Think you have it tough living in a country with $4 gas and a baby formula shortage? How would you like living someplace where when the power goes out, the electric company asks you for money for gas so they can send their repair truck…and then to help pay for the parts to fix the transformer?

I kid you not. That’s what happens in Kenya, where adventure novelist Steve Braker lives, and trust me, his is a fascinating story.

Braker is author of five novels that focus on various aspects of life in Kenya that Steve believes should be more exposed to the world, issues like slavery and sexual exploitation of young girls, illegal poaching of tusks for ivory, treasure hunting, and much more.

Steve, born in Cornwall, England, is an adventurer and has lived in East Africa since 2000. He’s spent weeks on boats sailing the coastlines and it’s there that the idea of writing thrillers began to build…and now that his kids have all left to work and study in the UK, he’s jumped into writing with a vengeance.

During the episode, Steve discusses his concern for the environment, specifically the ocean environment, and the need to stop its pollution with plastics. His adopted home, Kenya, is significantly affected by climate change, but does little to contribute to this worldwide problem because as a developing country, it has no manufacturing facilities and relies largely on sources of renewable energy, such as geothermal and solar.

Would you expect such a country to be in the forefront of such issues as gun control? In Kenya, he says, no guns are allowed except for police and those in the military.

The interview is a fascinating look into life in Kenya through the eyes of an author who sails the handmade boats he builds, explores the underwater glories of the sea, and spends virtually every waking moment appreciating his experiences -- even if the power does run out in the middle of a podcast interview and he has to help pay to get it fixed.

Take a listen