You will never know what it is like to travel on public transportation in a third world until you have experienced yourself!!
I will attempt to give you a picture of the last three days on public transportation. I truly have no idea how far anything is in this country. It doesn’t matter how far it is because it will always take you a long time to get there no matter what. Our journey the last three days has also taken us on a Piai Pia (three seater “thing” that is run by a scooter, a truck that has seats in the back, a bus, boda boda (bike), matatu (mini van that they can put 26 people in but should only have 14) and a taxi (nothing like our taxi’s).
We started in Kitale with no problems. In Eldoret Robert had bought our seats ahead of time knowing they would want to charge us more when they saw we were white. Sure enough the conductor (man who takes the money and gets people to ride his matatu) wanted more money and an argument started until Robert produced his receipt for what he had paid. This did not make the conductor or the driver very happy. Now as soon as they are full they take off. Robert says Matatu means “always room for one more”. We would think the van was full but not Kenyans they pick up people along the way so now you are squished, people are sitting on laps and standing up and when you think they could not add another they do. It is crazy and really one of my favorite parts of Kenya. Maybe because it is just so unreal!! The roads are unbelievable here and make my neck all uptight. There are huge potholes in the roads and I wonder how the vehicles can stay together. Some people fill the potholes with dirt and ask for money from the drivers for doing it. AND the drivers give them money.
On one of our Matatu drives they overloaded it and a man sat on the floor. It was a long ride and doesn’t help when things are crowded. At one point I smelled an odor I couldn’t quite place. I looked at Meredith and said, what is that odor. She said, I think someone threw up. Meredith and I are hanging our head out the widow trying not to smell it and also trying not to laugh because it is so unbelievable. We are thinking that one of Roberts children who is traveling with us has gotten sick especially after Larry asks us to pass back the wet wipes. At one point, Larry taps us on the back and says, “put you feet up it is coming your way” which of course makes us giggle even more. We did not know until our journey was over that it was the man that was sitting on the floor was the one who threw up and he threw up on Daniel’s foot. If we had known I am sure we would have been uncontrollable teenagers!!
Now a bus ride is a whole different experience. We get our own seats and it appears we will not pick up people. But I am wrong. We do pick up people and they share seats (not mine!) and stand in the aisles. And why is it that the people who get on and stand in the aisles have chickens with them? If we go by a police check they all duck so the police won’t see them. What a country! And the good thing about the bus is you get entertainment. We had a preacher part of our trip.
He stood in front of the bus and went through the motions of the traditional church. He greeted us, (like we had a choice to be there), he prayed (people actually bowed their heads while he prayed), he had us greet one another (no joke, people shook their neighbors hands), he gave a sermon (at one point stopping to tell us white people that he was preaching), and he took a collection (in a “Cars” gift bag). After he was done he prayed with some people in the back of the bus and got off on his stop. He wore a pin that said, “Great Evangelist Crusade – Pastor- Jesus Lives. After he got off a man selling herbs (potions) started in. His voice was loud and shrill and so annoying. When he came around to see if people wanted to buy them Larry told him how annoying he was!!! 
Larry says a good ride on public transportation in Kenya is when you have half a seat and no ones children on your lap. It is true!
