Driving or being driven in Kenya is a frightening and exhilerating experience much like an outing to an amusement park. The road can go from well paved to a treacherous course of holes and craters in a matter of seconds. This in turn sends one careening from one side of the road to the other as the driver skillfully chooses which massive hole will be most easily traversed. Its truly like a rollercoaster ride except it has no safety features and you can't anticipate the turns by looking ahead. I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to have a front row seat to what I was certain would be my demise. However I was not solely preoccupied with the road condition; I also spent a fair share of time trying not to jostle the driver or the stick shift as I was in the middle seat in the front row. I feel as though my balance has greatly improved due to all the practice I had during the drive.
The road quality is not the only challenge, no the driver must also face an ever changing obstacle course, which consists of cows, goats and donkeys; pedestrians; and other drivers. There are times when another vehicle will be driving straight at you only to swerve away at the last possible second. In fact this happened pretty often as vehicles rarely seemed to stick to their side of the road. The prevasive motorbikes particularly act as though the whole road is theirs and others are just present on their sufferance. They will pass you on the left and on the right, zip from one side of the road to the other, or ride three abreast, which makes it a little difficult for other roadway traffic. However despite the harrowing and adrenaline filled drive from Nairobi to Karungu, I arrived dusty, but all in one piece and am currently in my seventh week of work in the medical ward at St Camillus Mission Hospital
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