Running into sleek cars… sorry, a market

Running into sleek cars… sorry, a market

Friday’s run on this nineteenth day of June, Juneteenth, they call it in the US, was a run like any other.  I however feel like it was forced onto me, since I was feeling too tired to get out for this run.  The weather was not making things any easier in helping me come up with a decision.  

It was a bit cold, with the sun struggling to get past the cloud cover, with very little success.  But the main reason for my reluctance was the pains that I was feeling on my legs.  That Wednesday run that I done and had reformulated the route to avoid that Vet gate must have taken a toll on me.  I was not looking forward to another run.  

Before you start getting ideas, let me pre-empt in advance… COVID19 aka TT had nothing to do with my reluctance.  We, TT and I, have already established our mutual respects… it keeps to its territory, I keep to mine.  But that does not mean that we do not check each other out.  

I had just updated myself on TT’s figures of the day, and they were just that… TT’s figures of the day.  8,701,124 infections globally with 460,671 deaths.  Kenya had 4,374 infections with 119 deaths.  These are numbers that we would have to live with until a treatment, cure or vaccine is found.  There was progress in all fronts but ‘end of year’ seemed to be the catch word for either of the initiatives.  

However, life was starting to get normal elsewhere in the world after Corona afflictions.  Europe was opening up the lockdown restrictions, after China has lifted similar restriction.  If anything, even the football leagues over there had restarted, including the EPL.  

Though all sports where happening in empty stadia, life as we knew it before February was progressively getting back to normal pre-February days.  Back to the motherland, we were waiting for that magical July 7 date when we expect our own lockdown to come to an end.  But I am not holding my breath on this.  Two lockdown extensions before this has taught us to expect the unexpected.

So, there I was.  Wondering whether to take a run or not.  Nonetheless, it was a run-day Friday and a run was beckoning, and so I reluctantly obeyed its call.  I painfully walked to the locker room and changed into the run gear.  My first kilometre of run was pure pain.  My legs pained all over and every step I took was an amplification of pain.  I kept going.  I knew that I would get to the run rhythm soon.  The weather remained great, by virtual of no sun and no cold.  

I would surely get into the run rhythm and the pain in the legs would subside by time I was through with the initial five minutes of greasing them with the warmup run.  I was now on the second kilometre as I faced the Uthiru roundabout ready to continue onto my right towards Kabete Polytechnic.  

Just next to the roundabout, now taken over by the taxi cars, I noticed a blue sedan with the boot open.  I glanced into that boot as I passed by to notice once more the merchandize – pineapples packed onto that boot space.  On the roof of the car were also arranged a perimeter of pineapples.  Next to the boot stood two gents, each carrying a pineapple per hand – four in total between them.  I heard them as approached.  I kept hearing their receding sound as I passed by.

“Pineapple!  Nunua pineapple!  Pineapple hapa!”

I had noticed this vehicle several times before at this same spot.  It always had the pineapples, with one or two gents waving what they were carrying towards the vehicles that were approaching as they went down towards Kawangware.  I believe their captive market must have been set.  I do not remember seeing them beckoning the passersby, but maybe I was not keen.

I would soon be tackling the third kilometre as I passed the Poly.  On my right, just at the end of the compound of the Polytechnic, a pickup truck stood by, part of its body almost obstructing the road.  I was just in time to see some fruits covering the whole of the carriage – oranges, pineapples, oranges, apples.  I even believe that I saw some veggies or something that looked as green as veggies on that carriage.  There was no need for the single person next to the pickup to even say what he said, though he still did anyway…

“Pineapples, ndizi!  Nunua!  Bei rahisi!”

I was too absorbed with my run to give him more than two glances.  I would soon be crossing the Waiyaki way to the other side of the road so that I could then run onto ‘the wall’ on my right and start my Vet loop circuits.  The loop is now becoming private property, following the installation of that imposing gate onto the main road, at Ndumbo, where the main road that leads to this circuit starts.  However, my Wednesday run had already figured out how to run the loop and avoid this gate.  I was just retracing my steps on this re-run today.

I finished my three loops and headed back out through ‘the wall’, turned right to joined Waiyaki way, and then kept going towards the flyover that was about four hundred metres ahead.  After passing under it, I took the road that circles towards the flyover, but crossed the road before the flyover and turned left to now go to Ndumbo.  At Ndumbo I could not resist the temptation to glance to my right to confirm that the new gate was still in place.  It was.

The matatus came and made a U-turn at my back while I kept going onto Kapenguria road.  It would however not be long before I passed by a blue car on my left, just next to the University club house, with the boot door open.  Onto the boot space were strewn all manner of fruits.  Next to the open boot sat a lady on a plastic chair.  She said nothing, but there was no doubt that she was selling the stock in that boot.  

Her quiet could also be due to the other saloon car just opposite her sitting position, across the road.  That car also had an open boot and all manner of fruits were on display.  A guy stood next to that one.  He was also quiet.  He made an attempt to say something as I was passing by.  I am not sure if he said anything, since I was already on the downhill heading towards Wangari Maathai institute.

The rest of the Kapenguria road was fairly deserted.  I would eventually meet a group of people clearing the thickets on both sides of the road near the river.  I kept going, since I would soon be facing the uphill section that runs for about a kilometre all the way to Lower Kabete road.  I was now running on the left side of the road.  I passed by KAGRI, then got another car with an open boot just next to the fence of KAGRI, where there is a dirt road that runs along the fence.  A lady sat at some booth space, just next to the fruits.  

I then get to Lower Kabete road and turn left to face another uphill for about five hundred metres.  The right side of the road has the big compound taken over by the road construction company, with many trucks making turns into and out of that compound.  I pass by the main gate of that compound that is on my right, across the road.  I read the sign at the gate as I pass, “Nairobi Western Bypass Project - CRBC”.

The hilly section comes to an end as I also end my run along the tarmac and turn left to get to the rough road towards Mary Leakey school.  I make a turn to immediately collide with two vehicles with open boots.  They are a touching distance from my running path and their wares is well defined – all manner of fruits, all manner of vegetables.  Two people are seated on plastic seats next to each car.  I notice each of these vehicles have some people, who look like buyers, looking at the contents of the boots.

I pass by them and pass by the adjoining shopping centre, where I get to see yet another vehicle with open boot on my left.  Apart from the vegetables that have completely greened the booth-space, I can see some trays of eggs arranged outside the vehicle on the ground.  I pass by and keep going past Mary Leakey school, towards the river, then uphill some more.  It would not be long before I would have to face the lonely run through the University farm.  I take it on my stride and keep going through the desertion.

I emerge at the tank, on Kanyariri tarmac road, where I turn left in readiness to go a downhill to the river, then an uphill to Ndumbo.  I make this left turn in time to see the white car, boot open, on my left.  There is definitely a sale of fruits that are packed onto the boot of that car.  I keep going.  I shall be in Ndumbo market in less than ten minutes, where we I encounter all manner of wares on sale – on stalls, on roadsides, on car boots, on car bonnets, on car rooftops, under vehicles, on pickup carriages, on hand carts, on bodies of sellers – anything goes in this market.

I am now back to my junction that would take me back to Wangari Maathai if I were to turn left, but I turn right instead, and head towards the flyover, but avoid it by instead going underneath it and joining Waiyaki way.  I soon pass by the wall, on my left and keep going another two minutes before I jump over that imposing road barrier on Waiyaki way to get myself to the other side of the road, at Kabete Poly.  By now I am surely tired.  Lifting a leg is a painful experience, leave alone lifting two and repeating the motion.

My run is now generally done.  I shall just have the occasion to pass by the sugarcane vendor who has now setup base on the edge of the last road bump before the Uthiru roundabout, just opposite Kabete Vet Labs primary school.  I pass him and face the two pineapple guys once more, still at the same spot where I left them two hours earlier.  Still holding a pineapple, a hand, just as they had done at one o’clock, when I had passed them first.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, June 19, 2020