What a weekend! Saturday started bright and early with a trip to Kijabe Kahawa for breakfast. Let me tell you, the pineapple mint juice there is a must-try – absolutely delicious!
Breakfast from Kijabe Kahawa[/caption]
While I was there, I stumbled upon a bunch of folks getting ready for a forest mountain biking race. Turns out, it was the Kijabe Enduro, and it was so cool to see people of all races, genders, and ages getting ready to hit the trails. The Kijabe Enduro has a great history, by the way, it’s been a thing for a while now and draws a big crowd. The rest of Saturday was a bit more low-key – catching up on some much-needed sleep and tackling my clinical responsibilities back home. Yep, even in Kenya, I’m still keeping an eye on my patients back in the States.
Sunday was adventure day! I started with a plan to hike Mount Longonot.
Mount Longonot is about 9,107 feet (2,776 meters) above sea level, and it’s known for being a pretty challenging hike. I was accompanied by Caleb, a guide from the Maasai people. The Maasai are an indigenous ethnic group in Kenya and Tanzania, known for their distinctive customs and dress. Unfortunately, I’m still not quite used to the altitude here, and after about 1.5 km, I was faced with a seriously steep final ascent. So, I made the call to turn back. Safety first, right? Caleb then told me about another awesome spot nearby called Hell’s Gate National Park. The gorge there was formed by a combination of volcanic activity and erosion, and it’s said to be the inspiration for some of the landscapes in “The Lion King”!
We rode bicycles for about 5 miles, spotting wild zebras, antelope, water buffalo, and rock hyraxes along the way. Then, we walked through Hell’s Gate Gorge. In recent years, there have been flash floods in the gorge that have tragically killed people, so Caleb had a walkie-talkie with him, just in case. Thankfully, we didn’t need it! We also got to experience the natural heated streams of water – pretty neat. After that, we went to a Maasai market, where they dressed me up in the traditional garb of the Maasai men. Talk about an experience!
The fun didn’t stop there. We had to hike back to our bicycles and then pedal that 5 miles back. By that point, my legs were cramping up big time. I ended up taking advantage of an opportunity and asked a car driving out if I could hold onto the side for the last mile and a half. Hey, a little ingenuity never hurt anyone, right? I got home completely wiped out, but it was an incredible day.
The next day, my Kairos training began. Kairos comes from the Perspectives Study Program, and it’s a fantastic course.
I feel really blessed to be here while they’re offering it. That evening, there was a get-together that the doctors host every couple of weeks, so the visiting healthcare professionals can meet each other. It was at a beautiful house on the edge of the Kijabe jungle, where we saw dik-diks (tiny antelopes) and heard about the risk of hyenas coming for us at night. Needless to say, we didn’t stay too late! The best part? I met another INMED Diploma applicant there, which was awesome. It’s been an amazing week, filled with adventure, learning, and new friends. I can’t wait to see what’s next!