One of the books I've read since I've
been here is called Timbuktu by Mark Jenkins. He travels through Africa and
describes a taxi ride perfectly. I couldn't find the exact quote but he says
you have 3 choices when taking public transport in Africa (when you are very
scared because the driving is too crazy with too many potholes), you can force
the driver to pull over and get out which allows the next, and equally crazy,
driver to charge you double since they know you are stranded, you can worry and
yell at the driver to be more careful which will probably make them mad and as
a result they will drive worse, or you can sit back and relax since you know
there is nothing you can do about it. After my weekend trip taking tons of
public transport, I have finally learned to do the 3rd.
We took a van from our farm in Kabula straight to Kisumu. Maurice came with us and set up this ride for us so we wouldn't have to take a crowded matatu for the 2 hour drive. He also set up accommodations with his cousin, Patricia (who ended up spending the whole weekend with us) in Kisumu to stay at a pretty nice hotel called Duke of Breeze. When we got there, the first thing we did was head to the rooftop bar for a cold beer. It was, of course, pouring rain, but there was a fairly protective canopy over us. The place was nice and it would have been a good view besides the rain. It was kind of refreshing to be in a bigger city (Kisumu is the 3rd largest city in Kenya), because they are used to us Mzungus so we don't get starred at like aliens. Patricia took us out for dinner to a place called Trevine Soul Food and I had fish and ugali. It was pretty good. Then, the best part of the night happened. I got to take a nice hot running water shower! There were rumors that there might be a possibility of this so I came prepared with all of my toiletries and was so happy to realize it was true! They even had fresh clean towels for us. I was very happy and clean to go to bed.
They have this little 3 wheeled cars that they call tuk-tuks which basically has one spot in front for the driver and he drives not with a steering wheel but with something that looks like he is playing a video game. Then there's room for about3 people in the back, the top is only covered with like a canvas material. Anyway, we took about 3 of them and fit 7 passengers plus a driver...
We took a van from our farm in Kabula straight to Kisumu. Maurice came with us and set up this ride for us so we wouldn't have to take a crowded matatu for the 2 hour drive. He also set up accommodations with his cousin, Patricia (who ended up spending the whole weekend with us) in Kisumu to stay at a pretty nice hotel called Duke of Breeze. When we got there, the first thing we did was head to the rooftop bar for a cold beer. It was, of course, pouring rain, but there was a fairly protective canopy over us. The place was nice and it would have been a good view besides the rain. It was kind of refreshing to be in a bigger city (Kisumu is the 3rd largest city in Kenya), because they are used to us Mzungus so we don't get starred at like aliens. Patricia took us out for dinner to a place called Trevine Soul Food and I had fish and ugali. It was pretty good. Then, the best part of the night happened. I got to take a nice hot running water shower! There were rumors that there might be a possibility of this so I came prepared with all of my toiletries and was so happy to realize it was true! They even had fresh clean towels for us. I was very happy and clean to go to bed.
They have this little 3 wheeled cars that they call tuk-tuks which basically has one spot in front for the driver and he drives not with a steering wheel but with something that looks like he is playing a video game. Then there's room for about3 people in the back, the top is only covered with like a canvas material. Anyway, we took about 3 of them and fit 7 passengers plus a driver...
We woke up early for breakfast at the
hotel. They had sausage, eggs and toast which was a nice change up to our usual
bread and banana for breakfast. Then we took a taxi to Lake Victoria to a place
called hippo point. Before we left for the trip I asked Reuben and Maurice if
the boat driver carried any sort of gun for the hippos and they laughed at me
for quite some time. They explained that hippos don't usually attack unless
they fear that their territory and babies are being threatened and that they
don't attack in the water, only on land. I was still a little skeptical since
I've read and heard many things about hippos being the most dangerous animal.
So, we got in our little 10ish person boat with a hand motor and took off. Our
guides name was Tom and he was very very knowledgable and spewed tons of
information the whole time. He sat at the front and we had a driver at the
back. Right when we took off we saw hippos near the shore. At first we were at
comfortable distance and then our driver headed toward them. At this point I
was pretty nervous, especially when the guide said they were in pretty shallow
water where they could stand. There were 4 or 5 of these massive creatures only
about 15 feet in front of me. We were all basically holding our breath and
taking pictures (coming soon). The guide starting talking to our driver in
Swahili and one of the hippos went under and looked like he was coming more
near us. I had to turn away because I was too scared to watch what would happen
next. As the driver was backing away, the guide kept saying, "are you
scared?" YES "don't worry, we are in the same boat." I'm still
not sure exactly what he meant but I got the vibe that he was a little mad at
the driver for getting so close and once we were safely away he said that he
was sorry for the scare. Not sure if I ever caught my breath the whole ride.
There is quite an overgrowth of a water plant called hyacinth on Lake Victoria. It just sits on the top of the water and gets blown over the lake daily. It is a huge problem for much of the sea animals and fisherman. Tom told us many stories of how fishing used to be and how it is now. The industry is almost coming to a standstill and apparently being a fisherman is not such a hard or skillful job on Lake Victoria so most of them don't really know how to do anything else and have never been to school. They need to learn how to farm but it is much harder than fishing. Anyway, the hyacinth is not only a problem for the fisherman but really cut our boat ride short as we couldn't get to a lot of the destinations. After seeing many disappointed fisherman and nude Africans washing on the shore, we stopped in a village to do a "community walk" back to where our taxi was going to pick us up. Tom told us tons of stuff about the history of the village and the plants and animals around. It was a good tour and I was glad to be safe on land.
The Masai market was next and I was pretty much in heaven. Tons of little shops selling artwork, pottery, jewelry, paintings, scarfs, bags and many more things, all for a very low price, especially after bartering. The people do hassle you very much when we walk by their shops. They all tell us looking is free and that they will give it to us for a very good price. I told all the shop owners that I was going to look at everything and then come back which sometimes got me into trouble because they would see me and say that I promised I would come back. We spend a long time there and I think the girls and I could have spent a much longer time, there is so much to see, but the boys were getting restless and hungry so we made our last purchases and left. Later on, Maurice was looking at all the souvenirs and Christmas presents we'd bought, he was surprised and said we had purchased more than any of the other volunteers and that we had probably made their day at the market.
The Beach House on Lake Victoria was where we went for lunch. We got to pick out the fish we wanted and we got 3 big ones for the 7 of us. One was fried and other 2 were covered with a green vegetable and some tomatoes with ugali on the side. It was so delicious, and so messy. You eat with your hands so you just pick apart this huge fish, skin and bones and all and just go for it. We were so hungry and probably looked like a bunch of scavengers digging into this fish. Maurice taught us that the head and the insides of the head are the best part, the eye and all. This restaurant was mostly outdoors so it is kind of like what you'd expect in Mexico, people trying to sell you things while eating. But these things are kind of weird... Strainers, interesting art sculptures, sunglasses, huge posters with soap opera stars and Jesus on them, Jesus pamphlets and more.
Kakumega was our next stop so we took a very packed matatu with all of our purchases and backpacks on our lap and drove about an hour or so. From Kakamega town we had to take a taxi to the place we were staying in Kakamega forest. All 7 of us packed into a fairly large, but certainly not large enough, car and started the trek. It started raining and the roads were getting very bumpy. I was sitting in the back of the car, the trunk kind of, so I couldn't see anything. I later found out that the rest who could see were nervous that we were lost or that we wouldn't make it there. Colin said it looked straight out of a horror movie, lost in the forest. But we made it to the "bandas" that we were staying in. We cooked our own dinner which was a failure and we mostly left it for the cats to eat, played some games, and then slept in our huts.
430 am wake up call for our 5 o'clock sunrise walk through the forest. We were not warned that this would be such a strenuous and long walk up a large hill, but it turned out that way. I hardly looked back the whole time as I was concentrating on getting up the hill, but when I finally got to the top it was amazing. I don't think I mentioned what Kakamega is yet...it is the only remaining rain forest left in Kenya and it was beautiful to see for the first time from the highest point during the sunrise. The foggy mist was in between all the trees and you would hardly know you were so high up since the tree tops just look like bushes below you. It was well worth the early morning work out.
Next, the group wanted to check out a bat cave with a sign that said enter at your own risk. This probably wouldn't have been my first choice as I don't even go into the bat house at the zoos but when in Rome I guess. I put my hood up and zipped my coat and went in. Our guide, David, showed us all the places where the bats hide and then of course we woke them up and they started flying around, one flew right into my face, and that's when I'd had enough. I didn't want to walk out of the cave on my own so I used Danny as a shield in front of me and we made it out safely. I don't know if the bats or the hippos were scarier ;)
We headed back for breakfast and then took another hour or so walk through the forest. We saw tons of monkeys, cool historical trees, a lot of fun edible and medicinal plants, some very pesty safari ants, and lots more.
We needed to take a taxi back to Kakamega town so Patricia called the same taxi that took us there to come pick us up since we knew he had enough room for us all. After waiting about an hour, he showed up in a very different car. It was a small car that could barely fit 5 people and he brought his 4 year old child along. Patricia did some yelling in Swahili (she is a very loud and outspoken Kenyan, clearly from the city) and told us he still wanted the same price. We all argued and agreed it was ridiculous since we would really have to pack in for a long, bumpy and unsafe ride back. We also had paid him extra the night before since he had done a nice job through the rain and dark. He really wouldn't bring the price down, probably because he knew we had no other way. Even though we were only arguing about a dollar, it all adds up when we have to pay for many taxis over the weekend. He finally brought it down and we took a very long, smashed, and uncomfortable ride back into town.
We were all very tired and a little grumpy from our long weekend and the last thing we wanted to do was take a 2 hour, crowded matatu ride back to Kabula, but it was our only choice. Being back at our home never felt so good! The girls and I got into comfy clothes right away and are now sitting in the living room complaining about our aches and pains from our hikes, hard beds, and smashed car rides. Tough life :) pictures soon.
There is quite an overgrowth of a water plant called hyacinth on Lake Victoria. It just sits on the top of the water and gets blown over the lake daily. It is a huge problem for much of the sea animals and fisherman. Tom told us many stories of how fishing used to be and how it is now. The industry is almost coming to a standstill and apparently being a fisherman is not such a hard or skillful job on Lake Victoria so most of them don't really know how to do anything else and have never been to school. They need to learn how to farm but it is much harder than fishing. Anyway, the hyacinth is not only a problem for the fisherman but really cut our boat ride short as we couldn't get to a lot of the destinations. After seeing many disappointed fisherman and nude Africans washing on the shore, we stopped in a village to do a "community walk" back to where our taxi was going to pick us up. Tom told us tons of stuff about the history of the village and the plants and animals around. It was a good tour and I was glad to be safe on land.
The Masai market was next and I was pretty much in heaven. Tons of little shops selling artwork, pottery, jewelry, paintings, scarfs, bags and many more things, all for a very low price, especially after bartering. The people do hassle you very much when we walk by their shops. They all tell us looking is free and that they will give it to us for a very good price. I told all the shop owners that I was going to look at everything and then come back which sometimes got me into trouble because they would see me and say that I promised I would come back. We spend a long time there and I think the girls and I could have spent a much longer time, there is so much to see, but the boys were getting restless and hungry so we made our last purchases and left. Later on, Maurice was looking at all the souvenirs and Christmas presents we'd bought, he was surprised and said we had purchased more than any of the other volunteers and that we had probably made their day at the market.
The Beach House on Lake Victoria was where we went for lunch. We got to pick out the fish we wanted and we got 3 big ones for the 7 of us. One was fried and other 2 were covered with a green vegetable and some tomatoes with ugali on the side. It was so delicious, and so messy. You eat with your hands so you just pick apart this huge fish, skin and bones and all and just go for it. We were so hungry and probably looked like a bunch of scavengers digging into this fish. Maurice taught us that the head and the insides of the head are the best part, the eye and all. This restaurant was mostly outdoors so it is kind of like what you'd expect in Mexico, people trying to sell you things while eating. But these things are kind of weird... Strainers, interesting art sculptures, sunglasses, huge posters with soap opera stars and Jesus on them, Jesus pamphlets and more.
Kakumega was our next stop so we took a very packed matatu with all of our purchases and backpacks on our lap and drove about an hour or so. From Kakamega town we had to take a taxi to the place we were staying in Kakamega forest. All 7 of us packed into a fairly large, but certainly not large enough, car and started the trek. It started raining and the roads were getting very bumpy. I was sitting in the back of the car, the trunk kind of, so I couldn't see anything. I later found out that the rest who could see were nervous that we were lost or that we wouldn't make it there. Colin said it looked straight out of a horror movie, lost in the forest. But we made it to the "bandas" that we were staying in. We cooked our own dinner which was a failure and we mostly left it for the cats to eat, played some games, and then slept in our huts.
430 am wake up call for our 5 o'clock sunrise walk through the forest. We were not warned that this would be such a strenuous and long walk up a large hill, but it turned out that way. I hardly looked back the whole time as I was concentrating on getting up the hill, but when I finally got to the top it was amazing. I don't think I mentioned what Kakamega is yet...it is the only remaining rain forest left in Kenya and it was beautiful to see for the first time from the highest point during the sunrise. The foggy mist was in between all the trees and you would hardly know you were so high up since the tree tops just look like bushes below you. It was well worth the early morning work out.
Next, the group wanted to check out a bat cave with a sign that said enter at your own risk. This probably wouldn't have been my first choice as I don't even go into the bat house at the zoos but when in Rome I guess. I put my hood up and zipped my coat and went in. Our guide, David, showed us all the places where the bats hide and then of course we woke them up and they started flying around, one flew right into my face, and that's when I'd had enough. I didn't want to walk out of the cave on my own so I used Danny as a shield in front of me and we made it out safely. I don't know if the bats or the hippos were scarier ;)
We headed back for breakfast and then took another hour or so walk through the forest. We saw tons of monkeys, cool historical trees, a lot of fun edible and medicinal plants, some very pesty safari ants, and lots more.
We needed to take a taxi back to Kakamega town so Patricia called the same taxi that took us there to come pick us up since we knew he had enough room for us all. After waiting about an hour, he showed up in a very different car. It was a small car that could barely fit 5 people and he brought his 4 year old child along. Patricia did some yelling in Swahili (she is a very loud and outspoken Kenyan, clearly from the city) and told us he still wanted the same price. We all argued and agreed it was ridiculous since we would really have to pack in for a long, bumpy and unsafe ride back. We also had paid him extra the night before since he had done a nice job through the rain and dark. He really wouldn't bring the price down, probably because he knew we had no other way. Even though we were only arguing about a dollar, it all adds up when we have to pay for many taxis over the weekend. He finally brought it down and we took a very long, smashed, and uncomfortable ride back into town.
We were all very tired and a little grumpy from our long weekend and the last thing we wanted to do was take a 2 hour, crowded matatu ride back to Kabula, but it was our only choice. Being back at our home never felt so good! The girls and I got into comfy clothes right away and are now sitting in the living room complaining about our aches and pains from our hikes, hard beds, and smashed car rides. Tough life :) pictures soon.
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