James arrived safely in Nairobi. He has a new phone number…what is it with phones in Kenya? This is his third. Anyway the trip was uneventful. This news filled my heart with joy, since I view the trip from Mulundi to Nairobi as the most dangerous part of the trip home.

When we were in Kenya last spring we saw a man who was obviously dead on the road on our trip back to Nairobi. A pedestrian who had tried to cross a highway full of speeding trucks and matatus. The fragility of life really hits you between the eyes sometimes.

Preparatory to the return trip James went to Kitui town with Pius, the librarian, and Elijah, deputy headmaster when not a student at Kenyatta U. The goal was two fold: shampoo and to visit bookstores, with shampoo being the driving reason for the 4 mile walk (each way). The one nice thing about Nairobi is HOT SHOWER. James has not been farther from the village than Kitui town since he arrived on September 3. That means it has been that long since he has had a hot shower and used shampoo.

They went to the grocery store to look. The soap aisle had lots of bars of soap but no shampoo. Elijah and Pius were not going to help with this one and James learned why. When he asked he was directed to the feminine products aisle. Pius and Elijah had probaby never been down that aisle before!

Anyway at least he will be clean when he gets home…I hope they have enough hot water in the city, when that kid man gets in the shower he takes his sweet time, and with a two and  a half month hiatus he may drain the reservoir.