Some things I realized I forgot to mention in the last post...
Our first days in Namibia in Sossuflei (I think that is how you spell it) which is in the Kalahari Desert, we experienced a sand storm. It was amazing but quite annoying as we had to put our tents up in it and everything was covered in sand. Then the next day there was a downpour of rain and everything flooded. There was rivers where there used to be roads. Our tents nearly all got washed away. The weather in Namibia changes every 5 seconds it seems. All very extreme. It is amazing.
I had so much fun that I did it again TODAY! Oh no - I think I am addicted. This time I got a discount, but also we did more tricks. For example, we did 3 somersaults when we tumbled out of the plane. Then we did some tricks while freefalling, like spinning & going sideways. Once the shoot was up we did more spins and also things like where you stop falling for a second and so you get that feeling in your stomach where you are falling. We did that on a cloud so it was like we were standing on it and then we basically fell right through it. Sorry this is so scattered but I just came back from the second jump and I am still on a high! SO MUCH FUN.
I like Namibia. South Africa is amazing but it was too modern and commercialized for me. Although Swakopmund is pretty commercial as well. There is a KFC here too. I don't know why that bothers me so much but it really does. Especially when you are driving through districts of slums and shack housing and then you see a mini mall and a KFC just a few minutes drive away.
The desert is nice. I went Quad-biking today. It is like on a 4-wheeler bike thing? Like in Napoleon Dynamite what his grandma was doing when she got hurt? We did that over the dunes. It was great! One of the Korean guys flipped his bike but he said it was fun.
I will update again once I am in Victoria Falls. In about 2 weeks I think?
By the way, I heard about the election. You understand now why I am jumping out of planes??
First of all, I am in Swakopmund, Namibia, a gorgeous town on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Namib Desert. Amazing.The past 7 (?) days have been great. The group of people I am with are from all over the place, 5 Germans, 3 Aussies, 3 Swedes, 2 Dutch, 2 Koreans, 2 Scots, an Irish bloke and a British girl, and me! We have a good group and have been having a lot of fun. Long days on the road with great views, usually ending up with us in the nearest ocean, river or pool at the campsite and then a trip to the bar. Not bad.
We did some dune hiking and exploring of the Kalahari Desert a few days ago. We hiked around Fish River Canyon and saw a lovely sun set. We spent some time at Walbert's Bay and played in the FREEZING but very wavy ocean. I managed to lose my sunglasses in the current as the waves crashed over me. It was worth it.Yesterday we arrived in Swakopmund and went to an activity centre where we could sign up for what we wanted to do the next 2 days. I head straight for the counter and signed up for sky diving. And not only that, the previous 6 days I had managed to convince 6 others from our group to try it out as well. We went right away that afternoon. I was up third. They basically give you a brief run-through of what is going to happen and then you are up in the plane for a 20-minute scenic flight before you plunge...I have to say I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. Having other people around doing the same thing really helped. When we jumped out of the plane (at 10000 feet) it was amazing! You get that falling feeling in your stomach for only the first second but then you just feel like you are flying! Then after about 6 seconds of freefall(falling 5000 feet) your shoot opens and you just float down and everything is really quiet and beautiful. The view was of the ocean and the white desert. Although it was a little cloudy. We passed through the clouds and landed VERY softly. I HIGHLY recommend it. HIGHLY. Best thing EVER.
I had so much fun that I did it again TODAY! Oh no - I think I am addicted. This time I got a discount, but also we did more tricks. For example, we did 3 sommersaults when we tumbled out of the plane. Then we did some tricks while freefalling, like spinning & going sideways.Once the shoot was up we did more spins and also things like where you stop falling for a second and so you get that feeling in your stomach where you are falling. We did that on a cloud so it was like we were standing on it and then we basically fell right through it. Sorry this is so scattered but I just came back from the second jump and I am still on a high! SO MUCH FUN.
I like Namibia. South Africa is amazing but it was too modern and commercialized for me. Although Swakopmund is pretty commercial as well. There is a KFC here too. I don't know why that bothers me so much but it really does. Especially when you are driving through districts of slums and shack housing and then you see a mini mall and a KFC just a few minutes drive away.
The desert is nice. I went Quad-biking today. It is like on a 4-wheeler bike thing? Like in Napolean Dynamite what his grandma was doing when she got hurt? We did that over the dunes. It was great! One of the Korean guys flipped his bike but he said it was fun. I will update again once I am in Victoria Falls. In about 2 weeks I think?
By the way, I heard about the election. You understand now why I am jumping out of planes??
Intense gooseberry, green peppers and fig aromas.
Published Friday, January 20, 2006 by orange you glad.
Today I spent my time riding around in a minivan with a bunch of Americans, Aussies, and Brits to 3 different wine regions for tastings and tours. We also got to try different cheeses and chocolates and go swimming. A nice day. And great wines. So cheap too! I wish I wasn't going backpacking for the next 4 weeks, otherwise I would have bought a bunch.
The wineries we went to (in case any connoisseurs (DAD) are interested)... Fairview (also home to Goats do Roam and Agostinelli and Spice Route), Villiera, and one in Stellenboesch that I lost the sheet for.
The power in Cape Town was out upon our return and after I found out that I didn't have to meet up with my group tonight I was going to walk home and just write in my journal by candlelight but then the power came back on. So I went and watched another film. Walk the Line. WOW I loved that one too! So good. Great music. I'm glad I got to see it. I like watching movies every night. I'm not a hermit - I just like movies...
Helpful: People at the Holiday Inn who when I asked if I could pay a daily membership fee or something in order to use and lounge by their pool just told me that I could go ahead and use it for free as long as I didn't cause a "ruckus". Me? Cause a ruckus? NEVER! The sun and the swim and my iPod took any tension the FOREX idiots put in my muscles. Oh, and the Castle Lager. Good stuff - tastes kind of like Carlsberg...
Not Helpful: Kulula.com and redenvelope.co.za who I booked my biking wine tour through whom I have had to chase down and call about 8 times (no exaggeration) to try and get them to tell me if I was doing a tour or not. I ended up giving them a piece of my mind on their poor organizational skills and customer service and booked a different tour through someone else - no biking unfortunately but I guess that is safer for all involved. Tomorrow I get to see WINE COUNTRY!
Helpful: The people who suggested to see The Constant Gardener. What a good movie! THAT is Kenya. Not the murder and the intrigue (well, that happens too) but the people and the kids shouting and crowding you and the scenery and the music! It was great. I loved it. But what a sad movie!
Cape of Vomit - I ended up joining a mini-bus of other tourists to head down the cape to check out Simon's Town and the place where to 2 oceans meet. A great experience marred only by the constant vomiting and crying of a 2 year old sitting in front of me. The smell, the horrible smell. WHY!?!? The pictures won't do it justice.
Cape of Dancing Germans - There are a lot of Germans here. And when we were checking out the Penguins I seemed to be surrounded by Germans who smelled like alcohol and were dancing around imitating the penguins. I am not stereotyping them. I am just stating what I saw. Maybe they were Austrian. I'm not very good with the accents. I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures. I was in awe.
Cape of ... movies? - Ok, that one was a little weak. Travelling on my own has allowed me to spend the last 2 nights treating myself to a movie at the cinema. Yesterday was the Bill Murray/Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers. Today was a little more cheesy with The Family Stone. Any suggestions for tomorrow? Anyone see anything good lately? Emails or comments are always appreciated. JUST A REMINDER. hint hint.
Regardless, it is a gorgeous city. Table Mountain looming over the city is breathtaking. I went to Robben Island yesterday (the jail island where Nelson Mandela was held) and hung out at the waterfront and walked around the city (they even have a pedestrian shopping street). I can see why this place is named as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If I wasn't suffering from culture shock coming from Nairobi I probably wouldn't want to leave. It reminds me a lot of Vancouver or San Francisco or even Barcelona.
I saw penguins yesterday at Robben Island. This too seems out of place. It is amazing, gorgeous weather and the penguins were lounging by the water or sunning themselves in the sand! I really feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. A really beautiful, fun Twilight Zone.
I am happy to say that once my bags were delivered to Lauren's place, my stress disappeared. There are some "baggage" analogies/puns that I could make here but I got up at 4am this morning so I don't think I'm quite up for it.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon gnawing on nyama choma (Desmond's suggestion was that they add seasoning to the meat) and pretty much just making it an early night.
I will try my best to do updates while I am away but once I am out of Cape Town it could be difficult.
DESMOND's INSIGHTS ABOUT KENYA (excerpt taken from his online journal)
Ok - a heck of a lot of photos have been uploaded - check them out.
I am trying to prepare myself for my 35-day journey from Cape Town to Nairobi. Packing for the trip. Packing up my apartment (my things will be kept in storage at a friend's house). Making hostel reservations. Trying to see everyone this week. It is a bit stressful. I am wondering how I will get everything done by Sunday evening.
But at the same time I am getting really excited about Cape Town. I can't wait to see the penguins!
For those of you who are wondering – this is what I will be up to over the next few weeks:
Monday Jan 16 – Saturday Jan 21st – Cape Town, South Africa.
Saturday Jan 21st - I join up with an overland bus to travel through Namibia (Fish River Canyon, Namib Naukluft National Park, Swakopmund, Etosha National Park, Waterberg Plateau National Park) and Botswana (Maun, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park) and ending up in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on Feb 8th.
Thursday Feb 9th – Sunday Feb 12th – I set off solo for Lusaka, Zambia and then head up to Kipiri Mposhi, Zambia to catch a train (TAZARA) which will take me north up to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania over a 45-hour scenic journey!
Monday, Feb 13th – I take the ferry to Zanzibar (hopefully meeting up with a friend from Nairobi) where I will spend a week on the beaches of this beautiful island! I will then take the bus back to Nairobi (across northern Tanzania and past Mount Kilimanjaro) on Saturday Feb 18th.
I am overwhelmed at the thought of all that travel right now so right now I am just concentrating on how much fun I will have in Cape Town. Apparently you can do wine tours by BIKE! That could be dangerous!
I just got back from climbing Mount Kenya. My feet are covered in blisters and sores. I can hardly walk. It was fun.
It was basically a 4-day journey with 13 other Mountain Club of Kenya people. We organized it ourselves rather than going through a tour operator (although knowing the hassles we went through I think I would recommend going through an operator). We took the Naro Moro route (the shortest but steepest) hiking through a bamboo forest and spending one night at Met Station Huts (3000 metres altitude), then hiking up the “vertical bog” (a very steep swampy section) with stunning views of the rift valley. We crossed over one peak and into a valley with a strange desert-type landscape with labalias and cactus littering the mountain side and the summit of Mount Kenya peaking through the clouds as we approached the hut where we spent our second night – McKinder's Hut (4200 metres altitude).
That morning at 1:30am, 7 of us woke up, put on all the clothes that we had with us (it was below zero at this point) and head up the mountain with a porter to guide us in the dark. It was very cold and very difficult. By the time we reached the highest hut (Austrian Hut – 4800 metres altitude) I could hardly walk and decided to view the sunrise from there rather than scrambled up the rocks to see the view from Point Lenana (4900 metres altitude) with some of the others. The sunrise was clear and amazing and when looking directly south you could see Mount Kilimanjaro peaking out of the top of the distant clouds.
Each of us nursing some side-effect from the altitude, 4 of us head down the mountain slope back to the camp while the other 3 went with the guide to do the circuit around the highest peaks of the mountain. It was a gorgeous sunny day but that didn't stop us from heading directly back to bed once we were back at camp. We played cards and ate dehydrated food and tried to stay warm. Remember how I said I missed winter? Well, I take it back!!! Using an outdoor toilet in -10'C weather will make you appreciate warm weather!
The walk down the mountain gave me blisters on the tips of my toes. I was happy to get back into that matatu and head back to Nairobi. It was a great journey but an exhausting one and it made me ready to go back to work.
Total distanced hiked: 56kms. Total altitude ascended: 2kms.
Total photos taken: 115 (I will upload some soon!!)
Poa – cool
Pole (po -lay) – sorry
Pole Pole – careful / slowly!
Sawa – ok?!
Sawa is the Kenyan equivalent to the Canadian “Eh!” and is basically added on to the end of most sentences. It is hard to avoid this one. I even find myself using “sawa” in text messages and emails.
A verb used by Kenyans a lot is “imagine”. Or you might just say the word “imagine” if someone is explaining something to you. John Lennon would be proud.
Top 3 things that I talk about on this blog:
I have another friend visiting. This time it is Desmond taking time off from his copywriting job in Toronto to come check out Kenya for 10 days before heading back to Canada via a stopover in Amsterdam. He did very well on his own those first couple of days while I was up Mount Kenya. He took a matatu, didn't get robbed, saw the Giraffe Centre, walked around the city, went to a bar and got drunk with another Canadian he met, visited a school, and observed that Kenyans don't smile very much. It's true but you have to talk to them first and then they will smile. They may seem standoffish initially but once you ask them something they will be almost overly friendly and go out of their way to help you out.
I think Dez is going to Maasai Mara this week and we are trying to find him a cheap ticket to Lamu as well. I think if you do one thing in Kenya – you should go to the Maasai Mara. And if you do two, the second should be to see Lamu.
Hakuna Matata. You have no idea how often this song from the Lion King is stuck in my head. I still find the song very cheesy and irritating but you have to adopt the attitude of it's meaning in order to survive in Kenya. In case you don't know, it means “no worries” in Swahili. People here say it with a shrug and a smile when something that should be frustrating happens. This is a good approach because so many potentially frustrating things happen here that you have to shrug most of them off. Although I keep thinking about how unsuccessful George and his “serenity now” mantra was in Seinfeld and worry that my “hakuna matatas” will eventually lead to a complete flip out. Only time will tell.
Continuation of my time at the coast for the holidays. After I did my last update we hired a dhow (an old swahili sailboat) to take us to the beach (a 30 minute ride). I was actually freaked out when the dhow started to tip (as all sailboats do) as I associated it with white water rafting and assumed we were going to tip! Could it be that white water rafting has scarred me for life? I hope not. I will have to take more boat rides and see what happens.
From Lamu we head south again to Watamu. This time there were no chickens in the bus but still a constant soundtrack of Islamic hits were broadcast over the bus’s speakers for the duration of the journey. About 90% of the coastal residents (particularly those in Lamu) are Muslim and it is not uncommon to see women walking around in the FULL burqa (head to toe in black with only eyes showing and sometimes even a veil over the eyes). This was a stark contrast to those handful of tourists (myself included) who were obviously wearing a lot less at the beach.
In Watamu we met up with my friend Lauren & her boyfriend and saw the Gedi Ruins and lots of time on the beach. We did a bit of snorkeling at a reef in the Marine Reserve there and saw thousands of beautiful, brightly coloured fish and coral. I should have bought one of those underwater cameras but didn’t think of it in time. Watamu was nice but didn’t have as much fresh fruit juices or cheap seafood available so we decided that Lamu is officially better. Although I can’t say that we suffered very much in Watamu!
As we head to Mombasa on Dec 31st, Karen and I said our good-bye’s as she head back to Nairobi and then Canada that night. I think Karen took the New Year’s flight just for the free champagne.
I went hopped on the matatu and head south to Tiwi Beach to meet up with 25 friends (most Mountain Club of Kenya members) for New Year’s on the beach. We had a nice grilled fish dinner at our ocean-view cottages (keep in mind they cost us only about $15 a night) and then head to a HUGE party with 4 djs and about 500 people. It was at a club on the beach and we danced all night. When we weren’t dancing we went and hung out on the beach and I chased crabs. It was a lovely, lovely night. The crabs didn’t think so.
We spend 2 more days there and now I’m back in Nairobi. I’m a little stressed because I am leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to go and climb MOUNT KENYA! Huzzah! Africa’s 2nd highest peak after Kilimanjaro! And somehow I got finagled into being one of the coordinators. Responsible for 15 people trekking up the mountain. What? Regardless, I am VERY excited to do this and it is a great group going so we should have a lot of fun if the altitude doesn’t ruin too much of the fun. I will hopefully be up at about 5000 metres sometime on Saturday! Wish me luck.
More photos will be posted upon my return. Sorry so slow - it’s been hectic!
I'm back from the coast. I am tanned, relaxed and happy. Details to follow after I get a good night's sleep in Nairobi's soothing cooler climate.