My wonderful, hassle-free stay in Kenya began with a trip into town with Mandy and Michelle. We exchanged money at a bank downtown, went to a tour agency to arrange for a car to take us to the beach the following day, and had lunch. Our first experience with a local was with Andrew, a friendly man who, not unlike most of the other locals I eventually met, insisted that we not forget him. After having heard horror stories of all the rapes and muggings and carjacking we should expect to experience in Kenya, we were pleased to find that the locals’ response to our presence there was more of gratitude than anything else. Many people thanked me for coming to Kenya and encouraged me to tell everyone back home that it is in fact a very nice place to visit. It’s true—it’s more beautiful than my pictures or I could justly convey, and I never once felt unsafe.
That afternoon I went with a SAS group to the Bombolulu Handicraft and Cultural Center. I won’t say too much about it because, as Amie-June was on my trip, I’m sure you already know more about it than I do. We enjoyed African drumming and native dance demonstrations and a tour of different types of African homes. We also walked around the complex, where physically disabled people work with used products like aluminum cans to make crafts. They also have program through which they make wheelchairs and provide them to other low-income handicapped people. We visited the nursery school, where we heard the children sing “Jambo Kenya,” the Kenyan tourist anthem. Of course, no trip would be complete without an opportunity to shop. Lonely Planet told me not to feel bad about shopping at co-ops like Bombolulu because all of the proceeds would go directly back to the people who made the products. So I didn’t feel bad.
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