Larry the Letter Carrier jumped into Kenya the other day and I began telling him about Riya and Zuzu’s visit and he was like, whoa mate – put it in a letter so I can share with my online friends.
Hello, my name is Gus, and I am a black-and-white colobus that drives a minibus better known as a matatu (məˈtɑːtu). My matatu is red and blue with flashing bright lights of yellow and green, it is the best matatu you have ever seen. Driving around town, I was flagged down by Riya and Zuzu. They were new to Kenya.
I heard Riya tell Zuzu, “That is the matatu I heard about! It is the best. It is better than all the rest.” I pulled my matatu to the side and offered them a ride. The Rothschild giraffe with the Sykes monkey hugging his neck got inside. The giraffe said, “Hi my name is Riya, and this is Zuzu. We are visiting Kenya!” I said, “Very nice to meet you! I will show you Kenya from Nairobi to Mombasa.”
I put the matatu into gear and said let us get out of here! Let’s go to some fun places! I saw big smiles on Riya and Zuzu’s faces! As they sat down, I cranked up the sound. Loud music boomed all around! Zuzu waved her arms in the air singing, “all the little monkeys ohh ohh ohh, ahh ahh ahh!” Riya slowly bent his neck to the left then to the right! What a dancing pair! As the matatu sped up, Riya and Zuzu held on tight ready to take in the sights.
When the matatu stopped and opened the door Riya and Zuzu saw fabric stores galore! They saw Shuka (suːka) cloth in red and blue too as well as black and green striped kikoi (kee-KOY). Riya and Zuzu wanted to see more. Riya liked the blue, brown and green Ankara (aang·kr·uh), the prettiest wax print fabric he had ever seen. Zuzu liked the batik (buh·teek) red, purple, and blue. What is next? Zuzu hopped on
Riya’s neck. They saw places to eat, and Zuzu yelled, “I want some mandazi (muhn·daa·zee)!”
Riya said, “before we eat something sweet, we should eat some nyama choma (nai·aa·muh chow·muh) with some ugali (yoo·gaa·lee).” Yum! Yum!
When they were done, Riya and Zuzu found Gus and got back on the bus. A few more friends also got in. A blue duiker named Davu smiled at Zuzu and said, “nice to see you.” Gal the crested guineafowl flew in. Deborah the zebra got on board and Mosi the ostrich stretched her neck then walked inside for the ride.
I closed the door so they could explore some more! Soon they would reach Mombasa beach. During the long ride all the animals had fun inside. The music played. Boom! Boom! Boom! The friends barely had enough room! Mosi said it was a bit noisy, so she stuck her head out the window. Gal said there's not enough room to spread my wings. Then she did a crazy thing! She flew out the window and perched on top the matatu. Inside and outside the matatu lit up like a light show. Gus swerved and curved trying to miss bumps in the road. Every bump made Riya, Zuzu, Deborah, and Davu jump. The Rothschild giraffe couldn't help but laugh and the Sykes monkey had to sing “all the little monkeys ohh ohh ohh ahh ahh ahh!” Deborah and Davu did a skip or two. Once the bus stopped everyone stepped to the ground and looked all around. They thought it was grand to see so many fruit stands. Riya picked up a papaya and everyone else shared mangos and avocados. Gal the crested guineafowl flew off the top and ate a soursop.
They were feeling the heat from the sun, so I said let’s get inside and drive down the street for some more fun. Into the matatu they hopped but Gal still perched on top. Zuzu jumped up and down. “Where are we going? What are we going to do?” Riya said, “more fun for me and you! Look out the window and you will see something blue!” All the animals yelled, “Water! It is time to swim!” They could not wait to dive in. They ended the trip oh so grand laying on a blanket in the sand!
Remember, writing is right on! So, write a comment below.
Your friend,
Gus the black-and-white colobus
Do you remember? What type of animals were Riya and Zuzu? What is a matatu? Including Gus, how many animals were on the bus from Nairobi to Mombasa?
Additional tidbits – The Rothchild giraffe has a different appearance than most giraffes. The legs have no spots, the fur has darker orange and brown patches, and they have five ossicones (bone shaped nodules) on their head They resemble short horns. They can run up to 34 miles per hour! They are among the tallest of giraffes – almost 20 feet tall! Sykes monkeys have beautiful brown and orange eyes! They can weigh 13 to 15 pounds and be 19 to 30 inches tall. They love to eat fruit, berries and flowers but will eat any human food they can get their hands on!
What type of food is it?
Mandazi – is a sweet fried bread that originated on the Swahili Coast. Similar to a donut or beignet.
Nyama choma – is Kenya’s national dish. It is a delicious grilled meat with various spices such as onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, basil, rosemary, and honey. Yum! Yum!
Ugali – an African comfort food. A thick cornmeal porridge served as a bread to eat with any meal. The thick porridge can also serve as a spoon, slice a piece and make a dent in the middle and spoon a bite of food with it. Chakula kizuri (Swahili for good food).
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