Blogs from Turkana, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa
March 2nd 2010
Lake Turkana ...continued... So the guy on the border was very relaxed and after our previous rather tense night it was good to feel welcome and at ease again. We waited for him to get his pants on and he made room on his little bed for us to sit while he had a quick glance at our passports and radioed something to someone on the ancient looking set stacked in the corner. 10 mins later we were good to go and so off we went, following what could barely be called a track through the low bush and into Kenya. The first stop was to be Ileret, a little village about 80km South and set back from the lake on a small, sandy hill. There we were to check in with the local police and ... read more
A small visit to the wild again.
Published: February 26th 2010Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Turkana
February 3rd 2010
The rough guide initiates its description of Lodwar like this: “For most Kenyans, mention of Lodwar conjures up remote and outlandish images of the badlands, an aberrant place where anything could befall you. And the Turkana District capital is, to put it mildly, a wild town.” Well, its not really that bad, but it’s a dry and dusty place where there is really nothing going on except from NGO´s and government organizations trying to bettering the conditions for the locals, and my impression is that the main task for all the people working there is to plan how to get away from there as soon as they arrive. Anyway - even after my 17 hours bus ride up these bumpy road last year I decided to go back with James and Sarah. It took us 17 ... read more
October 16th 2009
Turkana, Northern Kenya … “This is Africa!” Not sure if it stems from the residual joy of the recent election of our 44th President or the exotic, challenging allure of Mount Kilimanjaro, but going to Kenya has always been very high on my travel wish list. And now, this wish has come true! As part of my induction at Merlin ("Medical Emergency Relief InterNational"), the NGO that I have recently begun working for, I am spending the next two weeks in Eastern Africa to get a visual appreciation and a general sense of some of our programs on the field - not a bad way to integrate into a new job if you ask me! So, after a short week spent at Merlins headquarters in London, I was off again, crossing the Equator on my way ... read more
August 19th 2009
Chango was literally beside himself. The old, scarlet-bearded proprietor of the Cold Drink Hotel seemed to be everywhere at once: reassuring the customers, scolding the cooks, greeting the newcomers who came through the curtained doorway. His prayer cap was askew, his myopic eyes squinted into the gathering darkness, where a few chickens scratched at the dust in the yard. The news from the kitchen was grim. First came word that there was no more fish; then the goat meat, too, was finished. “Hakuna samaki,” he said apologetically to a table of frustrated clients. “Hakuna nyama.” Chango, born Mohammed Abdi Karim, tugged at the bright red threads of his beard. He had seen a lot in his time, but the commotion this week was a first. “There has never been anything like this in Loiyangalani,” he said. ... read more
Kampala - Lodwar - Nakuru - Nairobi - Oslo
Published: November 7th 2009Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Turkana
February 6th 2009
Just a small update months after I returned home... Leaving Kampala was not that bad, cause I was really looking forward to spend another week in Kenya before I had to go home. I travelled by bus from Kampala and planned to go to Eldoret for a few days before I joined James to go to Lodwar, where he work On the way the plans changed, and I branched off to Kitale, and then straight to Lodwar. When I arrived, I had spent 27 hours in a bus or a matatu!! Kitale express was not much of an express..ot stopped several times an hour, and after I while I realized it was to tighten the tires...but we got there, it just took some time. I got a nice room in Splash hotel. Lodar is just a ... read more
November 5th 2008
There are many good reasons to go to Kenya, and normally I would not count playing cricket among them. However, when I received an invitiation from Adrian Radcliff to play in one of his Nomad matches, it was hard to refuse. Like all of the Nomad cricket matches, this one would be special - played on the shore of Lake Turkana, in remote northern Kenya, to raise money for a local school and health clinic. So I jumped at the opportunity. Of course, the best reason to visit anywhere is to meet people you like and admire, and when you return to a place where you have lived for three years, it is a chance to catch up with those people that made your stay in the country special. In Kenya, there are many such people, ... read more
