Day 9: I venture into town

Read a bunch today. I rotate between Around the World in 80 Days, making notes in the margin to help with my adaptaion, and then reading On the Road. Both are great travel books.
Went into town when Dave and Connor were napping a bit. Went to a smaller Khetia's than the one before and got some more groceries. All of the canned or bottled products here are by some company called Peptane and seem to have a lot of artificial ingredients. The strawberry yogurt I got for example is bright pink and comes in a juice jug. I did get some green beans and garlic to make a recipe Katey taught me in Seattle.

While I was at the store something crazy must have happened in the street because all of the store clerks ran out to look and lots of people gathered on the storefront to look. I could not see anything but a group of bikes going by.

As I walk back and forth from town a lot of people will make comments or talk to me. Most people will give a wave. The street kids usually say their usual "how are you" or "give me money", but today a Boda Boda (bike taxi) driver managed to say that I was "the most beautiful woman ever". Good work on your English buddy. That's what any woman regardless of nationality wants to hear.

I tried to buy some mangoes and bananas from a street vendor on the way home but she misunderstood me and when I gave her 40KSH she just gave me a ton of bananas. Maybe I will get a mango tomorrow.

We all went to a restaurant called Coffee Garden tonight and I had chicken masala with Ugali and mustard greens. Ugali is maize flour with water cooked into a sort of brick formation. You can rip off pieces and dip it into your sauces. Pretty good and very filling. I didn't even come close to finishing mine. Perhaps I will eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. The electricity went out while we were eating at the restaurant which didn't seem to phase anyone there. Mom and Papa called me on Dave's phone as we walked home so I got to talk to them. So weird to think that most of the people I love are on the other side of the world.

We watched Hurt Locker on Dave's computer tonight. Iraq made Bungoma look like some sort of paradise not only because there are more plants here but because even though a lot of people in Bungoma are poor and live very simply, they for the most part, all seem pretty happy.