Nairobi debriefs - part 2

Still Thursday

I met Anna for a drink, another INSEAD alum, who is working at Technoserve and just launched a large program between Technoserve, Coca-Cola and Gates Foundation to help local farmers [story here]. It was interesting to hear her point view on expat life in Kenya.

Back at the backpackers world, I met Ben reading Seneca, a 24 year old from London, who bought a jeep and shipped it to Kenya for a 5 month drive in Africa with friends. With his law degree in Oxford, he is banking on a successful career as an M&A lawyer. He plans on working real hard for 14-16 years and then to retire, so now he is living the LIFE, driving through Africa, climbing mountains in Peru and Thailand. I am doubtful about his plan to give up on life for the next decade. You can never eat enough for a week, you will go hungry no matter how full you feel right now.

Friday: I was planning to enjoy my book and the sun today, but got an offer to join a trip to one of the Nairobi slums, where Katherina taught English for three months last year. The program is called Future Kids, supported by University Tier in Germany. By the time we reached Mathare North slum by taking a local bus and then matatu minibus I was already exhausted and dusty. It was hard to be looking around, and even harder to realize what life I was looking for. The sight was depressing to say the least. I would not be able to do what Katherina did, so I applaud her efforts. Best of luck to her at UN, and on a meeting with Barack Omaba's sister here in Nairobi.

 

The School's Chef - Chef #1

Future Kids,  Mathare North slum

On Friday night Bob shared the craziest backpackers story he witnessed staying often in hostels (management work for mines in Africa, any MBA interested?)

- an Israeli guy hitchhiked to Mozambique from northern Tanzania for 7 days straight without stopping for a night in a hostel

- a Dutch lady that drove tractor from Holland to Africa, then shipped her tractor from Cape Town to Anartica to reach the South Pole [read the story on her blog - http://www.tractortractor.org/southpole/]

- a guy from East Timor who walked barefoot the African Continent for 12 years

a bit too crazy for me.

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Overall, I am surprised how friendly Kenyans are. No hassling at all. You get an offer for a taxi once, you say no thank you, and you are being left alone. Even bargaining at the markets was a pleasurable experience.

Tomorrow I am off for my 11 day overland trip in Kenya/Tanzania. Pictures will be posted after the trip sometime in mid-February!

Nairobi debriefs - part 1

I think I surprised myself when I booked a trip to Kenya/Tanzania on a whim. Having had experience in Africa before, I trusted my South African agent and booked a 12-day overland with Drifters.

I got into Nairobi almost a week before my departure, why not to read some books in +28C weather?  I stayed at cheap Milimani Backpackers, chatting my hours away with WorldRace kids, volunteers, UN workers, backpackers and other travelers.

What a week, what an interesting bunch of people!

Tuesday. On my first day I met Laura, INSEAD alum, who is busy starting her own business – “Bush Adventures” – Maasai Warrior Training in the far-far away North Kenya. We chatted how INSEAD does teach you about developing marketing and finance plans but does not teach you where to buy towels!  Taking it down to basics – I love it. I will do it one day. As with Laura’s trip, money in Africa will buy you hard-to-reach destinations, real wild life and undisturbed nature. And very often it is absolutely worth the money.

If you don’t have the money to fly into the bush, take the time to plan the trip. Time in Africa is essential. No online research will substitute backpackers’ stories or shopping around safaris on offer. I know now for a fact I could have done my safari for at least 60% of the price I paid.

Wednesday. I met Joel [his blog], a 23-year old Seattle native on the real around the world tour – over the last 16 months he visited 7 continents. Africa is his last one. I took some notes on his Antarctica & New Zealand experiences, what a great resource of information! He is the fourth person I have met so far who I would consult about my next destination.

Thursday. Souvenir hunting begins. During my 2008 trip I did not buy any souvenirs due to my backpack limitations. Also I think I have developed a reflex, vomiting spasm, to mass market curious. You will be surprised how alike the stuff is around the world, Made in China stuff. But there are exceptions. There are beautiful things that are hand made by local people, by people who really need the cash – jewelry, fabrics, masks, household items, carpets, etc.

Shopping for a wooden mask in Africa is an adventure through made up and true stories about the tribes, their history and traditions. As a tourist, you will never have access to the real antiques, so I decided just get something pretty for a reasonable price.

Having been told about a great location for curios shopping by Laura, I was excited. Directions on sms intrigued me even more – “a place called New Safety Line Lodge, Dubois Street, off Latema Road. There is a sign and a blue metal door with a dark staircase, go to the 1^st floor and ring a bell”. [for real?] I was promised glass beads, masks, wooden statues, bronzes from benin, cloth from West Africa and Congo. Since I was warned how dodgy the area was, I recruited three brave backpackers, emptied my pockets, hid my last euros and off we went.

Behind the bus stations where no tourist walks we did find Dubois Street, and soon I have spotted the Lodge. The sign read NO ROOM, FULL.  We proceeded and rang the promised bell and entered the light courtyard, with rooms around it where a few men  lived and sold their treasures. We were welcomed, toured around in silence, and not hassled at all. The stuff was amazing. At that point of time I decided I wanted to buy something for my-future-apartment-to–rent, but I was overwhelmed by the choice and clueless about the prices. I walked away with nothing. Too bad I was too chicken shit to take my camera with me, a few pictures would have been a nice memory to have, instead I have a few blurry shots from my blackberry phone.

Having walked through the busy City Market and Westland Triangle Curios Market later, I realized how great both the selection and prices were on Dubois street. Thanks, Laura.

[more pictures of souvenirs after the trip ]

London vs New York

Oh that never ending comparison between the only two alfa++ cities in the world! [see GaWC world rankings after the jump] As a recent transplant from the west to the east, I have got only complaint - the midnight curfew of London. As the last underground train departs few minutes after 12pm, so does life from the city centre. Unaffordability of cabs does not help either. So one is stuck to hang out around the corner from your apartment flat. The idea of neighbourhoody life is lovely, but what if God forbids my friends live in another neighbourhood. Sleepovers are back in!

new york city

I just got back from New York City. Arriving to New York was an overwhelming and confusing feeling. Twenty months have passed since I left New York. I felt I was coming back home. Things were familiar. Taking out US dollars from Chase ATM took my breath away, good I still remembered my PIN. But then I have already forgotten how coins look and what size means what denomination [I am so lost with coins in the UK, I must have a kilo now in my purse as I pay with notes mostly].

Manhattan, every street brought back memories of my life here. Very few things have changed except for every second person has an iPhone now, and is never lost with maps, never goes hungry with yelp, but still does not pick up the phone.

But then again – I knew I didn't live there anymore. I have never been so homeless in my entire life. ‘Your country of residence’ question on all the official forms makes me wonder every time. I have 5 mailing addresses, none of which is my real home. I have two mutually exclusive feelings about this fact. I am tired and ready to settle, I want my own place where I could store my shit after 2 years of begging people to look after it. But then again I am inspired by the freedom of movement, by the richness of my life, by the things I have witnessed and people I have been blessed to encounter. If happiness is not the destination, but the way – I have had a rather awesome way.

So I am emptying my pockets of random SIM cards and a few leftover boarding passes. I give myself another months and I settle.

Holiday issue of the Economist had a great article about being foreign. It ends it with the following line: But we cannot expect to have it all ways. Life is full of choices, and to choose one thing is to forgo another. The dilemma of foreignness comes down to one of liberty versus fraternity—the pleasures of freedom versus the pleasures of belonging. The homebody chooses the pleasures of belonging. The foreigner chooses the pleasures of freedom, and the pains that go with them."

Yucatan, Mexico

I am spending the last of my Mexican days in a small colonial town of Yucatan - Volladolid. What a change from needless to mention Cancun Merida. The center is compact, lined up with colourful freshly painted colonial houses. It is absolutely not touristy, counting six gift stores and one coffee shop. Other stores, holes in the wall, sell either shoes, clothing, bread or housewares. Women are dressed in Yucatan white traditional dresses, men wear sombreros and eat tortas de cochinita (meltingly tender pork on a roll) from the corner street carts (delicious!). And there is absolutely nothing to do here! I agree with the Spaniards, the only complain for Valladolid is mosquitoes.

On this trip I have been blessed with awesome random travel buddies. Together with Stefan we have explored Cancun's Zona Hotelera, and we hit all the "cheesy" spots - an overpriced warm beer on the beach at the fancy ME hotel, exploring ME later (was seriously considering couch surfing inside, it was so nice), overpriced and bad Tex-Mex lunch with a bucket of ice cold Coronas and 2 hours of Michael Jackson concert in the background, more hotel hopping, beach wedding, and back to Cancun town where cheap tacos were on order.

Next stop was Isla Mujeres with its beautiful [quite crowded compared to Cancun] Playa Norte. The water colour was blue! No, I mean, it was so blue, shockingly blue. I was introduced to tomales, and of course more tacos. Second day on the island was stormy, so instead of going to Contoy Island, the sanctuary for thousand species of bird, I was left to get drunk on Mexican red wine with my fellow backpackers at Poc Na hostel. Not a bad way to spend a day too!

Merida, the capital of Yucatan, was next. Four Scots and me made a hell of a group! We explored Mayan ruins of Uxmal one day and Cozuma Cenotes (Waterholes) another one. I have never heard of cenotes before, but OMG they were amazing. Completely see-trough blue waters in the underground caves were lit by the sunlight coming through a small opening on the top, lighting up the caves' pinkish walls. Two out of three visited cenotes had long tree roots hanging from the ceiling or stalastices growing from the top. But pictures speak better than words:

Finally, I visited Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza with clapping Cancun tourist groups on the way to Valladolid.
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I love travelling in Mexico. Second time around and I still love it. It is a beautiful and diverse country with friendly people, easy to navigate and good infrastructure, great food & crafts, history and nature.

I bring very few souvenirs back:

- a colourful hand made hammock from Merida, a place to shop for traditional Yucatecan hammocks - 1 week worth of work costs 280 pesos (medium size)
- simple silver earrings (Valladolid, 136 pesos) - shopping for silver in Oaxaca was definitely cheaper and better
- mexican re-usable shopping bag (Valladolid, 18 pesos)
- Frog necklace (Valladolid, 30 pesos). According to the Mayan calender, I am a frog (or 'muuch'), born between July 12 and August 08, still a fire sign under the planet of Sun, but cold blooded, analytical and calm. The last characteristic just revealed the horoscope's absurdity :)
- Olmec warrior head, a fridge magnet, for my little brother (Valladolid, 35 pesos)

[souvenir from Oaxaca can be seen here]
Kindly yours,
Muuch

Back on the road

I am again on the road, travelling for 10 days in Mexico equipped with a small laptop, small backpack, feeling great.

This time around, there is free wifi in every hostel, so I tweet. I have neither energy nor time for long posts, so 140 signs on twitter work out well for me. Join in.