Africa
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Sorry, sorry, sorry. I have not written anything for some time, but I have been very busy with work and traveling. My major project here is about to be completed. I am finishing up the content Web pages for a CD-ROM that UN-Habitat is handing out at the World Water Forum next month in Japan. I wish I could go, but alas, I am just a lowly intern.
My big news is that I have gone on two safaris. I went to Maasai Mara at the beginning of the month and Amboseli National Park last weekend. Maasai Mara was typical African Savannah; golden oat grass blowing in the breeze that changes color depending on the time of day with large umbrella acacias dotting the rolling hills. In the morning, the grass is bright and yellow and by sundown it has a reddish tone. I saw the biggest rain clouds that I have ever seen sailing across the wide vista. The animals were amazing; 30 lionesses and 2 mature male lions are a beautiful sight. Even the driver said that’s too many lions to be around. One wide plain contained thousands of animals like zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, topis, antelopes, all kinds of gazelles, hyenas, jackals, vultures, eagles, and many other birds. We spotted four cheetahs moving together in the scrub looking for a meal that was thwarted by the guinea fowl. These blue-necked birds will sound an alarm to all other animals that a predator is approaching. They sound like a loud alarm clock. It’s as if all of these animals live in harmony and the big ones, lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas are out to eat them. I saw a large male giraffe stand tall to a group of four young lions. Lions can only kill giraffes when they are bending for a drink of water and then it takes 4-6 to bring it down. There was a cheetah stalking a group of gazelle that was bothered by our presence. There are many tourists in the park riding around in mini-van type safari trucks racing to the next group of lions or such thing. All of the drivers communicate by radio and tell each other where the hot spots are. After a while, I didn’t like going where all the groups of vans were heading. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience to be 5 ft away from a lion. They are much bigger than I expected. We stayed at the Siana Springs Lodge. We had our own tent in the trees. The night sounds on safari are wonderful; you hear lions roaring, hyenas barking, elephants trumpeting, and monkeys scampering.
Amboseli has many of the same animals but it has two more things going for it. Large herds of elephants and a beautiful view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. A friend of mine from California came to visit during this last week and he went on his first safari. Mt. Kilimanjaro has a perpetual snowcap on its peak that changes color during sunrise and sunset. The sunsets are incredible; a deep golden yellow, burnt orange, and pink. Amboseli also has marshes and therefore many, many, many types of colorful birds. I even saw the world’s largest heron. I also saw hippos for the first time. The elephants become so commonplace after the first game drive but they are wonderful animals. They protect their young very well (4 larger elephants will box in a young baby while walking), mourn their dead, and shake their trunks to signify friendship. I saw a young elephant charge a lion away from the family. We followed about 3 large families of elephants that have very well marked territory. I also saw a large troop of baboons; they are very strange animals. There is nothing quite like hearing a wild elephant trumpet to scare away a lion. There were also many African buffalos with the obligatory egrets on their backs. I took so many photos I should exhibit my Mt. Kilimanjaro series; I have the mountain with elephants, palm trees, acacias, zebras, and so on.
I have also been exploring my home city of Nairobi. I have been to the National Museum, Snake Park, Giraffe Center, Animal Orphanage for lost, hurt, and abandoned wildlife, and out on town to observe the human animal. There are some very cheesy nightclubs and some good bars. At the Giraffe Center, you can pet and feed them!
I spent one weekend in Nairobi this month and actually relaxed. I have been back to the Maasai Markets several times to purchase more items, I love bargaining and I won’t give in to Wuzungu (white people; sometimes it’s Mazungu) prices. I visited the Kibera slum with HABITAT to see a social program that helps widows, orphans, and youth AND I went to the last slum, Kangami, with a co-worker, where we bought four chickens. That was one of my favorite experiences so far; carrying a chicken, who has its feet tied, through a busy, busy real African market trying to buy a pair of flip-flops for 50 bob (shillings). I visited his house and his church, which is Quaker. There are a surprising amount of Quakers in Africa, something I would have never realized. You can buy anything on the street in Kenya, even headstones.
I did not finish Out of Africa, but I did finish White Mischief. That one is about the murder of Lord Erroll in 1941, a British colonialist and the whole Happy Valley lifestyle. I am now reading the Constant Gardener by John le Carre, published in 2001. This one’s about a murder of a white activist in Kenya and the larger debate of the white influence on Africa, good vs. bad. The story is set in Nairobi, and it’s pretty cool to be able to understand all of the places and sights he mentions. I am having a really, really wonderful time and I am so glad that I decided to step outside of my comfortable world in the States to experience something radically different. I find that my logic of how the world works does not apply here. It is hard to explain but if it is logical to, say, drive within one of two lanes on a standard two-lane road, it does not apply here. There is a third lane easily created for passing cars in the middle of the road. That is the easiest example I can think of. But, it is great; the noise, the bustle, the chaos, the heat, the dust, the men selling TV aerials, sunglasses, newspapers, flowers, cell phone adapters, coat racks and large posters of President Kibaki in the middle of the road (literally the middle), and the energy are very addictive.
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Matatus and Kenyan roads. I would like to tell you a bit about the driving experience here in Kenya. Some roads are paved but have very, very large potholes (worse than Pittsburgh, if you can imagine that.) The potholes will surprise you, especially at night, and everyone will go lurching around the car. I have learned to sit in a secure position with my hand near something stable. Matatus are the public transport of choice. They are small minibuses, like the VW bus but newer. They are always packed and even if you think something may not fit, it always will. Matatu drivers sometimes have fake licenses, fake insurance, and fake plates. They will go to whatever lengths necessary to make money and make up time. Once we followed one on a main road into Nairobi and it was making the same time as us, even though it was stopping every half kilometer. They have no regard for traffic signs and rules. Literally, you take your life in your hands when you pay 10 shillings for a ride (about 12 cents). Living in Kenya has its dangers, but you get used to it.
Just last night, I was being driven home in a taxi from the city center and the driver didn't stop at the traffic lights. When we asked him why, he said, there is no traffic now, I do not have to stop. But he was right, it was late and there wasn't any traffic. The road system is British, left hand side for everything. My supervisor drives an American Jeep with the steering on the left side instead of the right. I will not even attempt to drive her car. I am trying to rent a car for 2 months and I can't wait to get on the road. The traffic is horrendous, people drive everywhere (even where there aren't lanes), everyone speeds, but it is great fun. I cannot fully describe the experience of driving in Nairobi, or East Africa for that matter, you have to do it yourself. One of my biggest fears is being stuck on a bus or Matatu when there is some kind of disturbance going on nearby, like a riot. That's when it would really get chaotic.
Monday, February 03, 2003
I am finally in my permanent residence. I am living in my supervisor's new house in the New Muthiaga area of the city. It is a very nice house, something that I would never be able to afford in the States, but it is very affordable here. If you make any sizeable amount of money (say $40,000 US or higher) in Western or Eastern Africa, your standard of living can be very high (as if you made $200,000 or more). My wash has never been done for me before (except by my mother.) The Muthiaga area of the city is where the first turn-of-the-century British settlers came to stay when they made their way into town from their ranches and farms. There is a golf club and hotel that still exists; the Muthiaga Club. The neighborhood is now home to prominent politicians, judges, and businessmen. Karen Blixen made the early twentieth-century European emigres to Nairobi and the surrounding area famous with her book "Out of Africa." I am reading this book right now and fully appreciate the content. I have been advised to watch the movie again after living here. There are two cats that I live with named Molly and Erroll.
Last night, myself and three UN colleagues went to an infamous restaurant called Carnivore. It was a bit commercial, like the Disneyland of wild game eateries. I do not eat that much meat, but I heard stories about this restaurant and wanted to see for myself. The restaurant has a prix fixe menu and you sit at your table with your Carnivore flag up if you would like more meat. You are given a plethora of sauces and some salad complements but the main objective is the meat. Men in wide straw hats (a style which no one in Kenya wears) bring meat on large skewers and announce the name of the meat. I tried zebra, ostrich, two kinds of antelope, elan, and the more traditional chicken, beef, lamb, and pork. When you declare defeat, you remove your Carnivore flag from its post. I could not eat nearly as fast as they were bringing the food and therefore my meat was getting all mixed up on my plate. However, my favorite was the ostrich. I also tried a Dawa (it means medicine in Kiswahili); this is a drink that the restaurant invented. It is vodka, lime, sugar, and honey, very strong but very good. One of my dinner mates had been at the Carnivore twenty years before when it was a real game restaurant; there were just a few tables around a large fire pit. Now, the expensive, fruity drinks are pushed as soon as you sit down. It was definitely an experience and I did have a wonderful time with the company, but it's not like the real Kenya at all.
