Walking Safaris in Lake Naivasha

After Lamu, we got back on the bus (six bumpy hours), and then back on the train from Mombasa to Nairobi for another 15 hour train ride, or so we thought. The train did indeed pull out of the station at 7:00, much to our surprise, and then stopped at 7:01! (for about four hours). Some people were in a panic because they has planes to catch the next day, but we just enjoyed the trip. In fact, looking out the train window is quite an experience, as you realize that many people in rural Kenya still live in basically what looks like a small mud hut, with no running water or electricity. And yet, when you stop at a train station, people seem to appear out of nowhere, and they're all impeccably dressed!
A few days in Nairobi to fill out requests for visas for India, then back on a bus for a week in an region 100 km west of Nairobi called Lake Naivasha. Here we stayed in a small cabin and did all of our cooking on a coal stove called a giko (which is what most locals use, since they don't have electricity): we went to the market every day and started to recognize a few of the vendors! We went to several parks (Hell's Gate, Crater Lake and Crescent Island) where you can walk or ride your bicycle through the park. The animals just walk around you or run away if you get too close. Although there were no lions, I think I really preferred this type of safari to the driving one- it's much more peaceful. We were practically the only people in the park!
We also had a great guide, Marcus, who ended up inviting us to his house for lunch one day (I don't know why we elicit these invitations, but we are so thrilled every time - I think it's the kids) It turns out Marcus' wife is a hairdresser so Noemi finally got her hair braided, in front of many interested bystanders. All of this happens outside of course, and this is a small village that doesn't get many mzungus (tourists). The kids came flocking to see us, yelling the one line they've learned in English : Howayou! Howayou! It's pretty funny. Julien even got invited to play soccer with the local boys and had a great time - proof that even if you can't speak the language, sports are universal!
Finally we went to see Joy Adamson's house, a woman who raised a baby lion called Elsa and managed to set it free back into the wild. She wrote a book about this experience, and there is a movie too, called Born Free. You probably know this already but I did not! Anyhow, they serve amazing afternoon tea at this place, which we all pigged out on, having had nothing which resembles cake for several months now. What a treat!

A Wrinkle in Time

After the beach we headed 6 hours north (another crazy bus ride and then a short boat ride) to a beautiful town called Lamu, a Unesco Heritage Site. 95 % of the population is Muslim, so many men wear long robes called kanzus and kofia caps, and most women are covered from head to toe in a black buibui. There are over 20 mosques, and the calls to prayer can be heard all over town at all hours of the day and night. It is a Swahili town, so the architecture is quite different from elsewhere in Kenya: many of the houses have beautiful courtyards and intricately carved doors.
The town is situated on an island where there are no cars (except the ambulance and the district commissioner's truck), so people either walk or use donkeys for transportation! In fact, the "streets" are so narrow you can touch the houses on both sides when you are standing in the middle. It's great, especially with kids, you never have to worry about traffic (except perhaps the odd donkey wandering about), and you can walk safely any time of day or night. People also use beautiful wooden sailboats, called dhows, for fishing. Except for the fact that everyone has a cell phone, you could quite easily imagine yourself transported back a few hundred years. It's really quite incredible that a place like this still exists.
We found an great place to stay, called Queen House: three floors, two bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen, an incredible terrasse on the roof with a view onto the ocean. Probably the most luxurious accomodations we'll have on the entire trip.
One day we went to Shela, a beautiful beach only 30 min walk from the town. Another day we went fishing with captain "Lemon Squeeze" on a dhow. Just watching the captain and his two mates manoeuvre the boat was fascinating. They barbecued the fish for us at lunch, and I have to admit, it was pretty amazing (Samantha, there's hope for me. I'm learning to like fish!). We also had the chance to have a local guy, Matata, come and make a Swahili meal for us at the house. There was fresh coconut milk in everything: the rice, the fish, the vegetables. Absolutely delicious! It was nice because while he was cooking, we had the chance to talk and learn about life in Lamu. He was lamenting the fact that a few people now had motorcycles, and that Lamu just wasn't the way it used to be. Lamu is finished, he said. We had a good laugh, because for us, staying in Lamu is like travelling back to the Middle Ages. It's all about your point of view, I guess!

Au salon de coiffure

Going Out East

Being from the Maritimes, I, of course, was anxious to see the ocean. So we took an overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa: normally a 15 hour ride which can take anywhere up to 20 hours depending on circumstances (explanations are nebulous). Considering the distance between these two cities is only about 500 km, that works out to about 35 km an hour. Even Canadian trains are faster than that! But no matter. Taking the train was a goal in itself and turned out to be a highlight: the railway was built at the beginning of the century, and honestly, I don't think it has changed much since then! Time travel at it's best. We took a ticket with bedding and meals included. The dining car was incredible: pressed white table cloths (albeit with a few holes), waiters in black and white (o.k. - a bit frumpy), and authentic fifty year old silverware (with the silver slightly worn off). We had asparagus soup, curried beef, chicken and mixed vegetables, and cake with a custard sauce for dessert. Tea and coffee served from beautiful silver pots. Definitely the best meal I've ever had on a train! Not a triangular saran wrapped sandwich to be seen.

We spent one night in Mombasa, and then headed to Diani beach, about fifty kms south. We found a two bedroom cottage with a kitchen, for under $40 a night, three minutes from the beach. Beautiful white sand, palm trees, warm water, great waves, no jelly fish... and hardly a tourist. What more could we ask for? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Monkeys swinging from the trees just in front of our verandah, and the occasional baboon. One day we went snorkeling (first time ever for me so I thought it was fabulous - I may still be impressed by the Great Barrier Reef) and one night we went to a trendy restaurant, with tables literally on the beach (where we broke the fussball table by putting the wrong coin in the slot, and played pool instead). But mostly we just relaxed, walked from one end of the beach to the other, built sand castles using our plastic Ikea cups and made our own meals with ingredients from the vendors who came by everyday with fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. Since this was the beginning of September, we decided it was time to start school: a few hours a day, between trips to the beach. Could be worse.
I myself realized on Sunday evening that I was truly on vacation, the "oh no, what am I going to do with my students tomorrow morning?" feeling was a distant memory. (Sorry, I just had to get that in for any of my colleagues who are reading this!)

How the Other Half Lives

In case anyone is wondering, I am way behind with my entries and have not caught up to the present time yet. I'm trying to keep my comments in chronological order, so don't be confused if I am mentioning things J-F spoke about three weeks ago!

So, while the foreigners are off galavanting on their fancy safaris and going to the beach, what are the locals doing? Well, we had the chance to see for ourselves.
The day after we returned from our safari, we were invited to a someone's house for an afternoon visit. In fact, he is the gardener here at the hostel where we're staying. I had been chatting to him about all of the things in the garden, bananas (several types), avocados, oranges, lettuce for the tourists (africains can't understand why we eat this stuff) etc. and I said I hadn't eaten ugali yet (a local specialty, corn meal mush, nothing too amazing) and he spontaneously invited us to his house. This of course thrilled me completely because the point of our trip is to meet locals and see how they live, and it's not always that easy when you're staying in a hostel with a bunch of tourists. So, he took the bus with us, (we were the only white people on the bus, tourists tend to take taxis) and then we walked about 15 minutes through his neighborhood before reaching his house. I wasn't expecting anything fancy bit I figured that since he seemed to have a pretty good steady job, his living conditions would be O.K. Frankly, it was a shock. His entire house is smaller than our kitchen, in other words, about five square meters. On one side of the room there's a bed, on the other side a couch and a charcoal stove in the corner for cooking. He has electricity but no running water. The bathrooms are communal for the entire neighborhood. I don't think there is any shower to speak of. The houses are so close together, basically there are just dirt allyways between them. And garbage everywhere. The smell is overwhelming. You can't get away from it, even when you're inside. And the amazing thing is they don't complain, and they invited us! (We had hot chocolate and sweet potatoes) A very humbling experience. How does he go to work every day, see these rich tourists sitting around in these beautiful gardens, with seemingly endless funds, and not be raging? This is every day life for, not only half, like my title suggests, but probably 90% of Kenyans. Work as they might, it is just not possible to improve their living conditions. Needless to say, Evelyne, Noemi and Julien were equally as impressed as I was. I think they will remember this visit for a very long time.
The next day we went to another family's house, this time in a much wealthier neighborhood. Here we were treated to a typical african meal: beef stew, chicken, several types of vegetables, rice, ugali and chapatis. We could hardly get out of our seats when it was time to go. The house was fairly modest, but this family has a big SUV and his children study in the States. A big contrast from the day before.

Extreme Safari

So, after several days in Nairobi, we finally decided that we couldn't come all the way to Kenya and not go on a safari, which, by the way, is a swahili word which means a voyage. Even if it was going to cost a fortune. (Yes, even budget safaris are expensive) I must confess, I really wasn't sure what to expect: I sort of had visions of sipping wine with lots of English people in their safari outfits at the lodge. Or bumping into Robert Redford. Not quite.
The most dangerous part of the safari was just getting there. The road to the Masai Mara Reserve is so full of potholes, it makes roads in Montreal look good. Some parts are paved, some are not. Now, officially, you drive on the left in Kenya. But I tell you, we spent as much time on the right hand side or off the road completely as we did on the left hand side. Anything to avoid the potholes. At first I was sitting beside the driver but after about two hours I couldn't stand it anymore. It's just better not to see the truck that is heading straight at you. We finally made it to the park after only one flat tire.

So what is a safari? Well you drive around in what looks like a mini-van with a roof that pops up so you can stand up and look out. And you drive and you drive and you drive while scrutinizing the surroundings in the hopes of spotting game. And then you stop. And 5 other vans rush over to see what you have found. And eveyone pulls out their cameras and starts clicking. The only Japanese people I've seen in Kenya were behind two foot zoom lenses standing in their vans.

Now, that said, we absolutely loved it. We saw thousands of animals: zebras, wildebeest, lions, elephants, buffalos, gazelles, impalas, topis, hippos, giraffes, ostriches, hyenas, wart hogs, and, best of all, a cheetah with four cubs. We didn't spot any leopards or rhinocerouses (spelling?): apparently they are difficult to find. It really is amazing to see these animals out in the savannah, seemingly oblivious to all the humans around them.

Our accomodations were very basic: no wine sipping, no Robert Redford. We slept in a canvas tent and drank beer. But, we did get the chance to meet a true Masai. In fact, he was our cook for three days. On the way back to Nairobi, we stopped to visit his village, and truly, I think this fascinated me more than any of the animals we saw. Many Masai still live in a very traditional manner, in mud huts, called manyattas, without electricity or running water. The men are mostly cow herders, and the women collect firewood, cook, and care for the children. They are very proud of their culture and want to live this way: let me tell you, it adds a whole new meaning to simple living.

Two flat tires later, we finally made it back to the city!

First Impressions of Africa

Shortly before leaving Paris, we decided we should probably find a place to stay in Nairobi before arriving. So, about three days before our departure, Jean-Francois found something on the internet and luckily, they offered to send someone to pick us up at the airport. So, what were my first impressions? Firstly, people here are crazy drivers! You definitely never want to rent a car. Even driving with a local is quite an experience. Secondly, there are very few sidewalks in Nairobi. Everyone seems to walk in the dirt along the side of the road. You don't really think about sidewalks until there are none! I guess it's a luxury. In North Americain suburbs they build them even before the house! Thirdly, the garbage. I have to mention this, because none of the guidebooks ever do, and it really jumps out at you. It collects in the ditches, and noone seems to clean it up. Occasionally you see people burning refuse, I guess it's the only way to get rid of it. It makes you realize that Montreal might not be the cleanest city, but really not so bad in comparison. Now, I don't want to be negative, I'm just being honest. But after a few days, you don't really notice anymore and it all becomes normal.

Well, the last minute organization was a success: our first accomodations were AMAZING! As one guest described it, a five star youth hostel. It used to be a private home, belonging to the Kenyatta family (former Prime Minister of Kenya), now converted to an auberge. The garden is exquisite, filled with beautiful flowering trees and bushes and two resident turtles!. I felt like I was in a movie. A true oasis in a big city full of modern buildings. Also, there is a pavillion in the garden with a television, so we actually got to follow the olympics, much to Noemi's content. (Somehow, watching tv outside doesn't seem so bad!)

The first few days in Nairobi included a trip to an Elephant orphanage, where they raise babies who have lost their mothers or whose mothers have died. They are treated almost like humans, bottle fed and watched over 24 hours a day by specially trained caretakers. Then we went to a Giraffe Center, where they breed the Rothschild giraffe, a species that was near extinction. Needless to say, Julien appreciated these excursions much more than the subsequent visit to the ceramic bead workshop, which of course fascinated me!

Europe in a Nutshell

Hello everybody!

I realize we have been gone for a month and a half now and I haven't written a word. So, I am finally sitting down to give you my side of the story!! On request from my Aunt Elizabeth, I have decided to write in English. I also figure in this way our blog will be a true reflection of our family.

So where to begin? As you know, we spent three weeks in Europe, mostly France and Germany with a very brief stop in Switzerland, and managed to mooch free accommodations all the way around!! Good thing, because just renting the car and paying for highway tolls just about used up our budget. Paris was pretty quiet (all the Parisians were away on vacation), believe it or not, it was almost difficult to find a baguette! Germany was postcard perfect (I'm already planning a return bicycle trip!) and Switzerland was… expensive. The only cheap thing is chocolate, so of course we ate lots!