It was nice coming back to Nairobi where the temperature is just like a perfect Nordic summer day. Noah has started kindergarten and friends back home have asked - So what are you going to do with all your free time? Free time?? Noah starts kindergarten at 8.30 so we leave home 7.45 in the morning, it is not very far but traffic in the morning is more or less a chaos. The Mutatu drivers drive against the traffic to get through with no fear for their or anyone else's life. Sabua, our driver told me he used to drive the ambulance in Nairobi and I finally understood how he knows all the short cuts that he takes. I am really happy we have him because if comparing the time it takes to go to kindergarten between us and our neighbors leaving at the same time, we are always there first. Mind you we take a few dirt roads and it's sometimes a bit bumpy but we get to see many interesting things on our way.
Anyhow after leaving Noah I sometimes go back home which normally gets me there by 9.45 am. I then have to get ready at 11.45 to go and pick him up again at 12.30, they only offer half days and only 4 days per week. During the time left I try and do the luxurious expat wife things such as having breakfast and coffee :). (I hope you guys get the humorous undertone when I am rambling about)
Talking about time, two days ago Mats received his working visa, Hurray, it was about time! This means we can get serious about looking for a house. A friend of mine told me she looked at 50 houses before she found what she wanted, sigh, I have probably had a look at 20 already with varying standards. There seem to be 3 group of houses within the budget span we are looking at; 1. newly built houses with nice interior but with a tiny, tiny garden, 2. houses from the 70's or 80's with terrible interior and a fantastic large garden including pool and 3. newly built houses with nice interior, nice garden and pool but on the outskirts of Nairobi meaning lots of time spent in traffic. A nice 4 bedroom house with good Western standards cost about 2000 Euros per month in rent, so it is not cheap!
I have called many real estate agents here but they seem a bit lazy and they NEVER call you back so now I have included a little "reward" for the person who finds us a house that we'll move into, the Kenyan way, we'll see if that works better.
Now to a complete different matter, it's interesting how people here really believe in myths and rumors here, I then realize how hard it must be to educate people about HIV and things alike. For example our driver thought that in a cold climate, alcohol doesn't affect you in the same way and you can drink more without getting drunk.
(well I am sure this goes for some Northerners as well)
Our friend's driver told her about a certain mango that if you eat it you could catch malaria...
and lastly the ANZ leader Jacob Zuma said he showered after sex with an HIV-positive woman, thinking this would reduce his risk of being infected...
TIA - This Is Africa
Showing posts with label expat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expat. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Lamu a different kind of paradise
Since our last driving adventure turned out to be a bit bumpy flying to Lamu seemed to the better choice. I've seen a photo of the airstrip of Lamu and it's nothing more than a sandy stretch in between the mangroves and the ocean so I already knew we would not fly a jumbo there, not even one of the smaller jet planes could land there. It turned out to be a 12 seated propeller plane plus the pilot. I´ve never been a real fan of flying so I felt rather brave climbing on board. No safety instructions hmm, I then remembered a story told by a friend of mine who once flew on a small plane in Norway. The air hostess -at least they had room for one, started the safety instructions and half way through she said, of fuck it, if we go down, we go down, very reassuring.
The ascending was rather shaky and I felt nervous for a while, Noah fell asleep almost at once, little cool guy that he is. Once we were up among the clouds I couldn't complain, it was a rather smooth journey and felt a bit like sailing. When we were about to land, there were some really strong wind so we didn't float over the airport or airstrip like one normally would, we flew down so to speak. Imagine sailing a large boat into port during storm, well I guess it would be something similar to that. However it did not last long and I was happy we had reached our near destination
(I tried not to think about the journey back), I wiped my slightly moist palms, got out of the plane and tried to look cool. An instant almost unexpected heat welcomed us.
Lamu is a different kind of paradise, a little island in the Indian Ocean just off the Kenyan coast. The history tells about a wealthy trading port busy with merchants, sultans and their slaves tracing some 600 years back in time. The dwindling alleys, coral and limestone houses comprises the oldest and best preserved East African Swahili settlement, now part of the UNESCO World heritage. Even today the island attracts noble visitors such as princess Caroline of Monaco, Mick Jagger and so forth and it is not hard to understand why, here they can be totally undisturbed, no paparazzi, empty sun kissed beaches, the warm Indian Ocean and delicious seafood. However I am quite sure the celebrities don't stay in Lamu town, more likely at one of the 5-star hotels located on a secluded beach.
In order to get to Lamu we had to cross the straight by boat, you could actually see the town from the opposite side. The jetty was already full of people waiting to cross, most of them were not tourists or at least they didn't look like tourists to me. The warm breeze was a blessing to our warm bodies, we tried to hold on to Noah in the pram, the jetty had large gaps of missing wood but with some effort we managed to get both our bags, our son, now dressed in a bright yellow life west on board a boat. It would cost us 400 Ksh to cross, an equivalent of 4 Euros.
As we are approaching the quay children are jumping in and out of the water giggling and screaming with joy while women are piercing at us through their black bui bui's. Lamu is a Muslim society and one is likely to see veiled women and men dressed in the traditional kanzu. Our hostess later tells me that this is indeed a Muslim society but not an overly strict one, for a Westerner the bui bui may seem strict but we do not know what goes on underneath.. Everywhere we are greeted with a smile and a - Karibu (welcome) and it seems rather genuine. I have to admit though that we were a little shocked by the ruralness of Lamu, I mean we did know that there were no cars here except from one 3-wheeled ambulance and a Landrover and that donkeys were the public transport but I suppose we were still in a Swedish state of mind, expecting neat and cleanliness.
This is not some typical holiday resort built to cater for the needs of tourists, this is Lamu, real and raw and far more interesting. We follow our porter through the narrow alley ways, trying not to step in donkey poo oh well sooner or later we will but in the meantime I would like to remain clean thank you! Most alley ways are only 1 to 2 meters wide and one quickly has to find a door way to hide in while donkeys pass with their heavy load and believe me they come at full speed. The town is about 10 alleyways wide and dates back to the 14th century, apparently some 40 houses are interconnected by upstairs passages so Muslim women in those days didn't have to leave the houses, sounds a bit like prison to me but maybe it was convenient.
We stop in front of a large carved wooden door, just behind Lamu fort, this is the entrance to Subira House, formerly a house owned by the governor of the Sultan built about 200 years ago, now a restored and beautifully renovated B&B run by a Swedish couple. Stepping inside is like entering another world, walking around town you wouldn't even know these oasis existed but behind a wooden door lies many secrets. We step into a beautiful courtyard, the center of the whole house, with two floors built around and above it. We take our shoes off and feel the smooth, warm limestone floor under our feet, we climb the stairs with exceptionally high steps to the first floor looking over another open courtyard with a small garden of flowers, a frangipani tree and pink bourganvillas hanging down from the roof. The first floor has 4 rooms all beautifully decorated in swahili style with four poster wooden beds, small tables with inlayed pottery and outside on the terraces you can relax in one of the daybeds decorated with colorful fabrics and pillows. The architecture and beautiful design of these swahili houses allows for a social lifestyle yet in privacy. All the open spaces and terraces lets the ocean breeze cool the interior and its inhabitants. Late in the evening the floor is still warm from the strong Kenyan sun, Lamu is situated only two degrees south of the equator.
To be continued...
The ascending was rather shaky and I felt nervous for a while, Noah fell asleep almost at once, little cool guy that he is. Once we were up among the clouds I couldn't complain, it was a rather smooth journey and felt a bit like sailing. When we were about to land, there were some really strong wind so we didn't float over the airport or airstrip like one normally would, we flew down so to speak. Imagine sailing a large boat into port during storm, well I guess it would be something similar to that. However it did not last long and I was happy we had reached our near destination
(I tried not to think about the journey back), I wiped my slightly moist palms, got out of the plane and tried to look cool. An instant almost unexpected heat welcomed us.
Lamu is a different kind of paradise, a little island in the Indian Ocean just off the Kenyan coast. The history tells about a wealthy trading port busy with merchants, sultans and their slaves tracing some 600 years back in time. The dwindling alleys, coral and limestone houses comprises the oldest and best preserved East African Swahili settlement, now part of the UNESCO World heritage. Even today the island attracts noble visitors such as princess Caroline of Monaco, Mick Jagger and so forth and it is not hard to understand why, here they can be totally undisturbed, no paparazzi, empty sun kissed beaches, the warm Indian Ocean and delicious seafood. However I am quite sure the celebrities don't stay in Lamu town, more likely at one of the 5-star hotels located on a secluded beach.
In order to get to Lamu we had to cross the straight by boat, you could actually see the town from the opposite side. The jetty was already full of people waiting to cross, most of them were not tourists or at least they didn't look like tourists to me. The warm breeze was a blessing to our warm bodies, we tried to hold on to Noah in the pram, the jetty had large gaps of missing wood but with some effort we managed to get both our bags, our son, now dressed in a bright yellow life west on board a boat. It would cost us 400 Ksh to cross, an equivalent of 4 Euros.
As we are approaching the quay children are jumping in and out of the water giggling and screaming with joy while women are piercing at us through their black bui bui's. Lamu is a Muslim society and one is likely to see veiled women and men dressed in the traditional kanzu. Our hostess later tells me that this is indeed a Muslim society but not an overly strict one, for a Westerner the bui bui may seem strict but we do not know what goes on underneath.. Everywhere we are greeted with a smile and a - Karibu (welcome) and it seems rather genuine. I have to admit though that we were a little shocked by the ruralness of Lamu, I mean we did know that there were no cars here except from one 3-wheeled ambulance and a Landrover and that donkeys were the public transport but I suppose we were still in a Swedish state of mind, expecting neat and cleanliness.
This is not some typical holiday resort built to cater for the needs of tourists, this is Lamu, real and raw and far more interesting. We follow our porter through the narrow alley ways, trying not to step in donkey poo oh well sooner or later we will but in the meantime I would like to remain clean thank you! Most alley ways are only 1 to 2 meters wide and one quickly has to find a door way to hide in while donkeys pass with their heavy load and believe me they come at full speed. The town is about 10 alleyways wide and dates back to the 14th century, apparently some 40 houses are interconnected by upstairs passages so Muslim women in those days didn't have to leave the houses, sounds a bit like prison to me but maybe it was convenient.
We stop in front of a large carved wooden door, just behind Lamu fort, this is the entrance to Subira House, formerly a house owned by the governor of the Sultan built about 200 years ago, now a restored and beautifully renovated B&B run by a Swedish couple. Stepping inside is like entering another world, walking around town you wouldn't even know these oasis existed but behind a wooden door lies many secrets. We step into a beautiful courtyard, the center of the whole house, with two floors built around and above it. We take our shoes off and feel the smooth, warm limestone floor under our feet, we climb the stairs with exceptionally high steps to the first floor looking over another open courtyard with a small garden of flowers, a frangipani tree and pink bourganvillas hanging down from the roof. The first floor has 4 rooms all beautifully decorated in swahili style with four poster wooden beds, small tables with inlayed pottery and outside on the terraces you can relax in one of the daybeds decorated with colorful fabrics and pillows. The architecture and beautiful design of these swahili houses allows for a social lifestyle yet in privacy. All the open spaces and terraces lets the ocean breeze cool the interior and its inhabitants. Late in the evening the floor is still warm from the strong Kenyan sun, Lamu is situated only two degrees south of the equator.
To be continued...
Friday, December 12, 2008
Breathing in the wild
The tarmac ended just before the Masai Mara gateway town called Narok, which is the provincial town of Masai Mara.Apparently the tarmac hadn't reached Narok due to politics, more likely to mean the bribe wasn't paid. Oh yes, Kenya is indeed one of the most corrupted countries in the world and it has reached endemic proportions here. I remember a while ago when there was an outcry in Swedish papers claiming that Ericsson had used bribes to get an Indian contract, well hello, how else would they get it? Unfortunately bribery is the way to do business here despite laws such as the Anti Corruption law and Economics Crimes Act. The legal and institutional framework simply doesn't work to stop corruption mainly because most public officials earns a small fortune (in Kenyan terms) by acquiring and accepting bribes hence delaying different projects.
Narok seemed to be a busy little town, what I find amazing is how men and women manage to look so clean and tidy despite living in tonnes of dust. Their clothes are always immaculate, white shirts with no stains and no wrinkles. What's their secret?
We continued the bumpy journey and finally reached the park entrance and thought we didn't have long to go. We were quite wrong, even if it was just another 12km it took forever. If you have seen the movie Shrek, I'd like to quote: Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No. However it didn't really matter because the plains were beautiful,speckled with thorn and acacia trees, shared by herds of zebra, giraffe, elephant and buffalo.
We arrived at Mara Serena Safari Lodge around 2.30 p.m, just before the buffet lunch closed :).
The lunch was delicious and the surroundings were absolutely stunning! The hotel is set on a high ridge and the actual rooms are freestanding mud huts, a modern version of the traditional African domes. Each hut has a small balcony overlooking the valley and the water hole. In the night, you lie there tucked in your bed hearing the lions roar over their last prey. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the sound and at first I thought it was Mats snoring, then I heard it again and it definitely was not him! The roar and groaning of a lion is a deep, guttural sound and it is very hard to estimate the distance between yourself and the lion. My immediate thought was: Have I closed the balcony door properly...as if a lion would climb in. Then I realized it wasn't that close but still I wasn't watching a documentary with David Attenborough either somewhere out there was a real lion.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Safari to Masai Mara
At the very last minute we decided to go on a safari to Masai Mara for the weekend. For those of you that didn't already know, Safari means journey in Swahili and what a journey it was! We were choosing between the options of flying or driving and since we felt a bit adventurous and wanted to see more of the country we decided for the latter option.
Reading up on the Internet, various web sites said it would be a 6h drive at it's best and that the road range varied from acceptable to abominable. Coming from Sweden where most things are neat and organized I suppose we didn't expect anything as near as bad as it was. We set of at 6 a.m to escape the worst morning traffic and managed to get out of Nairobi taking the A104 towards Lake Naivasha and Nakuru. As you descend down from the 1600 m plateau you get a breathtaking view over the Rift Valley. Trucks and overloaded buses move slowly down the very steep hill without railings while cars overtake them at a killer speed. At a look out point shops more resembling wooden shacks, sell souvenirs and if you are in "need" you could always use the toilette hanging off a cliff, be sure to keep the door open for a magnificent view.
After turning left to Narok the road went from ok to really bad. We were shaking bums for the next 2 hours or something that felt like an eternity. I kept thinking of those vibrator shape up things they sell on TV-shop, claiming to increase fat burning, well hey those things were nothing compared to this and I was starting to look forward to see my flat, muscular tummy when arriving. Despite the terrible road condition the trip was quite enjoyable and suddenly out of the blue, we saw tarmac!
To be continued...
Reading up on the Internet, various web sites said it would be a 6h drive at it's best and that the road range varied from acceptable to abominable. Coming from Sweden where most things are neat and organized I suppose we didn't expect anything as near as bad as it was. We set of at 6 a.m to escape the worst morning traffic and managed to get out of Nairobi taking the A104 towards Lake Naivasha and Nakuru. As you descend down from the 1600 m plateau you get a breathtaking view over the Rift Valley. Trucks and overloaded buses move slowly down the very steep hill without railings while cars overtake them at a killer speed. At a look out point shops more resembling wooden shacks, sell souvenirs and if you are in "need" you could always use the toilette hanging off a cliff, be sure to keep the door open for a magnificent view.
After turning left to Narok the road went from ok to really bad. We were shaking bums for the next 2 hours or something that felt like an eternity. I kept thinking of those vibrator shape up things they sell on TV-shop, claiming to increase fat burning, well hey those things were nothing compared to this and I was starting to look forward to see my flat, muscular tummy when arriving. Despite the terrible road condition the trip was quite enjoyable and suddenly out of the blue, we saw tarmac!
To be continued...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Casualties in the night
We have been here for a week now and I've still not gotten used the rock hard bed (I've gotten used to the pool), I try to convince myself it's good for me..but right now I am feeling quite stiff.
Like most expat wives, I have spent the last few days in the shopping mall, shopping for food, food and more food. Our driver must think we are crazy bringing back bag after bag,I tried to cover it up by adding that we came with nothing..
When telling friends and family that we were moving to Kenya I guess many of them imagined us living in a mud hut in an underdeveloped country with no western goods. It's really not like that at all, you actually find everything here. The food stores for example are as large as any food store back home and have everything that you might need but maybe not WHEN you need it. I've learned that what's available in the store today may be gone tomorrow. It is not as cheap as I expected it to be but then I suppose most Kenyans do not do their grocery shopping at the malls.
Local fruit and vegetables are very cheap though, you can buy a kilo of mangoes for an equivalent of 7 SEK, now that's cheap! You'll find avocados the size of water melons and they'll cost you nothing. Why are avocados back home so small and always the same size I am asking myself? There are so many type of fruits and vegetables that I have no idea what they are or how to use them but I am really eager to find out.
Along the roads you find all kind of vendors that sell anything from fruit and vegetables to furniture, mobile phones and flowers. I would love to buy fruit and veggies here, from the locals, but unfortunately I am not a big fan of pollution which is why I choose the mall alternative. The fresh flowers however are hard to resist, so I bought a large bouquet today and payed something like 32 SEK, the driver said it was a bit overpriced but it does not matter,the vendor fooled me but I was quite happy to pay.
Now to a complete different matter, how come there's no malaria in Nairobi when the rest of the country is plagued by the disease? They say it is because the malaria mosquito doesn't like high altitudes (Nairobi is situated 1600 m above sea level). Even if there's no malaria there sure are other type of mosquitoes here!
The other afternoon, Mats had just arrived home and we decided to take Noah for a walk around the pool. It was still daylight so I left the balcony door wide open, we were only gone for about 5-10 minutes. I forgot that the sun sets very quickly here and by the time we got back inside it was almost dark. I did not only leave the balcony door wide open I also left the lights on inside..lesson number three NEVER,EVER leave a door open after dark in Kenya. The apartment was swarming with a million mosquitoes, I kid you not! We turned the lights off inside and turned it on outside with the hope of luring the mosquitoes out again, that didn't work very well. I guess they would have flown out eventually but we didn't have the whole night. So we went berserk with the broom,which Noah found very amusing. You can still see the casualties smashed on the wall.
Like most expat wives, I have spent the last few days in the shopping mall, shopping for food, food and more food. Our driver must think we are crazy bringing back bag after bag,I tried to cover it up by adding that we came with nothing..
When telling friends and family that we were moving to Kenya I guess many of them imagined us living in a mud hut in an underdeveloped country with no western goods. It's really not like that at all, you actually find everything here. The food stores for example are as large as any food store back home and have everything that you might need but maybe not WHEN you need it. I've learned that what's available in the store today may be gone tomorrow. It is not as cheap as I expected it to be but then I suppose most Kenyans do not do their grocery shopping at the malls.
Local fruit and vegetables are very cheap though, you can buy a kilo of mangoes for an equivalent of 7 SEK, now that's cheap! You'll find avocados the size of water melons and they'll cost you nothing. Why are avocados back home so small and always the same size I am asking myself? There are so many type of fruits and vegetables that I have no idea what they are or how to use them but I am really eager to find out.
Along the roads you find all kind of vendors that sell anything from fruit and vegetables to furniture, mobile phones and flowers. I would love to buy fruit and veggies here, from the locals, but unfortunately I am not a big fan of pollution which is why I choose the mall alternative. The fresh flowers however are hard to resist, so I bought a large bouquet today and payed something like 32 SEK, the driver said it was a bit overpriced but it does not matter,the vendor fooled me but I was quite happy to pay.
Now to a complete different matter, how come there's no malaria in Nairobi when the rest of the country is plagued by the disease? They say it is because the malaria mosquito doesn't like high altitudes (Nairobi is situated 1600 m above sea level). Even if there's no malaria there sure are other type of mosquitoes here!
The other afternoon, Mats had just arrived home and we decided to take Noah for a walk around the pool. It was still daylight so I left the balcony door wide open, we were only gone for about 5-10 minutes. I forgot that the sun sets very quickly here and by the time we got back inside it was almost dark. I did not only leave the balcony door wide open I also left the lights on inside..lesson number three NEVER,EVER leave a door open after dark in Kenya. The apartment was swarming with a million mosquitoes, I kid you not! We turned the lights off inside and turned it on outside with the hope of luring the mosquitoes out again, that didn't work very well. I guess they would have flown out eventually but we didn't have the whole night. So we went berserk with the broom,which Noah found very amusing. You can still see the casualties smashed on the wall.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
No more Kenyan hassles
I was so tired on the way from the bank to the apartment that I actually could not take in the view of our new home town, I fell asleep. The apartment lies in a nice area and is like most apartments around here, a gated block. This means that there is a large gate with armed guards, high walls that are wired with an electric fence and 24 -hour security, many may think this would make you feel like a prisoner, but actually for some reason is doesn't. I guess it is because this part of town is safe to walk around in "outside the fence", oh how terrible did that not sound?
Of course there are areas in Nairobi where one should not walk around alone and definitely not after dark but there are also places in London, New York, Sydney or Stockholm where I would not go either. One has to remember that this is Africa and that crime is fueled by poverty, I mean what would you not do in order to feed your starving family? If a muzungu (white man in Swahili) passes by flashing his Rolex, I guess he is more than likely to loose it to someone who is in better need of it.
Thankfully, Kenya is better off than most nations in Africa. It may be an exaggeration to say that the future looks bright, let's say that the future looks more positive than ever before but it will take time for change to take place and before its benefits reaches the whole population. Having that said, I almost feel embarrassed by telling you how we live. However, I have decided not to but rather let it remind me of being grateful and try and find a way to give something back to Kenya and it's people.
Within the fortification;) you find 3 blocks of apartments surrounded by a beautifully catered garden and pool. I am still amazed at how green and lush it is here, flowers of all kinds and colors. Could green possibly be greener in Kenya than back home?
The apartment itself is large, completely new and has an outdoor area where Noah loves hanging out, saying hello to anyone happening to pass by. This is the place we will live until we receive our residency, god knows how long that will take.
Of course there are areas in Nairobi where one should not walk around alone and definitely not after dark but there are also places in London, New York, Sydney or Stockholm where I would not go either. One has to remember that this is Africa and that crime is fueled by poverty, I mean what would you not do in order to feed your starving family? If a muzungu (white man in Swahili) passes by flashing his Rolex, I guess he is more than likely to loose it to someone who is in better need of it.
Thankfully, Kenya is better off than most nations in Africa. It may be an exaggeration to say that the future looks bright, let's say that the future looks more positive than ever before but it will take time for change to take place and before its benefits reaches the whole population. Having that said, I almost feel embarrassed by telling you how we live. However, I have decided not to but rather let it remind me of being grateful and try and find a way to give something back to Kenya and it's people.
Within the fortification;) you find 3 blocks of apartments surrounded by a beautifully catered garden and pool. I am still amazed at how green and lush it is here, flowers of all kinds and colors. Could green possibly be greener in Kenya than back home?
The apartment itself is large, completely new and has an outdoor area where Noah loves hanging out, saying hello to anyone happening to pass by. This is the place we will live until we receive our residency, god knows how long that will take.
Friday, November 28, 2008
First day on Kenyan soil
After months of talking it feels quite surreal to finally be here. The driver, "our" driver was waiting for us at the airport, thank god what a luxury. Mind you, having a driver is actually a safety precaution from the company, one is not prohibited to drive but it is not recommended. Those who thought crime would be the major concern here in Nairobi are wrong, it is traffic that one should really worry about. Accidents are 25% more common than in Sweden and it can be quite tricky to find your way around unless you are a local. The good thing about having a driver besides the comfort, is that we are creating work opportunities.
After packing all stuff into the car we slowly moved away from the airport, traffic is really bad here especially at this time of the day. I saw some giraffes grazing in the distance and screamed out loud in excitement, the driver gave me an odd look. Well, it is not everyday you see a giraffe.
After about half an hour the driver asked Mats if he had any cash on him..as we just flew in from Sweden we did not have any Kenyan shilling (but we will next time). Apparently we were almost out of petrol, the car came with a driver but with no petrol, how peculiar. Lesson number one, do not take things for granted here.
We managed to get to a petrol station with an ATM but Mats' Kenyan card did not work, lesson number two do not take things for granted here. In the zombie state we were in solutions did not come to us easily, we continued the slow journey towards the city and found a bank. Something that would take 5-10 minutes to solve in Sweden took over an hour here. You see, the bankcard was not activated and this could not be done before 1 pm, it was 11 am right now. The white man in the zombie state managed to get the bank to write him a cheque, well done!
Would we make it to the apartment with no other hassles?
After packing all stuff into the car we slowly moved away from the airport, traffic is really bad here especially at this time of the day. I saw some giraffes grazing in the distance and screamed out loud in excitement, the driver gave me an odd look. Well, it is not everyday you see a giraffe.
After about half an hour the driver asked Mats if he had any cash on him..as we just flew in from Sweden we did not have any Kenyan shilling (but we will next time). Apparently we were almost out of petrol, the car came with a driver but with no petrol, how peculiar. Lesson number one, do not take things for granted here.
We managed to get to a petrol station with an ATM but Mats' Kenyan card did not work, lesson number two do not take things for granted here. In the zombie state we were in solutions did not come to us easily, we continued the slow journey towards the city and found a bank. Something that would take 5-10 minutes to solve in Sweden took over an hour here. You see, the bankcard was not activated and this could not be done before 1 pm, it was 11 am right now. The white man in the zombie state managed to get the bank to write him a cheque, well done!
Would we make it to the apartment with no other hassles?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Trip to Africa
Finally the day had come for us to leave Stockholm. We were supposed to leave on Thursday and drive down to see our family down south and then fly out from Copenhagen, however on Friday night we still had heaps to pack and organize. Waking up on Saturday I looked out the window only to see a layer of snow on the balcony, great, really great. We had a 6 hour drive down south and without winter tires it would not be a very pleasant journey. On top of that we had to be out of our apartment by 8 o´clock since our new tenant would arrive. Somehow we managed to pack everything, well not really everything, we had to run to the attic twice to leave stuff behind and drive off before 8, oh and yeah, we also had time to argue about how little time we had.
We spent a few days saying farewell, Noah made sure to leave something from him behind, he contaminated the whole family with his nasty cold, thank you and good bye! The train to Copenhagen is NEVER delayed I was told, right..we apparently managed to catch the only, delayed train in history. We got to the airport 1.5 late but we still had time to run to our flight (and argue) on empty stomachs, they forgot to attach a restaurant to the train...
Anyway, got on the flight and Noah fell a sleep like a baby only to wake up 2 hours later, some time around midnight or just before the end of the movie. He then refused to sleep for the rest of the night but decided to turn in just before landing but by then his parents were already like zombies....
Flying into Nairobi is really amazing, especially if you fly in early in the morning. The sun rises over Africa like nowhere else, being right on top of the equator. You spot the vast savanna down there in between the high mountains and you can almost hear the lion's roar stirring up the hoards of the wilder beasts. Habari Africa!
We spent a few days saying farewell, Noah made sure to leave something from him behind, he contaminated the whole family with his nasty cold, thank you and good bye! The train to Copenhagen is NEVER delayed I was told, right..we apparently managed to catch the only, delayed train in history. We got to the airport 1.5 late but we still had time to run to our flight (and argue) on empty stomachs, they forgot to attach a restaurant to the train...
Anyway, got on the flight and Noah fell a sleep like a baby only to wake up 2 hours later, some time around midnight or just before the end of the movie. He then refused to sleep for the rest of the night but decided to turn in just before landing but by then his parents were already like zombies....
Flying into Nairobi is really amazing, especially if you fly in early in the morning. The sun rises over Africa like nowhere else, being right on top of the equator. You spot the vast savanna down there in between the high mountains and you can almost hear the lion's roar stirring up the hoards of the wilder beasts. Habari Africa!
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