Half Term Break :)

Half term break has arrived- after week 10 of a 14 week term. Not exactly half way through the term but a welcome 5 day break all the same. 

A number of students ask if they can borrow my phone to ring their parents or guardians to organise money to go home. The Kenyans have an ingenious money management system called M-pesa which is basically money linked to your phone and through it you can pay bills, buy credit, send money to other peoples numbers, or withdraw cash (from a M-pesa agent). For some of the students living long distances away this works fantastic as they were able to get their parents to send money to my phone and I provided them with cash- who knew being an ATM would be amongst my roles here :) 

We have planned to see some of the surrounding region in the break and head south to Kakamega rainforest- the only tropical rainforest remaining in Kenya. Despite being unwell the previous few days I decide to go ahead with the trip-20 km hike included :)

Our accommodation is in a 'Banda' in the forest and we spend much of the time hiking through the forest. Our local guide Benjamin has loads of knowledge and keeps stopping us to stroke the leaf of a plant and inform us of its ability to cure anything from sore throats to malaria or else to get us to listen to a bird call and then replicate it exactly himself and tell us what bird it is. To me all the birds sound the same and the jungle is just a tangle of green, but I guess I havnt lived here most of my life. 

I'm more interested when he starts talking about the cobras, baboons and leopards but we only see the baboons- perhaps that's a good thing. 

After hiking for hours we reach a river which considering the hot day I don't need to be told twice is safe to swim in- first time in over 2 months to be immersed in water, such a good feeling, and having wet clothes for the rest of the hike was nice and refreshing!  

A 4:30 am start the next day proves to be worthwhile as we hike to a hill overlooking the forest and region for sunrise. I am greatly amused by a fellow tourist from Nicaragua who is an avid bird watcher and has a long list of birds to sight. He sits near us at the top of the hill glued to a laptop which his guide has carried for him, complaining about internet speeds and completely ignoring the amazing sunrise and beautiful scenery! 

3 days in the forest is a lovely break and we return with a couple of days to finish marking exams and get motivated for the second half (final 4 weeks) of term :)