Category: maisha

the sunrise & Kikuyu Kenyatta Beach

Oh my oh my….SOOO many impressions from sunny Mombasa – and the most lasting one is the good food. Nice! And the weather is was much better.

For those who couldn’t make it to the beach last year, here are some visual impressions. Enjoy! :-)

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@ 40 Thieves, Diani Beach on January 1st, 2007

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All it takes is a matatu from Mombasa via Likoni ferry to Ukunda (70/= ), and from there good luck in form of a good samaritan (as all Matatus were awfully overcrowded at 10:30 pm) who stopped a minibus for us (thx, Pastor ??? of ??? Church in Ukunda! :-) belonging to girlshope.de. Now, what a coincidence. Anyways, thx for the free ride to 40 thieves!

There’s nothing better than celebrating New Year’s morning somewhere at the beach, and starting the year by swiming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Hola Twigamoja – I started the new year in a very dutch way :-)

One “funny” incidence that won’t leave my brain for some time was the skipper of a typical Glass Bottom Boat approaching a Kenyan of indian origin at Diani Beach. The guy was SOOOO pissed off about being treated like a typical tourist (~ 3.000/= for a 2h trip with the boat) that he told the skipper in Kiswahili “I am even more Kenyan than you”. That phrase really made my day.

The agonizing reality of being a mzungu at the beach of course is that you’ll always be regarded as a walking money box. It sometimes stops by replying in Kiswahili or showing any local ID – but some of these beach boys operators are very persistent or maybe just dumb?

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And then – of course – a nasty “traffic jam” of wananchi queueing for Likoni ferry on Monday afternoon. Waiting for 30 minutes in direct sunshine makes you feel like a Kuku @ Kenchic. Also, this is a disaster waiting to happen – if someone faints, there’s no emergency exit.

Reasons for going to Diani instead of other beaches are: Sitting is free!

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Chairs = 50 bob At Kenyatta Beach. A PUBLIC beach!

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Please note the “lifebelts” (inflated car tyre tubes) as well as other accessoiries such as swimsuits for rent to the public. There should be more public beaches – but then: Diani Beach is also open to the public. And better. Public in terms of affordable prices for the masses? Hmm..

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“Jomo Kenyatta Community Beach CleanUp Coordination Committee”

A matatu from downtown Mombasa to Bamburi & Kenyatta Beach costs about 30/= ==> you don’t need to stay in an expensive hotel at the beach, but can instead rely on public transport, chose a cheaper bed&breakfast place downtown and also enjoy the typical Swahili cuisine in oldtown Mombasa. Beef Kebap, Swahili Pizza, etc. – I just WISH someone smart could introduce that kind of food to rural areas in Central Kenya (hint, hint!). Oh my…

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a huge tortoise at René Haller Park

Another tourist attraction is René Haller Park, or Bamburi Nature Trail as it used to be called when I was there the first time in 1991. For an entrance fee of Ksh 200/= for Kenya residents (tourist 600/=) you get to see some animals (many many crocodiles) and, most importantly, a healthy forrest where there was nothing some 30+ years ago.

The bottom line to all this is that Kenya has so many different sceneries and interesting landscapes to offer, different cultures and customs which all mix up in cities like Mombasa. Spending the holidays in this hot and laid-back city just proved to be a very smart idea!

downtown

“So you are also going to Mombasa”, the three girls asked me, “which part – North Coast or South Coast?”.
The three girls are working in Ukunda (= Diani Beach, South Coast), and took the same bus at 10pm back from Shagz, equipped with a heavy bag full of potatoes from Mama. Vegetabools are kinda expensive in Ukunda.

“I am going to Mombasa. Downtown”, I replied.

“They call this place a city”, the 18yrs old young Kenyan from Garissa seated next to me in the bus told me this morning? when we eventually arrived downtown. Sorry, downcity?
He also told me about that police stop at the entrance to Garissa town where I’d been to in November, and how they use the polio vaccination signs to spot the difference between Kenyans and Somalis. “My brother is from Somalia”, he told me, “and just the other day I saved his life by showing my arm (to the police) first”. His polio vacc sign is on his lower arm – his brother’s on the upper arm. “Refugees” are assumed to have enough money as many deal in US-dollars. Which is why they are often targeted by the police.

It worked. Bloging via OperaMini actually works. Wow. Ok ok, just 400 characters, but still. Nice!

“The Shining Hotel”? – lemme me pls call it this way – actually has a photo on the internet. The place is quite impressive – the rooms not so. But it works, I waited 3hrs for? an empty room? and: it is downtown. Just 5 minutes away from Fort Jesus and the sea. The SEA!

I stood there, earlier this evening, enjoying the view on the ocean and just breathing fresh air. Beatitude.

Dear upcountry hoteli owners: IF you don’t know how to make proper chips/french fries – and I know you can’t – pls leave it to the experts. Or come to Mombasa and learn how Mr JKE likes his chips to be: deep fried. Until they are crisp. Yeah!
Eating in Mombasa is a dream-come-true. YES, I had my first steak (a real steak!) here and for the same price I get a daaabool cappuccino in Nairobi.

Makes me think I should travel more often. And start blogging with a satisfied stomach. Actually, yeah, I saw a few (many, actually) men at my age (~30) who were rather fat. It must be the food here.

One last rant for the evening: surfing at internet cafes sucks.
First, some idiot allocates you one of those f***** up PCs with a lousy screen at the size of about the palm of my hand + a worn out mouse & keyboard, then the connection is damn slow (GPRS is faster!) and the worst: MS Internet Explorer.
Ppl like it though – everyone here is busy (video) chatting with their loved ones via MSN/Yahoo IMs and you start thinking to yourself: how many bloggers are there on KBW from Mombasa?

100 years….

Upon arrival in Nairobi this morning, I took some time off to enjoy the hectic chaos downtown and just walk around without any proper destination.
Just these precious moments when you don’t have to work and actually have the time to open your eyes and see a bit of this Nairobi world which constantly hides between modern buildings and still shows the very beginnings of this not-so-old City in the Sun.

What I especially like are these old builindgs – some of them dating back to 1920 – that still exist within the old parts of this city and give it the extra charm.

Nairobi, I think, wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for these old structures that really “add value” – not only from a touristic perspective.

So I came across Jeevanjee Gardens…

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The last time I’ve been to Jeevanjee Gardens in downtown Nairobi was……1996?

I remembered this place being a dusty, dirty and very dry hide-out for glue-sniffing street children. A forgotten place which had been ignored by most Nairobians just like many other city parks.

And today?

Green grass after the rains, beautiful trees, a cleanded up and apparently maintained environment and – best of all – lots of Nairobians relaxing on the grass.

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….”donated in 1906 to the Residents of Nairobi”.

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And upon seeing this statue in honour of Queen Victoria, I suddenly realized that this place has been a public park since 100 years now. 100 YEARS!

Thank you, Bwana Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee!

—

AOB:

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Ok, this is for Acolyte and my jamaas from home – “Topaz” (behind the park). We used to get our oily chips from here when all other shops were already closed and something like “Steers” & Co. didn’t exist.

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Na Steve…I needed to pop in(to) pop-in on Moi Avenue again and enjoy this vintage arrangement of old computer games. You know how many collectors there would be on Ebay who’d bid for any of these old video game machines?
Pop-In always is a journey back into childhood.

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Look! Another “iMatatu“, but this time a SONY MP4 player. Rocks just as well.

The Matatu driver smiled all over his face and praised the little player for its size and convenience. Is this the future of mobile entertainment in Kenya?
(the switch mutes the output signal of the player)

Stomach Clinic Restaurant

…so you’re walking through Uhuru Park, with the sunshine in the background, your favourite music on the headphones and start to appreciate nature….

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…as it always finds ways to turn even the ugliest building in Nairobi into a beautiful sight. Btw, is there any relationship between Uhuru’s Brookside milk signboard and Uhuru Park? How ironic.

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Talking about ironic things: Has anyone been to “Stomach Clinic Restaurant”?

Nairobi, I love you, regardless.

p.s.: hey, Madame “friend-of-Ciru-and-Kui-ati-we’ve-met-the-other-day” – there I went, thinking no one would spot me in the crowds of Kenyatta Ave. and then you find yourself being identified by a lovely young lady. Nice! Thx! I was so surprised & confused that I forgot to ask your name… :)

AOB: @ Mental & KBW-Admin Team: these days, whenever I take a picture and ask for permissions first, I tell them (the folks on the pictures) to check out kenyaunlimited.com. Now that’s a perfect way to promote the Kenyan blogosphere, ama?

the nation & world aids day

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==> The Daily Nation has a new layout which looks quite nice. Lots of whitespace for more informations on top (ati, when I rented uhuru.de in 1999, I didn’t know there’s this jamaa by the name of Uhuru Kenyatta becos by that time he was still making love to booze).

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Today is WORLD AIDS DAY – and upon arrival at the office, I was given this cap.

Now I don’t know how this cap actually relates to this deadly disease, lakini I am reminded of that HIV/Aids Workshop I participated in earlier this month – and it still showed me that there’s a lot to talk about.

I shall wear it proudly to promote discussions on this important issue. As far as I feel, HIV/Aids isn’t something we can afford to ignore. My thoughts are with those that have lost their friends and family due to this ******* virus. Is there any data out there on the economic damage this has created for the country?

Imagine the amount of ARVs that could have been bought instead of printing such caps.

jewels of the day

1. US-$ 320 million. Now THAT’S a lot of money.

2. I really miss my guitar(s) as mentioned earlier. Something that will sweeten up lonely evenings in Embu and/or make me play along to the One Man Guitar show next door which happens to entertain me every single evening. Btw, what do you call these big (kikuyu) country hats anyways?

On my way to work, I stopped by Nairobi’s oldest music shop Assanands on Moi Avenue and asked for cheap guitars. There are these pictured below which sell for about Ksh. 4.550 /= and are actually made somewhere in Western Kenya. The finish isn’t that nice, but they work and, again, they are MADE IN KENYA. Holadiho!

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…and then of course there are some Made in China which sell for slightly more, around Ksh. 5.000/= and have a much better finish:

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Now let me think about this investment.

3. Next door to Asanands is the “Bookpoint” – a very nice book shop for those books you won’t find in other places of the country. I came here to look for another copy of these Kikuyu-language books I bought earlier this year. They didn’t have them. But what they have is this:

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An “English-Kikuyu , Kikuyu-English” dictionary for a horrendous price (Ksh. 500/=) – but since I’d been looking for something like this for a long long time, I invested my last money (hey, I am only left with the Matatu fare back home!) to get a copy. Now this is something I shall copy for Kui! :-)

Says the author, Gerald J. Wanjohi: “(…)..Here in Kenya we know that rural children quite often outdo their urban counterparts at the national exams. The latter have very little knowledge, if any, of indigenous African languages…..(…)….The aim of this small book is to help Gikuyu-speaking people love and learn their language along with their traditions.”

Mageria no mo mahota. (~ trying is succeeding)

my beautiful morning…

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“And, as you travel life’s highway, don’t forget to stop and eat the roses.”

…so I was walking on smooth Nairobian roads on Monday morning and found a Ksh. 5 /= coin right in front of NSSF building.
Which makes me realize that one of the other differences between rural folks like me and urban folks is that the rural ones keep their head down to have an eye on the hilly & matope infested roads. This is btw also one of the reasons why you’ll never find one of those huge billboards in places like Embu – ppl are just busy with watching their next step. Ama? :-)