun part of ministry here and it would be nice if I don’t have to do it as much in 2014 but I am thankful that God has kept me safe each time I’ve gone back and forth. I’m thankful that He gives me patience, that he has kept me from overheating, and that the Holy Spirit is alive within me so that I can see these trips as mere adventures. I’m thankful for these buses that allow me to travel to my ministry for $16 and not have to fly for over $100 each time.

However, I do thank each and every one of you who pray for me and now you know a specific way you can be praying for me when I say "I'm headed back to...(Nairobi or the village)" :)