So, back in Nairobi. Plus a nice tan and for some reason I'm down a belt loop. I just packed all my belongings here into two suitcases and a back pack. It was exhausting. Especially when I've done it so many times already this summer. I feel like my life is currently stuck on repeat, nothing new happens, everything is the same, except for a little detail here and there. Constant deja vu. Another three hour church service tomorrow, just at a different church. Then we go back to Nairobi for supper for my dad's mini class reunion. I think there's only four of them coming, but that's pretty good considering that it was arranged two weeks ago or so. On Monday, we have to leave here at 6:30am. Yippee. But after that, we get into London in the evening, and have Tuesday and Wednesday there. Currently, in the height of our organization, we're planning what we're going to do in London. We leave Thursday morning, have a three hour layover in Iceland, and we still manage to get into Halifax by evening. When we get in, we have a two hour drive to Grammie and Grampie's. That is going to be a heck of a long day, gaining four hours and all that traveling. We go back home on Friday, and VBS, where I'm suppose to be taking pictures, starts on Monday. At least I have something to do the week I come back.
I have a guide book to look through. I shall report back later.
Au revoir,
-J-
Saturday, July 31, 2010
*jazz hands*
I just found out that if I google my name, I teach year 4 at a primary school in New Zealand. Also, there's another girl who I seem to have accidentally stalked for part of my life. There's been a couple times where people have learned my name, and said,"Hey! There was a girl here yesterday with that same name!". She also went to university in my grandparents miniature town, and her mom stayed a night at our house a long time ago.
I just felt like writing that, because I'm waiting for breakfast and I'm pretty bored. I should go get changed and sit outside. I make my life sound so exciting, don't I?
-J-
I just felt like writing that, because I'm waiting for breakfast and I'm pretty bored. I should go get changed and sit outside. I make my life sound so exciting, don't I?
-J-
Friday, July 30, 2010
"That juice tasted like I drank a shower curtain. I'd avoid the straws, if I were you."
I made it to Lamu, fully intact! I've already been here for two days, and we're leaving tomorrow. You know, I just couldn't find a break to post in all this sitting by the pool, swimming, walking on the beach, and drinking soda. Yeah, I love it here. I find it insanely cool that there is one street in town that somebody could drive a car on. I find it cool that there's only one car and two ambulances(I'm not to even sure if they work) to drive down that street. I like it here because everything is transported by dhow(little sail boats) and donkeys. I saw a donkey that was carrying three cases of soda, today.
What kind of bothers me about here is that there are a bunch of pothead dhow drivers sitting around the hotel, starring at women who are walking by. I guess that the only place to find scantily clad women on this island is at tourist hotels, this being a 98% muslim island, or something like that. This definition of 'scantily clad' differs from most other parts of the world as something so minimal as showing knees and shoulders. I feel really uncomfortable walking across the courtyard by myself.
This morning we took a trip into Lamu Town(we're staying in Shela, by the beach). It was a fun time, but I feel like I'll have a really bad sunburn tomorrow. We got to see a bunch of little shops, most insanely expensive(maybe I was spoiled in Kijabe with the shops, where business was really slow and they weren't very good at bargaining). I did try bargaining, and I think that if my dad hadn't jumped in, I could have got the price down a bit more. But I did get two sets of earrings for 500/-, which is... *calculates*... about $6.50. Not too bad. We also got to see a bunch of skinny, Egyptian looking cats that I don't really think have homes, but certain places are nice to them(you can tell where by the large hoards of cats hanging out by certain buildings). People around here are very skilled at patterns, as can be seen on the doors, which are elaborately carved, and the henna on women's hands. I got some henna yesterday from this sweet lady on the beach who probably ripped me off, but whatever, it was fun. I'll post pics when I get free internet. For lunch, we ate at a little coffee shop, Whispers Cafe, that was pretty adorable. They had iced tea on the menu, which, for being in a country where I haven't seen iced tea any other places in a month, gave it a special place in my heart. I think it's run by a white lady, because a women seemed to be running around in a sort of way that made you think she had control over things. We headed back on the hotel dhow at noon, and got here and had a long swim in the pool.
Tonight we had supper at a restaurant Dad saw advertised around, the Mango Top Roof Restaurant(yes, the 'top' and 'roof' we in that order on the sign). We went, having had good luck with food lately, and I was kind of disappointed. There was a great view of the town, the food was pretty good, but it was lonely. There were three tables on the roof, a very bare cement floor, and by the looks of it we were the only people who had eaten there for quite a while. Almost as if they never set it up to have people eat there, the kitchen was three floors down. We had a single light bulb over our heads, so we could kind of see our food. The place has great potential, but it seriously needs some decorating, organization, and better management(we waited at least 45 minutes for the food, because the chef was on his break and I gathered something about the waiter having to call his mother.)
I get to go on a plane back, tomorrow. Coming here, I really didn't have anything to do, so I read the newspaper over the girl's shoulder in front of me. There was some kid two seats in front of me with an iPad, and I thought of various ways to destroy it "accidentally". Hopefully I have something more productive to do tomorrow on the plane.
And after that, two nights at the guesthouse, and then we're gone from here! We still have two or three nights after that in London, but that's okay. I'm kind of glad to be going home because five weeks of travel is a really long time. I bet I''ll get home, unpack my suitcases, and have no idea what to do with myself for a month. Hopefully I do something worthwhile with that time.
I don't know what it is, but it annoys me that donkeys and zebras stand at awkward angles. They don't stand parallel to anything, or even perpendicular, but just at an awkward angle. I think I may be going insane, so I'll stop now.
:)
-J-
What kind of bothers me about here is that there are a bunch of pothead dhow drivers sitting around the hotel, starring at women who are walking by. I guess that the only place to find scantily clad women on this island is at tourist hotels, this being a 98% muslim island, or something like that. This definition of 'scantily clad' differs from most other parts of the world as something so minimal as showing knees and shoulders. I feel really uncomfortable walking across the courtyard by myself.
This morning we took a trip into Lamu Town(we're staying in Shela, by the beach). It was a fun time, but I feel like I'll have a really bad sunburn tomorrow. We got to see a bunch of little shops, most insanely expensive(maybe I was spoiled in Kijabe with the shops, where business was really slow and they weren't very good at bargaining). I did try bargaining, and I think that if my dad hadn't jumped in, I could have got the price down a bit more. But I did get two sets of earrings for 500/-, which is... *calculates*... about $6.50. Not too bad. We also got to see a bunch of skinny, Egyptian looking cats that I don't really think have homes, but certain places are nice to them(you can tell where by the large hoards of cats hanging out by certain buildings). People around here are very skilled at patterns, as can be seen on the doors, which are elaborately carved, and the henna on women's hands. I got some henna yesterday from this sweet lady on the beach who probably ripped me off, but whatever, it was fun. I'll post pics when I get free internet. For lunch, we ate at a little coffee shop, Whispers Cafe, that was pretty adorable. They had iced tea on the menu, which, for being in a country where I haven't seen iced tea any other places in a month, gave it a special place in my heart. I think it's run by a white lady, because a women seemed to be running around in a sort of way that made you think she had control over things. We headed back on the hotel dhow at noon, and got here and had a long swim in the pool.
Tonight we had supper at a restaurant Dad saw advertised around, the Mango Top Roof Restaurant(yes, the 'top' and 'roof' we in that order on the sign). We went, having had good luck with food lately, and I was kind of disappointed. There was a great view of the town, the food was pretty good, but it was lonely. There were three tables on the roof, a very bare cement floor, and by the looks of it we were the only people who had eaten there for quite a while. Almost as if they never set it up to have people eat there, the kitchen was three floors down. We had a single light bulb over our heads, so we could kind of see our food. The place has great potential, but it seriously needs some decorating, organization, and better management(we waited at least 45 minutes for the food, because the chef was on his break and I gathered something about the waiter having to call his mother.)
I get to go on a plane back, tomorrow. Coming here, I really didn't have anything to do, so I read the newspaper over the girl's shoulder in front of me. There was some kid two seats in front of me with an iPad, and I thought of various ways to destroy it "accidentally". Hopefully I have something more productive to do tomorrow on the plane.
And after that, two nights at the guesthouse, and then we're gone from here! We still have two or three nights after that in London, but that's okay. I'm kind of glad to be going home because five weeks of travel is a really long time. I bet I''ll get home, unpack my suitcases, and have no idea what to do with myself for a month. Hopefully I do something worthwhile with that time.
I don't know what it is, but it annoys me that donkeys and zebras stand at awkward angles. They don't stand parallel to anything, or even perpendicular, but just at an awkward angle. I think I may be going insane, so I'll stop now.
:)
-J-
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Beaches in near furthur, YES!
Dad got out of the hospital before supper yesterday and came back plus a liter and a half of IV fluid and a couple boxes of pills. We were so incredibly happy that it wasn't as serious as we had originally thought. Today he seemed to be almost back to normal.
We went to Java House for lunch(totally overrated), then got a taxi to the Westgate mall, which seemed almost like an airport, with it's shininess, excessive advertising, and designer stores. Outside, there was a sort of craft market thing and I got a scarf and a purse/bag thing. We picked up tea and coffee for some people back home, and Evan and I stared at the 150 liter pots, wondering if we could fit in them. After that we walked the five minutes to Sarit Center(great when two large shopping centers are down the road from each other). Mom and I got our hair cut, mom because her's was getting too long, and me because the last haircut I had was absolutely pathetic. I now have an awesome haircut, because this time the hairdresser actually bothered to care what it looked like at the end.
Nothing much more to say. Oh, and Lamu tomorrow! The airline found a spot for us to fit. Three days isn't as long as I hoped to roast at the beach, but it's better than nothing. And cheaper than the five nights we originally planned on.
Smiles,
-J-
We went to Java House for lunch(totally overrated), then got a taxi to the Westgate mall, which seemed almost like an airport, with it's shininess, excessive advertising, and designer stores. Outside, there was a sort of craft market thing and I got a scarf and a purse/bag thing. We picked up tea and coffee for some people back home, and Evan and I stared at the 150 liter pots, wondering if we could fit in them. After that we walked the five minutes to Sarit Center(great when two large shopping centers are down the road from each other). Mom and I got our hair cut, mom because her's was getting too long, and me because the last haircut I had was absolutely pathetic. I now have an awesome haircut, because this time the hairdresser actually bothered to care what it looked like at the end.
Nothing much more to say. Oh, and Lamu tomorrow! The airline found a spot for us to fit. Three days isn't as long as I hoped to roast at the beach, but it's better than nothing. And cheaper than the five nights we originally planned on.
Smiles,
-J-
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