Kitale to Mombasa

Roger has been an avid fan of the 49’ers for years.  Last year when we moved from our home of 14 years into a smaller rental home in a maybe-questionable neighborhood, he told me the story about the 49’ers Coach Jim Harbaugh and his growing up years.  Evidently his family didn’t have many material possessions, but his dad always focused on the positive and ended many days, saying, “Who’s got it better than us?”  Instead of focusing on what they didn’t have, they fully enjoyed the things they did and took great joy in the unexpected, but great things that came their way.

All this to say, that Roger and I have adopted this motto…ok, honestly, he probably lives it more than I do, but I have come to know it’s truth.  For example only yesterday, we went to bed smiling and appreciating the gifts we got in the midst of what could have otherwise been a grueling day.

Many people come to Kenya to go to Maasai Mara, the amazingly beautiful land where the magnificent migration of the wildebeest and other animals happens every year.  Thousands of animals make the trek from Tanzania’s Serengi region 300 miles up into Kenya’s Maasai Mara and back.  Along with the wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and elands make this journey, and the food chain continues as lions, hyenas and other scavengers follow them.  I’ve only seen programs of this unbelievable massive phenomenon on Discovery Channel, so really can’t even imagine what over two million animals running that distance must look and sound like.

HOWEVER, on our own trek from Kitale in the western mountainous region of the country, all the way across Kenya on our way to Mombasa, we had our own safari adventure.  Just check out some of the animals we got to see along the road as we traveled: Zebra, DeBrazza monkey, ostrich, donkeys, storks, impalas, giraffes, banded mongoose(s), baboons, many, many hanging bird’s nests (nope, I didn’t get to take the photos included!).

We did have one little glitch in our day involving a broken down vehicle, truck drivers siphoning gas out of their own vehicle to sell to passersby, and an $8 hotel room, but that’s another story.  All in all, after another adventure like this, we ask ourselves, “Really, who’s got it better than us?”