Farewell to Kagando

Wednesday February 1^st

Ann and I have come to the conclusion that Lukonzo which is the local language is a cross between Elfish and Red Indian!! We have managed to master some of the local greetings and niceties and I’ve managed to pick up some useful phrases and actually managed to make myself understood and get a patient to lie down to be examined! However communication is not always straightforward and a patient appeared from the Congo today who only spoke French and Swahili. I think the staff in Out Patients were amazed at my smattering of schoolboy French insisting that he should be talking in Swahili to me!! I knew French O level would come in useful one day.

                                      Farewell to Kagando-at least for the time being...

Today is our last day at Kagando after a very enjoyable and eventful 3 week stay. Tomorrow sees an early 6.45 start and I think we will both be sorry to be leaving. I took a phone call from Simonpeter to say he would be unable to drive us tomorrow and that he would be sending one of his other experienced drivers. Apparently 2 vehicles he is importing via Mombasa have been held there because of problems with the paperwork and he was going to have to fly today to Mombasa to try to sort things out with Kenyan Customs. Sounds like a familiar story to when we imported our Ford Fiesta into Kenya back in 1983!