I was in Kenya! I had already been there in 2006 and the memory of the Indian Ocean had attracted me. Then I discovered the homepage of a very special travel agency in Kenya, Go Africa Safaris, and with their support I began to plan another journey to Kenya.
They helped me find a Kenyan assistant – Maria - to plan a safari in a car that was wheelchair accessible and I even found an accessible leisure residence.
It was rather luxurious and large enough so that Magdalin - also called Maggie, the Kenyan woman who had helped me in 2006 - could stay with us.
Maria was all the time with me. She was the best assistant I ever had, a very extraordinary woman. I could ask her for any help without a problem.
She managed many difficult situations and her trust in God knew no limit. Thanks to the friendship to Maria I did not feel like a normal tourist but I was very close to the African life.
She took me to her church - a Pentecost church - and I was impressed by the piety of the people there. (excuse me, Maria, it is too difficult to describe) Here I met her family. (There were 10 children living with her. 5 were her own children, 5 children had lived in difficult situations before they came to her family.) We always had a lot of things to talk about.
My journey was organized by "GoAfrica Safaris & Travel“ who were led in their work by the motto "We make it possible!“ that meant: ‚nothing is impossible’
So a journey to Kenya became possible for me.
The "boss“ of this agency, Yvonne, knew the accessible hotels in Kenya and had booked two of them for me. I came into contact with the German owner of the leisure residence and booked it myself. I wrote many emails to Yvonne and tried to prepare everything as well as possible. I took some equipment with me to help us like a slide board etc.
At the 15th September I arrived at Mombasa and Maria and Peter picked me up and took me to the beach-resort „Leisure Lodge“ with the accessible car
from "GoAfrica“.
There I met Yvonne who came to visit nearly every day during my stage.
We stayed there for four days and then went - 2 hours by car - to a safari-lodge quite near to "Tsavo East“. It was beside a water-hole, where many different birds, but also monkeys, antelopes, elephants came to drink. As the table with the best view on the water-hole was reserved for us we saw every movement there. We watched how the marabous stalk through the water like old gentlemen who take a walk in the town, how the monkeys fought and an elephant-baby took a bath in the hole.
We went into the park twice. It seemed like the paradise where the animals
lived without any fear.
We met three groups of elephants, giraffes, zebras, an emu family and three lion ladies who lay besides the road, around them three busses with tourists taking photos of them. The ladies seemed to enjoy it.
At last I stayed in a leisure residence for 10 days.
Several times I went bathing in the ocean. I had looked forward to this so much! GoAfrica had a special wheelchair for the beach and we always found several people to help me with the transfer from my wheelchair into the beach wheelchair. I had a flotation device around my neck to avoid getting salt water in my face. So I was totally relaxed in the warm water which carried and moved me with its power. It was wonderful!!!
Two times we visited projects which were supported by Yvonne, her Dutch family and her Kenyan husband:
A children’s home and a group of physically handicapped young people who produced handicraft objects. Until now they are a small group which meets once a week in a private home but they have the vision to build up a bigger centre.
In order to realize it they need a lot of financial and other support.
In the evening Maria and Maggie cooked African food for me which I enjoyed very much.
During the day there was also Jane who cleaned, washed and did a lot of work to keep everything in good condition.
She brought African music and Maria, Maggie and Jane danced.
In general we all were in a relaxed holiday mood and I was happy to be in Africa, to
swim in the Indian ocean, to meet Maria, Maggie, Jane, Yvonne, Peter, Simon, Hamisi ………..
It was an enriching time and I thank everyone who helped me to make it possible.
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