Holiday Happenings

Aside from relaxing, sleeping in, and running errands the last three weeks of holiday, I've been hanging out with Will at the Children's Centre.

And hanging out with friends at the beach for a whole week!

But no Kenyan holiday can be void of a bit of frustration. In a taxi to the airport in Nairobi and in a taxi to the airport in Mombasa we were pulled over by the police. Kenyan police do regular "police checks" on the side of the road. What are they checking for? A bribe. 99% of the time they have no legal grounds for whatever they're saying is illegal with your vehicle or your driver's license. Today the police officer commented on the tire flaps. He said, "The front tires have mud flaps, but the back tires don't." What's the big deal about that? Nothing, but this policeman can keep us pulled to the side of the road, threatening, and talking until the expected sentence is finally spoken, "Give something small for the police." This means, give me money and I'll let you continue on your way. So our taxi driver gave him "something small", somewhere between 300 and 500 Ksh ($4-$6). This is corruption at the smallest level in Kenya. Corruption goes all the way to the top in most African nations, and Kenya is right there with the best of them. Just read the news. This is one thing I will NOT miss about Kenya.