It seems the city council’s efforts to introduce a proper drainage system to the junction of Church and Rhapta roads have failed. As we’re now in Kenya’s “short” rain season it looks like I’ll have to get used to tip toeing around this small lagoon for a few more weeks.
This is the time of year to remember what it used to be like before you got a car… be courteous to all the people on the road! Slow down!
The pet store in the Westgate shopping mall sells terrapins (a small turtle species from Northern America). As we’ve had mixed luck with fish, we decided to get a few. They’re really cute, and a hell of a lot more interesting than fish…
This particular species is a red-eared slider, but it seems there are a handful of related terrapin species. They were apparently a delicacy in North America in the early 1900s, but high demand and over capture led to their near extinction after a only decade or two. I think I’ll pass on the turtle soup, thank you very much!
Ours are in a good home because Cassandra has gone to great lengths to make them feel comfortable. She even lets me take them out so they can walk around the house (they need air every once in awhile)!
Here are a few more pictures from the day we got them. Before all the turtle rights activists get up on our case, their tank has grown in size considerably then!
Cassandra’s set up a blog to collect and disseminate information about the feeding, cleaning, and care of turtles in Kenya. You should probably go check it out if you’re interested in that kinda stuff:
… the pictures alone are probably worth your while!
Depending on how you count, either today or yesterday marks four years since I’ve been in Kenya; I left the United States on October 25th, 2007, and arrived on the 26th. In those four years I’ve taught computer science classes, learned Swahili, traveled Eastern Africa, fainted and whacked my head on the floor, became a small-scale farmer, and bought a flat screen TV—what an adventure.
Here are some photo highlights (in no particular order):
Looking back at it all makes me want to do it all over again…