Africa (Rwanda to Malawi)

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Hey All,

Sorry for the lack of emails but Africa computers, internet access, emails, phones and snail mail are all non existent. But just wanted to touch base and let you know we are both fine happy and healthy and having a ball. I have uploaded some pics on facebook cos it is the only thing that works ok at the moment. Enjoy this latest edition of Camp K & K

KENYA

How do you describe a country where its people are as beautiful as its landscape? You hear the children before you can see them. They scream out “jambo” and wave with the most heartfelt and true smiles, jumping up and down. Our arms are sore from waving continuously. Not sure if anyone could ever come to Africa and not fall in love with its people. Their lives are so simple, daily tasks that we would find redundant; sweeping the dirt from around their small mud huts, in there simple community villages. The villages that we have seen so far aren’t deep in poverty, far from it actually, each village has there own community gardens, serving there needs for vegetables, grains and farm goats for meat. The local markets run from sun up till sun down, each family has respect for each other, for what they have and to us they don’t seem to have anything. I think we have lost what life could be like. How simple perhaps it could all be, or how it is meant to be.
 
Anyway what have we done, what have we seen. Past the luggage misadventure and escaping from the bribing police we enter the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. Two lanes of traffic turns into four, the continuous echoes of car horns intertwined with bicycle bells and children’s laughter. Leaving Nairobi you are quite quickly bumping along on dirt roads weaving in and out through villages heading high into the mountains of mist lakes and off course animals. Who would have thought that on day one, on the same day as stealing my bag from the airport and picking up groceries we would also see monkeys and be camping at a hippo’s watering hole? Yep 11 tents, a big yellow truck and 19 excited little travelers from all over the globe surrounded by an electric fence and covered in deet.
 
On our first game drive we see giraffe, zebra, and all sorts of deer things flamingoes and more monkeys. In this game park we were able to walk through so this is obviously isn’t lion country. So bizarre to just stroll among giraffe and zebra, this day was topped off by going for a walk in the late afternoon to a small village where we played with children until the sun setting put an end to our fun. I don’t think I can describe the joy that playing with the kids gave to us and them. So simple, so easy.
 
We stepped beyond the electric fence and went for a boat trip to spot some hippos; they are so much bigger I feel when it’s just you in a small motor boat. Moving camp and adventures we find ourselves game driving in the truck and we start to watch for zebra, wildebeest and flamingoes. We notice a lioness and a cub teasing the dear in general. From here and the next 2 days it gets more and more amazing with monkeys, giraffes with babies, rhinos with babies and as we were heading towards our bush camp we find 2 lions sunning themselves by the road. With that in mind it was quite disconcerting when we set up camp about 1km from them. For this we set up or camp in a semi circle which apparently is meant to look like large rocks and animals won’t try and penetrate the ring, luckily this worked. We did have a buffalo that came a little to close for comfort. I think he thought the same thing and left quite quickly. With an amazing sunrise we bogged the truck in the mighty African red mud. Which caused a few dramas; it’s always good to follow a negative with a positive, which on this particular occasion was to spot a leopard sitting in a tree just beside the road. While I was snapping away at the leopard in the tree, I missed 2 leopards walking across the road in front of the truck…. Who would have thought? We also watched hyena tease flamingoes and swim with them.
 
UGANDA
 
Our next bush camp wasn’t a success, the weather had turned against us the roads turned to Swiss cheese, and tents pitched in the dark with slight drizzle and dinner prepared in the same conditions and to bed. Our first 4 hours of the following day where then spent trying to dig out our truck also known as a team building exercise. After a long day in the truck with boarder crossing into Uganda and many rounds of “asshole” the card game, which kaz is the most definitely the champion. We eventually and one day late we find ourselves at Lake Binyoni. So far in Africa we have discovered that yes could easily mean no, 10 minutes could easily mean 1 hour, hot water could quite easily mean no water and a toasted sandwich could easily mean an omelets.
 
We spent half a day heading to a pygmy village on an island, firstly passing Prison Island which is where unmarried pregnant women were sent to die an uplifting way to start the day. The pygmies were quite disappointing, very touristy and because of cross breading the pygmies look quite similar to other African tribes. We did sing and dance wit them, saw some local markets that were run from dugout wooden canoes. This was the day that Kaz decided to fall down a hole and do her ankle, which was a major scare at the time for we were meant to walk with the gorillas in 2 days.
 
RWANDA
So welcome to Rwanda, what a country, what a devastating history. The ghosts that walk this country. Every moment in Rwanda was emotional. Talking to people in the streets, going to an orphanage for street kids and the genocide museum. Then at the other end of the emotional scale trekking with the mountain gorillas. Rwanda is lush in landscape; banana and tea plantations give the lush rainforest a patchwork of order. Green hills and mud hut villages are hidden amongst them. When you think about the past 50 years of this country it holds so many nightmares many of them still being unearthed two society’s living side by side. One day one force messed with logic, messed with faith and with minds and caused in the end the death of over 800 000 people. Political giants ignored their screams their blood stained hands etched forever into the genocide of Rwanda. People our age were hidden or escaped to Uganda, their parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles massacred through circumstance and no one nor any country would help them. The only armed forces that came in were to rescue their own. If only these forces had stayed and helped the Rwandans hundreds and thousands of lives could have been saved. What a selfish society and what an innocent country. We talked to street kids whose families were desecrated by this atrocity. No where for them to go except for the streets to a life of stealing to survive or kids ho are forced into slavery for a feed and a bed.
 
In the same country on the same day we sat with mountain gorillas: 2 silverbacks, 4 babies the youngest 3 months females and juveniles, all up 17 gorillas. And yes they were gorillas in the mist. Kaz’s ankle held together and it was most definitely one of the most amazing hours we have spent traveling yet. To sit a meter away from a mountain gorilla, to dive into stinging nestle to get out of the way of a mother and its baby trying to get to the protection of the silverback. For a juvenile to tumble roll past Kaz just for fun or for a baby to beat its chest and fall to the ground playing with his dad. Not sure how you can truly describe that.
 
In a 24 hour period we had the elation of sitting with mountain gorillas and then to visit the genocide museum and to be devastingly cut to the core by the uncomprehendable acts of brutality (genocide - never again). After the museum our truck was very quiet for the 11 hour trip which bought us to Jinja.
 
UGANDA
 
The land of white water rafting, lazing by the Nile River, hand washing, hot showers and a beer. Kaz survived rafting the biggest commercial rapid in the world IDIOT and she plans to do all that again in the Zambezi. She was like a kid on Christmas day. We also headed to a volunteer organization for a day, where we helped paint a school and played with kids…… really we played with kids and painted. We also went for a walk through the villages and went into a couple of local schools and seen what the organization has been trying to accomplish. They explained that the education system in Africa is a little insane. The government had a great idea that if they offered free education and all the kids needed was a pen and uniform then children could attend a school, this was a great incentive and they found that 1000s of children turned up on the doors of schools. The problem was then that then they found they didn’t have enough teachers, recourses or schools for that fact. Some schools now have over 100 children in one room, they are so desperate to be educated.communitys are donating land and volunteers are helping to build schools, charity’s search for the elusive dollar for these children’s dream to come true and for them to get an education.
 
KENYA
 
Lets drive, lets drive, we had a couple of big days heading back to Nairobi, we stopped at a random voodoo African camp on Lake Victoria to break up the drive. Our drive days consist of many bored breaking games. We mainly find ourselves playing card games or other random games with losing could find you having to put up some tent or singing songs to recipes. Luckily kaz and I don’t lose that often, but I have found out that I am quite good at singing songs to recipes. We arrived back in Nairobi, visited a giraffe sanctuary and I got licked by a giraffe, that isn’t pretty. We also visited an elephant sanctuary where kaz actually took more photos of the elephants then she did of the gorillas. She is a little obsessed with elephants. She got to pat one it is the simple things really.
 
TANZANIA
Heading to the Serengeti the mighty getti as we like to call it, first headed to a place called Urusha and Snake Park and our first encounter with Masai people. Masai people truly intrigue us; they are so very untouched by modern ways. They still live their very nomadic life, living in harmony with the wild animals of Africa with only a spear or a club as protection. The Getti was just amazing: Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Warthog, Wildebeest, Hippos, Mongoose and a great sunset. We also headed trough Ngoragora creator which was also spectacular, it had its very own eco system formed by the boundaries of the creator. Wildebeest that didn’t see the point in migrating, elephants, lion, zebra and flamingoes filled our day while in the creator. It seems that everyday we wake up to something more exciting, from the creator and the ghetti we passed Kilimanjaro, Aloe Vera plantations and choose to pitch our tents in an oasis where hippos live. From there we passed palm trees and mountains before hitting the seas and white sands and turquoise waters.
 
ZANZIBAR
 
A ferry ride of motion sickness hell to find ourselves in Zanzibar delight, we hired a car got our bearings, our drivers permit and headed around the island for four das from Stone town, which is a very conservative Muslim town this continued throughout the island with their religious beliefs. It is so good to see that even thou Zanzibar is a popular tourist port it is still quite untouched and continues on with its everyday culture and beliefs and that the tourist resorts are quite hidden from view. We stayed in beachside bungalows, ate seafood and snorkeled so very far removed from reality it isn’t funny. Our dilemmas at the moment are do we swim or eat first. As Zanzibar continues the snorkeling continues, we found ourselves snorkeling with dolphins and in a large blue lagoon which kept us entertained for a while. Kaz is a big scarred cat who doesn’t like snorkeling where it is too deep (because a shark may eat her). We stayed in funky bungalows, ate amazing food, hit speed humps at warp speed, drove over garden beds and let’s not forget kaz who tried to teach the Masai to do the running man, the pizza man and the sprinkler. You have never seen anything as funny with Masai trying to teach Kaz to jump was about as successful as Kaz trying to teach them running man. Most definitely these are 2 cultures that shouldn’t mix. The Ferry ride back was liveable thank god, straight back to terra firma for a 3 day drive to Malawi. We crossed path with elephant and giraffe the days were hot and long cabin fever set in and we desperately needed to do washing or we would be sitting alone in the truck.
 
MALAWI
 
Two long days driving and a bush camp and we make it to our first Lake Malawi camp which quite frankly is more like an inland sea, 500km of lake minus the salt. Malawi is a poor country and we have found ourselves bartering things for souvenirs. Pens, shoes, clothes are more useful than money. Kaz is having heaps of fun bartering her way to African masks, jewelry and prints. We went thru local clothes markets an experience in its self. We were most definitely the centre of attention. People swarming us desperate for a sale or to try and pickpocket us. Our next stop in Malawi was also on the lake and it was a chilled out 3 days of swimming, working on Kaz’s balance to windsurf (only missing the wind). Horse riding walking through the local villages and even preparing an amazing meal of a pig on a spit with roasted veggies. Oh what a hard life it is that we lead. Sitting on this lake it is more like sitting on the beach, Sandy shore, small waves and undercurrents very strange indeed without the salt water. We had locals playing drums kids dancing locals cooking us dinner and now perfectly clean clothes. So now we are clean and ready to head to Zimbabwe more days in the truck and more adventures to be had.
 
I (kaz) also had a chance to teach in a local nursery school on the banks of Lake Malawi for a day. The children were aged between 1 and 5 years old. The school had about 95 children in it, half were orphans that were being raised within the community. Spent an amazing day with these children playing games, singing songs and dancing. A day that I will never forget. The Nursery is one of 7 in the area and they only rely on donations to survive. The nurseries are run by an Aussie woman who came here for holidays and never left. I can see how she is so drawn to these special children. These moments and experiences have made the journey through Africa touch the soul. I recommend this continent to everyone who wants to gain some perspective on their own life and the needs and wants that drive us. Now away from the seriousness I also managed to stab myself in the foot with a tree branch that went about 2 cm into my foot arch. Doing the agadoo is dangerous and just proof that I am not completely African yet cos my mazonga (white man)  feet are still soft.
 
We hope that everyone is safe and happy and the next email u may get from us is when we are back home for Christmas. Remember no news is good news
 
Love Kaz and Kris

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