Im in the transition phase of my long journey (going from Africa to India/SE Asia), so I decided to spend some time in Paris with my amazing mother!!! Paris with mom is SO nice after 3.5 months of tromping through Africa....not that Africa was bad (I definitely miss certain things and people in Africa more than I wish to explain)...but I'm not complaining about the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, fresh French pastries, tasty wine, creperies, cold weather and much much more... :) life is good right now
PICTURES TO COME....
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Piki to the Masai
As I've said in previous posts, pikis (swahili for motor bikes) are an essential part of adventuring through the Great Rift Valley just below Kijabe, Kenya. I've been able to see uncountable zebras, giraffes, dik diks, antelope and gazelle and thoroughly enjoy some African beauties that would otherwise be unreachable...one of these beauties was a remote Masai town called Awaso (sp?). John and I mounted the pikis expecting to travel deep into the valley and summit one of the many mountains littering the area. But about halfway to the mountain we realized it was WAY to far and WAY to big....so, we decided to travel another 9 km through deep sand, hellish dirt roads and herds of cattle to the Masai village.
The Masai Tribe is one of the biggest and most well known tribes in all of East Africa...their tribe stretches through Northern Kenya and down in Tanzania. They were strong enough to resist all European colonization in the past. The Masai are still very traditional: many don't speak english, they still live in their mud huts, they brutally perform woman circumcision, most men and women stretch their ear lobes and ALL of the women wear lots of beads.
John and I arrived in the town ready for an adventure and found that we were the only Mzungus (white people) out of nearly 1000 people. We decided that we were probably the only whities within a 10 mile radius. With luck, it was a monday and the outdoor market was set up with about 30 venders....John and I bee-lined for the guy making and selling tire shoes (incredibly durable and well-made sandals made entirely out of used car tires). We each bought a pair for 150 KSh (less that $2) and decided to grab a cup of tea and a soda at a nearby Duka.
Walking through the town and meeting the Masai was a well needed breath of fresh air after struggling through Africa for the last three months...It is easy to get discouraged when 10-20 Africans , every day, try and take advantage of you: venders trying to charge white people 5x more than they would Africans, bank officials lying to you and trying to steal a mere $10, police officers abusing you and expecting a bribe, etc. BUT in the Masai village, every vender was straight with us, nobody asked us for money and people were genuinely interested in talking with us to exchange stories....it restored my hope a little bit and made this next month much more enjoyable.
Tomorrow a bunch of people are riding pikis out to Mt. Longonaut and climbing to the top...exciting
Godspeed and Good Fortune
The Masai Tribe is one of the biggest and most well known tribes in all of East Africa...their tribe stretches through Northern Kenya and down in Tanzania. They were strong enough to resist all European colonization in the past. The Masai are still very traditional: many don't speak english, they still live in their mud huts, they brutally perform woman circumcision, most men and women stretch their ear lobes and ALL of the women wear lots of beads.
John and I arrived in the town ready for an adventure and found that we were the only Mzungus (white people) out of nearly 1000 people. We decided that we were probably the only whities within a 10 mile radius. With luck, it was a monday and the outdoor market was set up with about 30 venders....John and I bee-lined for the guy making and selling tire shoes (incredibly durable and well-made sandals made entirely out of used car tires). We each bought a pair for 150 KSh (less that $2) and decided to grab a cup of tea and a soda at a nearby Duka.
Walking through the town and meeting the Masai was a well needed breath of fresh air after struggling through Africa for the last three months...It is easy to get discouraged when 10-20 Africans , every day, try and take advantage of you: venders trying to charge white people 5x more than they would Africans, bank officials lying to you and trying to steal a mere $10, police officers abusing you and expecting a bribe, etc. BUT in the Masai village, every vender was straight with us, nobody asked us for money and people were genuinely interested in talking with us to exchange stories....it restored my hope a little bit and made this next month much more enjoyable.
Tomorrow a bunch of people are riding pikis out to Mt. Longonaut and climbing to the top...exciting
Godspeed and Good Fortune
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Zebras, Camels, Black Mambas and Ants
First, Zebras:
Several days ago, John Fisher and I decided to go on a little piki (dirt bike) ride in the Great Rift Valley near Kijabe...the goal: find animals and chase them. After 30 minutes of riding on the highway and 20 minutes of riding through 2 feet deep and soft dirt/sand we found some Zebras! There were between 25 or 30 of them (4 of which were little babies) grazing in an open field. So, John and I geared up and chased them for a solid 15 minutes! It was unbelievable...chasing 30 zebras and coming within feet of them made me feel like a wild animal on the hunt, which is fitting because I look like an animal right now.
After zebras, we scoured the valley for Giraffes, but didn't find any...maybe next time
Camels:
Camels on Christmas Eve?? Yes. I felt like one of the Magi. John is on the right.
Black Mamba Christmas:
It definitely didn't feel a whole lot like Christmas this year...no family, no christmas tree, no christmas music and lots of mosquitos. On Christmas Day there were two girls swimming in the pool when they saw a snake hop in the pool with them, swim across the pool and climb out on the other side. After hearing a scream of death I ran over there to see what the problem was...a 6 ft long snake!! Shortly after my arrival, a wise African man came with a ten foot long stick and smacked the mamba on the head several times, killing it. After decapitating the monster, I picked it up (it was just as tall as me) and we determined it was a black mamba (the most deadly snake in Africa). Baller
Ants:
To finish our wonderful adventure on the coast of Kenya, the Fishers and I declared war against the invading ants. If any of you have seen the TV show "McGyver" (sp?) and the episode where those intelligent ants invade the city....the same thing happened to us on Dec. 26th. At around 9 pm million upon millions of ants starting streaming into our house. It was insane! John, Warren and I took it upon ourselves to attack fire, fireworks and DOOM (basically the "cruciatus curse" for ants). We took down well over a million ants in 1 hour and deterred the rest of the ant population from invading with our strategically placed fire works and bon fires. Thanks to McGyver, humans 2 - ants 0
Godspeed and Good Fortune
Several days ago, John Fisher and I decided to go on a little piki (dirt bike) ride in the Great Rift Valley near Kijabe...the goal: find animals and chase them. After 30 minutes of riding on the highway and 20 minutes of riding through 2 feet deep and soft dirt/sand we found some Zebras! There were between 25 or 30 of them (4 of which were little babies) grazing in an open field. So, John and I geared up and chased them for a solid 15 minutes! It was unbelievable...chasing 30 zebras and coming within feet of them made me feel like a wild animal on the hunt, which is fitting because I look like an animal right now.
After zebras, we scoured the valley for Giraffes, but didn't find any...maybe next time
Camels:
Camels on Christmas Eve?? Yes. I felt like one of the Magi. John is on the right.
Black Mamba Christmas:
It definitely didn't feel a whole lot like Christmas this year...no family, no christmas tree, no christmas music and lots of mosquitos. On Christmas Day there were two girls swimming in the pool when they saw a snake hop in the pool with them, swim across the pool and climb out on the other side. After hearing a scream of death I ran over there to see what the problem was...a 6 ft long snake!! Shortly after my arrival, a wise African man came with a ten foot long stick and smacked the mamba on the head several times, killing it. After decapitating the monster, I picked it up (it was just as tall as me) and we determined it was a black mamba (the most deadly snake in Africa). Baller
Ants:
To finish our wonderful adventure on the coast of Kenya, the Fishers and I declared war against the invading ants. If any of you have seen the TV show "McGyver" (sp?) and the episode where those intelligent ants invade the city....the same thing happened to us on Dec. 26th. At around 9 pm million upon millions of ants starting streaming into our house. It was insane! John, Warren and I took it upon ourselves to attack fire, fireworks and DOOM (basically the "cruciatus curse" for ants). We took down well over a million ants in 1 hour and deterred the rest of the ant population from invading with our strategically placed fire works and bon fires. Thanks to McGyver, humans 2 - ants 0
Godspeed and Good Fortune
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Kenyan Reboot
I left the orphanage on Friday, Dec. 10th (completing a full 3 weeks of orfanato enjoyment) and made my way to Kenya...it's a completely different world here
-Mozambique:Kenya
-unbearable mid-day heat:temperate, crisp, African beauty
-steady diet of rice and beans:diverse selection of fruits, veggies and meats
-constant irritation from an itchy sweat rash:cool, dry nights that require a fleece and krochet beanie :)
-instant coffee:REAL coffee
But, strangely, I desperately miss MZ and those precious kids at the Orfanato...A big part of me wants to go back right now. I hope to return VERY soon
Update on my Kenyan Activities
Day 1: visited a Kenyan oasis known as Mayor's Ranch and wrestled with a 160 lb. Great Dane named Zeus for 30 min.
Day 2: Toured Rift Valley Academy and enjoyed two glorious hours of basketball
Day 3: Traveled out to "the Kenyan bush" to visit a missionary family camp, tear it up on a slip n slide, and fly off a rope swing
Day 4: Learned how to ride Piky (dirt bike), mobbed out to Mount Margaret (named after a woman who was supposed to be burried at the top), found a tombstone inscribed with the name "Russel Bowker" and renamed the mountain "Mount Russmore"
Next big adventure: Lake Baringo and hippos
Godspeed
Joe
-Mozambique:Kenya
-unbearable mid-day heat:temperate, crisp, African beauty
-steady diet of rice and beans:diverse selection of fruits, veggies and meats
-constant irritation from an itchy sweat rash:cool, dry nights that require a fleece and krochet beanie :)
-instant coffee:REAL coffee
But, strangely, I desperately miss MZ and those precious kids at the Orfanato...A big part of me wants to go back right now. I hope to return VERY soon
Update on my Kenyan Activities
Day 1: visited a Kenyan oasis known as Mayor's Ranch and wrestled with a 160 lb. Great Dane named Zeus for 30 min.
Day 2: Toured Rift Valley Academy and enjoyed two glorious hours of basketball
Day 3: Traveled out to "the Kenyan bush" to visit a missionary family camp, tear it up on a slip n slide, and fly off a rope swing
Day 4: Learned how to ride Piky (dirt bike), mobbed out to Mount Margaret (named after a woman who was supposed to be burried at the top), found a tombstone inscribed with the name "Russel Bowker" and renamed the mountain "Mount Russmore"
Next big adventure: Lake Baringo and hippos
Godspeed
Joe
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Another Defeat
Yesterday, more soccer....
In a quick 20 min., we found ourselves down by 6 goals...as the "bad guys" were advancing yet again, I attempted a "header" to clear the ball out of our goal box....another miserable failure resulting in an own goal...The 10 yr olds proceded to call our team North Korea and rub our faces into the dust....what could I say?
Today they told me that they have a football...I think I've found my road back to dominance...if this doesnt work, i'm purchasing a basketball
Godspeed,
Joe
In a quick 20 min., we found ourselves down by 6 goals...as the "bad guys" were advancing yet again, I attempted a "header" to clear the ball out of our goal box....another miserable failure resulting in an own goal...The 10 yr olds proceded to call our team North Korea and rub our faces into the dust....what could I say?
Today they told me that they have a football...I think I've found my road back to dominance...if this doesnt work, i'm purchasing a basketball
Godspeed,
Joe
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Back to Reality
After being on an all-time high from beating malnourished, pre-teen African children at pointless American games....yesterday, I crashed back to earth and collided with reality...
Soccer
I'm bigger, faster and older than every kid at the orphanage...but, yesterday I was practically re-taught how to play soccer...10 year old boys nut-megging me left and right...8 year old girls taking the ball right out from under me...and, literally, EVERYONE running circles around me after only playing for 30 minutes
I'm trying to figure out how to get back on top
Soccer
I'm bigger, faster and older than every kid at the orphanage...but, yesterday I was practically re-taught how to play soccer...10 year old boys nut-megging me left and right...8 year old girls taking the ball right out from under me...and, literally, EVERYONE running circles around me after only playing for 30 minutes
I'm trying to figure out how to get back on top
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Orfanato, Nampula
After living in a Mozambican orphanage for a week and hanging out with 50 portugese speaking kids every day, I've discovered that they're almost exactly same as American kids (with the exception that almost every American child owns an XBox and plays "Call of Duty" without rest, while Mozambican children are lucky to own a deck of cards).
My discovery surfaced on Day 2....Kids LOVE new games!! I was hanging out with Carneto (sp?)and got the bright idea to teach him how to thumb wrestle: "One, two, three, four, let's have a thumb war, five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight..." It caught on like wild fire! Now, approximately 20 times per day, a kid offers me a "high five" and it immediately progresses into a short thumb war battle. Naturally, the combination of my competitiveness, "thumb war" expertise and old-man strength means that my W-L record is an impressive 97-5. I keep beating them and they keep asking for more :)
I've made it my goal to teach the kids atleast 1 new "American" game every day...day 3, they wanted to arm wrestle (my W-L: 33-0)...day 4, i taught a competitive variation of "patty-cake" (24-5)...day 5, two games: "finger sword fighting" (16-0) and "2-person keep your balance high-five battle" (25-3)...day 6, "Big cirlce Ninja elimination game" (0-1, i'll come back)...now, it's day 7 and I think i'll teach them "duck, duck, goose" and show them who's boss
Winning feels good...even if its against children 1/2 or 1/4 my size
I'm running out of ideas, so if you know anymore sweet games, share them in a comment!!!
My discovery surfaced on Day 2....Kids LOVE new games!! I was hanging out with Carneto (sp?)and got the bright idea to teach him how to thumb wrestle: "One, two, three, four, let's have a thumb war, five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight..." It caught on like wild fire! Now, approximately 20 times per day, a kid offers me a "high five" and it immediately progresses into a short thumb war battle. Naturally, the combination of my competitiveness, "thumb war" expertise and old-man strength means that my W-L record is an impressive 97-5. I keep beating them and they keep asking for more :)
I've made it my goal to teach the kids atleast 1 new "American" game every day...day 3, they wanted to arm wrestle (my W-L: 33-0)...day 4, i taught a competitive variation of "patty-cake" (24-5)...day 5, two games: "finger sword fighting" (16-0) and "2-person keep your balance high-five battle" (25-3)...day 6, "Big cirlce Ninja elimination game" (0-1, i'll come back)...now, it's day 7 and I think i'll teach them "duck, duck, goose" and show them who's boss
Winning feels good...even if its against children 1/2 or 1/4 my size
I'm running out of ideas, so if you know anymore sweet games, share them in a comment!!!
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