Meeting Lydia

Our year in Kenya was really initiated by my brother and his wife (Doug and Cyndy).
Their trip in 2012(?) encouraged us to sponsor a Kenyan child - Lydia.
When we found out that there was a position for a volunteer teacher we applied excitedly - and the rest was in the hands of God!

One of our major goals was to visit Lydia. We knew that she lived near Mwandeo, South-West of Mombasa.

While visiting our friends Sammy and Christine, and visiting their church, we were excited to see Lydia - slightly more grown up and thinner than the chubby 5 year old that we had originally sponsored. She was also surprised to see us, and I'm not sure that she realised who we were.

However, it was very moving finally being able to meet her and her sister and father. We gave her some sweets and a packet of biscuits that we had in the van and she seemed quite impressed with that.

Life can be difficult for a female in Kenya. We hope and pray that with our continued support she will get a good education and have a future filled with more joy than sadness.

(Lydia is the older child in the purple dress)

Collected Conversations

A selection from the last few months:

School grounds:
Me: (to female student at lunchtime) Goodness, that's a big bowl of rice and beans, can you eat all of that.
Her: yes I can and even more too!
Me: if you do you will get very fat.
Her: yes sir, I want to be just like you.
Me: (jokingly) I think you are perhaps very cheeky. Do you know what that means?
Her: will you take my photograph?

A first meeting:
Male: how are you?
Greg: I am fine, what about you?
Male: yes, very fine.
           Are you married?
Greg: yes, that is my wife over there. Her name is Desleigh.
Male: Des a lee?
Greg: yes, that's right. It is quite an unusual name in Australia too.
Male: she is quite plump isn't she?
Greg: when you meet her, don't tell her that.
    (Laughter all around)
    FYI - being told you are plump in Kenya is a compliment (that's my story anyway).


Announcement at night meeting of male boarders:
Form 3 boy: good evening my brothers.
Boys: good evening.
Form 3 boy: I am sorry but I must talk about something very unpleasant, and I want you all to listen carefully.
Boys: (in unison) yes
Form 3 boy: yesterday I was in the toilet, and goodness me, I saw something that nobody should ever have to witness when walking into a toilet. I still can't believe that somebody would do such a thing.
Someone had gone to the toilet and missed the hole, and they had left their business there on the ground and departed.
Boys: (no sound, not even a smirk!)
Form 3 boy: we must not let that happen again. You must always clean up after yourself. It is dangerous and unhygienic not to do so. Brothers we must make sure that we keep our toilets clean and tidy. Thank you for listening.
Boys: (restrained applause, general agreement).


Brochure on Kakamega forest nature walk:
"Itinerary of Nature Walks, in the Southern part of Kakamega rainforest, we start with Short walk in Isecheno circuit about one to two hours hike, walking in the dense rainforest watching Primates, Butterflies and other insects, Birds, mushroom on dead trees, historical and old trees that are over 700 years old. After lunch, we will tour the community conservation projects, starting with Tree nursery where you can promote conservation by adopting a tree and plant in the Botanical garden, visit the Butterfly farm and see all stages of butterfly circle and visit Breeding house where the caterpillar (laver)are fate for Education purposes".


Student announcement:
To those who are playing sport tomorrow. Do not go on the road and get beaten up! Work hard and do not be defeated.


A Maasai man hitched a ride with us in Amboseli Game Park:
Greg - we would like to see lions, do you know where they are?
Maasai - they like to hide, they are very clever. But there are not many here in Amboseli. You do not see them very often.
Greg - that's too bad, we would really like to see some.
Maasai - are you going to Maasai Mara? There are many big cats there; lions, leopard, cheetah. They have less big animals though, very few elephants.
Greg - You have been to Maasai Mara, have you?
Maasai - no, I have seen it on the television.


Another Maasai man hailed us to stop. He asked if we could give two elderly Maasai women a lift down the road because they were scared of "the big boy around the corner". We agreed, somewhat puzzled.
The big boy was a huge bull elephant that was no more than 20 metres from the road. We didn't stick around too long. Maasai may hunt lions, but they are very wary of elephants. The two women went with us for about 8 kilometres. I sense that they use the tourists as their free transport.


Arriving in our hotel in Mombasa:
Greg: we have a double room reserved for "Mogg"
Receptionist: for tonight?
Greg: yes, that's why we are here.
Receptionist: which room do you have?
Greg: we were hoping you would tell us that.
Receptionist: is it a standard or superior room?
Greg: I am not sure, perhaps you could look at your records.
Receptionist: the computer is down, I have no records.
    This is where Des took over, fired up her iPhone, and saved the day. Kenyan customer relations leaves a lot to be desired.


Sign in a Service Station cafe:
"Today's special - sheesh kebab".

In the same cafe:
Greg: what sort of coffee do you have?
Shopkeeper: we have two types (yes, you guessed it), black and white.


Greg

Zanzibar - Safari Blue

The absolute best day trip from Stone Town is the Safari Blue tour. This starts from the small town of Fumba in the SW of the island. The trip is by dhow - a traditional Middle-Eastern sailing boat (which also just happens to have an outboard motor!). The day includes the boat trip around small islands, two snorkelling sessions, a BBQ seafood lunch, free drinks all day and a swim on a sandy atoll. If wind permits, and it didn't for us, the trip back is under sail. Each dhow had 4 crew members and 12 passengers. A whole day out for $AU53 per person!
This is not an advertsement, but if you are ever in Zanzibar (well, you never know), you must do this trip. Have a look at these holiday snaps:

 

Our dhows, waiting for passengers

Wading out on the low tide

The beautiful, clear Indian Ocean

Des and Elise enjoying the trip

Snorkelling amongst the coral and tropical fish (sorry, no underwater camera)

Lunch table for the Lindi passengers. An international group - Aus, USA, England, S.Africa and Zambia

Enjoying lunch in the shade on a sndy atoll

Ahh, the serenity!

The crew after dropping us off

Fishing boats on the beach

Zanzibar - Overview

Timbuktu, Casablanca, Zanzibar.
They sound like wildly exotic places, don't they?
You probably know that Timbuktu is in the middle of the Sahara Desert, Casablanca is in NW Africa, but do you know the location of Zanzibar?

Zanzibar (Unguja in Swahili) is a small island lying 35 Kms off the North coast of Tanzania, Kenya's southern neighbour. It is six degrees south of the equator. This is the wet season, although we have been here 4 days and it hasn't rained seriously since the day we arrived. It is constantly around 30 degrees and doesn't seem to cool down much at night. The humidity is very high, so walking around saps a lot of energy. For us, a 3pm coldie refers to our second shower of the day!

Zanzibar is about 90 Kms long and 40 Kms wide. It is a sand island, surrounded by azure water and coral reefs. We drove to its highest point today - 103 metres above sea level. The colour of the Indian Ocean around the island is simply stunning. Combine this with tall coconut palms and lush, green undergrowth and it is truly a tropical paradise.

The people are a mixture of Persians, Arabs, Indians and mainland Africans. 90% of the population is Muslim. In 1840, the Sultan of Oman moved his capital to Zanzibar. Really, the Arab influence is the dominant one. Architecture is quite Middle Eastern, as is the dress code.

Commerce stops for the midday prayers.

The Arab slave and ivory trade made Zanzibar famous (and wealthy). Slaves bound for the Middle East and Asia often departed from the island. The slaves were captured in Central Africa, walked to the coast, put on a boat and re-sold upon arrival in Zanzibar. There is a slave market in the centre of town that is reputedly the last place in the world where slaves (on a large scale) were bought and sold. It is now within the grounds of an Anglican Church, and there is a memorial to the many poor souls who became human cattle.

Holding cell at the 'slave market'

England also staked a claim in Zanzibar. On a brighter note for British Imperialism, the Royal Navy was influential in outlawing the slave trade, but only after the sultan's palace was bombarded by English gun ships.
When Britain had control in the late 1800's, the famous explorers Burton &Speke, Livingston and Stanley all started their trips to darkest Africa from Zanzibar. After his death, Livingston's body was brought back to Zanzibar for sea transport to England. Most of these explorers were interested in the centre of the African continent, and more particularly, the source of the Nile.

Slave owners made a fortune and built large mansions. The quality of the carved door was a symbol of their success. Over 200 of these doors still remain around the city.

When slavery ended (officially anyway), the sultan promoted the growing of spices, particularly cloves. There was a growing demand in Europe of this and other spices. Indian and Dutch traders brought other exotic spices; including turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and cardamom. These are still grown and are of very high quality. A "must-do" on Zanzibar is to visit a spice farm.

Open air seafood BBQ - watch out for flies and salmonella!

The economy still depends on spices, however tourism is increasing in importance. Large scale tourism will probably eventually destroy the culture. Fortunately, at the moment, there are no fast food chains, no supermarkets, no shopping malls. Darajani Markets (along a major road) has thousands of stalls along the road and also down narrow alleyways. This seems to be where the locals shop and the tourists come to observe.

In general, there are many souvenir shops and shopkeepers who don't mind following you down the street to try and impress you with their wares. As part of Tanzania there are African carvings, soapstone curios, clothing, linen and cotton cloth, hand-bags, Maasai beaded jewellery, as well as indian-style beachwear. Prices are cheap, but not as cheap as mainland Africa.

Ironically, the early explorers obtained food by providing Africans with beads and cloth. These days the trade has reversed. We buy the beads and cloth which allows the locals to buy their food!/

We are staying in Stone Town. This is a section of Zanzibar City that is very old. The buildings are rendered stone and usually 3-4 storeys high. The lanes between most of the buildings are too narrow for cars. Motor bikes toot up and down, but mostly pedestrian traffic dominates. The buildings are Middle Eastern in design and most first floor space is used for small shops (many tourist shops), cafes and hotels. Stone Town's buildings are over 300 years old. The whole area is listed as a World Heritage Site. It's a guess, but it probably covers 2-3 square kilometres.

Zanzibar seems cleaner than Kenya - there isn't rubbish scattered all over the place. This does deteriorate slightly as you venture into the rural villages. Sellers are more aggressive in Zanzibar, with the tourist price starting at about 300% of the local price. You need to bargain and be prepared to walk away. Also, many more people smoke in Zanzibar and it seems acceptable for them to do so in cafes. Very few people smoke in Kenya, which we greatly enjoy.

However, there is also a lot of poverty. Immigrants from mainland Tanzania complain about the high price of living compared to back home. This is due to the tourist industry and the cost of obtaining goods by boat. Also, many roads and buildings are in serious need of repair / sprucing up. The outside of cafes, shops and buildings look quite shabby but inside they are lovely, designed and decorated with a strong Arab flavour.

So, is Zanzibar worth a visit? Yes, especially if you are already in East Africa. The beaches, coral and spices are world class. The history is fascinating although the historical sites are run-down and not well-managed. The people are friendly and most speak English. We were told that the Muslims are very tolerant and there is no conflict between them and the Christians.

Accommodation is plentiful and quite affordable. We stayed at the Stone Town Cafe B&B which is fantastic. The part-owner is an expat Australian. Lovely room with en-suite and A/C, wonderful breakfast, close to shops, even a Barclays ATM 50 metres away (most places do not accept credit card). The staff will organise day tours for you and all the commission they receive goes to charity. The cafe downstairs is open from 8am to 10pm and the prices are very reasonable.

Look forward to more details on Zanzibar as our explorations unfold.

P.S. Freddie Mercury (Queen) grew up on Zanzibar.


Greg & Des.

The Maasai Village

Tuesday April 15

We spent this morning at a Maasai village.
I was hesitant because I had read that such visits were mostly hard sell - the sale of trinkets being so important to the modern Maasai economy.

Fortunately, I can report that the entire experience was very enjoyable and stress-free.
Our guide, Reisi, picked us up from the camp and walked us to his village. This in itself was exciting because the safari camp will not let you wander outside the electric fence that surrounds the camp. Yet here we were walking through bush where 18 hours earlier we had seen two large bull elephants. "They don't come around until late afternoon" Reisi assured us. His English was very good, not because of education (he only went to grade 5), but because of contact with tourists. He is also obviously an intelligent person. Hyenas are the biggest danger, but they too, tend to hunt for food in the late afternoon.

Reisi, our guide

The village was a 1.5 km walk through savanna scrub. We saw storks, monkeys and a few Thompson's gazelle. The settlement is one of 27 such villages. They consist of about 25 huts arranged in a circle, each one touching the next. Around the huts, on the inside, is a fenced off area about 2 metres wide where people sit and children play. In the centre of the compound is an area where the cattle and sheep are penned at night. The four entrances to the village are blocked so that hyenas cannot enter and kill the cattle. Cattle are very important to the Maasai as a medium of exchange and a symbol of wealth.

One of the 4 entrances to the village

Once inside we are welcomed by dance and song from 10 of the men, mostly young warriors. After this comes a jumping dance (yes, they really can jump high), and then a Maasai prayer for our safety and happiness.

We are shown how they start fire by rubbing acacia sticks onto ebony wood. Donkey dung is used as the tinder and seems to work very well!
Next we visit Reisi's house. Acacia wood frame, covered with strong grass and then cow dung. The doorway is only about 1.5 metres high but once inside there is room to stand. The floor is dirt but very firm with no dust.

Reisi's lounge room/kitchen

The house consists of a narrow corridor leading to a sitting room with an open fire for cooking. Off this is the small room where the children sleep. At the end of the corridor is the parent's room - just big enough for a bed made of cow hide stretched across a timber frame. The house is very dark, with very few windows. The windows are small vertical slits, probably to let in air rather than light. Reisi has only one wife, so he only has one house. He has 4 children, and is 33 years of age. He will take another wife when he builds up his herd of cattle (she will cost 10 cows).

Centre of the village, where cattle are kept at night

Lastly we are taken outside the ring of houses. Around a large shade-giving tree the women and some of the younger children have laid out their goods for sale - mostly beaded jewellery and carved figures. Reisi tells is that we will not be pressured to buy, and this turns out to be the case. Some of the stall owners beckon is to look at their wares, but there is no harassment. We are told to choose what we might like to buy and then we will negotiate a price for the whole lot.

The sellers of hand-made crafts

It is difficult not to buy anything when the objects are hand-made and you know how important this honest trade is to their livelihood. We choose a dozen pieces of jewellery plus an ebony peace stick that I really liked.
Reisi then wrote a price in the dirt and asked Des to write down her offer. Des was a good bargainer and while he was reducing his price by 1,000 shillings, she would only up her price by 100 shillings! We were comfortable with the agreed price and so we shook hands on the deal. I will get a lot of mileage out of the jewellery when I show my students at school in Australia.

Des bargaining for a good price.

After this Reisi walked us back to the safari camp, answering any and all questions as we walked together. The tour cost 1,000 shillings each ($24 in total), but we had a great experience. If you really must know, we paid 12,000 shillings for the souvenirs.
The whole village was very happy to have us take photos, and we managed to get some really good portraits.

If you ever get a chance to visit a Maasai village, do it. Although I do hope that the villagers are as friendly, gentle and welcoming as the wonderful group we met today.

Amboseli

One of the best things about teaching is the holidays.

We have travelled from the school to a game park 200 km South-East of Nairobi. Amboseli game park sits in the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro. It looks down and mesmerises you with its beauty and grandeur. Amboseli does not have many big cats, and they are seldom seen in the wet season. However, it has large numbers of elephants, wilderbeest and giraffe, and they are what we came to see. I will let the photographs speak for themselves.

Mt Kilimanjaro from the park

We have a good vehicle for animal spotting!

An example of the artistic flair of the Creator

An example of the humour of the Creator








This was a very large bull ... but Des wouldn't stand near it to show its relative size.




Part of a herd of over 50 elephants grazing in the late afternoon ... amazing.




This guy is either meditating or getting a suntan.



These giraffe were coming straight towards us, wanting to cross the road. They were very wary and never took their eyes off us. Some were daring enough to cross 10 metres in front of the car.






There was a young calf that was obviously sick. The herd were gathered around, seemingly concerned. The big bull elephant in the centre of the picture came closer and closer to us, a sign that we needed to reverse out of their way.

Amboseli was an amazing self-drive experience. If you ever get the chance to go, you will love it.