1. Matatus and dalla dallas don't leave until they are full. Most of them also try to cram as many people as they can into them. I guess it's due to the cost of fuel, but can get very uncomfortable especially on bad roads.
2. Eating in a restaurant takes even longer than in Europe. I think they really wait until your order comes in to start from scratch.
3. Not all the places have napkins. Instead, they have somewhere for you to wash your hands before and after the meal or a woman comes to you with a basin and pitcher of water.
4. For a malarial area they are pretty lax when it comes to mosquitoes. Yes, there are mosquito nets but no screens on the windows or doors.
5. Very few cash registers. I think I've only been to 4 places that had them and they were large supermarkets. One coffee shop had one, but it wasn't plugged in. Everything is handwritten in a book with carbon paper.
6. Cash only! No credit cards!!
7. If you buy something and need change it could take another 10-15 min waiting for someone to go "next door" to make change.
8. All babies are bundled up in hats, jackets, and blankets even though it's over 75F and sunny.
9. No one has any washing machines. We've seen many immaculate white shirts around. Even the guy who sold charcoal buy the dusty road was wearing a spotless white shirt! This means that at all the hotels we've been in, someone had to hand-wash our sheets and towels. (I think there's some washing machines in Nairobi.)
10. All the big buildings are hand made out of cement, sticks, mud brick, rocks. The scaffolding around a construction site is made up of a bunch of sticks. Sometimes you can see this in the slightly uneven doorway and stairs.
11. Some male travel writer said something about the elegant simplicity of a squat toilet: just a hole in the ground. I don't feel the same way as my aim isn't as good a his. :-(
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Good-bye, Kenya
Lake Naivasha
OK-after our safari we made our way to Lake Naivasha. We heard (correctly) that the national park there, Hell's Gate, is one of the few where you can just walk or cycle on your own, and after several days of eating and sitting we were more than ready to do just that. All along the lake are a few lodges and lots of campgrounds. Now, these campgrounds all had places to set up tents, but also rooms if you want. At Fisherman's Camp we rented a tent and sleeping mats and chose a spot a little way up from the electric fence. Electric fence? you ask. Yes- seems the hippos come out at night and eat the grassy field there and without the fence you run the risk of running into a hippo. We did see a few, including a mother and small baby hippo which only made the security guard nervous as mother hippos are extra protective of their babies.
The next day we woke up before dawn (again!), ate a bit of fruit, and hopped onto the bikes we rented and got into Hell's Gate around before 7:30am. We were the first ones there and did get to enjoy the quiet morning a bit, watching a herd of gazelle and some baboons in the distance. At the crossroads we had a choice- do the Buffalo Circuit (14km) or go onto the Gorge (7km). Of course, Froody wanted to do Buffalo Circuit and see some animals and I wanted to do the Gorge and see cool structures. Of course, I gave in and we did the circuit. Then, the bad times came. After 6km (note: by now we had biked 13km from camp)I got saddle sore and we hadn't seen all the wildlife Froody had hoped for. We talked for a bit an I decided I could go on, seeing as we were about halfway and that, surely, the circuit included going to the Gorge. I got into a rhythm- walk uphill, bike flat/downhill, and grit my teeth over any and all bumps. We did see some cool stuff, like a herd of hartebeest and herd of zebra. It was really something to see them face to face and not with a metal car between us. Eventually we got near the top, where the road seemed to veer away from the gorge and the rest of the park. Froody biked ahead and, as far as he could tell, the road kept going away, so we decided to bike back to the crossroads which was mostly downhill (yay!) but with lots of deep, loose sand (scary!) and bumps (ouchie!).
At the crossroads Froody could see that I was in a lot of pain (my poor butt!)and offered to just bike back to camp. That would have been the smart thing to do, so I said "let's go to the Gorge" because there was no way I was going to get on a bike tomorrow and do it again. So, through clenched teeth and some walking, we made it to the Gorge, all 7km. By now it was noon, hot, and both of us were tired, so we did the smart thing again and got a guide to take us on the "short" walk which is about an hour. It was a good walk, part of which took us through hot water falling over rocks and raining down on us and felt just like a shower! It also made us wish we could've done the longer walks. Our guide was knowledgeable and from the local Maasai village and said he was one of 6 chosen by the elders to do this job and bring money in for the village. He told us a bit about some of the plants and tribal customs. With that done, we rested a bit and biked the 15km back to camp.
Lake Nakuru
Came here to see the famous flamingos! Nakuru town abuts the Lake Nakuru national park. From the viewpoint you could see exactly where the town stops and protected area starts. Got up before dawn (again! sheesh!)for our game drive, which was difficult, as the place we stayed in was cheap but right next to all the pubs and a mosque. Peter, our guide, was very nice and knew a lot, but seemed to get a couple of things mixed up. Again, being spoiled Americans, we saw a bunch of the same animals as on safari. But we did see lots of new things, like a baby zebra only a few hours old, taking its first steps. And the water buffalo didn't seem to mind us so much. Of course, we just loved seeing all the flamingos!! Bonus birds were the pink pelicans which seemed to be more of a peachy color than pink. :-) Also yellow-billed storks, a spoonbill, and maribu storks (this one next to yellow-billed storks) which none of our guides seemed to like. We also saw white rhinos- great big grass-eating things!! They were all over and before our drive Peter pretty much guaranteed we'd see a rhino (this one is napping). We also watched a hyena chasing down the flamingos, hoping for a weak and slow one.
Back from the drive we stayed in a much quieter hotel, the Hotel Waterbuck, and got a bit more sleep and laundry done before moving to the cheaper Tas Hotel which had good, cheap food. It seemed nice and sleepy at 9am when we checked in but was really hopping at night! We met with a German student and all pitched in on a taxi ride to see Menegai Crater.
Kakamega Forest
Made our way to this last slice of tropical rainforest in Kenya. Seems that all over Kenya, people are chopping down trees in order to make charcoal, the main fuel source for cooking, so who knows how much longer this forest will last? Even though it's protected, that doesn't mean people don't come in and chop down trees. In fact, sometimes the government will displace people in the area and sends them to the forest area! I got the impression from our guide that some reserves are a community-based effort to keep something protected, so they don't get any government funding or help, eventhough it's officially a Forest Reserve. Our guide,Gabriel, asked us about (on top of many other things) how we in America protect trees and was surprised when Froody said that the government protects them. To which Gabriel asked, "What happens when a tree are mature for harvest?" and Froody answered, "Nothing. It's illegal to cut it down." Gabriel chuckled at that and was amazed that we had huge trees over a thousand years old that no one will ever chop down. Through his questions he led us to the topic of HIV and what his organization, Kakamega Environmental Education Program (KEEP) does for the community. He said he could arrange for us to see some of the homes they help and we thought this would be a good opportunity to see how people really lived, especially those who are really poor. (Gabriel was also surprised when we said we had never seen anyone with AIDS that we knew of. About 40% of the people he tested these past few months have been positive.)
So, we got up before dawn (again. why bother going to bed??) to see the sunrise over the forest. It was beautiful. And just when the sun was about to appear all the birds and monkeys started calling and singing! The mist rising over the dark green canopy was something right out of a picture, only I was right there!! Afterwards, we visited an old mine that fruits bats were living in. Back at the campsite we had our breakfast (some fruit, hardboiled eggs, and bread we brought with us) and rested before the home visits. I was full of trepidation and don't remember when I had been so scared to face anything like this. Gabriel even said we'd probably be made very sad over what we would see. Finally, the hour came and we met some of the volunteers who make the rounds with him. They added that we'd get to see a family suffering from parasitic fleas that bore into the soft flesh of your feet and hands. (?.!@#@$^&YG??)
The people were poor, in that all their money went to buy the HIV drugs so there was nothing left for school supplies, clothing for the children, tuition for secondary school, cooking oil, etc. They had land and most of them had their children farming for them. One woman said she was lucky to still be strong enough to care for her kids, but couldn't afford to send the oldest ones to school. I won't post any pictures as some of them are a bit graphic, but you can go to Froody's site and check them out if you want to.
This picture is cute, though. The little girl just ran up and held my hand for a bit while I was walking with one of the volunteers to the next home. In a way I felt like a celebrity because things like this happens to us here. You get all the small children running, just to wave at you and say "Jambo!" or "How are you?" And the loved it when we'd answer, smile, and wave back.
Nairobi
Nairobi is Kenya's largest city and is just like other big cities. Only the traffic and driving is worse. Having been in Cairo for 24hours now I'll say that while Cairenes drive aggressively, they still seem to follow some traffic rules, whereas in Nairobi it's every man for himself. (In Nakuru they have traffic lights that are not in use. We asked a taxi driver when was the last time they were used and he said in 2002, only they caused too many accidents so the city government decided it was safer just to leave them off!)
Only had one full day here and the "big thing" we did was eat at the world famous Carnivore restaurant. It was an adventure just getting there! but once there you get to eat all the meat you want. These guys walk around with lamb, beef, chicken, sausage, crocodile on meter-long sword/skewers. Then you get dessert! There's another guy who walks around making dawas, Kenya's signature mixed drink made with vodka, limes, and honey.
OK-after our safari we made our way to Lake Naivasha. We heard (correctly) that the national park there, Hell's Gate, is one of the few where you can just walk or cycle on your own, and after several days of eating and sitting we were more than ready to do just that. All along the lake are a few lodges and lots of campgrounds. Now, these campgrounds all had places to set up tents, but also rooms if you want. At Fisherman's Camp we rented a tent and sleeping mats and chose a spot a little way up from the electric fence. Electric fence? you ask. Yes- seems the hippos come out at night and eat the grassy field there and without the fence you run the risk of running into a hippo. We did see a few, including a mother and small baby hippo which only made the security guard nervous as mother hippos are extra protective of their babies.
The next day we woke up before dawn (again!), ate a bit of fruit, and hopped onto the bikes we rented and got into Hell's Gate around before 7:30am. We were the first ones there and did get to enjoy the quiet morning a bit, watching a herd of gazelle and some baboons in the distance. At the crossroads we had a choice- do the Buffalo Circuit (14km) or go onto the Gorge (7km). Of course, Froody wanted to do Buffalo Circuit and see some animals and I wanted to do the Gorge and see cool structures. Of course, I gave in and we did the circuit. Then, the bad times came. After 6km (note: by now we had biked 13km from camp)I got saddle sore and we hadn't seen all the wildlife Froody had hoped for. We talked for a bit an I decided I could go on, seeing as we were about halfway and that, surely, the circuit included going to the Gorge. I got into a rhythm- walk uphill, bike flat/downhill, and grit my teeth over any and all bumps. We did see some cool stuff, like a herd of hartebeest and herd of zebra. It was really something to see them face to face and not with a metal car between us. Eventually we got near the top, where the road seemed to veer away from the gorge and the rest of the park. Froody biked ahead and, as far as he could tell, the road kept going away, so we decided to bike back to the crossroads which was mostly downhill (yay!) but with lots of deep, loose sand (scary!) and bumps (ouchie!).
At the crossroads Froody could see that I was in a lot of pain (my poor butt!)and offered to just bike back to camp. That would have been the smart thing to do, so I said "let's go to the Gorge" because there was no way I was going to get on a bike tomorrow and do it again. So, through clenched teeth and some walking, we made it to the Gorge, all 7km. By now it was noon, hot, and both of us were tired, so we did the smart thing again and got a guide to take us on the "short" walk which is about an hour. It was a good walk, part of which took us through hot water falling over rocks and raining down on us and felt just like a shower! It also made us wish we could've done the longer walks. Our guide was knowledgeable and from the local Maasai village and said he was one of 6 chosen by the elders to do this job and bring money in for the village. He told us a bit about some of the plants and tribal customs. With that done, we rested a bit and biked the 15km back to camp.
Lake Nakuru
Came here to see the famous flamingos! Nakuru town abuts the Lake Nakuru national park. From the viewpoint you could see exactly where the town stops and protected area starts. Got up before dawn (again! sheesh!)for our game drive, which was difficult, as the place we stayed in was cheap but right next to all the pubs and a mosque. Peter, our guide, was very nice and knew a lot, but seemed to get a couple of things mixed up. Again, being spoiled Americans, we saw a bunch of the same animals as on safari. But we did see lots of new things, like a baby zebra only a few hours old, taking its first steps. And the water buffalo didn't seem to mind us so much. Of course, we just loved seeing all the flamingos!! Bonus birds were the pink pelicans which seemed to be more of a peachy color than pink. :-) Also yellow-billed storks, a spoonbill, and maribu storks (this one next to yellow-billed storks) which none of our guides seemed to like. We also saw white rhinos- great big grass-eating things!! They were all over and before our drive Peter pretty much guaranteed we'd see a rhino (this one is napping). We also watched a hyena chasing down the flamingos, hoping for a weak and slow one.
Back from the drive we stayed in a much quieter hotel, the Hotel Waterbuck, and got a bit more sleep and laundry done before moving to the cheaper Tas Hotel which had good, cheap food. It seemed nice and sleepy at 9am when we checked in but was really hopping at night! We met with a German student and all pitched in on a taxi ride to see Menegai Crater.
Kakamega Forest
Made our way to this last slice of tropical rainforest in Kenya. Seems that all over Kenya, people are chopping down trees in order to make charcoal, the main fuel source for cooking, so who knows how much longer this forest will last? Even though it's protected, that doesn't mean people don't come in and chop down trees. In fact, sometimes the government will displace people in the area and sends them to the forest area! I got the impression from our guide that some reserves are a community-based effort to keep something protected, so they don't get any government funding or help, eventhough it's officially a Forest Reserve. Our guide,Gabriel, asked us about (on top of many other things) how we in America protect trees and was surprised when Froody said that the government protects them. To which Gabriel asked, "What happens when a tree are mature for harvest?" and Froody answered, "Nothing. It's illegal to cut it down." Gabriel chuckled at that and was amazed that we had huge trees over a thousand years old that no one will ever chop down. Through his questions he led us to the topic of HIV and what his organization, Kakamega Environmental Education Program (KEEP) does for the community. He said he could arrange for us to see some of the homes they help and we thought this would be a good opportunity to see how people really lived, especially those who are really poor. (Gabriel was also surprised when we said we had never seen anyone with AIDS that we knew of. About 40% of the people he tested these past few months have been positive.)
So, we got up before dawn (again. why bother going to bed??) to see the sunrise over the forest. It was beautiful. And just when the sun was about to appear all the birds and monkeys started calling and singing! The mist rising over the dark green canopy was something right out of a picture, only I was right there!! Afterwards, we visited an old mine that fruits bats were living in. Back at the campsite we had our breakfast (some fruit, hardboiled eggs, and bread we brought with us) and rested before the home visits. I was full of trepidation and don't remember when I had been so scared to face anything like this. Gabriel even said we'd probably be made very sad over what we would see. Finally, the hour came and we met some of the volunteers who make the rounds with him. They added that we'd get to see a family suffering from parasitic fleas that bore into the soft flesh of your feet and hands. (?.!@#@$^&YG??)
The people were poor, in that all their money went to buy the HIV drugs so there was nothing left for school supplies, clothing for the children, tuition for secondary school, cooking oil, etc. They had land and most of them had their children farming for them. One woman said she was lucky to still be strong enough to care for her kids, but couldn't afford to send the oldest ones to school. I won't post any pictures as some of them are a bit graphic, but you can go to Froody's site and check them out if you want to.
This picture is cute, though. The little girl just ran up and held my hand for a bit while I was walking with one of the volunteers to the next home. In a way I felt like a celebrity because things like this happens to us here. You get all the small children running, just to wave at you and say "Jambo!" or "How are you?" And the loved it when we'd answer, smile, and wave back.
Nairobi
Nairobi is Kenya's largest city and is just like other big cities. Only the traffic and driving is worse. Having been in Cairo for 24hours now I'll say that while Cairenes drive aggressively, they still seem to follow some traffic rules, whereas in Nairobi it's every man for himself. (In Nakuru they have traffic lights that are not in use. We asked a taxi driver when was the last time they were used and he said in 2002, only they caused too many accidents so the city government decided it was safer just to leave them off!)
Only had one full day here and the "big thing" we did was eat at the world famous Carnivore restaurant. It was an adventure just getting there! but once there you get to eat all the meat you want. These guys walk around with lamb, beef, chicken, sausage, crocodile on meter-long sword/skewers. Then you get dessert! There's another guy who walks around making dawas, Kenya's signature mixed drink made with vodka, limes, and honey.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Masai Mara
OK, so I'ma gonna try to summarize our 3 day safari right. about. now!
Masai Mara is frikkin' beautiful. I will say the landscape is even more beautiful than Serengeti with its rolling hills, green grasses, and trees. And a beautiful sunset. Since this was our second safari (yes, we are spoiled, rich Americans) we saw lots of the same animals we've seen in Tanzania. But we got to see some of them a bit closer and in larger numbers. Seems that at Masai Mara the guides are allowed to drive off the road to any of the Big Five so that their clients can get a closer look. Not so in Serengeti, where you just have to stay on the track.
During our visit at the Mara the lions were in great form, feasting on zebra and wildebeest. Our second day included scenes right out of Discovery Channel- wildebeest crossing rivers, jumping into unknown waters out of sheer instinct and with more than a hint of fear! They can't see too well and are pretty stupid. We've seen an entire herd head to a watering hole and then, hearing our truck, stop and stand there for a bit, then turn around! Some of the smarter ones follow the zebras.
We also got pretty close to lions a bunch of times (and cubs), so much so that when looking for leopards and think we've see something in the distance and then, after looking at it with binoculars, would say, "Oh, it's just another lion."!!!!! How many of you would think you'd ever say something like that???
Another cool thing was the giraffes. I just love watching them and we got to be in the middle of a herd of them for a minute. We also managed to piss-off a momma elephant which made us a bit relieved when our guide finally drove away and left her with her baby.
The campsite was pretty awesome, in fact, it was what we thought we'd have for our first safari. The site was run by the local Masaai tribe and included hot water. Funny how the camps in Kenya had the hottest water and the hotels could be summed up as "a cold shower on a cement floor." But, the Masaai would heat the water over a fire before it made it to you. I got to have the hottest shower, so hot that I'd turn on the water, get all wet, then turn it off!
Our last morning was spent visiting a Masaai village. It cost extra since it wasn't really part of the safari but way cheaper than what the guidebook said- only Ksh500 per person rather than $25 per person. The young warriors welcomed us with a dance and song, showing some of the skills they use to hunt lions. Blair and Froody were forced to join :-) and participate in the jumping contest at the end of the dance. The other Masaai were impressed with Froody's jumping skills, which, for the Masaai, are skills to pay da' billz. (How to get married when of age: 1- KILL A LION [how many of you would do that just to get married??] 2- Get 10 cows 3- WIN A JUMPING CONTEST [I kid you not]). We were then taken through the barrier and into the village where they showed us how they made fire, dried out cow skins to use as bedding, got to go inside a hut (mud, sticks, and thatch made by the woman!! as if child-bearing and rearing aren't enough), and had the women of the village sing for us and, yes, I and Marije had to join them. One of the men showed us the claw and tooth of the lion he killed before he got married. We were told that we could buy a claw or tooth, as each lion has lots of each and the guy only needs one of each for luck. We were really tempted but knew they'd most likely be confiscated when we tried to get them home. Of course, it all ended at the "shop" which was chock-full of beaded jewelry, crafts, carvings, spears, necklaces, all lovely stuff, but was good and only bought one pair of earrings. Pretty much everyone here (yes, men and women all over Kenya) wears a piece of beaded jewelry of some sort be it earrings, belts, keychains, necklaces, or bracelets. Lots of men wear bracelets.
Also saw:
*Baboons and babies
*Giraffes and babies
*Hippos...and baby
Masai Mara is frikkin' beautiful. I will say the landscape is even more beautiful than Serengeti with its rolling hills, green grasses, and trees. And a beautiful sunset. Since this was our second safari (yes, we are spoiled, rich Americans) we saw lots of the same animals we've seen in Tanzania. But we got to see some of them a bit closer and in larger numbers. Seems that at Masai Mara the guides are allowed to drive off the road to any of the Big Five so that their clients can get a closer look. Not so in Serengeti, where you just have to stay on the track.
During our visit at the Mara the lions were in great form, feasting on zebra and wildebeest. Our second day included scenes right out of Discovery Channel- wildebeest crossing rivers, jumping into unknown waters out of sheer instinct and with more than a hint of fear! They can't see too well and are pretty stupid. We've seen an entire herd head to a watering hole and then, hearing our truck, stop and stand there for a bit, then turn around! Some of the smarter ones follow the zebras.
We also got pretty close to lions a bunch of times (and cubs), so much so that when looking for leopards and think we've see something in the distance and then, after looking at it with binoculars, would say, "Oh, it's just another lion."!!!!! How many of you would think you'd ever say something like that???
Another cool thing was the giraffes. I just love watching them and we got to be in the middle of a herd of them for a minute. We also managed to piss-off a momma elephant which made us a bit relieved when our guide finally drove away and left her with her baby.
The campsite was pretty awesome, in fact, it was what we thought we'd have for our first safari. The site was run by the local Masaai tribe and included hot water. Funny how the camps in Kenya had the hottest water and the hotels could be summed up as "a cold shower on a cement floor." But, the Masaai would heat the water over a fire before it made it to you. I got to have the hottest shower, so hot that I'd turn on the water, get all wet, then turn it off!
Our last morning was spent visiting a Masaai village. It cost extra since it wasn't really part of the safari but way cheaper than what the guidebook said- only Ksh500 per person rather than $25 per person. The young warriors welcomed us with a dance and song, showing some of the skills they use to hunt lions. Blair and Froody were forced to join :-) and participate in the jumping contest at the end of the dance. The other Masaai were impressed with Froody's jumping skills, which, for the Masaai, are skills to pay da' billz. (How to get married when of age: 1- KILL A LION [how many of you would do that just to get married??] 2- Get 10 cows 3- WIN A JUMPING CONTEST [I kid you not]). We were then taken through the barrier and into the village where they showed us how they made fire, dried out cow skins to use as bedding, got to go inside a hut (mud, sticks, and thatch made by the woman!! as if child-bearing and rearing aren't enough), and had the women of the village sing for us and, yes, I and Marije had to join them. One of the men showed us the claw and tooth of the lion he killed before he got married. We were told that we could buy a claw or tooth, as each lion has lots of each and the guy only needs one of each for luck. We were really tempted but knew they'd most likely be confiscated when we tried to get them home. Of course, it all ended at the "shop" which was chock-full of beaded jewelry, crafts, carvings, spears, necklaces, all lovely stuff, but was good and only bought one pair of earrings. Pretty much everyone here (yes, men and women all over Kenya) wears a piece of beaded jewelry of some sort be it earrings, belts, keychains, necklaces, or bracelets. Lots of men wear bracelets.
Also saw:
*Baboons and babies
*Giraffes and babies
*Hippos...and baby
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Paradise Cliche
OK, ok, it's true. Our stay in Tiwi at Coral Cottages was like paradise. White, sandy beaches almost all to ourselves. Monkeys visiting us daily. Parrots in the distance. Fresh-caught seafood for dinner. Friendly, fat dogs near the office. Mosquitoes.
For starters, it's not that far from Mombasa (where we are again on our way to Nairobi). We caught a matatu to the ferry. Got off ferry and got matatu to Tiwi. Got off matatu and got in taxi. Got taxi to take us to grocery store as cottages are "self-catering" meaning "no restaurant so you get to cook and wash-up." Which was nice, for a change. I didn't realize how much I missed cooking, which I think means being in control of your meals (instead of walking into a restaurant and asking "what's for lunch" and the answer being "chicken and rice or chapati." And, that's it! Only chicken and a starch! Really! I miss cobb salads!). Oh, and then taxi took us to Coral Cottages. They, of course, have cottages right on the beach but we're cheap, remember, so ours was a whole 2 minute walk to the beach. But, it felt secluded. Froody was able to hang out in his underwear at times as no one but the fruit and fish sellers came up to our place. And monkeys.
Yup, on our second day there a fruit seller came by our place and, while I was looking for some veggies, a monkey swooped in and took an avocado I had set aside! Froody chased it up a tree where it ignored him and tucked into the avocado! Then, a bigger monkey (different species) came and stole the avocado from it. Several times during our stay the monkeys would come and visit, jumping from our roof to the trees nextdoor or sitting on the porch to watch us watch them. Twice, one got into the cottage but was easily scared away. Luckily, the manager warned us about that so we've always kept our food in a cubby.
The beach was real nice. The water was perfect- not too hot, but nice and cool. We went snorkeling each day, at first right off the beach where we saw a lot of brittle stars hiding, some sea cucumbers, and a few fish. We just loved being in the clear water and seeing different stuff. But, on day 3 we paid a "guide", Zima, to show us to the rock pools where we were told were tons of fish...and it was true! ****sigh*** it was soooo awesome that Froody wished he had a waterproof housing for his camera. We saw all sorts of species of wrasses and cleaner fish, a couple of nudibranchs, cowries, schools of silvery fish with big black-and-white tails, sea urchins, pipe fish, box fishes in all colors and patterns, moray eels, jumping fish (they hang out on the rocks just above water at low tide and really do jump!), rosey-colored hatchet shaped fish, and powderpuff worms. Just sooo amazing. Part of one rock pool formed a cave into the side of the cliff and we were snorkeling in it with fish below and bats (yes! I kid you not!) flying above. How can you top that???? We both felt like we were in someone's fish tank!
We also managed to wake up early enough (not that hard thanks to all the roosters. Not just at the cottage, but all over Tanzania and Kenya people have chickens. Or, the call to prayer at 5am wakes us up) to catch a sunrise. The beach is so different at low tide as I've never seen before. It's nice to see so many new things!
In the afternoons, we tried our best to stimulate the local economy which was very depressed as there were hardly any tourists. Everyone we talked to said how this year there won't be any tourists, that they won't return until next year. However, we are only two people and there are only so many souvenirs one can buy. I got from the manager that this is the high season and, normally, she is fully booked for the months of August and September. Whereas when we arrived she had three bookings for the whole month of Sept.
OK-just some more pix we took during our stay in Tiwi.
Oh, goody! A video of our cottage!
Sandal Tans!
Shared sunrise with dogs, probably from some other resort somewhere.
Fresh fruit and fresh seafood (biggest squid I ever seen!) for lunch. again.
Froody really liked the parrots. We even went inside their cage for a visit.
If you ever go, you must buy fruit salad and cashews from this guy, the world-famous Mango Man!
For starters, it's not that far from Mombasa (where we are again on our way to Nairobi). We caught a matatu to the ferry. Got off ferry and got matatu to Tiwi. Got off matatu and got in taxi. Got taxi to take us to grocery store as cottages are "self-catering" meaning "no restaurant so you get to cook and wash-up." Which was nice, for a change. I didn't realize how much I missed cooking, which I think means being in control of your meals (instead of walking into a restaurant and asking "what's for lunch" and the answer being "chicken and rice or chapati." And, that's it! Only chicken and a starch! Really! I miss cobb salads!). Oh, and then taxi took us to Coral Cottages. They, of course, have cottages right on the beach but we're cheap, remember, so ours was a whole 2 minute walk to the beach. But, it felt secluded. Froody was able to hang out in his underwear at times as no one but the fruit and fish sellers came up to our place. And monkeys.
Yup, on our second day there a fruit seller came by our place and, while I was looking for some veggies, a monkey swooped in and took an avocado I had set aside! Froody chased it up a tree where it ignored him and tucked into the avocado! Then, a bigger monkey (different species) came and stole the avocado from it. Several times during our stay the monkeys would come and visit, jumping from our roof to the trees nextdoor or sitting on the porch to watch us watch them. Twice, one got into the cottage but was easily scared away. Luckily, the manager warned us about that so we've always kept our food in a cubby.
The beach was real nice. The water was perfect- not too hot, but nice and cool. We went snorkeling each day, at first right off the beach where we saw a lot of brittle stars hiding, some sea cucumbers, and a few fish. We just loved being in the clear water and seeing different stuff. But, on day 3 we paid a "guide", Zima, to show us to the rock pools where we were told were tons of fish...and it was true! ****sigh*** it was soooo awesome that Froody wished he had a waterproof housing for his camera. We saw all sorts of species of wrasses and cleaner fish, a couple of nudibranchs, cowries, schools of silvery fish with big black-and-white tails, sea urchins, pipe fish, box fishes in all colors and patterns, moray eels, jumping fish (they hang out on the rocks just above water at low tide and really do jump!), rosey-colored hatchet shaped fish, and powderpuff worms. Just sooo amazing. Part of one rock pool formed a cave into the side of the cliff and we were snorkeling in it with fish below and bats (yes! I kid you not!) flying above. How can you top that???? We both felt like we were in someone's fish tank!
We also managed to wake up early enough (not that hard thanks to all the roosters. Not just at the cottage, but all over Tanzania and Kenya people have chickens. Or, the call to prayer at 5am wakes us up) to catch a sunrise. The beach is so different at low tide as I've never seen before. It's nice to see so many new things!
In the afternoons, we tried our best to stimulate the local economy which was very depressed as there were hardly any tourists. Everyone we talked to said how this year there won't be any tourists, that they won't return until next year. However, we are only two people and there are only so many souvenirs one can buy. I got from the manager that this is the high season and, normally, she is fully booked for the months of August and September. Whereas when we arrived she had three bookings for the whole month of Sept.
OK-just some more pix we took during our stay in Tiwi.
Oh, goody! A video of our cottage!
Sandal Tans!
Shared sunrise with dogs, probably from some other resort somewhere.
Fresh fruit and fresh seafood (biggest squid I ever seen!) for lunch. again.
Froody really liked the parrots. We even went inside their cage for a visit.
If you ever go, you must buy fruit salad and cashews from this guy, the world-famous Mango Man!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Caves, Coconut Wine, and Kenya
After 5 cool days in Lushoto, a village in the Usambara Mountains, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and head into Kenya. I say "bite the bullet" because the guidebook, US travel security site, and a few locals all say that while Kenya is amazing you really need to watch out as muggings are quite common. :-( But, before arriving to our doom we spent a day in Tanga, a quiet but not so little town on the Tanzanian coast and just south of the border. We signed up with the local tourism office for a full day touring the nearby caves and Tongoni ruins.
My favorite part was the caves, mainly because we (Froody, our guide Emelius, and me) got to ride bikes the whole way (8km). It was a chance to actually see some of the area- mangrove trees, Ziggi River (main source of drinking water for Tanga), and villages. It's amazing to me how many people live by subsistance farming and in wood and mud homes with coconut frond roofs. (We learned in Lushoto that most people in Tanzania don't have money but they aren't starving because they are able to farm corn, beans, potato, yams, bananas. Whatever is extra is sold at the market for enough money to buy kerosene, firewood, rice, cooking oil, and clothing.)
Anyway, we made our way to the caves and Emelius shared with us, along with a trio of school boys, some of the interesting structures in the limestone caves. These caves are oceanic in origin, formed over 2 million years ago when Eastern Africa was under water. So, the structures are very old as they aren't really growing anymore. I've never been in such dry caves! Froody thought it was interesting how many structures looked like elephants and lions and the continent of Africa. :-) There was one that "looked like" the statue of liberty and a natural chair. There were also a lot of bats!! I don't think I've ever seen so many bats before! And in the walls were fossil molluscs, so that was neato for me. After the main caves he lead us to a smaller cave to show a stalagtite with a lot of sparkle and structures in the ceiling that looked like a penis ("a big one" to quote Emelius) and a vagina which, he said, when they come together will form a baby 95% of the time. ???? Maybe this was to warn the school boys about s-e-x??
Anyway, we washed up a bit afterwards and got to check out a small group of black and white colobus monkeys eating just across the stream from us. Then back on our bikes and on our way, stopping long enough to sample some fresh coconut wine. The three of us split a liter in what looked like a family's backyard. Emelius said that the wine was fresh that day. To make it you cut off the tip of a branch on a coconut tree and place a bucket under it to collect the liquid. You climb it and collect it twice a day, recutting the edge each time. You serve it right away, but if you let it sit for one day then it gets very strong with a high alcohol content. You can only keep it for about 3 days, as there is no refridgeration and it goes bad. Emelius asked the woman to bring a bottle of banana beer (which we tried while touring the coffee farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro among the Chagga people; was good even with the millet "texture" and had an after taste that reminded me of sake) and wanted to know if we wanted to try it. The label said it contained 10% alcohol! So we said no and while he went to settle the bill, Froody and I admitted to each other that after drinking about 330ml of fresh coconut wine we were feeling it a bit. Not drunk, but enough to make you go "whoa".
We had a nice bike ride back and, with an hour and a half before our afternoon tour, Emilius suggested a local pub for lunch and we gladly joined him. Yup, we were the only mzungu ("tourists") there and the "menu" was the owner telling us in kiswahili what was cooking- rice and beans and greens with fish or chicken. We opted for fish and had a tasty lunch. BTW-we are eating really well here! Breakfast is a bit light, mainly bread with jam and butter, coffee or tea, and an egg and/or fruit. Or just the bread and tea. But lunch and dinner we definitely make up for it!
That afternoon we waited a bit while Emilius grumbled about the lateness of the hired car and swahili time. But, eventually the car and driver arrived and we got into the sedan and drove out of town to the ruins about 20km away. It was a bumpy ride and I remembered reading how in TZ only about 20% of the roads are paved. (In fact, our guide said that when we take the bus to Kenya we'll know when we're there because the road will be nice tarmac). Again, drove through some villages and I got to see a couple of men putting the finishing touches on a mudhouse. Don't get me wrong- some are very simple but others look really nice, with separate rooms and a smooth exterior and paint.
The ruins were made in the 14th-15th centuries when the arabs arrived in East Africa to trade, bringing Islam. We saw what was left of a mosque built out of coral. Then we went to a "newer" mosque built by the locals in the 19th century. The interior was probably very nice once, but now it was all in ruins. It did give us a look at how the roof was made, supported by mangrove timber. At the end of the tour we got to eat baobob fruit. I didn't even know the fruit was edible!! It was rather tangy and not bad, but I was still full from lunch so didn't eat as much as our guide would have liked.
Travel Day
I'll say this: traveling has been a bit more stressful than I thought. We just arrived in Kenya yesterday via bus from Tanzania and there was a little snafu at the border. Seems we didn't fill out the correct paperwork so had to fill it in and go to the end of the long line. Fortunately, the man on the bus (who seems to be in charge of the border crossings), dragged us right into the office! However, the customs officer was not going to let that bother him, and he continued to help people at the window for about 5 minutes, all the time the bus-guy is trying to push our passports right under his nose. Of course, he had a schedule to keep and a bus full of people who were done and sitting in a bus w/o air-con. Anyway, we finally got done and found a hotel in Mombasa, right on the coast. Today's agenda is to do some interneting, see Fort Jesus, and get a room in Tiwi. Some of the stress comes from not knowing the language (and we'll "not know the language" for about 9 more months!), not being able to walk around at night (sun sets at 7 here and everyone says it's unsafe after 8), and having to re-learn how much everything costs! 2,000 was an awesome price in TZ (less than $2) but not so much in Kenya (almost $30).
Froody and I seem to get grumpy on travel days for one reason or another. For me, I know I'm tired and being unsure of my new surroundings doesn't help. Also we didn't eat lunch yesterday and had to change money at the border which meant giving our Tanzanian shillings to a guy with a handful of Kenyan shillings and hoping we get a fair rate.
But, now we're here and this part of Mombasa is just like any other big city. We're hoping to get in on a group safari out of Nairobi, do some snorkeling among coral reefs, and bike around Hell's Gate before heading to Egypt.
My favorite part was the caves, mainly because we (Froody, our guide Emelius, and me) got to ride bikes the whole way (8km). It was a chance to actually see some of the area- mangrove trees, Ziggi River (main source of drinking water for Tanga), and villages. It's amazing to me how many people live by subsistance farming and in wood and mud homes with coconut frond roofs. (We learned in Lushoto that most people in Tanzania don't have money but they aren't starving because they are able to farm corn, beans, potato, yams, bananas. Whatever is extra is sold at the market for enough money to buy kerosene, firewood, rice, cooking oil, and clothing.)
Anyway, we made our way to the caves and Emelius shared with us, along with a trio of school boys, some of the interesting structures in the limestone caves. These caves are oceanic in origin, formed over 2 million years ago when Eastern Africa was under water. So, the structures are very old as they aren't really growing anymore. I've never been in such dry caves! Froody thought it was interesting how many structures looked like elephants and lions and the continent of Africa. :-) There was one that "looked like" the statue of liberty and a natural chair. There were also a lot of bats!! I don't think I've ever seen so many bats before! And in the walls were fossil molluscs, so that was neato for me. After the main caves he lead us to a smaller cave to show a stalagtite with a lot of sparkle and structures in the ceiling that looked like a penis ("a big one" to quote Emelius) and a vagina which, he said, when they come together will form a baby 95% of the time. ???? Maybe this was to warn the school boys about s-e-x??
Anyway, we washed up a bit afterwards and got to check out a small group of black and white colobus monkeys eating just across the stream from us. Then back on our bikes and on our way, stopping long enough to sample some fresh coconut wine. The three of us split a liter in what looked like a family's backyard. Emelius said that the wine was fresh that day. To make it you cut off the tip of a branch on a coconut tree and place a bucket under it to collect the liquid. You climb it and collect it twice a day, recutting the edge each time. You serve it right away, but if you let it sit for one day then it gets very strong with a high alcohol content. You can only keep it for about 3 days, as there is no refridgeration and it goes bad. Emelius asked the woman to bring a bottle of banana beer (which we tried while touring the coffee farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro among the Chagga people; was good even with the millet "texture" and had an after taste that reminded me of sake) and wanted to know if we wanted to try it. The label said it contained 10% alcohol! So we said no and while he went to settle the bill, Froody and I admitted to each other that after drinking about 330ml of fresh coconut wine we were feeling it a bit. Not drunk, but enough to make you go "whoa".
We had a nice bike ride back and, with an hour and a half before our afternoon tour, Emilius suggested a local pub for lunch and we gladly joined him. Yup, we were the only mzungu ("tourists") there and the "menu" was the owner telling us in kiswahili what was cooking- rice and beans and greens with fish or chicken. We opted for fish and had a tasty lunch. BTW-we are eating really well here! Breakfast is a bit light, mainly bread with jam and butter, coffee or tea, and an egg and/or fruit. Or just the bread and tea. But lunch and dinner we definitely make up for it!
That afternoon we waited a bit while Emilius grumbled about the lateness of the hired car and swahili time. But, eventually the car and driver arrived and we got into the sedan and drove out of town to the ruins about 20km away. It was a bumpy ride and I remembered reading how in TZ only about 20% of the roads are paved. (In fact, our guide said that when we take the bus to Kenya we'll know when we're there because the road will be nice tarmac). Again, drove through some villages and I got to see a couple of men putting the finishing touches on a mudhouse. Don't get me wrong- some are very simple but others look really nice, with separate rooms and a smooth exterior and paint.
The ruins were made in the 14th-15th centuries when the arabs arrived in East Africa to trade, bringing Islam. We saw what was left of a mosque built out of coral. Then we went to a "newer" mosque built by the locals in the 19th century. The interior was probably very nice once, but now it was all in ruins. It did give us a look at how the roof was made, supported by mangrove timber. At the end of the tour we got to eat baobob fruit. I didn't even know the fruit was edible!! It was rather tangy and not bad, but I was still full from lunch so didn't eat as much as our guide would have liked.
Travel Day
I'll say this: traveling has been a bit more stressful than I thought. We just arrived in Kenya yesterday via bus from Tanzania and there was a little snafu at the border. Seems we didn't fill out the correct paperwork so had to fill it in and go to the end of the long line. Fortunately, the man on the bus (who seems to be in charge of the border crossings), dragged us right into the office! However, the customs officer was not going to let that bother him, and he continued to help people at the window for about 5 minutes, all the time the bus-guy is trying to push our passports right under his nose. Of course, he had a schedule to keep and a bus full of people who were done and sitting in a bus w/o air-con. Anyway, we finally got done and found a hotel in Mombasa, right on the coast. Today's agenda is to do some interneting, see Fort Jesus, and get a room in Tiwi. Some of the stress comes from not knowing the language (and we'll "not know the language" for about 9 more months!), not being able to walk around at night (sun sets at 7 here and everyone says it's unsafe after 8), and having to re-learn how much everything costs! 2,000 was an awesome price in TZ (less than $2) but not so much in Kenya (almost $30).
Froody and I seem to get grumpy on travel days for one reason or another. For me, I know I'm tired and being unsure of my new surroundings doesn't help. Also we didn't eat lunch yesterday and had to change money at the border which meant giving our Tanzanian shillings to a guy with a handful of Kenyan shillings and hoping we get a fair rate.
But, now we're here and this part of Mombasa is just like any other big city. We're hoping to get in on a group safari out of Nairobi, do some snorkeling among coral reefs, and bike around Hell's Gate before heading to Egypt.
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