Blogs from Kenya, Africa - page 249

This morning I don't feel so well and decide to stay in bed while the group goes on the morning safari. In the afternoon we hike over to the nearby Masai village to have a look around and are welcomed by Big Moses and his fellows. There is a market where you can buy some trinkets and we are invited inside one of the traditional huts made of cow dung to look around. Apart from the door there is only a small window and it is absolutely pitch black inside even though there is a fireplace in the middle of the room. As we crowd some fifteen people inside you could be forgiven to think you were inside a sauna. The visit to the village was extremely interesting and the Masai very friendly, and the fact ... read more

We repeat the method of early morning and afternoon safari as yesterday. I am disappointed at the fact that everybody is now blasé and bored of the "common" animals and are ranting about the big five and where to spot them. The car will speed past fantastic groups of antelopes and gazelles as if they were cows ruminating next to the freeway. Everytime I ask if we could stay for a picture everbody seems completely surprised and almost bored, which pisses me off. When I return I will have a car of my own, and I will take the time to appreciate these fantastic animals in peace. Mr. Wahlstedt, our main guide has a keen eye for birds, so keen in fact that whenever he points out a great snake eagle or huff puffed pointy buzzard ... read more

The circumstances for this trip were a bit unusual. I had always had these romanticised dreams about Africa in general, and safaris in particular. I had been reading the ads in the newspapers for quite some time, but it was not until I came across a special priced group tour to Kenya and the Masai Mara that I finally decided to act and booked myself a seat. Having done that my boss suddenly decided that I should go on a month long biz trip across the pond to Denver, Colorado in September, talk about lousy timing. Fortunately my plan was already set and booking made, so I managed to get a decent compromise. I got to spend two weeks in Denver and then fly home for the weekend, do the laundry, pack the bag and go ... read more

Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania, had captured my imagination ever since learning about the exotic spice island in my history class. As if the prospect of going to this tropical paradise wasn't enough to feed my fantasy, an opportunity to travel there by traditional motorized, cargo dhow boat was more than I could resist. Eager to escape the stinking cesspool of Mombasa my travelling companions, Pamela, another Aussie, Will, from the UK and I arrive early at the dock for our voyage. ‘Excuse me, which boat is going to Zanzibar today?’ Pamela asks a grimy African wearing a well worn grease stained T-shirt who stares at us blankly. Appallingly, Pamela points at all the boats and yells ‘Zanzibar, Zanzibar’ as if he is deaf. After much gesticulating with his peers, we find ... read more

On my way back home to Baghdad, our captain informed us that we had the opportunity to make one more stop for trade; Mombasa. The city was founded by Arab traders who intermarried with local woman to create a predominately Muslim community. The population identifies as Shãfi'i Muslims, and through some early exchanges for basic goods I sense their integrity and feel that they are people of good spirit. Its key exports are coconut, ivory, sesamum (sesame), and mill. The city and its traders play a key role in the exchange of goods in and around the Indian Ocean. It is centrally located on Eastern Africa, making trade easy to and from Egypt, Arabia, India, and even Indonesia and China. Both raw materials and luxury items are harvested and manufactured here, including Persian rugs and cotton ... read more