Have you ever yearned for just a sip of cold water that is not forthcoming? Having driven alone on a barren, dusty and hot lands for over 200 km, and had not carried any bottled water? And no one had told you about the terrain and the hot weather of the land you are going to? To make the matters worse, no one told you that there won’t be gas (fuel) filing stations for your car.
This happened to me in 2015 when I went to one of the vast yet remote, unforgiving, harsh-terrained but beautiful regions in Kenya, in the County of Kajiado. I drove from the capital city of Nairobi and after over 100 km of dusty, bumpy and bushy road, I was totally thirsty and was always peering out of the car for anywhere to get a bottle of cold water. But alas! I found none. No one had warned me that I was like going to a no man’s land, a deserted place, a punishing and unforgiving place. I wished that someone had told me what to expect so that I could prepare myself adequately; to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
.
And that is why when I came to know Google Maps and Local Guides, I embraced it with gusto as I was now given the opportunity to warn and help other people going to such places. Remote places like these in Kenya have special canteens/ shops called Solar Kiosks powered by solar where one can get cold water. These places are so hot and without fridges, drinking water is warm if not hot. And the places are so remote such that connection to the electricity grid is almost impossible.
I have taken it as my duty to update these kiosks in Google Maps so that other people can get to know them whenever they are going there. Mark you, such places are normally popular and teeming with tourists!
I do also update all the gas stations along the way and whether people need to fill their tanks gas (fuel) before going any further.
