When it came to toastmasters speech number 5, I chose a topic that would give me the greatest opportunity to use gestures. So I chose a topic involving showing directions, size and weight.
Below is the result.
Kenya!
Magical Kenya.
Kenya
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When it comes to holidays, many Nairobians prefer
the magical Mombasa; some to sunbathe and others to watch the sunbathers.
Most to ride on noisy Tuk Tuks to bars and drink themselves into disheveled and haggard, caricatures of their initial selves before the holiday. To
resuscitate on return, some end up at those eateries where wooden boards and aluminum platters
constitute the entire crockery, fingers their cutlery. Here, a chunk of boiled
or roast meat is served on the rectangular board, the salt placed diagonally
opposite. The chunk is then cut to pieces, while their nibble fingers play breakout against the butcher’s
knife. Lastly, the butcher tosses a piece into his mouth, pushes the board a
tad bit and says Karibu - welcome.
Then he tucks the machete size knife under his arm, and then executes an about-turn
with military class precision.
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Why go through all this while Ngong is just yonder?
Ngong should be a
tourist attraction by its own right. Where else do you see a
young man in a three piece suit and rubber gumboots? Where else a taxi motorbike
with the passenger of the passenger, a bleating goat?
A trip to Ngong starts on Ngong road.
You know it is Ngong road if it is just wide enough
for two small cars to pass each other without going off the tarmac. You
confirm it is Ngong road when you encounter the Karen cowboys in their fuel guzzling
juggernauts outsmarting the Ngong bus drivers in rowdiness.
Fast forward to the
incline where ahead you can see the wind mills adulterating Ngong hills. On
that incline, you will encounter the specter, of a handcart riding a man down
the slope at heart stopping speed, his toes barely touching the tarmac.
Welcome to the chaos that
masquerade as Ngong town!
Now enjoy the confusion
all around you and drive on to a T-junction. A magical junction this one
because, west to your right leads you to magical Kenya, East to your left
magical Kenya. It’s Alice in wonderland all over again.
If for example you go West, you can drive via Kibiko
where on a bad day burning money falls from the sky and on to Ololosokuan.
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Ololosukuan is campsite perched on the Eastern escarpment of the
Rift Valley. Set under untamed, rocky Savannah bush the camp is a fine
escape from the concrete jungle of Nairobi. From its vantage viewpoint, you
can see Kimuka further on where children unwittingly play catch using live artillery
shells. But the last night I was at Ololosukuan, the despicable, miscreant,
vile vandals vandalized a transformer, leaving us groping in the dark.
If you go east you can go past Kiserian, perhaps the
only town in Kenya on a major road junction is not called Makutano, and then
on to Olorgesailie.
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Olorgesailie is a prehistoric site within a campsite.
It’s hot weather makes it Mombasa less the sea, mosquitoes and coconuts. The pristine,
serene surrounding is conducive for you to finish reading that book you
started two years ago. The early morning is glorious, the sunset sheer magic,
and the night skies so clear you can count all the trillion stars if you stay
long enough.
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Oltepesi,
where you will buy the forgotten supplies shares a single weighing scale that
is passed shop to butchery to serials shop. Finding this scale is not
guaranteed so the toss weighing method is preferred.
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