Kenya – colour and charisma!  Where coca-cola and cell phones are about the only reminders of home (although you’d be hard pressed to find any country without those these days) and where going about daily life boasts adventure and challenge.

The first thing I noticed about this East African country was its infrastructure.  Or shall I say the frightening state of it. 

Roads are littered with pot holes or just massive bumps and driving around is like playing dodgems!

In post-quake Christchurch my eyes were becoming finely tuned to unexpected bumps in the road, but here, it’s something else. 

One local told me that in a western country you can tell if a driver is drunk if they are swerving all over the road, here in Kenya, you can tell if a driver is drunk if they drive straight!

But it’s not just the roads. There isn’t a functioning rubbish collection service, so people just chuck their litter on the street. It’s dirty and dusty. Monkeys and/or cows (with strange camel like humps) scavenge for any greenery or food source on the side of the road and there’s no hiding the poverty. 

Thatched roofed mud huts and outhouses are a staple and sobering sight.

But that was just my first impression. A closer look reveals a new depth.

This country hosts a population with the widest grins (it helps that their teeth are so white against their dark complexions – making their smiles even more inviting). 

Children run around freely and while they lack all our first world mod-cons (including toys) they’re some of the happiest and most polite children I’ve ever encountered. 

At first some almost cry when they look at us mzungu (I’m sure white people are super scary when you see them for the first time) then as they realise we don’t bite, they wave furiously, and yell “jambo” with the most delightful energy. 

I think my favourite moment so far has been the time I spent at the orphanage which our friends help to run. 

Playing with such beautiful and loving children reminded me what’s important in life.

Women here are also great. They balance the most inane things on their head! Whether it’s firewood, machetes, water, even broom sticks, the women carry it for miles on their heads with such graceful poise that you can’t help but be mesmerized.

In my opinion it appears the women hold this culture together. (I guess it’s somewhat like the female lion who hunts and provides for the pride). 

Women are not highly respected in Kenyan society but in my opinion they’re superwomen.

How they manage to raise their (often large) family (official statistics say the average woman has between 3 and 5 children); how they carry out all the labour intensive household chores (without electricity and water) AND earn an income is beyond me.

One woman told me she sleeps just a few hours a night so she can run the house and earn enough to give her daughter a private education. 

She explained that in the government school, her daughter is one of 90 students in a single class, in a private school, her daughter has a higher chance of gaining an education, and thus a future. 

The sacrifices made here for what I take for granted are immense.

While the culture has intrigued me, let’s not skip out the Kenyan terrain. 

As I write this I’m lying on what I can only describe as one of the most picture perfect white sanded beaches I have ever set foot on – Diani Beach.

This palm tree lined coast almost defines the word “paradise”.

The Kenyan coast attracts thousands of mainly European tourists a year (I’m told Brad and Angelina once holidayed here.)

The further inland you go though, the soil turns a reddish tinge and the land becomes more and more arid until you’re surrounded by plains filled with exotic wildlife .

Exploring the heart of this African paradise is eye-opening and is certainly taking my mind off shaky Christchurch.

Nothing happens quickly here, but maybe that’s the secret behind why this nation (apart from the highly annoying touts selling overpriced junk) appears to be such a content and smiley nation.

“Hakuna matata” (people actually say that here all the time – hilarious!)

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