JC GUEST HOUSE, ITEN'S HIDDEN GEM

-


Photo/Author: splendid JC Guest House, Iten


By Thomas Chemelil

Iten town keeps springing surprises to all every day. Restaurants and Hotels managed by our illustrious athletes are sprouting up almost on a daily basis. One such a facility is JC Guest House and Restaurant.

Hidden in the outskirts of Iten, just after the Keelu junction on your way to town on the right side of the road near Samongi is a citadel of  pure hospitality known simply as JC Iten Guest House. The simplicity of its name should not fool you; JC offers mouth- watering  delicacies, both local and exotic. A team of fine chefs will leave you yearn for more.

It is coach Kanda Hillary of Kondabilet and his friend Boniface Limo who invite us for a sumptuos lunch at JC as a way to thank the messenger from the hills for interceding for them during the 1A games at Kaptagat. I am welcomed by the aroma of an assortment of meals which range from well fried mutton to fried potatoes and an assortment of traditional African vegetables. 

Those in the know understand that Kimuron and Kondabilet are two giants of athletics. Coach Kanda specializes with training girls who include non-other that the US-based Janet Kimutai. Boniface Limoh has the tough task of converting boys into men at Kimuron.

To meet them at the sparkling JC Restaurant elates my spirit. Together with colleagues from Kimuron, we settle for the sumptuos lunch oblivious of the happenings in the world outside. We had arrived. We felt at the top of the world courtesy of the warmth of JC hotel.

I meet a Canadian who had come to train in Kenya. He is residing at this gem of JC Iten Guest House. He tells me that the weather at Iten is favourable for caucasian travellors. He says that the weather in Mombasa, for example, is extreme and may not be that fovourable to people used to cold.

It is time to bid by to the kind and motherly host and proprietor of JC, madam Joyce, a legend of athletics in her  own right.

I savour for a few moments the serenity and calm environs of JC. I cannot help but marvel; there are clean Guest Houses out there, but again there is JC.

See you folks at JC for the delicacies from the African kitchen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE DAY TULA CHESAINA REFUSED TO PUT ON SHOES

-
Image
 Photo/Veronica: Tula Chesaina By Thomas Chemelil I have always told you hilarious tales in the past, tales that have defined who we are and where we came from. By knowing where we come from, we get the visa to where we are going. Today, I choose to tell you the story of Tula Chesaina a.k.a KopCheserem of Kapkomora  who is married to Nyirar. The story year is 1974. The occasion? The lovely wedding of Anne Mubichi from Kapkomora to Mubichi Mburugua of Naari  in North Imenti in Meru County. Anne Mubichi is the great mum to Mutembei, Asca, Mureithi and Tim Mubichi.  A delegation to the wedding is dispatched to Meru. The person to drive them to Meru is none other than the army officer who owned a Land Rover then, Daudi Kibuswa- the uncle to Jebiwot Bischof. Here is where the drama begins. Mzee Chemelil Yatich (RIP) buys adamant Tula Chesaina shoes at Eldoret in order to prevent the 'shame' of Tula travelling to Meru without shoes! For those in the know, Tula Chesaina hol...
Read more

OF MARAKWET HIGH SCHOOL AND THE FORTY ONE FIREPLACES

-
  By Thomas Chemelil Marakwet Secondary School( now St. Peter's Marakwet High School) is definitely one of the old schools that has served the community well producing great men and women.  I stumble on one Mzee Luka Kotut at Wagon Wheel in Eldoret who narrates to me a hilarious tale of Marakwet High School. It must have then been an Inntermediate School. The year is 1966. The characters in the story? The likes of Cheptile, Kotut amonst others.  In total, there were 41 students in the school. 30 from Marakwet and 11 from Keiyo.  The interesting part of the story is that each of the forty one students had his own fireplace where he would cook his own meals! In total there were 41 fireplaces or what Mzee Kotut would funnily call " Kabekeren chole artam oko akong'o". Each student brought his own flour from home and other necessary items in order to individually cook his own meals.  Tired of the messy process, young Kotut asked the students to approach the Board of ...
Read more

MALALA'S TROUBLED PLAYS AND KENYA'S LONG HISTORY OF CENSORSHIP

-
Image
Photo/Butere Girls: Echoes of War.  By Thomas Chemelil  Cleaphas Malala's play 'Echoes of War' has generated immense heat in Kenya's political landscape with many wondering what the play is all about. However, this is not the first time that Malala has run into trouble with the authorities over his contentious plays. Somewhere around 2012, Malala scripted 'Shackles of Doom,' a narrative that detailed the exploitation of a  marginalized community in whose land  valuable crude oil had been discovered. What follows is a mad rush by an "investor" community to reap from the new-found oil at the expense of the locals. In order to endear themselves to the host community, the "investor" unashamedly marries a local girl  who would act as bridge between him and the community to facilitate the wanton pillage of the community resources. Like 'Echoes of War,' 'Shackles of Doom' raised enough political dust with the authorities taking note....
Read more