Sneaking Photos At The Market

I went to the market with Jim. In order to take pictures, we had to walk around with our camera's at our side, sneakily snapping photos. If we looked through the view finder, within moments we would be surrounded by Maasai wanting money from us for allowing us to take photos. Here are some of the shots I got.

Rode A Dala Dala

A taxi into town here is about forty dollars, so I've been told. I ride to town in a dala dala, 700 shillings (50 cents).
Ma tells me that no mzungu (caucasian) girl should ride a dala dala alone, so I don't, but one day I needed to go to town and so did Jim, a friend of BJ and Ma's who was also staying at the Snake Park. Ma told me he was going into town, and I should tag along with him. He said it was okay with him. We rode in dala dalas there and back.
For those of you who do not know what a dala dala is, let me describe a picture of one for you.
Imagine, if you will, a mini van... with only one extra row of seats in it. I say only, because you are to now images twenty adults and fit them all into that mini van. Now mentally add a seven year old boy in there as well. That is a typical dala dala. It's the one I rode it coming back from town. (I decided to count the people on the return trip, so I could properly describe what riding in one was like to you.)

Cotton Ball Realization

Around here things are pretty cheap... unless it's something a tourist would want to buy. Then the price goes up just because they know the tourist has the money and the will to pay for it. When I was at the store the price of cotton balls was three times as much as the rolled cotton, which in fact you could make more cotton balls with than you could buy in the bag. So I decided to buy the rolled cotton and roll my own cotton balls (learned how by watching a Maasai woman roll them in the clinic). Using her method you can actually make them pretty quick!

I don't know how much the difference is between rolled cotton and cotton balls at home. Maybe the price difference is the same there, but I do know that here, the prices definitely do go up if it's something a tourist would want. Way around it... live like a local. Instead of buying the Lays chips for nine dollars, go buy the local generic brand for one. A lot of tourists though are willing to pay that much for the lays brand, I believe, not for the chips but for the connection to home.

On My Flight There

On my flight there, I was very excited, and the views from the flight Portland to Amsterdam was gorgeous and full of a lot of different scenery.

I knew that this trip, while adventurous, would be a trade. I would have a wonderful experience, but I would also be trading being near to my family, missing the beauty of a Central Oregon fall, the holiday season and all the little things about Oregon, home and my family, which I love

so much.

It is worth it though, because I love the beauty of

Africa, meeting new people, having to take care of

myself and becoming more certain of who I am as

a person.

One Girl, One Life, One Adventure at a Time.