Another Saturday Morning

Sept 25, 2010 – Another quiet Saturday morning in Mbita, at least for me.  I’m sitting at the dining room table, looking into the front yard where the sun is shining bright, with chips, salsa and a cold drink. And music playing in the background. 

Yes a cold drink that wasn’t purchased at a duka (store).  I had George go the Victoria water and ice plant and pick up a bag of ice on Wed morning.  Sometime over night the last of the ice melted, so I have to take advantage of the few items I had in it.  Might have to have 2 beers for lunch.

The ice was my splurge while Joyce is gone to Uganda with Morgan.  They are helping with the Andrew Palau festival that is happening there.  Hopefully she’ll report on it when she gets back.  I have heard that 1) The hotel room seemed like overkill when they got there, but they got use to it quickly.  and 2) Morgan took both a shower and a bath the first day – with hot water.  made all the more luxurious by the fact it’s water pitcher baths back at her place.

The chips are made from chapattis.  The good ones that just had the prices raised.  (Oh may, just saw a beautiful little bird – mostly black with a brilliant red chest, shimmering head and long, narrow curved beak – trying to feed on a flower just by the window.)  I tried some other chapatti from someone down by the junction, but they were thick and greasy and didn’t make good chips.  They were only 10 bob, but I’ll pony up the extra 5 bob to get the good one.

The salsa was made fresh by me last night for dinner (with guac) so it’s even better today since its sat and the flavors have mingled for a while.  yummy.

The cold drink is water was some Quencher in it.  That’s a concentrated drink flavoring (mine is lemon cordial).  Sort of like that fruit punch stuff churches are famous for. 

The music is from Joyce’s ipod.  It’ old and doesn’t hold a charge for more than part of an hour.  So no sense her taking it with her.  Only useful when used in the speaker docking station.  Maybe time for a new one.

I had all my Sat chores done by 9 this morning.  This consisted of doing the few dished I didn’t do last night and watering the garden.  Exhausted.  Oh yeah, fed the dogs too.

Also spent an hour over at Joe’s place while a newly certificated (maybe it was diplomaed) guy tried to figure out what was wrong with his solar lighting.  Mostly, the crap he bought off the streets of Kisumu.  He’s headed to town now to by some good stuff to replace the bad stuff.  He wants England made fixtures, not China, and Philips blubs.  Joe’s holding training for his Suba Lakers football club so I got to monitor the repairs and front the money to go get the new items.

Just decided that there is no way I could drink 2 beers for lunch so I cracked one up now.  Hey, it is after 11 am and it’s already over 80 degrees outside.  Sure glad it is only spring here, otherwise who knows how hot it would be.  I’ve had more beer in the last 3 days as the rest of the time here.  Looking forward to a good northwest microbrew.

Not much rain here for a while.  An occasional thunder storm, but not often or long enough.  It just struck me a day or two ago that there is no fall colors here.  The trees don’t get fall foliage or colors.  But here in the dry season some trees are shedding leaves.  Some turn brown before they drop off, most just seem to dry up, shrivel a bit and fall to earth.  Not very impressive.  going to miss driving down those Beaverton tree lined streets and seeing the God inspired array of fall color awesomeness.

Zain, one of the 4 cell companies here in Kenya, the one that was formerly Celtel and recently purchased by an Indian firm, announced yesterday that rates to call the US have been dropped to 3 ksh (<4 cents) a minute.  I should call my dad to check, lets see it’s only 2 am at home.  He’ll be awake.

Thinking of buying a 3rd broadband cell modem to test it out.  I already have Zain (cheaper) and Safaricom (faster, but weak signal where I use it).  But Orange is supposedly in the area.  They just announced a price reduction in their rates and suppose to be as fast as Safaricom.  But it’s risky if it doesn’t work, probably can’t return it.  And their internet works on a different system then their primary cell phones so I can’t test to see how strong the signal is around this area.  They do have cell phones that work on the same system as the modems, I wonder if they sell lines for that?  And if one of the phones around here or schools can handle it?  Dilemma, dilemma.

Well Joe has invited me over for pasta for lunch, so think I’ll go.  Save the second beer for later – maybe with popcorn and a movie.

Paul