2nd day at Mangu Village

I was feeling better so I traveled to the Mangu village this morning. It took a while to get there and we saw some giraffe off the road a way. We also saw some Kenyan runners on the mountain. I don't know how they can tolerate the dust from the road and the thin mountain air.

As usual we were finishing the job by touching up paint and fitting small pieces of mabati in the cracks. The Masai people were to themselves. They kept their distance. I guess I kind of kept mine. I didn't come the first day to meet the people. David being a Masai and from this area was so proud of this place. I asked him to take us for a little tour around the area. Andrea, Michael and I got a chance to walk up a rocky cliff and look out around the entire valley where the village was. He showed us the remnants of the old church. There were plenty of cactus plants, acacia trees and a few other trees that weren't very tall. It reminded me of the terrain of Austin and San Antonio, TX. David told us that when men were hunting they would camp under the protection of an acacia tree. They would also hang any killed game from the limbs on the inside to keep predators away at night. Michael had to crawl in and test one out.

There were also weaver birds in the acacia trees. They build their nests out of dead grass and very fine twigs. The nest hangs from a branch, is fully covered and has an entrance opening on the bottom. Very interesting to watch them build if you had the time.

The Masai ladies cooked under an acacia tree while the rest of us and some Masai men worked painting and cleaning up the loose ends. We had some chi and ate lunch. I didn't eat but only had water. The dog was hanging around the dinner area but kept his distance. He didn't seem too affectionate but didn't act aggressive at all and allowed us to pet him. Scott noticed that he didn't quite know what to think about being petted. We fed him some small scraps which he graciously accepted. The Masai ladies then got together and danced for us. They dressed in brightly colored clothes and sang and danced to the rhythm.

We said our goodbyes and headed for home. We saw so many animals on the way back. Dik Dik, some birds, gazelles and giraffe. We road up the mountainside and when we reached the top we stopped to get some photos.

Tonight was the last night of missionary work. We were going on Safari for the next few days. We had to pack all our luggage and have it ready to take with us. We left most of our work and church clothes behind for whoever wanted to keep them. We were all excited and ready to go.