GEN Africa Conference

"Time to wake up sleepy head." I heard Felix say as he shook my shoulder.

"Yesyesyes." I mumbled as I threw the blanket off the bed and walked to my backpack to get myself ready for the day ahead.

Slowly we wandered down the gravel path towards the cafeteria in which they served warm mandazi, chapati and fruit with Kenyan tea.

On our way we were greeted by many small monkeys jumping and shrieking high above us in the canopy of the trees that enclosed the path.

"Noah, I've been looking for you all over my friend." I heard a very deep voice say loudly as we piled food on our plates and the next moment I feel a big hand slapping me on the back.

I turn around and see my friend Lucky, an ex-basketball player from South Africa, it had been nearly half a year since the GEN conference in Schweibenalp where I stood with him under great waterfalls and talked about helping him and his partner Lua with a pygmy project in the Congo.

"Ah no way, I heard you and Lua were going to be here. Oh I cannot wait to tell you about my travels and hear how it is going with you. This is my friend Felix by the way, we are going to travel through Kenya together until March." I responded with a wide smile as we walked towards a table with an open view onto the gardens within the conference center.

"You should come to Congo and South Africa to visit us guys, you need to see some more of Africa." He said smiling as he began to devour his meal.

"We will Lucky, some other time - I think we have met so many great people here that are connecting us to interesting projects that these short three months will be quite busy. I am planning on doing an overland trip through Africa someday though, and Congo and SA are definitely on the list." I responded while laughing to myself a little, this generosity of inviting Felix and me had prevailed throughout the entire conference and now there were few countries in Africa that we didn't have contacts in. What a great network to be a part of, a network of great people that succeed in the task of making a positive change in so many peoples lives.

"Hey Noah, do you have any tobacco? I am starting to run low - I didn't bring enough from the UK I think and haven't been able to find any in the supermarket." I heard Jake saying while Felix and me walked towards the gate to exit the conference centre and enter the city of Thika for the first time.

"We don't sorry, but we're just heading out to find tobacco and a SIM card - I am looking to get my hands on some and Abdallah, Ndemufayo and Lucky asked us for some too." Felix responded, meanwhile I got the guard to unlock the gate for us.

"Ah really? Well get some for me too will you? I'll give you the money when you come back." he responded as he stood waiting next to a bench and rolled a cigarette.

"Will do." We answered as our feet stepped into the mud on the other side of the gate.

After walking for about ten minutes towards where we thought the town centre would be a scrawny topless man staggered towards us with a plastic bottle in his left hand that smelled suspiciously like petrol, but I guess it must've been some extremely cheap alcohol.

"Eh muzungu - give me some coins yes?" he demanded while hardly being able to stand up straight in front of us.

Straight away one of the men standing next to the motorbikes at the street corner came over and talked to the drunk in swahili - he muttered some words in response but wandered off to rest his head on a concrete block not far away.

"Sorry mister, he's just drunk - he can't stop." The thin long man spoke apologetically.

"Thank you sir, it's not like it's your fault. Anyway we are just on our way into the city. Do you know where we could find a Safari SIM card and rolling tobacco near by?" I asked while trying to get my flip flops out of the mud.

"Yes, Safari card you can get just down that road, many shops sell it there. Tobacco? No I don't know, cigarettes yes. But tobacco to roll? Never seen that my friend, good luck." He answered and pointed down a mud path to show us the way.

Felix and me followed the path he had guided us to and reached a little town square surrounded by cement houses as rain started to fall lightly onto the metal roofs and created that rhythmic and subtle tapping. He had been right, there were quite a few shops advertising the green logo of Safaricom. After inquiring in about 3 of them we finally found one that not only sold credit but also SIM cards.

"Yes my friends, we have them. I will give you for good price, only 400 bob, yes?" A smiling face of a young man told us through metal mesh behind which his merchandise was stored.

"Nevermind." I responded and we walked off, after all everyone had been telling me that it only costs 100 bob and I didn't need the SIM card that urgently anyway. We'd just get it some other time or I would get Lucky to buy it for me, chances were he wouldn't get ripped off.

We left the square using a road that would bring us even closer to the city centre, but didn't go far as small rain shower passed by and we ran to hide underneath an umbrella attached to a small cart. A vendor was sitting on his plastic chair and chewing some green leaves, the same leaves that he was selling it seemed.

He happily introduced himself and when he talked one could see how filled his mouth was with the plant matter: "How are you? I'm Lewis. You want to try some miraa? Is cheap. 100 bob for one bunch. But you can try for free if you want, keeps you awake while you chew."

"Thank you, I think we're fine - do you know where we could find some loose tobacco around here, we've been looking for ages but it seems to be a little difficult." I said while walking out of the umbrella and feeling the light rain on my face.

"Yes, I must stay here, but my friend John can take you - you give him some schilling and no problem." he replied and called out to his friend who then came out under the metal roof that had sheltered him. John walked with us for about five minutes until we got to a more interesting part of the town, men working in their little workshops and out on the street on their little make shift working benches surrounded us left and right. The paths got narrower and the sun started to emerge behind the clouds when we finally reached our destination: An old man sitting in front of several bags filled with spices and one bag that seemed to be filled with very coarse and strong tobacco.

"Hey Abu, muzungus are looking for tobacco. Show them kenyan style." John said to the old man who smiled in response and went into the little wooden hut behind him and came out with a newspaper. He ripped the newspaper into a little rollable piece, filled it with some of the coarse tobacco and handed it to Felix.

John smiled and said "Try it, it's local tobacco - not from far, just from hills outside of Thika." as he lit a matchstick and lit the cigarette.

We ended up buying a couple of bags out of simple courtesy and gave John some schilling for taking us.

On arrival back at the conference centre we met Lucky, Ndemufayo and Jake. Who laughed at the tobacco and it ended up staying in the bags we bought it in. I guess that was one quick realization in Kenya, packs of cigarettes were so cheap that pretty much no one had even heard of rolling them before.

"Everyone come up to the busses now, we are leaving for the waterfalls in exactly five minutes." Felix and me informed some of the participants that were plodding around the paths while talking about something of great importance as usual. None the less that was the last call, meaning we could at last sit down and enjoy a relaxing trip to the falls. While listening to some kenyan reggae channel playing Lucky Dube we drove through the busy roads until we got to small country roads leading us to a gate that was guarded by a couple of men. The entry point to the 'fourteen falls'.

"Look at that." Lua said as she pointed towards one great wide waterfall. It was overflowing with mud filled water that was pulling branches and trees along with great force. The fourteen falls are transformed into one massive waterfall when the rains get too strong and this had clearly been the case. The conference participants started spreading out and everyone found their favourite place to experience the sheer energy of the falls.

Felix and me found some stones to sit on and as I started to get lost into solving my rubik's cube some locals that were sitting on a large rock behind us started a conversation.

"Yo brothers, join us." One of the men shouted, he had hair that spiked into all directions, the beginning of dreads.

"Of course we will." We answered interestedly as we stood up from the orange Kenya Airways blankets we had 'borrowed' from the plane and laid out on the stones.

"So you from America?" one of them asked. It was interesting to experience this throughout the entire journey, the very twisted idea of what people thought the US is like - the ones that still believe in the 'american dream' are continents away from the states and work so very hard to try and get there. A slightly sad realization.

"No, we're not - we have just travelled here from the UK but he is french and I am german. Oh and the guy over there is Tsogbe from Togo." I pointed out Tsogbe who was walking towards us after sitting on the side of the river. "Felix and me are assisting on a conference for a charity right now. We are planning on exploring this beautiful country a little bit more, we're going to Nanyuki for one night tomorrow and then we are going to Meru." I explained to the men who now started sitting with us in a circle.

"Oh Meru," they said in unison and started to grin "best Khat in the world from there my friend. They supply even Great Britain - you need to try keeps you awake when you chew."

"You mean miraa? Ah we heard about that - looks like we will have to try it at some point, anyway it was lovely meeting you guys - I think our busses are preparing to leave now." I answered and began packing up the blankets and my Rubiks cube.

"See you around brothers, travel safe and god bless jah." The guy with the 'dreads' responded as the group waved us goodbye.