Bits and Pieces

Apologies!

I have been reminded by more than one person that it has been a few weeks since the last blog, more to the point, get writing.

In my defence.....

1. There has not been much to write about

2. Barbara has been staying with us for the past fortnight

House Update

After much wrangling with the rental agency and the owner of our property we have at last reached a (semi) amicable agreement.  Jon and I can have remedied all those critical issues that were rapidly leading to the point of our re-entry to Europe; we pay for everything and deduct it from the rent over the next year or so.  OK, so its not the perfect solution, BUT it does mean that we are getting, albeit slowly, to the point of having a habitable home.  Achievement Number 1, the exterior of our property is no longer pink and purple but a glowing white - YAY!

Our home, from the front

From the back garden

Again, in response to requests, pictures of 3 Kanaiya Close.  I am not sure if these requests originate from a desire to know what exactly we are living in, or from a perusal of possible holiday accommodation!  Look carefully at the picture on the left...you will see the large water tank which holds our solar warmed water.  It is all coming together.

A Day Out - Fourteen Falls

Growing up in Kenya means that I have a host of memories that have undoubtedly become softened over the aeons and Fourteen Falls is one of those places!

The falls are close to Thika, which means it should have been an easy drive from Nairobi.  Google maps optimistically state that you can reach your destination in 1hr 10mins.  The reality was closer to 3hrs 10mins!  The drive itself being something of an adventure.  The Chinese are currently building a highway that is destined to relieve Nairobi's traffic congestion; we will believe this only when we see it!  The construction site that will become the aforesaid highway was our exit from the city, Northbound, for Thika.  Directions, if available are ambiguous and life continues as normal for Kenyan residents.  This means that a market which existed by the side of the old road now occupies a temporary roundabout, when I say that the stalls are on the edge of the road I mean that you drive within centimetres of someones livelihood.  Roadsigns, handpainted and of varying shapes and sizes occasionally had us in fits of laughter...cars falling into large holes being our favourite!  Any hope that the roadsigns would help us reach our destination was futile. Chaos is simply not a good enough description.

Fourteen Falls

Back to our carefully prepared itinerary.  The plan was a quiet day in the countryside with a picnic.  We made a crucial error in planning - we chose to visit the falls on a Sunday.  Never, ever plan a quiet day out on a weekend in Kenya; you will be disappointed. 

The scenery was captivating.  Admittedly it will be even better once the rains come, but it was still lovely.  Inevitably we were pestered by local boys who wanted to "entertain" us by diving off the falls, their repeated offers at first kindly refused, later the kindness was replaced plain talking that bore no resemblance to refined English!

Tragically the Athi River acts as a conveyor belt for rubbish dumped in the river by communities upstream.  The sooner that plastic bottles are confined to the annals of history and marvelled at in a modern history museum the better!

Diani Beach

The Beach at Asha Cottages

When you have guests you have the perfect excuse for a few days of R&R at the beach!  We have found a perfect haven on Diani Beach - Asha Cottages, the home of John and Dominique who have five lovely rooms that form the "hotel".   There are plenty of pluses if you are looking a tranquil spot with the bonus of having Forty Thieves, one of the best beach bars in the world just two hundred metres away. 

Five days of doing pretty much nothing other than enjoying doing nothing followed.  Jon grabbed the opportunity to start marketing for eco4u, our latest business venture.  We have become partners with Jenny and Rado and are excited about the prospects ahead for environmentally sound products that Kenya so desperately needs to save water, use energy efficiently and to minimize costs!

For those of you who have walked the white sands of Mombasa, Beach Boys need no introduction.  For the uninitiated a quick summary...

Barbara and Sherry
on the beach at night.

Sex - Male (generally);  Age - 14-30;  Appearance - Football shirts, baseball caps, sunglasses and bling;  Habitat - the beach, its access points and tourist hotels;  Prey - Untanned mzungus;   Language - Numerous;  Pest Factor - High;  Deterrents - Large dogs, preferably Rottweilers or German Shepherds, the skill to say no in as many languages as possible, swim in the sea - they have an abhorrence of getting wet and when all else fails, retreat to guarded hotel/pub/restuarant.

Beach boys have the potential to destroy a gentle amble down the beach; on the other hand, if you are in the market for souvenirs you can buy pretty much anything you want and a lot of what you don't want from them.  Don't fall into the trap of believing that by buying something they will go away.  This is simply an invitation for them to offer you a different product or another of the same thing you have just bought. 

Evening time on the beach from two badly burnt residents, who should know better!

Kwaherini

Mixed Bag

Kenyan Politics on the International Stands

For all the wrong reasons!  This time an MP has been ousted from parliament because of his dress, specifically his earrings!  Admittedly had I bumped into Mbuvi in the street the last thing I would have considered him to be would be an MP but this is the way that a "sonko" (rich, although I would prefer the term flamboyant, person) presents himself.  It's probably best not to ask too many questions....

The Kenyan parliament in Nairobi, as children we used to play in the grounds and paddle in the fishponds on one side of it; mmmmm, not entirely sure that we would be able to do that today:-(
 

Trying to make the house a home

Painfully slowly we are turning our campsite, albeit made of brick and tile, into a proper home!  This week is curtain-making week, which should be straightforward.  

First buy the fabric!  

A tortuous three hours last Saturday resulted in us returning home triumphant, we had some material that we both liked!  Triumph turned to frustration when our curtain-making "fundi"(specialist) found that hidden within the roll a host of problems ranging from dye smears to fabric joins.  Back to the shop, a marathon in itself on a Monday morning.  A further three hours of trying, and failing, to find an alternative fabric and refusing the bizarre offer of the shop owners to reduce the cost of the faulty fabric by Ksh50/metre (about 35p/48 Euro cents).  The specialists in selling material were of the opinion that once hanging over the 4 metre wide window you would never notice the faults!  After a morning wasted on one shop, this forced an afternoon of fabric shopping on Biashara Street, bang in the middle of the city.  Those of you who know Jon well will understand the joy with which he confronted this task.

Fabric in hand, make curtains!

Kimani hard at work on a sewing machine
that could have come from the ark

David hemming in situ

Again, not quite what you would expect.  The fundi and his assistant, complete with state of the art sewing facilities, move into the house and make the curtains in situ.  Suffice to say that the dining area, which is where they are working resembles a turn of the century haberdashery store that Edward Scissorhands has taken a disliking to.  The end result however is remarkable, the ultimate made to measure service:-)

Furniture is being acquired at a snail's pace.  In the main we have returned to roadside shopping, which can be fractious.  Garden furniture is sorted with an absurd predominance of rough olive wood littering our stoop.  

Roadside furniture showroom,
sometimes it takes a leap of imagination

Indoors....not quite so sorted.  An example....

Ordered:  

Two simple, dark wood stained shelving units to house DVDs and two simple three drawer bedside cabinets in natural pine to be delivered on 19th March 2011, in terms of manufacture the shelving units being the priority

Result:

Call from supplier on Monday morning, "The bedside cabinets are ready!"; "What about the shelving units that we asked you to prioritize?"; "I know, I am not quite sure what happened"; "When will they be ready given that we asked you to make them first?  You promised us we would have them over a week ago"; "Today, we will make them urgently"; "Today?, Are you serious?"; "Yes. It's not a problem (Hakuna matata)"; "OK, at what time will you deliver?"; "Around four".

Delivery at 19.10pm on  Monday 28th February

Bedside cabinets provided in dark stained "wood" not natural pine, drawers eventually opened after serious man-handling.  Shelving was so bad I cannot begin to describe it. It was a comedy of errors!

You just have to laugh, find another fundi and start all over again!  Perhaps we should produce another "The Money Pit" as a documentary.  Believe me it would be funnier than the original.

Roadside Garden Centres

Early evening at a garden centre. 
The road, incidentally is Langata Road,
a major arterial road - obviously

 Lining the roads in the more affluent (read, large mzungu population) suburbs are what can broadly be termed impromptu garden centres.  Given that there is little or no access to water, shade or any of the accoutrements commonly associated with plants it is remarkable is what they manage to produce.  The price of these plants though is simply unbelievable, what we would pay €50 for in Austria sells for the equivalent of €1 here!   Woohoo!! 

Tonight's purchases which included 7 bouganvillia, 2 oleanders, 3 yesterday/today/tomorrow and 3 golden showers cost less than £15 - bargain time:-)


and finally, News of the Day...
Hongera sana (Many Congratulations)!

to my brother David and his wife Jane on the safe arrival of baby Thomas today at 11.43 GMT.  Our love and congratulations to the Wilsons to whom we also wish at least some hours of rest over the early weeks of Thomas's life.

Sunday in the Park

Taking Time Out!

After three months in the country we decided that our Sunday would not be spent trying to sort out the house but enjoying our local park!  It is a serious bonus, I have to admit when your local park is a game park AND it is right on our doorstep.. Well, to be fair it is a twenty minute drive away but by African standards that's pretty damn close! 

That's our baby outside
the Main Gate

As with all safaris an early start is a must and at 05.30am our neighbourhood rooster was already into full swing.  The sun had already bounced into the sky as we mimicked the action and bounced along Langata Road turning into the park where the early morning queue was already building.  Unfortunately the Park shop opens some 90 minutes after the park (TIA) and so we entered the main gate without a map.... 

Suffice to say that our day in the park, if it were possible to recreate it, probably resembled the contortions of a spider on speed.  There are numerous points at which signage gives broad indications of where you are heading, regrettably on reaching the next signpost your planned destination no longer features...

Miraculously, despite our circular wanderings we had a fantastic seven hours of game-viewing.  OK, so it isn't the Mara with predators in abundance but we never travelled for more than a couple of minutes without seeing something!  We understood that there were three lions hiding out in the undergrowth near signpost Number 17 and as we were mere metres from signpost 16 it seemed reasonable to show our respects to the King of the Jungle.  After twenty minutes or so we found the aforementioned signpost, but as their royal highnesses were not available for unannounced subjects it seemed a significantly better plan to concentrate our efforts on enjoying what we could see!

Bordering the City - Literally!

Its surreal - game in the foreground and the city in the background

Whilst the mammals are fantastic we are fast becoming even more entranced by the birdlife.  

Frankly we have no idea what we are doing when it comes to identification of our feathered friends but with the aid of some fabulous books we are slowly improving.   We have been advised, again our thanks to David and Jayne, to describe the bird out loud when we see it in the hope that when we try to identify it in a book we have some chance of remembering what it looked like!  

For the time-being at least
Nameless Bird

This is clearly a technique that needs time to develop....at the moment the best we can manage is....medium sized bird (well you have to start somewhere), umm brownish flecked wings, umm, beige chest, long tail, umm, orangish eye I think, and so on!  Identifying anything from this type of description would be based on luck alone!

Scarlet-Chested Sunbird

The fact that the bird on the right has a name is down to no more than its stunning beauty and our uncanny ability to identify the family group from which he hails.   

The bird on the left is also pretty stunning, at least five times the size of the sunbird, but we have absolutely no idea what it is!  Stanley, our long-suffering safari driver in the Mara would be less than impressed!

 
A Day in the Sun

Some of what we did see...and us, at Mokoyiet, one of the picnic sites...

and then back to reality.....

An exceedingly dirty car and two equally filthy occupants eventually found their way out of the park and returned home to shower using a hosepipe containing water warmed by the sun!  Until our new solar heating is installed, hopefully next week, this is Jon's rather ingenious idea for ensuring we have access to hot water.  Whoever coined the phrase that necessity is the mother of invention hit the nail bang on the head!  


From our little world where paradise rubs shoulders with insanity...

Kwaherini

A Step in the Right Direction

It's finally here!

Given that you, like us, must be fed up to the back teeth hearing us moan about the lack of a container....open a bottle of champagne immediately!  Yes, it is, is really is here!

You can imagine the excitement of actually being able to access a saucepan that was designed for the purpose you had in mind or, more practically, have access to all those gizmos and gadgets that make up today's office!  It was like all your Christmasses rolled into one, and yes, a sleepless night (excitement) preceeded the big day!

"Travel-worn"

It was a glorious Monday morning when we expected the arrival.....it was still glorious, although it was some 15 degrees warmer and early afternoon when the truck bumped its way over every kerb in the vicinity as it backed its way along the road to us. Review "TIA" in a previous blog!

Given that the box itself appeared to have been utilised as a drag anchor during part of its journey, I admit that the state of the box's innards was of some concern. 

In which country could this possibly
be considered modern transport?

So far, so good, the box (sealed) in front of our house....a huge team of willing hands on standby, the big man with a briefcase and the inevitable  clipboard....cats locked in the bedroom, two hyper Armstrong-Wilkinsons trying to keep it together......






YAY!  It's Break the Seal Time!
Sounds straightforward - right?....................WRONG!

Looks easy here...you had to be there!

Imagine the scene....the seal is halfway up the doors (about 3.5m from the ground) on the back of the lorry, no member of the team allowed to wield the saw was over 1.70m tall. Removers don't carry ladders...we have ladders but, surprise, surprise,they are in the container! 
 
After some frenetic leaping by the removers, clearly of Masai descent, one managed to get a hand hold on a handily placed loop from which he precariously swung whilst sawing at the seal.  The seal exhibited extreme stubborness for a good five minutes until, with the help of another intrepid gymnast it was overcome by a semi-sharp blade and some brute force.

Once the doors were open, chaos ensued.  342 boxes filled the house in what seemed like hyper-speed resulting in a maze from one end of the property to the other than no one was capable of negotiating.   At the time of arranging this great shipment it made sense to cater for unpacking on arrival.  Mmmm, that doesn't work quite as planned when you have no furniture into which to unpack!  Who cares?  We have a lot of boxes.......and from our boxes the beginnings of our biggest ever rummage sale!

Who needs a container anyway?
Getting yourself, your family, your food,your possessions from A to B in Kenya is clearly not difficult, just don't look too closely at the actual mode of transportation!

One of all our time favourites...the wood no doubt got where it was going....pedestrians, animals, cyclists probably didn't fare quite as well.    One of the best stretches of road we have had the pleasure to use, the unanticipated finds on the road make it, not quite so perfect!

Lots of something, going somewhere,
in any direction except straight!

More to come in future issues but for the moment let us share the versatility of the humble bicycle!

The ingenuity of owners of any form of transport knows no bounds and regularly results in us convulsing in laughter!  Seen but not captured, yet, Dad riding, toddler lounging in a food crate on the rear (supportive props include a stick of sugar cane for the child); Egg delivery man, needs to be seen to be believed - 24 trays of eggs on a bicycle rack!  On these roads?  We feel lucky if we get home in one piece after five minutes on the road and we are in a 4x4!

I am waiting, knowing that one day it
will happen....this picture will be enhanced
by the addition of passengers
enjoying a comfortable ride!

Lesson Number One

Do not ask how your goods will get to you, it is probably better for your peace of mind not to know!

That's it from the land in the sun, where anything is possible, although it sometimes it takes a little longer than expected!

You can't argue with this one!

                                        KWAHERINI!

The Move to Nairobi

Ouch, this hurts....

In the year preceding our move to Kenya we believed, naively, that settling in Naivasha was going to be the most straightforward component of our relocation.  We had a fully furnished home to move into and had agreed the purchase of a glorious piece of land.  So far so good.  The reality is that Naivasha will only work for us when we retire, the infrastructure, certainly where we chose to live, is not conducive to global communications!

Reasons to live in Naivasha - The house, the flamingoes, Zebbie (our resident zebra foal), the Lake!

The beach that would have been
our home....not sure how good this would
have been as a working environment!

For a few short weeks we toyed with the idea of moving to the South Coast and again were lucky enough to have a perfect home to move into.... the internet devil foiled our plans once more and so to Nairobi it is!

It's not all bad in Nairobi
OK, I am the first to admit that we can, at the drop of the hat, list at least ten reasons why living in Nairobi is not a good option, so it's time to be fair and start enjoying the positives....

Brollies are for the eles
not their handlers

Wildlife....Nairobi National Park, the Ele Orphanage and Giraffe Centre on our doorsteps and easy driving to Nakuru, Samburu, Amboseli and, of course......the Mara!

Work Infrastructure... internet connection speeds up to 5.6MB per second (yay - we can work), JKIA with connections to anywhere we want (or need) to go, KEMRI and PPB on our doorstep, access to everything we need for printing and developing materials, the list goes on and on and on and on.....

Shopping...if you want it you can get it, even better the shops come to you!  For those of you who haven't sat in traffic in Nairobi...you need to be able to assess the merchandise, bargain, decide and then purchase through your car window!  The range of goods available varies but in season fruit and veg, knock-off designer sunglasses and essential emergency equipment for cars can pretty much be guaranteed!  Shopaholics will be in heaven with opportunities for a bargain seven days a week!  Our favourite non-essentials include Matbronze and Kitengela Glass.  Give us a few months for an extended list......

Eating Out... there is as much variety as you want, mealies on the roadside to international a la carte:-)

Friends...we would not have survived our early days in Kenya without Jayne and Dave, Vanessa and Terry, David and Karen, and from far from their homeland, Doreen and Jenny! 

Just when we thought the sailing was going to be smooth...

Everything sorted for the big move....vehicle organized with the possessions we have managed to accumulate, a surprisingly large amount considering we've been here such a short time!  All moving according to plan except that we forgot to apply the TIA (This is Africa) factor. Our new home which should have been ready today will only be ready on Monday 31st; its not the end of the world admittedly but it does throw all our plans into a cocked-hat.  I will be Kisumu while Jon tries to juggle ten balls, all of which have the potential to be influenced by TIA variance.  Once again J will move into a new home without me:-(

TIA Variance

Time is a fluid concept, "today" could mean anytime within the next 48-72 hours but don't be surprised if it takes a week or never happens at all.

Asking for your car to be filled up - "The tanker isn't here yet", "When will it be here?", "15 minutes"....see comment above and make sure you have a sleeping bag handy.

"Yes" means perhaps (if you are lucky) but normally not.

"No" is rarely used, even when justified.

"Hakuna matata" - Disney is lying to you, this does not mean no problems.  This means there is a problem and its yours!

Access to electrical power is a luxury, not an essential (the same applies to petrol, water or anything you actually need at a specific moment in time).

Our current favourite...."Where is my container?", "In Mombasa", "Why is it still in Mombasa?", "The Customs officers did not go to work today..." 

What can you say except TIA!

To better illustrate the TIA concept, a brief anecdote....

Trains run daily between Nairobi and Mombasa as they have done for a century....technology has improved (some may disagree) and today the train is powered by diesel.   However, the train still stops in Voi for an hour "to take on water" according to the timetable of 1947 when steam was king!  

Ask why and the response will be ....This is Africa!

You love it or you loathe it....we are working on loving it, albeit through gritted teeth!

Kwaherini

60 Days in 60 (or thereabouts) Lines

It started in chaos....

Prepare, prepare, prepare!  If I am not mistaken this is something we preach at RTS and CRAFrica, so how is it that our preparations simply fell to pieces?  A wise man once said to us 'you have to be mad to live in Kenya', we laughed, and promptly forgot it.  It's time to acknowledge the depth of that statement "you have to be mad to consider living in Kenya, certifiably insane to actually do it!"

For those of you who don't know already, our dream of living in Naivasha turned into something of a nightmare and we about to move to Nairobi....if you are one who have heard us swearing that never, in a million years would we live in Karen....well, the drinks are on us.

Check out the medical services!

Jon has identified a novel method for stopping the overhead circulating fan, let's be honest, walking around the room to the on/off switch is not always convenient!  We won't be putting any money on the method catching on and it is a serious health risk but hey, it works.  Simply use your thumb as a brake for one of the blades (note to short people - standing on the bed or other piece of accessible furniture may be required).  Results are messy and will require the services of the local hospital or a good seamstress.  J carries a scar for life reminding him of Day One as a Kenyan resident!

Driving In Kenya - should be easy, they drive on the Left!

Driving in Nairobi and beyond requires a set of skills no European driving school offers.  Armed with a full driving licence getting on to the road in a vehicle is not a problem, staying alive on the road is another issue entirely.  The rule of thumb is to avoid hitting anything that is in front of you and don't worry about what is going on behind, to the side, above or below you. 

What you must know....

Matatus (shared taxis) rule the road.  

Habitat - anywhere a fare-paying passengers can be found, that covers probably every road in the country

 Appearance - of mini-bus origin, decorated in a wide variety of colours often supported by an onboard light and sound show

Road-worthiness - miraculously they get from A - B on a fairly consistent basis

Unique characteristics - appear from nowhere requiring evasive action from all other drivers, carry sophisticated equipment allowing their drivers to see around corners, over hills and through solid rock, most impressive of all is their magical ability to absorb passengers...they is always place for one more!

Mobile Hazards are vast and in our experience (so far) include, wandering people, bicycles carrying anything from people to sofas, motorcycles with up to four passengers + driver, inter-city buses, goat, sheep, cattle, donkeys, zebras. giraffe, monkeys, baboons, impala, warthogs, jackals, dik-dik (you get the idea), men with carts, donkeys pulling carts, abandoned carts...

A detailed survey leads us to believe
that pineapple is the No.1 choice
of vervets in Naivasha

Trying to Work 

1. We still don't have our container

2. The suns shines every day

3. Power outtages encourage outdoor living

4. The staff are working in the house

Boshi amidst the thorns of
an acacia tree

The reasons above are some of our excuses for spending 99% of daylight hours (06.00-18.00) outdoors.  Imagine the set up....numerous trailing extension leads hook up the electronic equipment we managed to bring with us, sitting on safari camp chairs overlooking the garden shaded by giant acacias.  Having fed the birds with left over fruit from breakfast we can guarantee that the vervet monkeys will pay us a visit at some point.  The boys (cats) seem to have settled down to a truce with the monkeys although every now and again they do race up the trees in an attempt to catch one of them.  The monkeys have long since realised that the boys are no threat, sleeping being their primary daytime activity.  All of this leads to the challenge of staying focused at work.....

The Surprises

Raspberries being freely available

Choosing to live in Karen

The cats' capacity for sleep

The number of vehicles travelling between Nairobi and Naivasha at all hours of the day and night

Leaning to ornithology as a form of entertainment

Moving to the "hard" level of Guitar Hero

Some Ups.....                            and Downs

Sunshine - every day!                                                          Our boys (and girls) seem a long way away

The wildlife, birdlife and the people                                     Dust, its impossible to stay clean

Anything is possible....it may take a while                           Internet speeds averaging 20kbps

House staff                                                                           Customs delays, we want our container (PLEASE)

Having family and friends visit                                             Biting insects

Good friends who consistently help us out of                     The lack of maps we can follow

our current jam                                                                     Having to move to the city

Its easy to communicate in English                                     Power failures that can last for hours

Driving to Naivasha is a mini safari                                      Driving to Nairobi is at best terrifying        

Charcoal braais (with wors)

The ability to buy just about anything at
the side of the road

Frangipanis in the garden

Kwaherini!