To and fro around the North of Kenya

Mt Kulal rises up from the west side of the Chalbi desert, covered in cedar trees. But that’s not what this post is really about. It’s been a few weeks since my last post. The first of those weeks was dull. Humdrum, routine. Nothing to write about. “I got up, went to work, went home, had dinner, spent time with the family, went to sleep. Did it again.”

The last two weeks have been a little different. Easter Sunday I flew down to Kurungu to pick up two children (and their fathers) to bring to the hospital here. One had a hugely distended stomach (parasites the Dr thinks) the other could barely breathe. I was honestly afraid he’d stop breathing half way to Gatab. But he was still with us. Pneumonia, the Dr said later, and he would not have survived another day without treatment. Four days after Easter I flew him home again. I could barely tell it was the same child…way way way better. The other child’s treatment is on-going (it’s a 4 week course).

There was a quick run to Loiyangalani…I took the Heidorns down there from Gatab. A quick 15 minute flight. Not quite. I got stuck overnight in Loi due to weather both at Gatab and at Loi. Loiyangalani is desert…and the heavens opened that night. It was a magnificent thunderstorm to watch. But it meant I spent the night away without my overnight bag. I’m just going to take it on every flight from now on. The good part was spending the night with the Teasedales, the missionaries there in Loiyangalani.

The next day I flew to Luai (the lower Gatab strip) to pick up Daniel Lemadada and take him to Olturot for church (he’s the pastor there). So I went to church in my ripped, dirty sweaty jeans and a t-shirt. No one minded. They were just happy to have the pastor there.

I took Daniel to Marsabit the next day to get his daughter (she’s on school break). While there, we ran into Hakim. Hakim is a Muslim who runs quite a slew of businesses in northern Kenya. A very good businessman, honest, reliable. He set up a charter for a flight to Sololo to take a woman up who’d been in a car accident two days before to Nairobi.

The car wreck was bad…the driver lost control at high speed (trying to get the right speed to ride over corrugations in the dirt road) and the car rolled at least 3 times. Pastor Job’s wife Lydia (he’s the pastor in Gatab and Lydia works in the hospital here) was in the car, with other people from Marsabit, going to a medical conference in Moyale. Moyale is almost in Ethiopia. In fact when you land there you land in Ethiopia and taxi into Kenya. Lydia probably saved several lives that day dealing with the injuries from the wreck. She was bruised and shaken but not really injured herself. I flew to Sololo and picked the woman up. It took 3 of us to get her into the airplane. The flight was routine (but long).

Back to Gatab the next day, then back to Nairobi for a scheduled flight (full airplane). Then back to Gatab. But wait…as soon as I got to the hangar at Nairobi (the scheduled flight) Hakim is on the phone again. Can you do another flight to Sololo. Today. Ummm, let me organize things and get back to you.

John McNeely did the flight in our C-210 (it’s faster, the 206 would have been out after dark which is not permitted here in Kenya). He got there and found 2 patients. Only one came back with him, the driver of the car that wrecked. The other man died in the ambulance as it pulled up to the airstrip.

Back to Gatab..a routine but full flight. I get here and as pastor Daniel put it “we swarmed you like locusts.” I didn’t even get to the house before people were stopping me asking for a ride here and there.

Pastor Job had chartered the plane to go to Sololo to get his wife. She wasn’t up to riding in a matatu after her last experience with one rolling three times. Don’t blame her. Five people want to go to Marsabit though, and there are three to pick up and bring back to Gatab. Ok, this will all work. Gatab to Marsabit drop 5 pick 3 then to Sololo to get Lydia and then back to Gatab. Easy.

Not really. I can’t get into Marsabit, the clouds are halfway down the mountain. I can’t see the approach to the runway let alone the runway. So it’s off to Segal about 10 miles north where I drop the 5. We call the 3, make some arrangements. Off to Sololo in the meantime. Then Kalacha comes on the radio. Can you come here and get a sick woman and take her to the Gatab hospital. Um. Sure? After Sololo, I’ll refuel there too and then go back to Segal get my three and go to Gatab, no sweat.

Lydia’s not at Sololo. The bus from Moyale hasn’t filled yet so it hasn’t left. Stay put, I tell her. I’ll be to Moyale in fifteen minutes. Meet me at the upper airstrip. Twelve minutes later I’m there. She’s not. She thought I meant the outer airstrip, about 3 miles away from where I am. “I’ll be right there,” she says. “No, stay put, I’ll be right there.” Five minutes later I land and she’s getting in the plane. Whew. To Kalacha.

Lydia checks the lady in Kalacha out. “We can’t handle her in Gatab with the Dr away (he’s in Nairobi at the moment). She’ll have to go to Marsabit.” No problem, I have to go to Segal to get the three. Off we go (refueled too, btw.)

I land at Segal. Five people. Hmmmm. The first five. What happened? Dunno. But a truck stops about the same time. Three run off to get on the truck, the other two jump on the airplane. Off to Marsabit. At Marsabit there’s one person waiting to go to Gatab, not three. Whatever. I have other problems to worry over. The lady can’t possibly walk to town. Ah…Hakim! I call Hakim, “Can you please arrange a cab to come pick this lady. They have money for the cab, just can you please send one.” “Hakuna shida (no problem),” Hakim says.

We load the last person and go. Back to Gatab. Whew.

A couple hours on the ground and it’s off to Loiyangalani. This time with the family to visit Teasdales and Hines. It was a fun (but HOT!) weekend with them in Loiyangalani. The kids played in the wading pool, the adults tried to stay cool, and chatted. Relaxing.

Back to Gatab, and cool weather.