secret places you need to find...

lots of info about secret places around the orphanage is passed down from one generation of volunteers to another - sometimes there are gaps of no volunteers, sometimes the information get lost in translation...

so here is a list of nice places which I wouldn't know about if Sabrina and all the other volunteers from my first trip didn't tell me about them...


x you are here

standing close to this sign, WWB behind you

-MAKUYU is to the LEFT (45min walk)
-PUNDAMILIA to the RIGHT (5min walk)
-ACROSS the road is "Cornerstore" (10 seconds walk)

you can buy basic things there - bread, sometimes even milk (the long-life kind)

if you're going to buy something, ask Grace how much it should cost - if they tell you higher price try to call them racists :D like Tom did when we were buying soda and then he got a fair price and even an apology


we went to Pundamilia almost every day, for Coke (Pineapple Fanta, Blackberry Fanta, Krest (bitter lemon soda) and Stoney Tangawizi (strong ginger soda)) but you can buy there almost everything.

to get to the samosas you need to turn left (at the end of the straight road - where the main road turns to the right) and follow narrow path...

find this place and ask for samosas - they cost 5Ksh each - and they always give you fair price

to get a bottle of soda, follow the main road, after it turns right, then a little bit to the left (as if you were going around the buildings on your left side) and you'll see a tiny shop on your RIGHT side - it has ropes, buckets and bicycle seats displayed "outside" ...they have a "fridge" with sodas (they'll have room temperature - the fridge doesn't work)
and they should cost 40-50 Ksh - and you should get 10 Ksh back after you return the glass bottle
(you can give the bottle to the older boys at WWB and they'll bring it back and earn those 10 Ksh)
ALWAYS bring bottles back - even if you don't want the money back - recycle and save the planet :)

MAKUYU

I love going there on Sunday - for the market... but you can go there any time you want if you have time (45 min. walk there)
my favorite place for a cup of Chai and mandazi (or chips, or samosas) is chez Nancy


if you're coming from the orphanage , get on the big asphalt road and walk down the hill, Nancy's place will be on your right side, it's aqua/turquoise and it has two tables outside on a little porch and also some tables inside, I've never been inside because I like the atmosphere of the porch.
this is what you can see from behind the outside tables...


...the Market on Sunday starts in the afternoon 2-3p.m. but more sellers come later...you can get scarfs there - lovely, but you'll have to bargain for the price. (fair price should be 100 Ksh, but last time they didn't want to go lower than 250Ksh, but it's not a hill to die on)


you get to the market by turning right from the main road (WWB is behind you)

you can buy fruits and veggies every day, but the biggest selection is on Sunday (ask Grace for fair price, but they usually have set prices for food and don' try to sell it for more)
if someone tells you higher price for food and you're sure it's too high, don't bargain, just go and buy it from someone else

/yes, I did see racism in Africa/

there's a cute little bakery in Makuyu - with set prices and really nice selection
just follow the main road- all the way until it turns left, keep going and you'll see it on your left side


it has open front and it looks like this ... (minus me with dirty hair and work clothes on)


SODA in MAKUYU - you can get soda in Makuyu but they might ask you to drink it there -and give the bottle right back...

I'll draw a plan later and post it here, maybe that'd be easier to understand :)

some prices:

matatu to Thika 80Ksh

matatu from Thika 70Ksh

pineapple (big) 20Ksh

soda 40-50Ksh

samosas 5Ksh

mandazi 5Ksh

chips 20Ksh

Chai 5 Ksh

marble cake (from bakery) 80Ksh