Hot Local Market

                                              A Smothering Market

      In Nairobi, Kenya everyone told us it was a must to visit the local market. After a couple of days we decided to check it out, as it was only a short walk from our hotel. A six-foot high wooden fence surrounded the perimeter of the huge market which covered an entire large city block.

    Inside, hundreds of small booths stood side by side on both sides of narrow aisles extending from  one end of the complex the other. The lack of air circulation made it very hot inside and the odors were absolutely awful—really assaulting! It had been years since I had confronted such strong BO (body odor for the young unfamiliar with his old fashioned term popular before the advent of deodorants)

     Prices were high, but haggling over price was part of the game; a game I’ve never enjoyed, although I know a lot of people embrace the custom in many places/cultures.

     For a short while I just looked around at the merchandise in the booths, much of it the same from booth to booth.  My son was nervous and kept moving as he carried a lot of expensive camera equipment in his backpack. In spite of that, some slasher managed to cut his pack but didn’t get any of his gear.

     It didn’t take me long to become hot, sweaty and claustrophobic.  It seemed all the locals were smoking which added to the air quality and with everyone with a lighted cigarette in his hand all I could think about was the firetrap we were in.

     We both had seen enough of the must see market and had no desire to return. Cutting the visit short, we walked back to the hotel where we discovered a nice long clean cut in the backpack. Whatever instrument was used it was sharp!  With some repair to my sons backpack I was happy we could move on to our safari with all his equipment intact.

HOT AIR BALOON EXPERIENCES

                                     Fun Exciting  Rides

      The hot air balloon ride in Kenya over the Masai Mara was not my first balloon ride but it was certainly an exciting one. We were awakened in what I call the middle of the night for the early morning flight.

     The balloon rose up into the sky just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Floating over the Mara the only noise breaking the incredible silence was the occasional swoosh of the helium being pumped up into the balloon. The swooshing noise did not seem to bother the animals below. We floated right over their heads so the animals were not dwarfed by height. One gets an entirely different perspective in the air than on the ground.  It was wonderful just watching the wild animals doing their thing in the wild.  

     With no roads, the support van could follow the balloon to the landing site shortly after the balloon descended into an open field. In record time the galley appeared and a delightful champagne  brunch, including eggs to order, was enjoyed. What a delightful morning!

     In the Australian Outback the wake up call came at 3:15 AM—again  the middle of the night for most people. We rolled out of bed, dressed quickly and loaded the van for the short ride to the field where our balloon waited  for us, deflated on the ground. This time we all pitched in to pull out and arrange the balloon so it was ready to be inflated. Once it was upright we stepped up into the basket ready for an early morning take off.

     At daybreak we floated over browsing cattle and wild horses running on the plain below, Mobs of kangaroos were hopping everywhere. We were considerably higher on this flight. We floated under a cloudless sky.  Away from civilization the silence is incredible.

     I tried to capture a spectacular sunrise on film but was not successful. As the day lightened we spotted several other balloons in the air.

     All too soon it was time to desend. After a safe landing everyone helped to fold the  big balloon and pack it away in its compact holding case. Instead of a field brunch we headed back to town to a tavern that had opened early just for us. We all enjoyed the traditional champagne brunch  in a nice atmosphere.  We drank and ate as lively conversation flowed. The comfortable patio chairs were conducive to relaxing on the that clear warm morning. What a fun way to start a day!

KENYAN MEMORIES

                                                      Nairobi

      Kenya is about the size of Texas with a population of 25 million, with two million living in Nairobi. English is the official language but everyone also speaks Swahili as that is how the tribes communicate with each other. Nairobi is a large metropolitan city. Forty-five ethnic tribes live in Kenya. The smallest numbers 250 people. The largest tribe is Kukuyu

      In 1899 the Uganda--Mobassa Railroad was being built by coolies from India. The English spent a lot of money to have the railroad built so in the early 1900s they encouraged white people to migrate to Kenya. In 1909 Nairobi was the capitol of British South Africa which consisted of Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Now Nairobi is the largest city between Johannesburg and Cairo The automobile arrived here in 1913.

        The city is large. The tourist part of the city is safe to walk as there are askari (police) everywhere keeping the pesky hawkers at bay. The hotels have askari on each floor patrolling the corridors. We were accompanied as we walked to a nearby restaurant one evening. Yet, I never felt threatened nor afraid.

      The place I felt most uncomfortable was the native market that everyone told us we absolutely needed to visit. It was crowded, hot, smelly and stuffy. Hundreds of small vendor niches were separated by narrow pathways. Smoking was a popular pastime, which I saw as a real fire hazard in the crowded areas. The entire complex which covered a large city block was fenced and with only one or two entrances/exits I could foresee a terrible scene in the case of fire and a stampede. Neither of us bought anything nor saw anything that really intrigued us. Although my son kept constantly moving someone did manage to slice his backpack, but fortunately did not get a hold of any of his camera equipment.

      The merchandise seemed to be all the same, so our visit was very short. We came, we saw, we left.

SOME GREAT KENYAN MEMORIES

The Carnivore Restaurant is a popular and famous tourist restaurant. In the center of the restaurant a large cooking is pit is in where all kinds of meats are cooked. Waiters came to the table and told us what meat he carried and served us anything we wanted to try. The food was good.

Although not much for exotic dining, it was a fun experience.

While in Kenya we traveled nearly 1600 miles in Nissan vans equipped with special pop top roofs. These vans also had special guards to protect their undersides on the sometimes rough terrain.

After riding over the arid areas it was a surprise to find our hotels in an oasis in the middle of the desert. We always had a quaint cottage with comfortable accommodations.

Part of the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro are in Kenya but all of the mountain is in Tanzania

The first day we saw the wildebeest migration was simply awesome, especially since we thought we would miss the annual event. It was spellbinding every time we saw the thousands of animals followed by thousands of zebras.

Waking to barking zebras in the marsh at Amboseli.

Falling to sleep to the sound of rippling water and a crackling fire in out fireplace!

On safari game runs are done early in the morning (6:30 AM) before breakfast and late afternoon/early evening---the times of day animals are most active as they rest in the heat of the day

The day a beautiful spotted leopard crossed right in front of our van.

Watching the sleeping cheetahs awaken and take off with the lion in pursuit—it ended in a draw as the lion is a sprinter.

The mating leopards in the hillsides—what a lucky find!

The tented facilities in the Masai Mara in the northern Serengeti and all its animals. The big five of Africa are the buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard, and lion. We were lucky to see them all!

You might want to check blogs: The Ark 10-26-11 Jacaranda tree 7-7-10

 

Karen Blitzen House 3-13-13 Feeding Buttercup, the giraffe

 

Ambroseli Wildebeest 11-30-1 Masai Mara 3-5-12 The Masai 5-6-12

TWO KENYA VISITS

                                  Two Different Interesting Visits

Our first stop on a full day of Nairobi sightseeing was the Karen Blixen home. She was the main character in both the book and movie, Out of Africa. She bought and occupied this home in 1917. The outside of the home was in the movie, but the movie inside scenes were filmed elsewhere. Much of the original property has been sold. The grounds were lovely and contained some of the biggest cacti I’ve ever seen. Some stood thirty feet tall and measured fifteen feet in diameter!

            A docent on the grounds gave us a tour of the house and told us some of Karen Blixen’s story. Danish by birth, she lived in Africa from 1914-1931 returning to Denmark after her failed attempts of establishing a coffee plantation---neither the soil nor altitude were right to grow coffee. She wrote under the name of Isak Dinesen.

            Her home, now a national museum, has been restored and was an independence gift to Kenya from Denmark. There are some, notably the dining room table, original furniture. Floor to ceiling bookshelves dominate one room. She was a headstrong and wise woman. A Danish suitor visited her often for a few days at a time, but they never married. She had numerous medical problems, many of which were ill defined and leave many questions unanswered.

            On another day we saw the train at the railroad museum used in the film Out of Africa.

At an ostrich farm, a guide told us, “On this farm all eggs are incubated. The display behind me shows the gestation of an egg from two weeks to maturity. The ostrich is only ‘in season’ during September and October. A female will lay 10-15 eggs.

             “The male of this species makes a shallow nest in the ground about a meter wide. Several females will lay eggs in the same nest so a nest frequently can hold 45-50 eggs”

            This fact amazed me.

            An adult ostrich reaches maturity in three years and lives only about five years in the wild. An adult weighs 140-290 pounds and measures 6-9 feet tall. Being very sociable birds they get lonely if isolated. This stress alone can cause death. They are the largest bird in the world and mate for life. They are native to Africa and do well in arid and desert climates. They have very strong and powerful legs.

            The docent continued, “The shell of an ostrich egg is thick and tough enough to stand on. By the way one egg will make the equivalent of a 24-egg omelet.”

            A commercial ostrich market is emerging. The meat is gaining popularity because of its very low cholesterol content. Nearly all of the ostrich has a commercial use. The skin of course is used for leather goods. The feathers make fine dusters. The eye lashes   make   paint brushes.     The skeleton and nails are used for several things including piano keys. Because the ostrich can distinguish color, scientists are studying the use of the cornea for human transplant. 

THE KIKUYU

One Tribe of Native Kenyans

            Our Kenya guide was a Kikuyu and an absolute sweetheart who I think about often whenever there are disturbances in Kenya. He was fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swahili and nine dialects. He was extremely interesting and a world of information, always willing to share much of it with us and was able to answer anything we asked him.

            He told us, “I live between two cultures. I am Kikuyu, but no longer live in my village but with my wife in Nairobi. I return to my village for ceremonies etc. My dad lives in the village where life is very traditional. Sometimes he has problems with my non-traditional ways. I have and only want one wife. I play with my children which is very non-traditional. Men normally leave all the childcare to the mother.”

He insisted that the many tribes in Kenya get along with each other and respect each other’s differences. Except in the large cities crime is very low. You will not find any day care centers or nursing homes in Kenya as the people take care of their own. All  the children belong to the whole village.

In spite of popular belief the Mau Mau were not a tribe. They were people who believed in independence. Actually the first Mau is Swahili meaning white man go home and the second Mau means independence for Kenya. Of course the Mau Mau no longer exist because Kenya became independent in 1963 when Kenyatta became the first president.

Kenyatta kept many respected Englishmen as advisers until the country  could function well on its own. He ruled until his death. Moi succeeded him as president and has been ruling ever since. After independence all the streets in Nairobi were renamed and one of the main streets is Kenyatta Avenue.

Kikuyu are farmers and since women do nearly all of the farming some villages are becoming farming communities which is a drastic change from the nomadic Masai way of life. Some Kikuyu women are marrying Masai men. I have to wonder how that will turn out as the two lifestyles are so different.

            I was amazed to see how quietly people in Nairobi waited in long lines for buses at the end of a long work day. We found the Kenyans very warm, cheerful, friendly, and helpful. We had a wonderful time and I’ll relate all about safari another day. 

KENYAN TID BITS

Memories of  Kenya

            Aaskari was a new word to me and I quickly learned it meant armed guard. During my visit to Kenya they were all over the tourist district, we understood mostly for pick pockets and minor crimes. In our well known hotel askari patrolled each floor of the hotel 24/7. They were on the streets and in front of stores. One evening one of the hotel askari accompanied several of us to an Indian restaurant two blocks away. I must say that I never felt threatened and was only uncomfortable in the local market because it was so big and such a potential fire hazard.

            Bougainvilleas ,in all colors, grew everywhere. They often formed gorgeous living fences and they grew as big as small trees. They hung over walls and were always a beautiful and a cheery site.

In the early 1900s the English indentured the Kikuyus to work in the sisal fields. Unable to read or write they did not understand that their thumb print on a piece of paper was obligating them to five years of very hard work. Many of them left but were arrested and returned to the plantations or put in jail if they refused to work. Because harvesting sisal is so difficult the crop was eventually replaced with coffee. One delightful evening spent in an Indian restaurant, the owner from India enlightened us some more about what a tough job cutting sisal was.

We arrived at the Aberdare Country Club about noon one day on our way to the Ark. The club veranda looked out over the valley and Mt Kenya beyond. What a view! It was a perfect place for the panoramic camera.  After lunch we wasted no time commandeering a rocking chair on the veranda just to enjoy the incredible view. I’d have been happy to have eaten lunch on a tray there but we dined inside with tux-clad waiters hovering over us fulfilling our every desire.

On the gentle lower slopes of Mt. Kenya we stayed at a quaint little English cottage lodge along the Naro Moru River. The area offered us a good opportunity for some nature walks and bird watching. The river was relatively clear but the water cold. There were several small waterfalls along the river. It was another lovely landscaped lodge. That night we lit the fire that was laid in our cabin fireplace and fell asleep to the crackling logs burning. Great!

            A total surprise of this trip was the totally unexpected beautiful hotels. After traveling over miles of rough dirt dusty roads it was a shock to come upon an oasis in the desert with running streams, swimming pools and lovely lush landscaping.  Our first plush hotel out of Nairobi was Amboseli nestled in the foothills of majestic Mount Kilimanjaro.  Part of the foothills are in Kenya but all of Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania.

After checking in at the hotel, I rounded the corner of the lodge veranda and nearly tripped over a yellow faced monkey! Later I observed him going into the coffee room and stealing a packet of sugar, then scampering off to eat his treat. He was fun to watch and he obviously was used to being around people.