"Do you know what you are doing?" Dad asked.

" PLÖTSLIGT TAR TRIPPEN en oväntad vändning. Nationalparksvakterna stannar safaribussen när vi är på väg till vandringens stratpunkt. De kliver ut och vi följer efter, men just som utsikten börjat locka fram kameran blir vi tillsagda att hoppa in igen, och med en rivstart vänder bussen. I väggruset syns spår av kängor och klövar. Framför fordonet går boskapstjuvar som vakterna tror är tungt beväpnade. Om någon följer efter skjuter de skarpt säger de. Med en hårsmån undslipper vi skottväxling och kanske ond bråd död. Vakternas skarpa ögon blir vår räddning."            ( Äventyrets stigar-världens bästa trekking, Claes Grundsten 2009)

English translation: " Suddenly the trip takes an unexpected turn. The guards of the nationalpark stop the safaribuss when we are on our way to the hikings startingpoint. They jump out and we follow, but just as the view started tempting us to take our cameras out we are told to get on the bus again, and with a kickstart the buss turns around. In the roaddust there are prints of boots and hoofs. Cettlethieves are walking in front of the vehichle heavily armed, they say. We were lucky to avoid open fire and maybe a sudden death. The sharp eyes of the guards saved us."           ( Äventyrets stigar-världens bästa trekking, Claes Grundsten 2009)

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I couldn't fall asleep last night, probably a result of all the stress from not knowing when to leave for Kenya, or if to leave at all. So, I picked a book from my shelf, Äventyrets stigar ( Paths of Adventure, directly translated to English), a dokumentary diary from Claes Grundstens travellings around the world. I found a chapter about Mount Elgon, a vulcan which top is over 4000 meters above sea level. It is located in a national park in Kenya, near the boarder to Uganda. Claes Grundsten writes about how they met dangerous cettlethieves, and how close to getting shot at they were. 
I've got the expression that Taita Hills (our destination) is a pretty safe region in the countryside, right? It's not near Uganda, which is a land with high criminality. Our fellow travellers and guides from the University of Helsinki made Taita Hills sound like... like a place where we wouldn't be in immidiate danger atleast.

According to the new arrangements, Sofia, Crista , Emilia , Maria, Julia (from the Finnish-speaking school) and me are flying alone without a "grownup". I have been quite cool about this adventurous trip, but when my dad started asking me about some important stuff to know before leaving, and I couldn't answer one of them, I realised that we are actually going someplace we don't know anything about. "To what adress do you go if noone is there to meet you at the airport in Nairobi?" "Do you have the right numbers?" "Did you read in todays paper about the last presidental elections in Nairobi last year, where over one thousand got killed?" "Have you read the security messages from the ministary, they say more and more often do white tourists get kidnapped for money?" My answer: "No dad... I didn't know that. But ehh, I was going to find out about it.."


I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. We'll just have to stick together at times, never leaving anyone alone, not even when going to the restroom! 

I have to do some research and make some preparations before I'm leaving for the airport tomorrow, have to prove I'm responsible enough to leave for this adventure. 




// Nora