A new hypothesis

I returned from Kilifi after posting my last message and elected to walk the 4 km from the main road to the shamba. I'd left my hat at home and was walking down the path in my sunglasses, greeting people as I went. A couple of different times, people would come and walk beside me for part of the way and we would chat. It was the usual: where are you from? How long will you be here? How do you like Kenya/Takaungu?  I also came across a couple of people who asked where I was going (common question) and when I responded "Vutakaka" they asked: "do you know how to get there?"  This is not a common question and even after saying yes, they'd mutter things like "well, it's just straight down the road" or "oh yes, you should find it okay."  Strange.

 

The third person was a boy around 15 or 16.  He was wheeling a bike, I'm not sure why, and caught up to me.  I greeted him and he told me he didn't "have good English" but tried to converse anyway.  "Tam-rind, where you from?"  "Tam-rind, you have brudders?"  The walk continued as did our stilted conversation and finally he said "Tam-rind, can you see?"

 

If I were in a movie, there would have been a sudden flashback as my mind raced - no other volunteers wear sunglasses, I haven't seen a single Kenyan in sunglasses, my sunglasses are rather dark.  I think some people in Takaungu think that I'm blind!  It may have been strange enough to see me walking around with Megan, who must have been acting as my guide, but once I was alone and wandering, I'll bet these kindly people were a little concered that I'd break my ankle in a pothole or walk into a palm tree or something.