Driving to the Mara

These are the tire shop boys with Chris (in the white shirt on the RH), surveying the damaged tire (remember that from our day driving to Lake Nakuru).  He packed this tube back into the vehicle, maybe so his office could actually see why he needed a new tire, I guess.

Throughout Kenya and Tanzania, little stalls along the road were common.  Sometimes they were empty, sometimes they had a few tomatoes or potatoes.  I don't think we ever saw anyone buying from them which made us wonder about their profitability.  This one was close to a truck stop place and sold bags of oranges.

Just as we were leaving Nakuru town, these two clever bicyclists were hitching a ride on the back of a transport truck loaded with maize stalks.  It was much easier going uphill this way, I'm sure!

One kind of taxi we saw was this funny 3-wheeled little guy.

Often along the roadside, people would be gathered, sitting or waiting.  Waiting sometimes for another person to come along looking to hire a day labourer, sometimes waiting for the bus/van, probably sometimes just waiting - waiting for something to happen.

Those are empty bags of soil cement used in road construction.

Highway construction, Kenya style.

A camp near the road construction area, probably housing local people who might be working there, including women who would cook for the workers.  Yes - those are empty bags forming the walls.

The little donkeys were loaded with 5 gallon water jugs, coming from the river.  A Masai woman (they have shaved heads) is walking alongside and goats are grazing in the background.

Someone's home

and the fence made of thornbush branches that encloses the kraal, inside the Masai village compound, where the cattle and goats are kept at night.

A local school - the uniforms were pink and purple - so bright and cheerful.

And then it started to rain!  Big, fat drops pelting out of the sky, drenching everything.  Kenya is so, so dry and it was good to see the rain coming to this area - even as we wondered how the Masai people stayed dry herding cows and goats, wrapped in their skukas (blankets).  We drove through rain for about 20 minutes on our way to the Mara River crossing.