Touring is a pleasure,but long journeys are at times very boring. It was a decent send off to one of the comrades and the belief that driving to the coast means less clothes is a lie. The road to Taita,Voi,Sagala,the mountainous or is it hilly land?
The road from the land of champions to the land of pretty women is hundreds of kilometres away. As the moves,you sleep,wake,eat,sleep,still on motion. The only impressive features past Nairobi are only the dry Ukambani lands,the ongoing SGR, Standard Gauged Railway and its Chinese Constructors. Oh!!
The baobabs are interesting too!! With their wide base and the humanlike gait,bottled curvatures and the leafless branches makes you wonder why such big trees sustain themselves in an isolated world without water, and why the age factor favours their existence, hardened maybe,optionless likely.
Arrival to the coastal land is marked by the appearance of the rocky hills and the sandy grounds.
Ascension to the land requires good wheels since the coils,spirals up the hill is not soft,the local leadership has invested much on the maintenance of the natural environment and totally forgot to invest in making good roads. The roads are actually oversized footpaths enlarged by the geographic processes of the nature.
Thinking of nature,Sagala habitants are not only conservative in their culture, but also in not clearing the bushes. Even around their homesteads! Traditional bushes and trees enjoy the nature just as they were destined to to be.
A few miles from the Tsavo,buffaloes once in a while sneek to say hi to the Sagala people, making a few actions of verifying that they are wild animals.
Hills and heights means clear vision of the land beneath, early morning's stare at the sunrise is a scene to remember, the weak rays of the sun that lighten the base ,Tsavo and the road to Mombasa that is facing the competition from the new SGR makes the camera's memory to wish storing more.
Hills mean wind and the Sagala land is windy nonstop making one be armed with heavy clothing as a necessity. The wind whirls,whispers and theatens to take light things with it.
Rocky hillys,bushy,sparsely populated and brownish appearance makes the hilly world a real wild for hiking and nature walk site. With the wind blending with the sun,the inspiration to climb up and down is flavoured.
The Taitas with a Kenyan coast accent of Swahili and relatively short are highly hospitable. Generously ready to offer their meat and pilau, well cooked by the people who know what it means to prepare a meal. The people are super humble with a million and one courteous mannerisms. Ready to say welcome and sorry as part of their living,a visitor is always treated kingly by all,young and old,male and female.
And as the topic of food fades, at the coast,spoons are a rare cutlery. Washing hands is the norm and it's the expection. Fingers are the scoopers.
With a harsh terrain, agriculture is sparingly practised and the main economic activity is still a major challenge explaining the story behind the mudwalled houses and humble lifestyles.
Scorpions sporadically attack the dwellers of the hills, and, having experience and expertise on the same, special stones and herbs are used to remove the poison, and life moves on . Snakes too have a share, and the same criteria is used by the experts and even the professional doctors recommend the methods workable.
Highly religious, the Sagala people live harmoniously, and only if the local leadership can improve on the basic infrastructure, the inhabitants of Sagala are the most peaceful lot in Kenya.
A recommendable place to tour!!!
GICHIMU NJERI.
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