Back in Kenya!!

Dear all!
Two days of travelling later and we have finally made it back to an ICIPE site in Mbita, Kenya. We drove for two days in intense heat. We spent some time visiting first a Millenium Village and the next day a Millenium City in Kisumu district. These projects are involved in the implication of the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals). These places stirred up alot of mixed feelings and quite the contraversy between those who support bringing developing countries up to par, and those who resent the "westernized swoop" and experiments with groups of people. I have written extensively about these visitations and my feelings about what we saw and learned and I'll talk more about them when I get home.
Having driven for hours across fairly arid and very very windy and questionable roads, we came suddenly to a port on the edge of Lake Victoria. The shore was littered with beautifully painted fishing boats, daws, with a single sail. Absolutely stunning, a photographers dream.
We somehow got onto this sketchy looking ferry. What an exercise that was! The program produced BRIGHT ORANGE lifejackets and insisted we wear them. As if we werent already getting enough attention. So onto this flatbed ferry we loaded two HUGE trucks (one of ours, another a frieght truck) and several cars, when it had looked like the ferry was only big enough for one truck only. Oh Africa! We crammed onto the boat in between all the cars.
What a beautiful ferry ride, from one peninsula to another, it took around an hour, maybe more. The wind and the view was stunning.
Mbita is right on the shore of Lake Victoria, and the ICIPE site we are staying in is right on the water. We have started our Health Module with our docotor, Dr John Geddes. Its been a very interesting morning discussing HIV/AIDS prevelence in Africa and specifically Kenya.
There is a long line up for this very very slow internet access so I will leave this short and try to write again later. We leave for Masaii Mara on Sunday morning, another long drive, and then we gradually make our way back to Nairobi for the beginning of March. Our trip may have its first case of malaria, but we are hoping its just a fever. I'm healthy and well and happy.
I hope this finds everyone well.
Lots of love
Marion xoxoxox