Friday, April 26, 2013

piki piki wisdom

I love taking motorcycle taxis. It is my favorite way to get around Kenya. I am 98% sure that it also is the most dangerous but nothing beats the rush of the wind in your hair. A lot of Kenyans are afraid to ride on the back of a piki piki but not I. I jump at every opportunity.

To get to the Abilla's place we have to take a piki piki from the highway or to get from town to their place we take a piki piki to where we can catch a matatu. Without fail we always take a piki piki or two or four when we visit them. It is a blessing.

There are a wide range of different drivers we get. Some of them know zero English. Some drivers are super chatty. Some drivers like to go fast. Some drivers are really nervous to have a white person on the back of their bike. Some drivers want to brag to all their friends they have a white girl on the back of their bike as we drive past them. Every driver is different.

I was on the back of a piki piki going from the Abilla's place to the matatu stage. This driver was especially chatty. Earlier in the day it had rained. He apologized for his wet clothes and the fact they were getting me a little damp. I really did not mind.

As a side note: Most Kenyans hate the rains because of the mud and they have to walk in it. It is really understandable. This was the rainy season when I took his ride and all I ever heard was complaints about the rain. 

Of course his wet clothes brought up the subject of the rain. He had a totally different perspective to the rain then anyone I had talked to. "I am grateful for the rains. If there is rain it means there will be food on the table for my family to eat. When there is no rain the crops don't grow."

Boom. This man knew where it was at. He loves the rains. He is willing to deal with the mud for the blessings it gives his family.

That was my dose of piki piki wisdom for the day. 

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