Nairobi & Harare (tales of two cities)

I last wrote 8 days ago from Nairobi. I was very glad we had built in the extra time before and after our tour to spend in this city. At least we saw a little of urban life to balance out  the somewhat insular view of the country that our tour gave. I mentioned in my first email that we had done a walking tour of the CBD when we first arrived. The city didn't seem nearly as scary as I had expected and on that occasion we had been dropped off by taxi but had chosen to walk back to our hotel. We were cautious and never felt threatened. Apparently the crime rate has dropped drastically from say 10 years ago, thanks to Police having "shoot to kill" orders for anyone caught in the act.  However after dark it's another story. As part of our walking tour we had a guided look through the Stanley Sarova Hotel which is a grand old colonial style hotel similar perhaps to the Raffles hotel in Singapore if you've seen that one. Do any of you remember the movie "Out Of Africa"? Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. I had bought the DVD and watched before coming! That was set in Kenya and there was a bit of Karen Blixen memorabilia at the hotel including the gramophone used in the movie! On our day in Nairobi after our safari we also went to the Karen Blixen museum in the original house. I really enjoyed seeing the place and relating to the movie! We also went on a second tour with the charity group who had run the CBD tour. This one was to one of the slum areas Mathare. The organisation has it's offices close by. We had to take a local bus to get there (an experience itself) then walk through streets and alleys (all with a guide of course) Wow what a place! 800,000 people living there in terrible conditions. Most dwellings are made from corrugated iron No plumbing Open drainage in the alleys which wind their way through this seemingly unending collection of lean-to's decorated with the days laundry hanging in whatever space was to be found. I'm not sure how much I really took in as I had to concentrate on where to place my feet on the very uneven tracks  watching for dogs and chickens and children as well as taking care to not bump my head on protruding beams or roof edging and of course dodging the laundry! So sad that so many are in this situation. And what's even sadder is that there is another slum area in Nairobi housing over 2 million people! However organisations such as MCF (Mathare Children's Fund) do their best to make a difference providing education healthcare and training to those it can with limited resources and funding. We also visited a clinic run by German-Doctors for Developing Countries. Another admirable organisation providing an amazing service in a desperate community. That evening on our return to our hotel we encountered a "little problem" - David's passport was missing!!! Eeek!!! And we were flying out the next day! So the next couple of hours were stressful to say the least. Numerous phone calls and messages checking everywhere we had been including the drivers we had used. David was quite convinced of the most likely moment it had happened (when we were rearranging cash after an ATM withdrawal) and that was when we were waiting to join our tour. So despite calling the CBD hotel where our tour had started, and them saying no it wasn't there, we ended up going back to look for ourselves and found it immediately in the armchair David had been sitting in - it had fallen down the side of the cushion. What a relief!!! The thought of having to try to obtain an emergency replacement passport was daunting to say the least! So with no visit to the Australian Embassy needed, we fitted in one final piece of tourism in Kenya before our departure.  We visited the National Museum and snake pit. Both were excellent exhibits - we were really impressed by the quality of displays etc. Thankfully the trip to the airport only took a quarter of the time of our trip the other way, and we headed South. After an overnight transit in Johannesburg we flew to Harare, capital of Zimbabwe. Their arrival process had not improved since our last visit 5 years ago, with a wait of about an hour (here you still have to queue up first to pay for a visa) but finally emerged to the welcoming arms of cousin Loretta & William. Driving through Harare things didn't look much different from last time - the roads are probably worse - I think they've completely given up on repairs! As a consequence the cars are also in disrepair. Shops are well stocked and prices seem reasonable by our standards but expensive for the locals. We had some lovely family time catching up with a few rellies and enjoyed a great church service Sunday morning before heading off to Chinhoyi - about 120km North. We've been here a few days but rather than start on this next chapter of our journey I'll sign off and tell you all about that next installment. By the way someone asked about weather - Kenya & Tanzania were lovely and warm (not hot) with mild nights except for when we were up on top of the crater and it was pretty COLD. Here in Zim it's warmer than expected around 30 in the day. No rain to date anywhere we have been. Jenny and David - currently staying put & not travelling.

Tanzanian Travels

Jambo & Hello We are back in Nairobi having completed the Tanzanian leg of our 13 day Safari tour. Last Wednesday morning we left Amboseli Reserve and Mt Kilimanjaro behind us (still covered in cloud) and headed for the border. Exiting Kenya and entering Tanzania was relatively seamless, much to my relief as I have heard tales of lengthy delays at some border crossings. Here we changed vehicles and drivers. 7 new people joined us for the Tanzanian sector (our package was really two separate tours put together hence some people only did one part) Overall things in Tanzania are very similar to Kenya. Vehicle of choice for safaris in both places is the Toyota Landcruiser - modified with a pop up roof for game viewing and "stretched" to increase seating - 7 passengers in the rear (potentially could have another in the front with the driver but they don't seem to) and reducing the luggage compartment to barely 30cm behind the rear seat. It becomes obvious why luggage is restricted to soft sided bags. It is the beginning of the high season and the vehicles are a common sight and branded with dozens of different companies - it's big business here. At a couple of lunch stops in the game reserves we have counted up to 60 vehicles parked together at the one time! The driver/guide in both countries have been excellent, handling the vehicle and road conditions brilliantly(although occasionally we wondered if he thought he was driving in the Dakar rally), seeking out the best game viewing (the drivers are in continual radio contact keeping each other informed) and providing a wealth of information about the wildlife as well as the country and culture. (I'm sure I won't retain even half of it!) The accommodation was exceptional. All lodges were located in secluded spots away from everyone else. Some inside the parks, others just outside. A couple perched high up overlooking magnificent views. The isolation meant they were reliant on generators for all power so that was often switched off for a few hours through the night and the hot water only available 6-9 am & pm! All featured superb African decor and at some the rooms were in buildings modelled on the typical African round mud huts. The food at the lodges was plentiful diverse and delicious with many meals served as buffets. Some lunches we had picnic boxes prepacked as we were away from the lodge all day. At a couple of places the wildlife is known to roam into the grounds so a security guard is required to escort guests from the reception/dining area back to the rooms. The reality of this was clear yesterday morning when a small herd of elephants decided to graze on the lodge lawns adjacent to the rooms and reception/car park. Speaking of elephants we have continued to pursue sightings of all manner of African animals and birds over four more National Parks in Tanzania - Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. All very different landscapes. I must confess wondering at the beginning if 7 parks and multiple game drives would lead to overload (similar to Europe/UK where travellers reach the "not another castle/cathedral" point). Perhaps a little but the diversity of the regions and huge variety of wildlife kept it interesting. From lush tall jungle growth to low woodlands, swampy marshes, lakes, savannah grasslands to the arid woodlands - devoid of anything but the hardiest thorny bushes. The sheer volume of animals amazed me in some places. Australia has very little wildlife in comparison - even in our parks. Huge numbers of buffalo, gazelles, zebras and of course the wildebeest. It is impossible to describe or even capture in photos the magnitude of the wildebeest migration. Although we did not get to see them crossing a river we did see the huge herds spread out across the landscape (in the Maasai Mara) and often trudging in long lines travelling a path that has been imprinted in their DNA to do so. We have had amazingly close encounters with a lot of different creatures. And I will confess to feeling a little nervous on a couple of occasions as elephants and lions eyeballed us and looked somewhat threatening. Perhaps the lion was a little annoyed that we had been just metres away when he was busy mating! This morning, even though now in Nairobi, we continued our encounter with wildlife by visiting a giraffe centre where we got to handfeed and pat them. And there was a two week old baby giraffe there - so cute! I have been really fascinated by the local Maasai people and culture. I was not expecting to see so many people over such a wide area still living the traditional nomadic tribal lifestyle. Driving along we saw dozens & dozens of villages. These consist of a collection of mud huts enclosed in a fence made of branches from the thorny bush. The cattle or goats are gathered inside each evening after spending the days grazing (on what often appeared to be almost barren ground) tended by herdsmen wearing traditional colourful Maasai blankets. The animals are led to communal waterholes where water is also gathered and carried back to the village for domestic use. Women are often seen carrying water or bundles of wood on their heads.Donkeys abound as the primary means of transport - either pulling a cart or loaded up with sticks or water containers. It's really a whole different way of life! Hard to believe such a basic lifestyle still exists in the 21st century. Aside from visiting the giraffe centre we have also had opportunity to explore a little more of Nairobi... but this is quite long enough and that can wait for the next email! Signing off from Kenya as we head south tomorrow Jenny and David (still intrepid and still travelling!)

Kenyan Kaleidoscope

Jambo (Kenyan for Hello) 39 hours after leaving our front door we arrived at the door of our hotel in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. The journey itself went according to schedule - 3 flights and 2 stopovers (Perth &Johannesburg ) and was relatively uneventful except for the sighting of Mt Kilimanjaro as we flew over - well we saw the snow capped peak peeping out if the clouds! Our arrival into Nairobi however was not quite "according to schedule" Despite having booked an airport transfer with the hotel we failed to find "KRAFT" among the myriad of placards held by eager drivers. A kind lady (bearing some official-looking ID) offered assistance and phoned the hotel who assured us he was on the way. "Bad traffic" he apologises..... We soon see what he means as we crawl our way into Nairobi CBD - the 20km journey takes THREE hours!!! Next morning we joined a walking tour in the CBD (run by a children's charity organisation as a way of raising funds) which gave us a bit of a feel for the place and some history. Finished with a trip to the top of the KICC tower giving views over the Nairobi area. We hope to explore more when we return here after our tour. Friday morning saw the start of our tour. 17 people from Aus, UK, NZ, Canada, Bahamas & Belgium make us a varied bunch. We are spread between three vehicles (Toyota Landcruisers ) travelling more or less in convoy - meeting up at each point of interest or destination. 7 are only doing the Kenya sector so will leave us tomorrow when we cross over into Tanzania. Apart from the obvious - seeing the classic African animals - I don't think I came with any preconceived ideas of what to expect so the sights sounds and smells are continually fresh experiences and surprises. Nairobi is at an altitude of 1650m and the surrounding area very fertile so shouldn't be surprised to find tea plantations and market gardens right on the edge of the city. (Haven't found the Kenyan coffee plantations yet! ) As we cross the countryside we go up and down a lot. Most notably the descent through the Great Rift Valley, traversing varying types of vegetation and varying degrees of lushness. Much is open "woodlands" or low bush and often seeing the classic African umbrella tree and large cactus bushes. But it was a surprise to see extensive areas of wheat growing - crops our Aussie farmers would be very happy to be able to see in their paddocks! Unlike some other areas, in this they seen to be "up with the times" using familiar machinery. (e.g. New Holland harvester!) We even saw a John Deere dealership! However traditional donkey cart transport is still abundant amongst locals in the rural areas and donkeys are a frequent sight both in use and roaming loose on the roadside and in the villages. Joining them are countless goats. These are tended on the roadside by a traditional goatherd, often a child. Similarly cattle (less common than goats) are also grazing freely tended by one or two herdsmen(often wearing traditional Masai clothing). The animals are corralled at night in structures creatively made from local vegetation or occasionally a wired fence! We had the privilege of visiting a Masai village to see how they still live - amazingly basic especially the housing which is still traditional mud huts! We were also treated to some singing and a demonstration of the famous Masai jumping men! It probably is not surprising that traffic and roads become talking points. There is a high degree of tolerance and patience (very little horn honking) and a high degree of RISK taking! Vehicles (including ours) frequently overtake others (mostly trucks and often multiple at a time) in "blind" spots - rises, bends - and should a vehicle come the other way either IT brakes or moves out of the way or your vehicle pushes back in. Fortunately this is usually happening at slow enough speed to be manageable. And no-one seems to be abusive! The road leading to and descending into the Rift Valley, follows the edge of the escarpment and lets just say there's not a whole lot of protection to stop vehicles going over the edge. So together with the local driving style it made for an interesting trip and a few heart-stopping moments! Roads themselves vary in standard. To say I was surprised would be an understatement, at the roads on the approach to and in the Masai Mara Game Park. Tourism Australia would certainly not be happy to have such poor roads leading to a prime sightseeing location! It took driving to a new level, either extreme corrugation, deep potholes, roads hacked up by other vehicles when wet then dried out with deep ruts, or washed away by rains, sometimes to be ensured for a coupe of hours at a tine. However having said that it took on a 4WD feel and became part of the adventure and we enjoyed our "free massages" as the driver referred to it. We have visited three parks in Kenya so far. Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. I am pleased to report we ticked off the Big Five in the first two days! Officially that's elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. Of courses we've seen heaps of others as well - zebras, giraffes, wildebeest (thousands! cos they are migrating through) warthogs, cheetahs, jackals, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, various antelope (including eland, gazelle & impala) and birds (including ostriches and vultures) We are currently in Amboseli at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro which sadly has remained covered in clouds all day However our time in the park today has been simply amazing as we had a couple of very close encounters with the elephants - literally just a few metres from us. And we saw the flamingos gathered en masse on a lake then take off in flight (although at a distance it was still awesome!) The park itself was surprisingly diverse with some areas arid and barren but also lakes and swamps and even some palm trees! Tomorrow we cross over into Tanzania and look forward to seeing the Great Serengeti Jenny and David (very happy nomads!)

Off we go

Hi everyone.
Its time for the annual email/blog that says ..... we have just left on travels again.


So this year its Africa – our third visit (previously in 2010 & 2011)
This trip is three-fold
<1.      Tourism
<2.      Volunteer work
<3.      Family reunion (with the extended Hinze family – Jenny’s side of the family)

Here's a summary of our itinerary

We left via Perth for Johannesburg then on up to Nairobi, where we join a 13 day tour through Kenya and Tanzania and an extra couple of nights at the end in Nairobi.

Then its south to Zimbabwe (via Johannesburg)arriving in Harare 22nd July We have two and a half weeks there.
We’ll spend much of the two weeks at Good Shepherd Centre – a children’s home/orphanage. It comes under the umbrella of an Australian organisation called VANA   https://www.vana.org.au/about&a=#ourProjects

While in Zimbabwe we will also catch up with Jenny’s extended family and at the end of our time there is a family reunion with people coming from various parts of the world including Aus, NZ, UK & Europe and maybe Canada. We fly home after that arriving here 10th Aug.


Jenny & David