Somethings you can’t run from..

The other day, about 2/3rds of the way to Amboseli we stopped at a place for a stretch. There are some fairly clean facilities out back. But, of course, to get to them you have to make your way through the curio shop. Which is nothing more than a bunch of dusty plywood tables in a large tin shed. One of the guys latches on to me trying to make a sale. They actually have some very nice carvings but I seldom buy anything anywhere and never buy that sort of thing unless I buy from the artist. After a few minutes he realizes I’m not buying and then we shift to casual conversation. He shows me his bicycle. It’s an ancient Chinese made thing that probably weighs 30 pounds. I tell him I ride and we chat bikes for a while. Then he asks where I’m from and I tell him Alaska. (I seldom say USA unless I’m talking to an official. It’s more interesting to see the reactions to “Alaska”.) Upon hearing this he smiles and says to me, “Palin”. Good grief…in the middle of East Africa….