Lake Victoria

Kisumu - Just back from having had lunch. Talk about extreme experiences!!
A colleague and i went down to the lakeside where she'd previously had good fish lunches, so i thought hey, that sounds good. There before us on the lakeside was a row of shacks, open sided, with iron roofs called "hotels". Not somewhere either of us would want to spend the night. Within seconds we had been spotted, and loads of touts descended on us asking us to "eat this restaurant". We walked the whole length of the row trying to ignore the shouts from these young people around us. I eventually stopped and just asked a couple half way through their meal which one of these places was the best. They said "this one", so we sat down after being told to inspect the fish and choose which we wanted. We stood there mesmerised by the open cooking and general rawness of the experience. Heat wasn't the word! A waiter came over to us with a bowl of water and some soap, and for the first time since i arrived i realised that i was going to be eating with my hands - real Africa.
Half way through our lovely meal, and with a great view of Lake Victoria, we were suddenly aware of at least a dozen young boys, aged 10-16 years, all holding glue sniffing bottles looking wild, and definitely hungry. The waiter that was attending us ran over and pushed one of the boys away and made him cry - i was shocked. The waiter said he didn't want the boys to disturb our meal - well too late i thought and i asked him whether the restaurants ever fed these hungry boys. I didn't finish my food, and fully aware that i couldn't give them money, i told the waiter to give it to them. He tipped the food into the carrier bags the boys had - so that is why they walk up and down by the hotels with their bags, collecting scraps!
I was upset and angry, but there was nothing else i could do. We left and went back to the base office where i asked what programmes they were running locally for the street children. I was told to talk to the children's department, which we are visiting tomorrow. I will!
So, one extreme to the other. When i arrived here in Kisumu i was distracted by the beautiful little shack of an airport terminal that greeted us, and how i'd never seen a waiting lounge in a marquee before. It was great and looked like someone's garden with mangoes hanging from the trees all around us.
The images of those children will stay with me for a long time. I know we've seen these things before, but never so real and never at my lunch table. Maybe i'm not so tough.