A Tour of the Bails’

I mentioned before that I wanted to give you a tour of Joe and Molly’s place.  I think one of the fears people have of going on a trip like this is fear of what their living conditions will be like.  You go in with so many stereotypes and preconceived notions of what things will be like.  Many of them simply are not accurate.

The equator runs right through Kenya.  Equator = hot and humid, right?  I’ve also seen plenty of pictures of the Serengeti – vast plains of flat grassland, so I figured that’s how most of Kenya would be.  But that’s not accurate at all.  Nakuru is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet above sea level.  That’s higher than the Mile High city of Denver.

When we woke this morning, it was quite cool, probably in the 60s.  That’s sweatshirt weather for us Floridians.  After breakfast, Molly gave us a tour of the grounds.  I was amazed to see a stunning view of the city of Nakuru and Lake Nakuru from their back yard.  The hills and elevation changes were a wonderful surprise.

Joe and Molly live on a gated property along a dirt road on a hillside that leads up to a crater.  Within the gates are their house, a small house where their friends Victor and Mary live, a small herd of dogs that could be mistaken for ponies due to their size, and 3 tortoises that wander the property.

Their home has electricity and running water.  There are 5 small bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining nook and a large living room.  It’s not state of the art, but they have all the conveniences and comforts you would find in an older home in the U.S.

It’s really a wonderful place and we feel totally safe and at home here.

(Above – Molly picking up one of their 20 lb tortoises as one of their dogs looks on)

Day 1: We Made It! <– Kenya 2009 –> Day 3: A Typical Day for Us