Trip to Naivasha: 15th of May

On the 15^th of May I left Kitale to go down to Naivasha for a weekend trip with a few of my friends from college who I would meet down there. The journey here was very long taking about 10 hours to get to Naivasha and from there I got a mini bus to the resort we were staying in. The name of this resort is Camp Carnelleys and it was really good. It was here that I met my friends. The resort is situated right next to the huge lake which is called Lake Naivasha. We got a small house to stay in which had a great view of the lake. All the houses are surrounded by trees and there are monkeys who jump from tree to tree and who can be seen running around the resort from time to time. The first night we just had dinner and caught up before going to bed.

                                                        The next day we organised a safari trip with the people who ran the resort. We went on a safari trip to a place called Hells Gate. This safari was a lot different than the last because we were dropped off in the national park and were then shown around on foot by another man. We walked for about two hours before the driver came to collect us. This was a lot better because we could get to see the harmless animals up close such as giraffes, dung beetles and zebras. We also saw some other animals from afar such as warthogs, baboons and buffalos. We then went to a small volcanic lake with a view from a high cliff. We got a lift most of the way up but had a short walk to reach the summit. We were then taken back to the resort.

                                                                                       The day after that we went on a tour of the lake in a boat. This was great because we got to see loads of hippos. There are around 4000 hippos in this lake because they stay in pack of around 20. We saw about 3 packs in total. They were either half or fully submerged in the water because they stay there to keep cool during the day then they bask at night. We also saw a few storks and eagles as well as some other birds. We then went to the resort right next to ours because they have a swimming pool you can use for a small fee. It was good because in this resort they have an electrified fence right next to the lake which they put grass on the other side of. Therefore hippos come up to eat this and you can get close to them on the land so we got to see this also.

                                                                                                                                                               
18th of May:
The following day on the 18^th of May we left the resort and after saying goodbye to my friends I travelled back to Kitale. I would advise anybody going to Naivasha to go to this resort called Camp Carnelleys. The employ people to do a wide range of activities with you, which you pay for separately. The activities we did are just a few out of the total amount. The food there is also really good. They have a menu filled with western food so it was great to have some Western food for a change from the Kenyan food which is what I had being having for the past 2 months. 

                                                           

21^st of May: 
We went to a slum in the area of Bidii called Jamanoor. We went here because there is a lot of people here who are suffering from Jiggers. These are insects that live under the skin. It happens if the area or house you are living in is very dirty and you are not wearing proper shoes. The insects infest in your skin and then it is very hard to remove them without the proper methods because to pull them out is very painful. When they have gotten under the skin they lay eggs which cause the infestation to increase. They start off on the feet but if they are left for a long time untreated they will move further up the body. The suck the person’s blood and if left untreated can be fatal. It is a lot more serious for those who are impoverished because they lack proper food and water so their blood being taken is very dangerous. 

                                               When we went today there were four of us. We met with the community and interacted with them before getting to work. A few members of the community helped us as well. We wore face masks and plastic gloves while working. What we did was put the liquid medicine into a bucket of water; this bucket was replaced after each person. We would get a person who is infected and get them to place their feet into the bucket. We would then use cotton wool to rub the medicine onto the infected areas. The areas which are infected can be very crusty and the skin may be cracked and blistered. This must be done twice for the infection to be completely gone so we will be retuning in one week.

                    One of the men we attended to was very badly infected. It had spread from his feet to his knees, buttocks, elbows, hands, chest, to the top of his back and even to his neck. This man requires attention from a doctor at a hospital however that isn’t an option. Therefore we will return and attend to him more than twice. The areas on his feet, knees and elbows were badly affected. They were very crusty and hard. Somebody attending to him had to rub very hard and even scrape away the hard areas. This was still the man’s skin so it involved his skin and the top layer of his flesh being removed. This left the area underneath extremely sensitive and raw and some areas bled. However there was little blood left after what the Jiggers had done.