Walking time

Can I just say, I LOVE walking. It is such a peaceful form of meditation. I decided to go home and walk to the grocery store and take the roughest terrain possible. Then I got a gallon of milk, baby carrots, but it in a backpack and took the long way home. I walked with that weight for about and hour/hour and a half and got home at around 8 PM. I left around 6:30/7. It was simply great. It felt like I was in Kenya again and I enjoyed it. Now to my workout regime... every Tuesday/Thursday, will be a walking day. I walk also up and down stairs and nearly everywhere especially after meals! My pictures and scrap book are almost done and I'm almost back to normal sleeping hours...I think!

The last of the trip: Safari, Brussels (Spontaneity) and home

6/9/11

Ivy woke up early in the morning for which we woke up to give her the gifts. The young four year old was shy but eventually opened up. We took her to her school bus. She has kaka’s physical features and dada’s smile. So today is the day to go to Thompson Falls. Unlike our previous cities of stay, Nyahururu, was colder, cloudy, and rainy. Just like I love it! We went to Thompson Falls, with a slight drizzle. In Kikuyu, Njoroge is trying to talk down the entrance fee, he calls Mokuhe (my Kikuyu name for short given to me during the Peace Corps days) and tells me something in Kikuyu. I look at him confused as I didn’t remember much of my Kikuyu. He went into Swahili and tells me to bargain the cost and explain that I live in Kenya. The lady wanted to charge Njoroge 50/= and Laura and I 200/=. I asked her to charge Laura and I 50/= and she said Laura is not a citizen but I am so she can charge me 50/=. I asked her to charge Laura 100/=. So she agreed. So from 450/= I bargained to 200/=. We took pictures of the fall and then decided to go down. Njoroge fears heights but it was exasperated due to the rain. He gingerly walked down not thinking that Laura and I could break his fall, or simply prevent it if he chose to allow us. He did stop and Laura and I proceeded down; I twisted my right ankle-Laura peed behind a tree. I continued to walk. We got Njoroge a soda for his bravery and he got us bracelets stating no one has done that crazy walk in rain. We went to Joyce’s store and chilled there and then we all went out for lunch. We delayed our departure, not wanting to leave in the first place. Even Gideon came to say hi!!!!! They all kept asking, please stay, please stay, and my heart was with them, but unfortunately, reservations for a safari had been made. I could not change that. Njoroge got our bus tickets to make sure we were not overcharged and they stayed with us till our matatu left to ensure that a luggage fee would not be added. A little one was crying constantly and an unrelated mama rocked her to sleep. The joys of communal living~ if only we could learn and respect each other more. Njoroge told the driver to drop us in Westlands. As we departed, I could not help but cry, recalling the memories of how much I hate to say good-bye. Friendships so deep that they are more like family do not come by often, and the unfortunate distance between my friend’s and I are to grand and heartbreaking. About half-way through we asked the same comforting mama to remind our driver that we are to be dropped at Westlands. Upon arriving a taxi driver tried to charge us 4000/= to go on a 5 minute maybe 10 minute car ride so we told him “hapana” and gave him 2000/=.

IMPALA HOTEL

The receptionist said we could use her phone to call if and only if we paid for her minutes. We said we would return and proceeded to our room. As Tani used the restroom, the receptionist transferred us elsewhere, quickly. In that time frame we were on an uneven path in which my left ankle turned and of course sprained. Luckily my right had healed. So off, to a cyber café and to dukas for an ankle brace. We found a place and my old TKD student, Peter wanted to meet up. We asked to use the phone of the girl running the cyber café. We informed Njoroge we had arrived. We could not get in touch with the Kairi tours. And Peter was to meet us in 20 minutes. Laura got dinner but I was in no mood to eat. We returned and I spent time catching up with Peter regarding the good old days. He told Tani that my nickname was Ms. Ponda Ponda (ponda ponda= pound). We agreed to meet when we returned to Nairobi. He stayed till like 11:30/12 AM. Good times.


Safari adventures:

Yes, we got to go on our safari:
3 days Masai Mara
2 days Lake Nakuru
2 days Lake Naivasha and Hell’s Gate

We met two people from Korea, one from Brazil and 2 from China, and we the lone Americans. 7/9/11= traveling! We left at 9 AM and arrived around 6 PM. Dropped our luggage in our tents/camp site and went to Mara. Evening fun in Mara with the rain-delightful! We insisted that Joung Ju play cards with us to help with Jet Lag. We played till 11 PM. The running joke for Charles (our guide) was to have maji moto na sukari (hot water with sugar) which he did not try. We woke up to a freezing cold shower and yummy breakfast and left for Mara to see sunrise. We saw animals throughout the day and had a nice lunch on the land. This time the whole group played cards. We also met a group of missionaries. Tonight was definitely the first night of non-stop giggles. We also left the campsite to go on a walk and see the floods from the down pour. Upon returning, everyone got scared and asked us to not leave again for fear that the animals may get us not realizing that tree branches as a fence would not protect us any better. This was made quite clear when a monkey took Tani’s juice box and drank it clean!

8/9/11

A few hours at Mara posed to be a workout. Our vehicle got stuck and we came out to push it along its way. What seemed like an hour, cause us to get dirty and muddy enough to return to our camp, get clean and take a walk towards the Messiah village, only to realize that we were not willing to pay to see the village when we had already done that. We returned to leave for Nakuru. We lost two of the girls en route. Their safari ended with the Mara. L So Laura and I were left with the three boys. We get to Nakuru and decide to tour; We found a cyber café did some of scrap book shopping. Returned and then our guide suggested another route and we went that way and then decided to get “lost” but didn’t. We did worry Charles who was waiting anxiously outside wondering why it took us 2 hours versus 30 minutes, hahahahaha. He said it is a “risk” and I said “eh.” We yet again had freezing cold showers and card games. Laura decided to drink the alcohol I bought for my water pack with mango juice. I stayed up late to work on my scrap book!!!!! We gave our alcohol to our Chinese friends as there was no way could drink it alone. Everyone was surprised that she could drink anyways. Oh and I got my PASSION FRUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAA :D

So Nakuru, we saw Flamingos and Rhinos!!! And Wart hogs :D and, the gorgeous view. Oh and Bamboons! Now to Lake Naivasha… We stopped for a while in Naivasha where our driver left us in the van briefly and then we were bugged by Street Kids. Joung Ju knew not to give them something but they kept asking him, so I said “sina pesa” (we don’t have money). And, closed the window! Charles returned and we went for lunch. I had githeri!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, then we got sugar cane and I taught people how to eat them. Then the boys departed and then there were two, us girls with Chales. The evening was left for us to do whatever we wanted. So, we decided to find a cyber café…which are generally near Photcopy areas. Unfortunately, all the cyber cafés were losing connection. So, then we decided to get lost. We found train tracks where a random guy tried to give us directions and we said we know where we are going, but he slowed down his pace and kept looking back at us, so we went down the hill and walked. We later went back up and we laid down on the tracks for fun and then just went in all the circles we could possibly think of, only to not get “lost.” We went back to our guest house, and asked to use their internet which was a lot of money. We started picking up Kikuyu and some people thought that Tani knew it fluently since she was using a few words here and there. We then asked the chef to make some food and since we were the only ones there, he made us what we had requested. He made tomato soup with bread and salad. Then chicken, with fries, mokimo, veggies, and some other stuff, and passion fruit. It was the best last hotel dinner!!!!!!!!We taught Charles how to play cards and said we would meet at 6:30 AM. He told us to reconsider whether we wanted to walk to the second reception or take a bike or the matatu. Laura wanted to take a shower first which was yet again cold, so I went down and asked for a warm shower to which they said wait 30 minutes.

I know Tani and I had a conversation while she was waiting, but I was soooo tired that I crashed. I know I told her to wake me when it was my turn to shower. I don’t recall how much time went by, but when she came back I went to take a shower. She said go downstairs cause that shower warmed up faster than ours upstairs (our bathroom was used by everyone on the hall). There was a lady cleaning the bathrooms who said I can use the shower upstairs as it is warm and she fixed it for me. It was burning hot, or maybe I just got used to the cold showers :D. I went back to the room where Tani asked if I remembered our conversations to which I respond no. She said I demanded she select a number 2 or 4 and I kept asking her more angry each time and when she finally selected a number I was quite. I have no idea but I knew I talked in myself, next time I’m going to record myself. Hahaha. Anyways, I went back into the bed, and just slept.

11/9/11

We both woke up and went to Hell’s Gate after breakfast. Our guide yet again asked us to confirm how long it would take… 1.5 hours to the 2nd receptionist and 2 hours down the gorge. Our guide was worried, we said “eh.” We went. I had my ankle wrapped but that did not prevent another sprain from occurring. My foot got caught in the tree branches that would get caught in our legs. That was when I decided that I would not do the 1.5 hour return. My ankle turned twisted, got jumped on, every bit. Luckily, George, our guide for the Gorge was great and he was able to lift and carry. I found that short legs can be advantageous if you are creative. It is called Hell’s Gate cause you are going down. George was the last of the cows received by Laura. She made it clear to him that she had a boyfriend. We walked with the Zebras, the Giraffes, Buffalos, Wart Hogs, it was simply an experience of a lifetime. We saw some of the pipe projects that helped generate electricity and kept the volcano from erupting again. George called Tani a monkey b/c of her adventure with hiking. A pro she is. Then off we went, back to Nairobi. We asked to be dropped at Afya Center. We got there between 3:30 and 4 and Tani realized she left her picture somewhere :/. She was upset. We looked forever for a Kodak store, and finally found one, but instead of developing pictures we just put them on a dvd; the videos did not convert over to our dismay L. This took almost an hour. By that point it was 5:30. We hit up a cyber café and I messaged Peter to meet us at Afya Center. He helped us search for a duka that sold dvds but they were all closed. I for some reason felt it was Monday not Sunday, otherwise, I would have called him earlier! We still hung out and he got Tani and I nice pictures, so sweet he is. And then, John came by and we all went for dinner and the deal was that I had to eat everything and of course I was unable to but I tried very hard. Laura could not eat her fish cause the “eye” was staring at her, so I flipped the eye. And made a mess with the sauce which was cleaned up. We went to the park, and the dichotomy of my student’s personalities was quite present: John-“don’t fight here.” Peter-“I wanted to spar” and we still fooled around, and Laura and I did have our last sparring match. We put down our stuff while the boys tried to find us a taxi. I took a picture, a guy came by to try to take it, but the camera was already put away. We went elsewhere… we had a drunk guy bug Laura so we switched spots, I turned and said loud and firmly “No.” He, was taken aback. And my students, told him to back off. They said with drunk guys we have to act indifferent and not give them attention. By this point we had a taxi driver coming; it was a friend of Peters. They use him for his company. Next guy was on one crutch and kept saying he was hungry and finally Peter told Laura, “face your fears.” And she says to the guy “no” and “no money.” Our cab arrives; I’m coined as the front seat person. And off we go. Our students stayed with us till the entrance, hoping that we would get a flat tire or that our flight would have a malfunctioning and we would stay an extra day. Nope, it flew off, and low and behold, our friends Staci and Reed were on this flight too! We went to sleep in our flight. We didn’t have individual tvs and I was woken up for a meal to which I said no.

Spontaneous Decision: EXPLORE BRUSSELS.... Why wait 5 hours

We arrived in Brussels. I finally met Fabian who took us around. We got stuck in traffic, quel surprise! (What a surprise). No more Hakuna Matata. He took me back to the airport to prevent delay. My day pack was checked twice. I met a nice guy en route home and we chatted about our travels. I had to walk multiple times down and up the airport as I couldn’t sit still. And of I went. I spent my time in the airport catching up on my journals, watching movies, and a nap here and there. The flight ended with a complete circle, as Reed and Staci were directly behind me. We waited with anxiety as our luggage finally came to luggage claim… and I finally came out at 3 PM. My mom picked me up and we went home. I immediately unpacked. And around 8/9 PM started to doze.

All week, I woke up at 3 and slept and around 8/9 PM. I find it interesting that our attempts to get lost in Kenya did not happen. But, my attempt to go from TKD to Chiles via I-95 proved to get me lost. The U.S. has been hard to adjust to. Driving everywhere, and being the driver to everywhere. No one taking the time to simply talk, always hustling around… No walking…However, I must say, waking up early to simply cook and eat breakfast, has been enjoyable.

What I forgot

I had a police officer straight up ask me to marry him and take him to America. I told him straight up "No."

We would pass the same kids everyday and they would still put out their hand for money, 4 year olds and up.

The next best thing is when kids/adults would change their voice to be more high pitch and then they would say "How are you?" or sissing at us, or asking us if we needed rides, etc....
Finally, at one point, I would respond by saying "Sijui unasema nini" which translates to "I don't know what you are saying" to which kids would laugh, and adults would shy back, shocked!

This was primarily in Mombassa!

KENYAN TRAVELING!!!!

Our train did not leave in 7. It left at 7:30. Then when we had dinner where they stopped again for 1 hour. Then our train left but went extremely slow and stopped a few times. They had the lights turn of at some point during the night. So we slept. I skipped breakfast, and had a tad bit of rice for last nights dinner. I did have a protein bar. Our train’s engine stopped working 3 hours outside of Nairobi. I was ready to walk and take a matatu but Tani said no. We finally left and reached Nairobi at 1; we checked the email, got Njoroge’s number. Called Njoroge, realized it was Joyce’s number and then told them we are leaving Nairobi. We had a mama take us the long way around to the matatu station. We were charged 350 for a direct trip that stopped multiple times. When we asked for our change we were told that we would both have to pay 300 for luggage, but he had initially told us it would be 350 for both. So we ended up saying instead of an addition 600 for luggage we would pay only 300. We left Nairobi at 1:30 PM. A 2 hour trip took nearly 4.5. We arrived at Nyeri and asked a girl to use her phone which we used to text Joyce saying we just arrived. We asked a mama to go to upper stage and then called Joyce and said we are in a matatu. They said it would go haraka haraka, (fast). They did not leave before 8 (nearly 2 hours later). A brother from Brother David’s school met us and said that Njoroge and Brother David waited for us. We provided our itinerary and apologized for the delay. Anyways it took so long cause they were trying to fill the matatu. We finally left and we asked another lady if we could use her cell. Then Njoroge called her periodically to see where we were as he would meet us on the side of the road. The matatu went pole pole (slowly) and stopped at every pothole. Poor Laura, had to eat her anti-malarial on an empty stomach and was sick, and I was upset at the matatu drivers saying haraka haraka haraka haraka. We finally arrived at 10 PM to a homemade cooked meal of Mokimo, sukuma, and meat and vegetables. Joyce’s homemade cooking is soooooooo yummy. Laura fell asleep but Njoroge and I stayed up till 1:30 AM talking about everything and just catching up. It was a surreal moment indeed.

Mombassa: my oh my, words do not do justice

2-September-2011

We left Dar promptly at 6 AM. We stopped multiple times at bus stops and random locations to pick up stragglers. I slept till 9 AM and then Laura and I switched spots and she was in charge of pictures. At noon we took a lunch break where we ate our snacks instead. I managed to use the choo which was a combined toilet base and a whole in the ground. When we got to the immigration office Tanzania gave us no problems but to re-enter Kenya was a problem. They kept asking how long we were going to stay and we explained our itinerary and said 9 days. Afterwards we had our luggage go through customs, which was really never checked. It was funny to see them repack the luggage, and Laura and I were about to do it ourselves!!! Then a mama told us we had to put the curtains infront of our window and we thought perhaps it was b/c of Eid but then she told us to get off the matatu. Our driver said no. it was the us, some elderly, and some kids in the bus. They took the vehicle on the ferry; the security guards kept coming in to check if something was being smuggled. We arrived and took a tuk tuk to Lotus hotel that our driver arranged. We learned that it is Friday not Thursday. We wanted to eat at Kenchick but they were out of bread. So around we went, searching the town and we ended at a Chinese Restaurant which we had our own soups in addition to a shared noodle meal. Then we toured a little bit of the town.

3-September-2011: Randy Mac girls asking too many questions?

I ended up writing this journal entry on the 7th because I have been sick. I woke up this morning feeling very cold, weak, and soar. Thinking it may be a simple morning sickness, I realized to my dismay that I had diarrhea. We went and got medications which actually helped and I did meditation to take the stomach pains away. We bought train tickets, got money exchanged, saw the Hindu temple and went to Fort Jesus, Market, and other places.
The church was beautiful and I pretended to play the drums. It was somewhat dark but still beautiful with the sun rays providing an interesting shade of soft light and warmth to the room. The Hindu temple did not have any guidelines except to take of ones shoes, but I found it interesting that they thought we needed a guide to help us understand the culture. Laura and I then tried to find gingerale in a can but only found it in the coke bottle. So we sat down for lunch and I had only a protein bar. We also went to Uhuru Gardens which are very well kept. Then we went to Fort Jesus where we were taking pictures, where a random person Moses came up and asked us if we were the two girls who requested a guide. We said no, and he still followed us and assigned himself as our guide for 1500/=. The fort was beautiful displayed with a mix Omani Arabs, Portuguese, and the local tribe. While the display of culture was wonderful, our multiple questions, were either “ignored” or answered incorrectly as we learned after reading the information guide at the end. Then off to the spice market and market where we bought Kangas and Scarfs :D We also went to the old dock that was part of the fort and the slave bathrooms. Laura got some drink that looked like kulfi (indian ice cream) and then we returned to the hotel where we found some Peace Corps volunteers doing cross sector (half way mark). Laura finished my dinner as I was still unwell. Oh and I tried to put shoes near the window for sun and that didn't work as well, cause we were called and told to remove the shoes from the window as people were taking pictures??????????

04-September-2011: Thieves do not meet our standards

Still sick and walking. Nothing is open it is Sunday. But we tried to go back to the market today and exchanged Laura’s scarf. Yesterday we went back and it was closed. Today, it was open. The guys were teasing the owner of the shop saying that he should marry us. Then I finally stopped the teasing by saying “ninajua ulisema nini” (I know what you said) and then they laughed and stopped teasing. Then we went to figure out our plans for Nyeri and Nyharuru. No one was responding!!! AHhhhh…. On the way back to the hotel a boy tried to snatch my necklace, and TKD came in handy as I did a block and then a catch and then pushed him away and said “hapana” “no!”. Then we went back to the Mosque that we have attempted to see multiple times but could not because it was closed and/or prayer was going on. The same boy tried to steal my necklace again, to which I still used TKD and put my hand up and he did not get it only unbent the clip. Tani, went after him as did our “duka” (shop)/market friends. One asked if I was okay and said he loved me. The boy did not get anything nor did he ever return. Laura and I went to a sports bar to get, yet again, gingerale, and then I finally ate at Ken Chick. We also tried to see the Old Law courts which were closed. And then found 3 American guys smoking weed and eating chilli chips, and interesting combination. We walked in random directions to come upon a store to which I let Laura handle the bargaining to learn something from her. She was about to walk away and the guy was ready to bargain. She bargained a painting from 2,000/= to 1,500/=, He was selling another for 500/=. We ended up getting two paintings for 3,000/= and two items for free. The owner said what I picked was expensive but let it slide as a promise is a promise. We then proceeded to the train. We had some Indian guys take a picture of us and they used not only our camera but their own :O. We went first class. Our cabin had a sofa bed and a bunk. Hip hip hooray.

Laura's blog

While I love writing, people have different ways of taking pictures and writing what they see and feel. Here is my traveling buddies blog, where you can also find videos of her and I, having some fun! :D

http://brysonsdisciple.blogspot.com/

The beautiful yet "dangerous" Zanzibar

29-08-2011

The under the table transactions:

We left, stuck in traffic had a police officer stop us cause he suspected our driver of something when really there was nothing. He said the tags were wrong the driver said he would pay him 5000/= upon his return. The joys of under the table fun…the police officer let him go. Upon getting to the airport, we get Laura’s bag, and we expressed our joy of relief and happiness. We were both hungry and the restaurants did not have the chicken meals mentioned on their menu as there was no more chicken to kill. So, we bought a bag of chips and had almonds neither of which we finished. We had snacks and met some more people. Upon arriving we immediately got our baggage. We landed and were bombarded by taxi drivers who said they would charge us $10 to Pyramid Hotel. We contacted the hotel they said they would come get us for the same cost….

The lesson learned:

We waited for 15 minutes, got our money converted. We saw a guy who kept looking in our direction with a sign that said 2 girls and Pyramid, we went with him. He told us we would pay him not the hotel. He parks in the parking lot and asks for directions. When we reached are hotel it was a bunch of people yelling as this person was not the driver sent. He said that we need to give him the money and he would leave; the receptionist said half, and he said 75%. We gave him half. Laura finally got to change! We got a safety lecture on when not to be in town due to prayer and how we can be killed by people with lives, etc… so we only took our camera packs and small amounts of money and our whistle. The first night definitely posed anxiety for the both of us. I finally ate Pilau. We asked the hotel to book our spice tour

The evening at Pyramid:

The evening at pyramid is interesting. I was waiting for the internet and was bombarded with questions and they learned I was Indian and put on the discovery channel which was in Hindi. The receptionist said I had a beautiful name for a beautiful person. How many cows will I get? I only paid for 60 minutes instead of 65!

30/08/2011

Spice Town:

So, I will make this brief, but the spice tour was awesome! Our guides on the spice tour made us baskets made out of leaves, bracelets and necklaces made out of coconut peel and we got to keep the spices. Laura tried to climb the coconut tree and got hurt under her foot. She had a first aide kit. Our guide tested out the “lipstick” powder on himself. For lunch we sat on the carpets in a little hut, the German group we were with sang a prayer and since I couldn’t eat a lot, I had the Cashews. We did not see the Persian Baths, but we did go to the slave caves and the beach. The ladies in the group made a person towel so she could change. Markus, a guy on the trip tried to take me down in the water-try being the key word. When we left, the hike was like a mini Mt. Kili. In the bus the drive went so fast, I said Pole Pole Tafadali (slowly please) making everyone laugh. We also had a big bug in the bus that I did not want to kill so it was somewhat interesting to get him out; we used TP :D So Kate, Laura, and I had dinner and then went to the park. A young boy tried to sell me his paintings so bargaining it went. He said he was going to charge 25/= and corrected himself saying 25,000/=. I took him down to 5,000/= and we went back and forth agreeing on 7,500/= and then I finally agreed on 2 for 10,000/=. I had a sugar cane juice which is delicious and apparently very high content in sugar as I couldn’t stop laughing the rest of the night. Apparently, Tani (changed spelling) and I were asked to go to the disco tomorrow night. :/ Oh, I forgot to say that everyone went crazy hectic over seeing the moon that took me forever to see! Markus found us at this point, his tall height helped him.

31/08/2011

Tani-100 points, Trob (changed spelling)- 25 points:

Today we bargained to go to Prison Island. Of we went, it took a while for them to find our flipper sizes. Our guide had to piggy back us to the shore as he pulled in his boat backwards and he stated 200 kg!!! Like heck I do, aaaaarrrgg. The island is one big hotel, we saw big turtles and fed them :D. Then we sat at the beach and our guide brought another boat so we went to the one stuck in the sand got our gear and our guide realized Laura couldn’t walk so carried her. I didn’t like the flippers when I went into the water so I took them off, only to realize that my goggles didn’t work either. So I didn’t take the risk however I did put my head in the water by going over the edge and having my guide hold my feet. He also liked Laura he fixed her clothes and shoes carried her everywhere. When we returned to our first boat I carried the day packs and snorkeling equipment and everyone was calling her tiny and a baby.
We had a late lunch sitting on the grown at Monsoon and then Laura was in pain so I took her back. I got Markus and we went to an ATM where the security guard wasn’t really watching. Then we went throughout stone town to find different places but ended up in the middle of dark alley ways and enjoying figuring out the maze of stone town which I finally did. We went back got Laura, finally had food at the food bizarre and were charged an insane amount then tried to find a disco without a cover fee, only to end up at home playing cards till midnight. We informed the gentleman that had asked us to go to the disco yesterday that we weren’t going to go. Markus, and his competitive self did not want to lose but did to Laura and left around 11:30/12. Everything was so expensive because it was the first day of Eid. Girls in beautiful outfits and colors, everyone chatting and happy. It seemed that the whole all of Stone town was at the park yesterday. Laura and I went to bed putting toothpaste on our nasty bug bites to prevent the itchiness.

01/09/2011

The hitchhike is better:

Already September! Laura and I went around Stone town asking people where the Dala Dala. After a bus driver showed us I messed up and said 300/= instead of 3000/=. We were squished in so tight that my tushy hurt. We stopped for supplies to be picked up, dropped off, stored, etc… people sat in the middle. Everytime the polisi were seen our money collectors made us squish so they could sit in so as not to get into trouble. It was humorous. We kept asking if we were near Josani Forest but they did not understand, but I finally saw a sign. It took an hour and a half to get there and our tour started at 12:30 and we needed to get back by 2:30/3:30 as we needed to get our Ferry to Dar-Es-Salaam. We wanted to see the monkeys and one more thing that was 1 km away but we needed a bus or a bike so we saw the forest instead. We loved the monkeys and I really wanted to see a cobra or a python but we didn’t have time to go deep into the forest. We left thanking our very nice guide. We didn’t even have to hail down a Dala Dala for a Matatu saw we were mzungu and stopped. They charged us less. We were the only two, like a hitchhike. There were the two of us and one other passenger that we did not know was a passenger until his stop came. I asked for the driver’s id and he said it will all be fine. And, it was, he dropped us at Mercury and asked if we were married and said, maybe we will marry someone in Zanzibar, another cow offering. Laura and I grabbed our backpacks from the hotel and took a new route to the docks where we were charged an insane amount and told yet again another time of 3:30=departure. We went around asking and finally finding a restaurant and asking for tuna and chips (fries) which took too long to make. We were ready to leave and they had it in foil for us and we walked practically ran to our ferry. It left 5 minutes later, but all the same, we weren’t going to pay $35 for another ferry. They were playing On Bak in the ferry, but we were too busy eating another late lunch.

Next stop, Dar-Es-Salaam and Back to Kenya.

Arusha Adventures

Going to Arusha:

The bus with enough people for 24 was only filled with 5 people including me. The driver and his 2 kids were an extra 3. The scenery was similar to that of my first failed peace corps site. We spotted Ostriches, Jazelles, and Zebras. The hills and beautiful scenery was amazing. Our bus driver was referred to with the generic bwana, knew just enough English but not enough to make him seem nice. However, when spoken to in Swahili his demeanor was that of a kindred spirit. We had a choo break and he nearly left someone because he surpassed the ten minutes allotted to the break, preventing me from taking my choo break later. After a while, my body gave out, especially with only 1.5 to 2 meals in the last 21 hours and only an attempt to 4 hours of sleep, I just crashed.

The first afternoon/ night in Arusha:

We received a surprise upgrade to our room and Laura and I just crashed. We got a free ride to L’Oasis. Laura and I were so tired we just accepted and hoped to get there and we did. Around 7 PM we woke up for dinner and received American Food and requested for Tanzanian. What we thought was going to be $25 was actually $13, and I had my boiling water. And yet again we met another couple, one from England and the other from Germany. Laura and I spent the night playing cards with my head light as apparently L’Oasis has periodic power outages. We also played shadow games. Once the lights came on, Laura helped me repack, and let me say there is no more pain in my back! We fell asleep to the day-night bar of rap and pop music and dogs barking. Laura told me we would have to come up with nicknames for each other that could be used for multiple trips. She came up with “Trouble” for me, and “Trub” for short. I laughed, calling her cupid, because of some conversations she was relaying. I also woke up suddenly realizing that there are no mosquitoes due to the cold weather. We also met people who parle le francais!

The 2nd day in Arusha:

We woke up at 6:50 AM. It was sooooooooooo very cold. We woke up, I meditated with a dog who laid in front of me. Then Laura was trained in TKD. Onto fresh breakfast. Then we got the couples names, versus waiting till the last day, we decided to get it after breakfast: Paul and Josephine. They too are flying to Zanzibar. While returning to our room, the gardener, Katurra, I think offered a tour into a village for free. We were unsure, but agreed. We left at 10:30 AM and returned at 1:30 PM. It was like going with a friend who didn’t understand English nor my Swahili. He would not let us take pictures. When we met the chief Messiah of the village, we got a picture but gave him money for it. There were not explanations as to which town we were in, the history, or anything. He even took us to a conversion place when we said no in English and Swahili. However, we did got to a Messiah store (he said market) and it was run by Indians whose grandparents came over 100 years ago. I got my first attempt for bargaining. Instead of 3 keychains at $10, I got 4, and I also got elephant teeth keychains at the same cost. Laura being like me, could not find her wallet, only to realize later that her smart self put it in her inside coat pocket. Our guide told us it costs $60 to get to the airport and takes about 50 minutes to walk. So we decided to walk, only to find out later that he did not mean 50 minutes, he meant 50 kilometers. I was told by the guide that I need a baby, I said I’m not dating and hen says you should have friends, many, and I say Laura is my friend! Mzungu was not uncommon. We went for lunch and I wanted 1/3 of chicken we ended up getting 1/2. Our guide did not understand bottled water and hence could not provide translation so we pointed to it. We also ordered chips (fries) and ugali. I asked for an extra plate and two forks as our guide just dug his hands right in, after licking them and putting it into the salt. He even inquired about Laura’s wine bottle and when Laura presented it to him, he got out two drops, drank it and then licked the bottle. We got home, Laura, learned Swedish from the hotel owner who is Swedish, and I looked at planning out Zanzibar. We poured 2 ¾ cup of boiling water into our dehydration packet of Channa Massala and ate straight from it. It was tasty, but I got full fast. We were indecisive about going to the disco and finally decided to have martial art performance and crazy behavior and take downs and bear hugs at the reception. We were an amazing duo. I came up with a name for Laura. Spontany for Spontaneous, and for short “T-‘a’ny.”
So our card games include
Rummy
Slap Jack
6 plus (another game of Bridge in Russia)
We both know speed
Spit
We played speed and Spit.

Last day in Arusha: Through the eyes of a Watoto (children)

Last day, we woke up, did TKD, had fresh breakfast. The girls asked which one of us is older and they said me b/c I looked bigger. We went to the orphanage where kids ages 1-11 are accepted. They are either orphans, run aways, or poor and families in the village adopt them and pay a discounted school fee. We played, taught and just had fun with them. It was there first day of school, we were not aware of that. Helping out at this school, made our day. To see the kids faces light up and having them engage even more in their academia because we were there was precious. A little one came and held on to my leg and sucked her thumb and wouldn't leave me and the boys came with with punches!!! I would like to help them, as they are need of books, and other supplies! Lets work together to help them :D

Then we went of to the airport with Paul and Josephine. The mama’s at the hotel made us promise to email them and so we did. When we got to the airport, we found Laura’s bag first! IT was found, the joy, the excitement, the sigh of relief…. We could not find lunch, hence, it was left to a bag of chips and almonds, which we did not finish….

Till next time, the adventures of Zanzibar

Last Flight: Laura gets Cowed

Ethiopia Continued:

Laura and I went back to the table and Laura got confirmation for her luggage. We go down the flight of stairs and she displays her whistle to me, egging me to blow and just as I am she pulls it away. We get into a bus, and she tries to unzip my backpack and we go all kung fu on each other. Then we were on our last flight unaware of the time or the day. We ended up sitting next to an individual who was wearing the Dallas Cowboys hat and we teased him for it. His name was Cyprian Shik. He got the window seat. He was born and raised in Kenya, but now works in Dallas. We talked about everything and he helped me with my Swahili while Laura was sleeping. Laura was awakened because the stewardess wanted to inform her that her food was wrapped and about to be warmed, the warming of the food took 40 minutes. My food was not vegan and arrived at the same time and Laura stated that “it was gross” and a punishment.” By this point exhaustion and lack of food and kicked it, and everything if not anything made us laugh. Laura and I were discussing how many cows/goats she may get, and she blurts out “But, I haven’t been cowed yet though!” The laughter was loud and long. The couple yet again was behind us on the other side and we insisted that they were stalking us. We asked them to stop and after 21 hours decided to get their names: Reed and Staci who we might meet up in Mombassa. Cyprian’s birthday is in 2 days and he is excited for some home cooking. So sweet! Now on all these flights alcohol was served as were wine bottles (small but still)! I asked for a wine bottle but never go one. We FINALLY landed excited to be in the country to only have our hearts broken because Laura’s bag did NOT arrive. We went to claims who said they would send it to the Mt. Kilamanjaro airport. We agreed to share clothes and supplies. Poor Thing, but we shall survive. Right now a family/friend intervention is Not needed. However, she was in need of a brush.

We went to bed at the airport, I being somewhat still aware. W awoke after an hour, still half asleep and laughing. We wrote in our journals and individuals came by asking what were doing. Travelers asked us questions about the place, unaware that we too are visitors. I suppose that is a good thing yes…

So after the airport adventure, Laura and I went to buy our tickets for the bus to Tanzania, riverside bus! It comes directly to the airport. Laura and I walked around at 6 AM searching for a toothbrush and finding a cyber café at a surprising 10/= per minute so we thought it would be courteous to inform everyone of our existence in the far away lands of Kenya. We found a tooth brush and sat at the café to play cards. WE caught our bus and on we went!

What happens when Laura and Tarika are together…

The joys of traveling…. Where do I begin and where do I end, neither are possible, because every time we thought that we have come to an end, we had to get through the onset of another crazy beginning!

So, I get Dulles around 8 PM. My patience was not apparently ready for a one hour wait. In the line for hour boarding pass, I saw a little one, who made the wait amusing for everyone. He was no more than three and had a teddy bear suitcase whit a teddy bear attached to it. His parents put it on his back. And very innocently, he looked up at his parents and asked, “Where is my suitcase?” None of us couldn’t help but watch and laugh at his innocence and curiosity. An early traveler indeed!

So, I went to gate C and walked up and down the Gate C corridor as I could not sit still. I was excited for the trip to begin and to see Laura. I finally went into a book store and began to read “There is heaven, for real.” I got on the plane ready for it to depart… I passed security check point #1 and am on flight #1.

The adventures of flight #1:

I got a window seat next to a very sweet elderly lady. Unfortunately, we left 10 minutes late due to turbulent weather. Now, a 7 hour trip, how to sit still, was the thought in my mind. I ended up watching Thor in cycles during the trip. They served dinner at 12 AM (our time) and I couldn’t eat it. And, the dressing contained milk; hence deterring me from eating any meal the rest of the flight even if was at a logical eating time. (Breakfast came at 4:30/5 and I had a little apple sauce). I tried to sleep but it did not happen, whether because of excitement, lack of food, or just the discomfort of the smell of the bathroom next to us, I had an off/on cycle of 4 hours of sleep. Since the flight left late, I brushed my teeth in the smelly bathroom. Unfortunately, crazy weather hit our way again and hence another delay. This was the point where I was worried. I have not been worried about this trip until this moment because I didn’t know if Laura was at the airport or not! So, I was going through all these thoughts in my mind for a solution if I could find her:

-- Have a PA announce her name

-- Meet her in Nairobi

However, I landed at 12:30 (U.S. time). We were bussed to our terminal immediately… so much for a security check. My immediate reaction, where is Laura?!?!?!? I saw her with a look of anxiety, peeking at the stairs and within the crowd of people to search for me. I called her name and we both expressed our worry and hugged with a sight of relief. I got my boarding pass approved and went back on the same bus. Now, there was a couple there, who were going to Kenya too!!! They were me from the onset of my flight adventures and are known as the couple to Laura and I for most of the flight. Unlike Laura, the lady, moved from Denver to Arlington, and Laura vice versa. We had fun discussing our upcoming adventures.

The best part of the flight, the elderly lady next to me says “thanks for being my neighbor, I respond, “likewise.” Such a pleasant person.

The adventures of flight #2:

Frankfurt to Ethiopia. Another 7.5 hours, How will I survive, thank goodness for movies! I watched Kung Fu Panda 2, so awesome and African Tigers, and Rio. We tried to watch Bollywood together-they were boring. The couple was yet again behind us, we insisted that they stop stalking ;) Laura and I amused each other with attempting Hard Sudoku Puzzles. She taught me basic Swedish. I studied the whole Kiswahili book from Peace Corps! We got through well in this flight, when your with your friends, it makes time run faster.

Landing in Ethiopia, drum roll please!:

Can I just say, 14.5 hours of me sitting still is amazing, a total trip amounting to 21 hours, I don’t know how, but where there is a will there is a way.

Landing in Ethiopia, we are in Africa but too far from destination. Now Laura did not have a pass for her luggage to go to Nairobi, but I did. I did not have a boarding pass to Nairobi, but she did. So we inquired where do we go?! We were directed upstairs to Gate 7. We finally reach the main desk and the guys asked what do you need? We explain and he with the wave of his hand ushers us into the line, saying “okay.” Now we were moving extremely slow and in groups. We made it but the mama singing the barney theme song with the wrong notes did not help our exhaustion. Upon getting through security we have to see another guy, who HANDWRITES :O my boarding pass. We were not sure of the validity of this pass, but I am obviously in Tanzania so it worked. Laura was told she would be taken care of and while there was apprehension, we chose trust. A random guy approached us and asked if we were going to London, and I asked where was he told to go and pointed him in the direction. The amusing part of the night was us walking in aimless circles to stretch out our legs, and seeing 3 men smoking in the airport under a “Do Not Smoke” sign. Then just I’m taking a picture, London guy comes and sits right next to me in personal space, and Laura to my rescue questions, isn’t our flight departing? And off we went, Thank you!

Last Flight:

Next blog with the adventures in Arusha…. Stay tuned.

T-9.5 hours to Departure

As I embark on my journey, let me provide a background on my passion to travel.... A long story in hopefully, a nutshell.

I was born in India, a country filled with apparent poverty, but also with a beautiful, old, and wise culture. I grew up in the United States, constantly in wonderment of the duality of my cultures: Indian and American. The once and a while trips to visit family, intrigued me and led me on a path to wonderment. While visiting family was wonderful, I wanted to experience culture, the world, and learn from our neighbors.

At R-MWC (College), I learned to be independent, take risks, have a sense of adventure, and simply experience the beauty around us. My chance came with my Peace Corps experience in Kenya which ended 2006. My wish to travel the world came to a pause during Grad School, while I was studying Social Work. However, the school did not stop me from seeing the world! I studied abroad in Costa Rica and it was still somewhat of a backpacking trip!

After graduating I did an east-cost trip and a trip to Canada. My trips are not only international! They span nationally and internationally!

Now finding a friend who is equally as avid of a traveler and likes being spontaneous and backpacking can be difficult! But, I found my traveling buddy, Laura! And we are off, together, on our adventure. My trip back to Kenya is mainly to see parts of the country I wasn’t able to see during Peace Corps, in addition to seeing my friends. Tanzania and Zanzibar (which is part of Tanzania) will be added adventure of culture, new sites, and of course crazy fun! I cannot wait to take pictures, grow and learn from another fun experience from our friends in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.

Africa has a special place in my heart, so what better way to start my adventure to travel the world than to begin on the continent that I once called home!

Karibuni (welcome)

Nitaenda wapi (where am I going)?

My crazy trip involves the following map. Now I didn't put the return, but after the circular fun craziness in Kenya, I do come back to the gorgeous lights of Dulles Airport, saddened that I am leaving the beautiful East Africa! Enjoy following the map :D

Ahhh so close yet so far...

So,
My adventure begins with an earthquake at work at a 5.9 I wanted to take a mini-walk who knew I would get a full-fetched break! Anyways, upon arriving home, I printed out a guide on how to pack your camping back pack and then went to work :D The heaviest things at the bottom and the lighter things up top :D. While it looks like it weighs a crazy amount, it weighs no more than 29 pounds! All that is left is my hand bag which will be done on Thursday during the day prior to leaving! The back pack is like my size! It looks like a backpack with legs, hahahaha. So, just 50 hours left to departure!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seems so close but, obviously I'm too excited to count down the 50 hours left to go. So, instead, I'm hanging out with friends tonight before my departure!

East Africa!

Hello my dear friends! The last couple of months have been great. I have been getting some camping materials, calling East Africa and setting plans, and now in 2 days I leave and meet Laura Priessman in Frankfurt! We land in Nairobi and then will take a bus to Arushu, Tanzania then fly out to Zanzibar, go to Dar-Es-Salaam, take a bus to Mombassa, Kenya a train to Nairobi, a bus to Nyeri and Nyhahruru, and then return to Nairobi to go on a 5 day Safari!!!! Please check the website for periodic updates :D Asante sana, tutaonana! (Thank you, we will see you!)

Update

Hello!!!!
So May 2011, wow. It is obviously apparent that I have been busy. Work calls for 8 hour working days which entails seeing clients or doing paperwork. Anyways travels are on the way to being confirmed :D I have been going to the gym and weight lift, rehab my knee and foot and shoulder; time significant. Still living a single life. I guess walking into the engagement tower like 5+ times was a confirmation to not finding someone. But, I'm still smiling, hang out with some new friends, loving movies!

My quote for the day:

"When you think you are alone, remember you are not alone for there is always someone around to support and guide you through the difficulties in life, all you have to do is reach out so he/she/they call pull you the rest of the way."

April

Can you believe it is nearly April!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I decided this month I would figure out how to post pictures such that friends can see my adventures abroad and generally... lets see if it works!!!!!!!!!!! Have fun!

OH WOW!!!!! Its February

So, yes, it has been quite some time. So what have I been up to? I work for Inova Elderlink. I help the elderly maintain a lifestyle that continues to foster independence. Hence, I go in assess and help them get the resources they need to maintain the independence that they desire. Or, if they are no longer capable of safely living independently, I help them find and move to a higher level of care.

I haven’t had any injuries yet, but that may be because I only do weight-training now, and on the off chance that I have the time to do something else, it is gymnastics! Boy is that a work-out extreme, I’m sore still and I worked out on Tuesday, and 2 days later, ahhhh!!! It’s all good flips and cartwheels, etc… here I come! A new learning experience, indeed.

Let’s see, after I fractured my foot in two places, I gained 15 pounds and of course I wasn’t training either except for some walking here and there. So, now I had tried everything to lose weight and nothing worked :O. I went to a nutritionist and she said that I needed to eat more!!!! So for all of you who were worried about me eating to little, when now you can cry hip hip hooray in joy (nice oxymoron). So now a min/max of 1200 calories, and more protein-less carbs!!! Who knew it would be so hard to find protein!!!!

Till next time my friends!!!!!! Keep working hard, staying fit, and smile :D