tribal chic

let me first start off by saying that Kenya is amazing. it's the combination of a lot of different things that make it so beautiful and me so thankful to be here.

before i get into all the Kenya goods, let me cap things off in Nepal with a couple pictures of Rajesh, the director of the volunteer program i was with, and his family. i will always consider them as my Nepali family. i can't overstate just how much they remind me of my own family in every essence. Rajesh and his wife, Bandana, are incredibly compassionate and warm people that even in their little habits and ways reminded me of my parents. it's something i'll always be very grateful for finding along the way. Nepal would have been very different without them.

Rajesh and Bandana

the kids - Pratna, Laxmi and Bivor

on to Kenya

my flight left Kathmandu at 11am. it wasn't until i got to the security line did i realize i had packed my leatherman in my carry on. some how, it cleared the scanner AND and full bag search though. part of me was relieved, part of me was a little concerned what other people had gotten through. by the time i boarded the plane, that leatherman with a full-sized blade had cleared 4 different security check-points.

to get to Kenya from Nepal, i had a layover in Mumbai, India. 13 hours. i was going to lock-up my bag and head out to the city to see it for a bit but as i was headed for the door, i glanced at the news on the tv to see BBC breaking news of a terrorist attack in Mumbai that included 3 separate bombings with more than 20 killed and over 100 reported injuries. maybe next time, Mumbai. instead, i settled for a book and KFC for dinner.

at 3am, my flight left Mumbai for Nairobi, Kenya. i got in at 7am and wasn't able to clear customs until after 9am but i met a nice girl in line. she was Indian and was on my flight. both her parents are indian but everyone lived in Uganda. she had attended a private Belgium school there and was now finishing up her BS in chemical engineering from M.I.T. and applying for med school and wanted to focus on oncology. she can speak English, Hindi, another Indian language i can't remember, Swahili and French.

walking out of the Nairobi airport, i was looking for my friend from home, Brian Jones. he'd be the first face i've seen from back home since leaving in April. Brian came out to Kenya almost 2 years ago to work at Flying Kites, an organization working in Kenya. i lived with Brian for a year after college. i don't know how to describe Brian in a simple, clear and concise form. everyone is drawn to him. he's incredibly genuine. he's the most artistically gifted person i know. he can piece together songs from scratch like nothing i seen before. he's a great cook, a fantastic writer, he's got a style that is truly his own and impossible to replicate. the saying "marches to the beat of his own drum" comes to mind but it's more like his own percussion section.

if you want to read more about Flying Kites or follow the blogs of Brian or others from the organization, here's a  link to their website: http://www.flyingkitesglobal.org/

i haven't seen Brian since he left for Kenya almost 2 years ago though and i wasn't really sure what to expect. what i saw was shaggy blonde haired guy and a funky african style and a fiercely strong light in his eyes that screams of conquered wildness. Kenya is his element and it's beautiful to get to watch someone work at his level. you can just tell the game moves slower for him here.

what Brian and Flying Kites does is more than just love and provide for children, they've immersed the organization into the local community to help in every conceivable way. farmer co-ops, AA groups and more. they've built a great family home for these kids and been a resource the community can rely on.

the home is located almost 2 hours outside Nairobi, in a town called Njabini. the N is silent. it's in the hills/mountains of Kenya at almost 9,000 ft. agriculturally is very rich and the climate is cool in comparison to the rest of Kenya. this is the dead of winter and temperatures usually get into the 70s during the day but can also idle around the 40s or 50s while Nairobi and the rest of the lower elevation regions are in the 80s and 90s and fighting drought.

since i've been here, the home has had a steady stream of volunteers around, usually around 6-10. every one from the U.S. and in their early 20s. the daily routine is tutoring at school from 10-1, down time until 4ish, play with the kids, dinner, family meeting, studying and down time before bed.

Brian's pulled me aside to help with some other projects here too. we're going to build a tree house at school, a brick oven at the house, a hand washing station at school and other logistical things to help make things run more efficiently here.

story time...

this weekend Brian and i went to Nairobi to see off a friend and volunteer. Chase is from Spokane, WA, long-time family friends of Brian and heading into his final year of high school. i met Chase once a couple years ago when i was living with Brian. he was pretty quiet then but being here with him allowed us to become good friends.

first we hit the Maasai Market, essentially a farmers market for crafts. it's got tons of carvings, painting, metal work and other stuff. i didn't know it until i got here but the culture has extremely gifted craftsmen. the Maasai Market is where they sell and take advantage of tourists. any price they give you is easily 50% too high. if you like bartering, this is the place to go. i got a carving for 2,000 shillings (~$20) that was originally priced at 10,000 shillings. i've been shamefully poor at collecting gifts and souveniers along the way. that's all going to change here though. Brian's given me an extra suitcase they had laying around to pack all the stuff home.

after the market we stopped in at the Tribe Hotel for a drink. the Tribe Hotel is a legitimate 5-star hotel that supports Flying Kites. after a beer, we headed back to our hotel for dinner.

i had a cheese burger, my first burger and first beef in a really really long time. afterward i felt pretty stuffed and we called it a night by 10.

what ensued is the story behind me giving up beef at least until i get back to U.S., if not longer.

the next morning we sent Chase off at 5am and went back to bed. at 8 we got back up. at 9 i puked. Brian went to run some errands. i got sick again at 10ish as Brian was getting back. from here the options were:

1. get a taxi back to Njabini ($50)
2. take the local bus ($1.50)
3. let Brian head back while I hunker down in the hotel to wait out the food poison storm and head back after (min $30).

i told Brian, lets sit tight for 30 mins, wait for me to ralph again and catch the bus immediately after to give me the fewest chances of puking on the bus.

i packed my bag, stuffed a couple extra plastic bags in my pockets and waited for the urge to heave. at this point, there was nothing left inside my stomach. just the bile and my stomach wanted that out too.

i puked, walked out of the bathroom and as i walked out, before Brian could say anything, i said "let's roll".

we walked the 1/4 mile to the bus station and got on the next bus to Njabini. i got a window seat, second to last row on the right hand side of the bus, which is on the middle of the road side of the bus because they drive on the left hand side of the road. as the bus filled, i decided to buy the seat next to me for a little extra room. Brian sat in the seat in front of me. we waited about 30 mins for the bus to fill before leaving. i held it together before the bus left. showing my cards before the bus left the station wouldn't have helped the situation.

within 30 mins of getting going my body up to my waist was hanging out the window as i puked my guts out and the bus flew down the highway going 50+ mph.

two things to keep in mind while puking out of the side of a bus on the highway going 50 mph.

1. you have to puke/spit hard enough to get the stuff away from you or else it ends up on the side of your face.
2. you have to keep an eye on what's coming because on coming traffic will take you out.

after the first session on the bus i slid back into my seat, half conscious, the lady sitting across the isle tapped me on the shoulder and said, "could you close the window a bit please." she should have been my target for the next session.

the second session came in the thick, black exhaust cloud of a semi-truck and the sounds of cars behind us honking their horns in anger. as our bus pulled over, i continued my work to the angry looks from drivers in puke covered cars passing before giving the bus driver a thumbs up to get going again.

the third session was more of the same.

i was beat.

at one pit stop on the way, i was hanging out the window, getting some air as locals shoved roasted corn, water, oranges and packaged biscuits in the face to buy. they wanted to chat. i played along, told them about my experience so far. dry-heaves didn't scare them off.

after the pit stop the road conditions deteriorated and it felt like the bus was getting hit by mortars and my muscles were so exhausted i just bounced around like a lotto ball in the back of the bus.

we got pulled over by the cops for a routine check. i was hanging out the window again, getting air. the policeman asked me the customary, "how are you" to which is replied, "just peachy."

when we finally got to Njabini, there was one more hurdle to cross. the motorbike ride up to the house. as i got on the back of the bike i grabbed the guy by the shoulder and said, "if i hit you or say anything, stop the bike." then i got off the bike and dry-heaved at the curb once more before we got going.

the bike ride was brutal. it was super cold, i was dead weight and just zoned out, staring at the back of the driver.

nonetheless, i made it. the rest of the day was miserable. the day after was better and i'll be back to normal soon.

it's not fitting of my time here but that day is the most memorable day yet. i will never forget dangling out the side of the bus, puke swirling out of my face and into the hot, dusty and car-exhaust filled air behind me. i laughed a bit about it then and a little bit more every day.

adventures ahead...

climbing Kilimanjaro, safari during the great migration, a weekend trip to this island off the coast called Lamu, maybe rafting the Nile in Uganda, meeting up with another friend from home, Dave Betts, and maybe a side trip to Rwanda.

the fearless leader - Brian Jones

Julianna - she runs all the volunteer side of things

the company car - a hardcore toyota landcruiser.

tutoring at school

hoops anyone?

talent show at the house. Chase and i did a ribbon dancing routine.

my first weekend here fell on Brian's birthday so we dressed up in costumes and celebrated.

the birthday boy

awesome Ronnie Coleman poster in the background

monsoon anyone?

for the last 8 days, i've been out hiking, or trekking as they call it. i think trekking sounds dorky though. what i didn't realize before was that trekking is different than hiking. all the hikes i've been on are either pretty much straight up and back down, flat or some combination of the two and a couple days at most. trekking is longer and way more up and down. you might end up ascending 9,000 ft, but you're going to do it in chunks of up 2,000 and then down 1,500. if you don't mentally prepare for that ahead of time, it's really frustrating.

when i first thought about coming to Nepal, i wanted to do this long trek, 14+ days. then after some reading i scrapped it because it's monsoon season and it's supposed to be pretty miserable. after i got here, Rajesh, the director of my program, talked me into it again. the end result was a 10-day trek up to Annapurna Base Camp, back down half way and then head out west to Poon Hill and then south to meet out starting point again. Here's a link to a decent map. what i found out right as i left was that our 10-day trek was typically a 14-day route.

it took us three days to get to base camp. the entire time it rained. literally, the entire time. many times along the way my guide, Chhiring, said, "if it was clear, you could see some really amazing mountains right now...". thank you Chhiring. even when we got to base camp, it was completely socked in with clouds. i had talked to people coming down though and all said it cleared in the evening and morning. that evening it didn't clear. that evening i told Chhiring we were going to stay an extra day and night up there and weren't going to go to Poon Hill on the way back down, we'd just head straight back down.

in the morning it cleared. not entirely but enough to see what was out there and it was spectacular.

i couldn't find any info on elevation gain or distance for the trek. the only numbers i have are hours spent hiking each day and the number of leeches i got. hours of hiking is boring. i got 8 leeches total. i was lucky i think. one lady i met got 15 the first day including 3 in her hair and one in her mouth. she was hiking really slow though so i think she was an easy target.

the drive out to the trail

my guide, Chhriring

you got it

hiking

lodge 1

we walked past a little store on the trail and they had a baby pet monkey. he was tied to a rope on a post at table level in the store/restaurant. the rope was about 5ft long, just long enough to reach the edge of the store. the best part is he would walk out to the end of the rope, walk back about 2ft, turn and then sprint for the edge to hopefully break the rope and escape. instead he just whip-lashed his entire little monkey body and when sprawling over the edge.

bridge

leech

curt schilling would be proud

3 hours later, still bleeding

lodge 2

looks like a nice day for a hike doesn't it

at one point we had to pass this goat herd. it was about 200 goats.

Annapurna Base Camp

Annapurna Base Camp with Mt. Machapuchare in the background. Machapuchare is a holy mountain in  Nepal. it's never been climbed before. locals call it Fish Tail.

waiting for the clouds to clear

Annapurna I

Annapurna South

Ten Peak

Annapurna I again

proof I didn't just take these photos from Google Image search

People and stuff up at ABC

the head honcho

beach volleyball anyone?

Chhiring and i at the top

i met a handful of people up there; British, French, Korean, Chinese, Canadian and others. this guy was French. i think he looks pretty French in this picture

this dog followed me up the trail for about 2 hours and looks exactly like my parents dog back home except 15lbs lighter and blind in one eye. people tell you don't pet the dogs because you might get rabies. he was too nice not to pet a little. it's been over 5 days now, i don't think i have rabies.

guess at the nationality again...
British

snickers roll. they take some dough, wrap it around a snickers bar like a mini calzone and then deep-fry it.

my guide said keep it clean on food going up so i stuck to dal bhat and healthy stuff all the way up despite all sorts of western food being available. i'm glad i did too because dal bhat gave me so much energy, it was incredible. it might sound a little snotty but the folks that all the way out here, trekking in Nepal and order pasta/pizza and hot chocolate for every meal seem like sally's. you can get pizza at home, why not eat Nepali food when you're in Nepal? would you order chicken strips in Italy? not unless you were drunk and found a Burger King.
Anyway, when i got to the top, i finally ordered a pizza. this was the mixed pizza. mixed pizza meant just about anything they could find in the kitchen which included cabbage, tuna fish, chicken, egg, canned mushrooms and cheese. somehow, it still tasted like pizza.

view down at ABC

the road back down

i'm guessing they stole that sign or they're lying.

here's what trekking is. you see that village across on the hillside? we were headed there, to the a place in the top left section. but to get there we had to go all the way to the bottom of the valley and back up. from the river through the village were steps the whole way. i counted 2,546 steps from the river to our lodge.

basketball anyone? the crazy thing about this is somebody had to haul a backboard and those steel poles all the way up here, a solid 2-day hike from town. i don't love basketball that much.

cornbread

end of the road, waiting for get a taxi

Chhiring and i at the end.
dear Mercer Island Marathon, thank you for the hat and working at your event last year. after two months in NZ,  one in Nepal and however long in Kenya wearing your hat, i would like to request 10% of all registration fees from those countries. it's only fair. you're getting free advertising.

damage

you've been warned. don't scroll down if you think feet are disgusting or don't want to see some that hiked for 8 days in the same pair of sopping wet shoes and socks because nothing would ever dry out. i don't know anything about jungle rot but i think i was starting to get some on my feet.

these shoes are toast. done. finished. i was on a 7hr bus ride with a bunch of locals. everyone had taken off their shoes to get comfortable and sleep. i did the same and immediately noticed half the bus eyeing me, spitting out the window and covering their faces. i would imagine they're experienced far worse smells in their life than i have but the fact that my shoes could cause such a reaction. i felt a combination of embarrassed and like a proud father.