We returned to the MediHeal hospital to meet with Dr. Parkar again at his clinic. We discussed some of our findings at Kikuyu and our talks with Niraj, as well as continued to learn more about his role in laparoscopic surgery in Kenya.
We observed him perform another procedure, this one was fully laparoscopic, and it took him only 30 minutes to finish, fully demonstrating the potential that laparoscopic surgery has. Having the support of Dr. Parkar means a lot to us because of his expertise in the field, and because we see that even after 30 years of practicing and starting his numerous programs, he still believes in the potential of laparoscopic surgery, and believes we can really make a difference with our work. After the surgery, we sat down with several other doctors in his clinic to talk, and then Dr. Parkar took us to lunch again, this time to a Chinese restaurant. The food was excellent, and the view from the restaurant was as well, since it was high up in a building.
After lunch, Dr. Parkar took us on a trip to see tea farms north of Nairobi. We saw all different kinds of tea plants, black tea, green tea, and one native to kenya: purple tea. I had never heard of it since I am not much of a tea drinker, but I still wanted to try it! Fortunately, we stopped at one of the farms and purchased some purple tea for us to try when we got the chance. The tea farms were so beautiful, they were incredibly large and spanned numerous hills and fields. Tea leaves are apparently picked every day here, since there is always demand for tea, and presumably because the plants grow fast.
There were even some coffee farms as well. Dr. Parkar was incredibly generous to have drove us here to show us, and we thanked him profusely.
We regrouped at the hotel, had a brief dip in its swimming pool, did some work, had some dinner, and then packed, because today would be our last full day in Nairobi until next week. Tomorrow, we would leave for Makindu!