Happy Holidays- blessings to all

Matt's first porter,
I went hiking in Mt Elgon National park on the border between Uganda and Kenya. It reminds me of Olympic National Forest with rainforest, rocky peaks, with the addition of a bamboo forest. Great hiking up there. I went with a guy from Israel who basically has been traveling on money from a startup company. We each had a guard with an AK47 rifle (for “pesky critters”) to escort us. I took a porter(someone to carry my bags) along, even though it went against my very center of hiking integrity, so that I would be able to make it up to one of the peaks and back down. This cut a whole day out. Tomorrow, I will catch a bus to Nairobi to visit some church friends for a few days.

Funny story about colonialization. The peak that I climbed wa called mt jackson. For a white man named Jackson. He discovered it, which means he was the first white to climb it. he did so with the help of a local individual that had lived near the top for years. For which the mountain was named.

The road from Kampala Uganda to Nairobi Kenya is what I would consider to include everything of africa. Mountains, plains, lakes, villages, towns, cities, and Nairobi. There are different tribes and different people. The road is all surfaces; smooth sections, rough, potholes, patches, gravel and more. In one 3hour stretch I think there was only one original place that had not been patched yet and the government of kenya is planning on removing it and replacing it with a patch as soon as money is available:). One place that touched me was the Lake Nakuru area. Huge lake in the basin of the Rift valley, sun setting over clouds sending beams of light. Amazing.

I spent Christmas with some friends from my church. it was nice to be away from the traditional commercial holiday and have a chance to reflect on the true beauty of the holiday. We stopped at a fast food joint for chicken and fries and then went to a park to walk around. I hope that your holidays are filled with joy for you and all around.

Random info.
-You can use bamboo for building, holding up climbing beans, for a cup, and for boiling water if you do not have a pot. On the last part you need to continually change sections out as the bamboo will burn over time.
-a sign in Kenya - Hospitol ceilings are boring. drive safe