Nairobi, Nakuru, Naivasha

Nairobi
The shuttle bus from Moshi to Nairobi spent about 85% of the nine hour journey off-roading because the long "highway" was under construction. About 10% was spent stopped or broken down. Only 5% was on a paved road...but 99% of that 5% reminded me of a car racing video game where you weave in and out of traffic, hoping not to die. It was an interesting way to enter the city known as "Nairobbery."

We found a backpackers' hostel full of budget travelers from all over the world...most of whom spend their evenings around the fire, reading their Lonely Planet Africa books, drinking Tusker, and one-upping each other on travel stories. It makes for good people watching, especially while I sit by the fire, read my guidebook and drink a Tusker...

Grad Night 1993
(we still look the same, right????)

One of the greatest parts of this city is that my high school buddy lives here. Since graduation, she has worked her way around the world and is currently in Kenya doing nutrition education in slums and rural areas. She is amazing. And she hasn't changed at all. I swear she still looks 18 to me. We spent the day with Christine and her boyfriend, a 23 year old hip hop artist named Octo, as well as his one-and-half year old daughter, Tracy.

Octo, the oldest of four children, was orphaned at the age of 15 and left to raise himself in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and one of the biggest in the world. It houses about one million people who don't have much access to basic human needs, like clean water. Octo, who also runs a youth center in Kibera, provided us with a tour of his old neighborhood. (Tours of Kibera are starting to become popular with Nairobi tourists, but not many guides can take you deep inside...most stay along the perimeter.) There aren't many roads in Kibera, just walking paths that take you past countless mud shacks, mounds of trash, catatonic dogs, piles of charcoal for sale, streams of sewage, goats, and gangs of unsupervised toddlers. I felt the way Lesley Stahl often looks while on assignment...completely out of place. I didn't want to come across as a wealthy, white voyeur touring one of the poorest neighborhoods in the world...but that's exactly what I was.  I have never before felt so privilliged.

After walking for at least an hour through the slum's maze, we finally arrived at our destination: Octo's rented shack, where his 12 year old brother currently lives (ALONE). His brother was still at school so we hung out in his room without him, completely in awe of his living quarters. The 8x8 room was dark with the only light coming from the doorway and a few openings in the tin roof. He has fearless rats as roommates and strangers as neighbors. There is a little charcoal stove in the corner, which he uses to cook all his breakfasts and dinners (he gets lunch at school). Newspaper pages from the fashion and entertainment sections decorate some of the wall space, but it's mostly just mud. Just outside his front door is a pile of trash and stream of raw sewage. The nearby outhouse, used by countless people, had recently fallen apart. When it rains heavily  this raw sewage finds its way inside his front door. I can't stop thinking about this 12 year old boy who I haven't even met! Christine and Octo are hoping he gets accepted into a boarding school at the beginning of the new year, along with his 15 year old sister (a whole other story!) who is also in need of a new living arrangement.

Octo's recent feature in a Nairobi newspaper

Starting our tour of Kibera with Octo...still in the peripheral "safe zone". 

The mud room on the right is where Octo's brother lives...and where Octo lived until recently. During the rainy season, that little stream of sewage rises through into his shack.

Tracy, Princess of well behaved children

 Nakuru

The two hour matatu ride from Nairobi to Nakura made my shuttle bus from Moshi seem luxurious. I was crammed into the 14th seat in the back corner of this soon-to-be-illegal mode of transportation and every little bump made my head hit the roof. N and I headed into Lake Nakuru National Park, just on the outskirts of this crowded town, for the next 24 hours. The afternoon safari was amazing, despite having a teenager who couldn't drive a manual car as a guide. We had close up encounters with endangered rhino, giraffes, cape buffalo, antelope of all kinds, thousands of flamingos, white pelicans, cranes, and even a leopard! We didn't see any tree climbing lions, but heard a pair mating during the night just ouside our camp's fence. Our morning safari was equally relaxing and beautiful, and by the afternoon we were loving Nakuru. After lunch we decided to find a place to stay the night so we could explore the town a bit more, but we wanted to leave the area after learning that all Nakuru hotels (even those recommended by the guidebook) are havens for prostitutes and their patrons. During that walk through town, I realized Nakuru has a sinister energy to it that completely contrasts with the feeling at the neighboring lake. Nakuru kind of reminded me of an old frontier town from the 1800's...lots of desperate people crammed together and trying to make money in any way possible, whether it be from stealing, swindling, prostituting, begging, or selling random cuts of meat. After a frustrating encounter with a con-artist at the bus station, we were happily on our way to Naivasha.

lots of white and black rhinos in this park

the male (left) went to start some trouble with the three ladies

I'm now a birder! (this is a weaver)

baboon eating a mango along the lookout point

beautiful water buck

one of the only places where
Rothschild giraffes still roam free

the lake is known for its flocks of flamingos

view from lookout point (Baboon Cliffs)

Naivasha
The matatu dropped us off down the hill from Top Camp and we hiked up, hoping we'd like what we'd find. The view was amazing and our little cabin was surrounded by huge flowering cacti, birds, roaming cattle, chickens, and insects galore. This could be entymologist's lab, especially in the outhouse at night. N & I found a local restaurant with yummy comfort food for about $1 per meal, a resort camp across the road with $3 coffee (what a contrast!), and many small butcheries (usually connected to a bar or a hotel). Our bike ride in Hell's Gate was hellish....I'm still recovering. I actually found myself missing the city of Nairobi...so we headed back for another night at our hippie hostel, kissed some giraffes, and went out for the best Ethiopian food of my life.

Hell's Gate National Park (while I was still enjoying the ride)

AMAZING Ethiopian food in Nairobi

 

Stella, people person extraordinaire and night receptionist at Milimani Backpacker's Hostel.

19,340 feet above Africa

Some people rely on months of training to make it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Some people rely on fierce determination. I had neither...but I somehow made it!

Here are some excerpts from my journal to give you an idea of what it was like.

Day One
I think I pulled a muscle in my thigh. I have a blister on my heel...and I have a hangnail. Why did I sign up for this trip?? I am so out of shape. I was the last person to get to camp...the seven mile hike was really hard for me...especially the last stretch. The altitude gain was 4000 feet and now we're at 9950 feet (only about 10,000 more to go!).

I am blown away by how many porters are on the mountain (10 just for our group of four climbers) and how much they carry on their backs and heads. We have one porter for our toilet tent. His name is KCMC and he carries the portable toilet and its tent all over this mountain. Others carry our bags, tents, food and some trek miles each day to fetch us water. They are amazing.

The forest we hiked through today was so beautiful...very enchanted with lots of ferns, vines and lichens. We saw black & white colobus monkeys in the treetops and turacos close by. Tomorrow's hike is much shorter, but incredibly steep. Rest and recovery. :)

I wish I brought nailclippers.

Porters lining up at Machame Gate 
to get their bags weighed.

Day Two    I spent most of the night worrying about having to leave early or be evacuated. The "what ifs" invaded my brain. I was feeling incredibly discouraged last night and worried that leaving might be my only option. If I had so much trouble on the first day, how am I possibly going to make it through this trip? But when I got out of my sleeping bag this morning, my leg felt a little better so I decided to trek on...This time Dean joined me in "Team Pole Pole" (the slow group). Today's hike was even more beautiful than yesterday's. We climbed through a cloud layer and the view was amazing. We were surrounded by the coolest looking plants and trees and flowers...it felt like we were in a Dr. Seuss storybook setting.  Made it to Shira Cave Camp by about 2:30. Not bad!

Day 2 hike...looking down over first camp

Great way to start the day!
 Jeff brought us coffee & tea every morning!

Brenda, Robby, Natcho & Dean in our dining room

Brenda has nailclippers!

Day Three
I made it through another day! The first part of the day was a gradual ascent to 14,900 feet, where we stopped for lunch and caught the beginning of some snowdrops. Despite the cold weather, some porters wore very little...like cotton Tshirts, shorts, and even flip flops! I learned that our porters get paid about $5 a day. This is good money for them, which is why they are here, but it's a very dangerous and difficult job. It's not uncommon for porters to die while on the mountain (usually from altitude sickness) and their job takes a very demanding toll on their bodies. I am constantly in awe of them.

We got moving soon after lunch and headed through what reminded me of the Anza-Borrego in the springtime. Beautiful plants that looked like they belonged in the desert. This is also where I had my first close-up view of the summit glaciers. We got down to Barranco Camp (hike high, sleep low) by about 3:30, just after it started to rain. I changed clothes, snuggled into my sleeping bag and waited for afternoon tea.

I'm adapting very well to high altitude...my oxygen saturation reading tonight was 92 while everyone else was in the 80's (not that this is a competition). Great view of Moshi's lights from our camp. So glad I'm here and not there. :)

Day Four
Stepped outside during the middle of the night and was awestruck by the beautiful view. The clouds had cleared to reveal the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, highlighted by the almost full moon. The stars were shining brightly and the constellation Orion was above me.

I heard the Barranco Wall would be one of the most difficult parts of the trip because it's so steep and you need to use your hands to climb it...but I loved it! It wasn't nearly as hard as I expected and the view along the way was spectacular. We made it to Karanga Camp in time for lunch...then Scrabble with the British neighbors...and then a great nap.

On top of the Barranco Wall. Being a mountaineer!

Dinner tonight: White rice with ginger beef; potato soup with cilantro and random spices; fritters; veggie sauce. Then we celebrated Natcho's birthday with song, chocolate, and Coca-Cola.

My body is getting tired and my muscles are sore (first time I've used them in awhile!). Tomorrow we hike up to Barafu Camp and then start our ascent to the summit around midnight so we arrive at sunrise. Sounds exhausting!

Day Five
Barafu Camp is really cold and disorganized...and reminds me more of a refugee camp than a high point for mountain climbers. It's snowing and I'm worried it won't stop in time for our ascent. The plan is to head out at 1:00am, reach Stella Point at about 6am, and then hike the 45 minutes to the peak (photo op with sign). It's a full moon tonight, but that means nothing if it's cloudy and snowing. Also, the whole point of getting to the top (for me) is to see sunrise from the top of Africa...but that won't happen if this weather continues. I'm being really negative, I know. I'm grouchy, I know. I need to try to catch a few hours of sleep before we head out.

Day Six
Today was possibly the hardest day of my life. After very little sleep, some tea and snacks, we left camp at 1:00am to start our ascent. I was in a horrible mood and I apologize to anyone on the trail with me because I know I was emitting negative energy. Sorry! I didn't want to go...It was still misting...and it was cold and dark...and I just wanted to stay in my warm sleeping bag. I thought about that sleeping bag the whole way up! There were a few times I wanted to go back to camp, but it just wasn't an option. I wasn't feeling well throughout most of the ascent and wanted to take little breaks, which occassionally turned into "I want to give up" breaks. I didn't have the motivation that so many others on that trail had...and I was cranky. I threw up during one of my breaks (just as my new British friends were passing by), but then felt well enough to continue...slowly. Very slowy. Each step felt like I was moving a ton of bricks and it is a miracle that I made it to the top.

Full moon over crater rim

Stella Point was breathtaking (literally). It had an amazing view from all sides...full moon on one side, rising sun on the other, sunken crater, cloud line...it was incredible. I stayed there long enough to welcome Dean (and Andrew), which was one of the greatest moments of the trip. We met up with the others on our way to Uhuru Peak, had tea and a snack while gazing at glaciers, and then continued on to our photoshoot at the summit's sign (which is apparently a must).

Dean's final steps to Stella Point!

With my "guide" at Stella Point...
Natcho was very patient with me!

All sunrises are spectacular...this one was a miracle.

Tea time at the top of Africa

The way down was anti-climatic and slippery and long...but we got back just in time to rest before having to descent again. After a quick nap in the refugee camp, we continued down to Millenium Camp, where we had a great view of the summit and stared at it in amazement. It already seems like so long ago that I was there!

Start of the long descent down.

My legs are killing me and my knee hurts and I'm worried about tomorrow's descent.

Day Seven
For the average Mt. Kili climber, it takes about four hours to go down the 12 miles on the Mweka Trail. I am not average. It took me much longer...and then some. I felt physically disabled. I used my hiking poles as canes and could barely bend my left knee. Both of my big toes were swollen and sore. Every step down was incredibly painful (even though I took one of Robbie's magic pain relievers). The rest of the group was ahead and I knew they were waiting for me. I was so frustrated wth my body! I finally made it down to the dirt road, with Natcho as my companion, and had about one more mile to go when I heard the car. Nechi came to rescue me! My original worry of being evacuated actually came true...but it happened when I was off the trail and had only a mile left to go. I LOVED not having to walk that last mile and was so relieved to be "rescued."

Using my canes to hobble down the mountain

The vehicle that rescued me from my last mile!

Final Thoughts:
I have no desire to climb another major summit.
Porters are supermen.
Our planet is magical.
Sometimes I complain too much.

Whatever is Excellent

My baby for about 30 minutes

Whatever is Excellent bus


Off to the Swahili Coast...



All the buses here seem to have a random message displayed on their front windshield. My bus from Moshi to Tanga said "Whatever is Excellent," which I thought was really strange...but then it kept popping into my head during my time along the Swahili Coast. I kept thinking, "Yes! Whatever IS Excellent!" Regardless of what happens, it can be excellent depending on how I see it.  All sense of personal space was lost during that five hour bus ride...and I even had a baby placed on my lap (without my permission) for the last leg down south to Peponi Beach. But it was cheap and efficient and made for great people watching!

The Tanzanian coastline is breathtaking. There are monkeys in palm trees along the beach...the ocean is warm...there is a great breeze in the air at all times. It's pretty much heaven on Earth. But this didn't keep me from having my first African day of irrational crankiness...I woke up on the wrong side of the tent after a terrible night's sleep and remembering that my clean clothes were left outside during a midnight downpour. It was just one of those days, despite being in the most perfect paradise imaginable. But then I remembered that whatever is excellent...and I snapped out of it. :)

"Pepi" the dhow, took us to a little sand island for snorkelling.
It was gorgeous!!!

We camped for a few nights at Peponi Beach Resort, which has amazing food and super cold beer. Campsites are only $4 per person and steps from the Indian Ocean. It's something you'd see in Budget Travel magazine. We took a dhow out to a tiny island and snorkeled in its reef...and I pretended like I was a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I couldn't resist the offer of a raft, so I also found myself floating in the Indian Ocean, although I was kind of worried the wind would carry me to Mombassa.





Off to Pemba Island...

Arriving on Pemba Island after five hours in steerage

Lots of fish on the streets of Pemba Island

We then hopped on a ferry (cargo ship, as it turned out) to Pemba Island, known for its clove production, voodoo practices, and endemic "flying foxes." It's one of the most beautiful places I'd never want to visit again. I loved it at first, but my admiration soon turned to impatience. It was too slow for me. And I didn't like having to cover up my entire body in hot & humid weather (Pemba is 95% Muslim and very conservative). I didn't realize I'd have to walk through a village on our way to a beach, so I wasn't covered up properly. My shoulders were exposed and my knees occassionally peeked out under my sarong. I have never received so many dirty looks from other women. It was an uncomfortable feeling to know the way I looked made me unwelcome (or so I perceived).

My new beverage of choice: sugarcane juice!

A handful of the many unsupervised children roaming the roads of Pemba Island.

Example of how children here MAKE their own toys out of TRASH. 
This was a kite. And he loved it.
Orion, are you reading this?? :)

Our overcrowded dala dala ride to north Pemba

The north coast of Pemba is known for its diving and almost all of the island's tourists congregate in this area, rarely leaving their hotels except to dive in the surrounding waters. We headed up there so Natcho could dive, but instead of staying at a fancy resort we camped next door at Verani. Managed by three 16 year old boys who made a delicious dinner of freshly caught fish, Verani is on a beautiful stretch of beach, but has a few problems. No running water or working toilets...and my biggest issue: no hot sauce for my breakfast eggs! And did I mention it's run by three teenage boys????


Mkoani - after our sail back to town from Kwata Island

One of many chicken ferry passengers
on the way to Stonetown.








We spent an extra day on Pemba because our ferry from Mkoani to Unguja (Zanzibar) stood us up. This worked out in our benefit, though...we ended up sailing to a small, remote island and spent the afternoon snorkelling again. 
 

Sunset from dinner at Verani


Men in one line; women & children in the other, but for no understandable reason.
Everyone sat together on the ferry...with the chickens.

Off to Unguja...

I fell in love with Stonetown from the moment we landed. It's mysterious and beautiful and delapidated and full of diversity. We discovered some great places to eat, including the Fordohani Gardens night market, which has countless street vendors who all claim to have the best food (most of which I wouldn't touch, nevermind taste)...meat and fish skewers, Zanzibari pizza filled with random minced bits and mayo, baby shark, octopi, shrimp, lobster, and probably some endangered species. It was gross, but also made for an exciting culinary experience.  Once again, most of this place seemed to be run by teenage boys. Curious.

 

fancy Zanzibari door in Stonetown



Top of House of Wonders, 
overlooking Fordohani Gardens

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Stonetown kids

Off to Jambiani...

Our first lodging in Jambiani, Kimte, took minimalism to a whole new level.
 Bug spray was about the only decoration in the room.



We drove to the southern east coast of the island, which I had heard was the least touristy of all the areas on Unguja (Zanzibar). Jambiani has a vibe of Tulum, a tide like San Felipe and water like the Carribean. We stayed our first night at Kimte, a little place on the beach run by a group of Rasta guys who spend their days relaxing in an irie sort of way instead of fixing up their "resort." It has great food and a bar right on the sand. I was content there, but then we took a walk...and I saw the place next door. Coral Rock Hotel had an infinity pool, fancy rooms, a beautiful restaurant, other guests (!) and free use of their sporting equipment...and the price difference wasn't very much. We moved over for our last night of island living and basked in the sun, swam in the ocean, drank a pina colada by the pool, and went for a sunrise kayak paddle. It was perfect and I want to return ASAP! :)

View from Coral Rock Hotel (with Kimte behind me in the distance)
 

Sunrise at Jambiani Beach

 

This dog followed us out into the ocean.



Jambiani villager as tide was going out