Wow came crashing back home to find myself in the middle of the dash for Christmas - can't say I enjoy it!

Wow, after 2 nine hour plane rides (the last on Air Canada which sucks) I had to come home to be in the middle of the biggest commerical pain - Christmas shopping! This has never been my favorite time! Don't get me wrong I love Christmas but hate the rush to buy, buy, buy, etc.

My ex wife Irene was nice enough to pick me up at the airport! We're on different planets when it comes to life styles but we will always care for each other! In fact I'll be staying at her new condo for Christmas seeing as I don't have a home or anywhere else to stay. Actually we get along better now as friends as long as her dam boyfriend doesn't show up when I'm there. But I'm grateful for her hospitality but what the heck how else will she get to celebrate Christmas with me!

I have mixed emotions of coming back home! One part of me says yeah this is home. While the other says why didn't I wait till after Christmas? The commericalism at Christmas emphasizes the big differences between my home country and Africa so much! I saw so much need and poor people then come home to all this shopping and spending that it makes me feel me want to help the people in Africa some more!

I think I will either be trying to help some of them from here or I may head back there again in a couple years! I just can't ignore the need to help them again.

But unless a friend I met there persuades me and I get side tracked, I'll be heading to Central and South America in 2008. So I plan to post update my other blog in the future

Check out free-spirit-guy.blogspot.com which I already have going. So check it out or find me on facebook.

Random pics of time spent at Lamu Beach and Tiwi Beach, Kenya also Zanzibar night eating stalls

Pics of Lamu Island - the beach and some crazy times with people
























Pics of Tiwi Beach and some fun times bbq fish on beach






Pics of hanging out in Zanzibar at the evening night eating stalls and sunset

Well getting Out of Africa because if I stayed longer I might not make it out or leave for a mighty long time!

My week or so in Lamu Island was one wild and fun time. Lamu is a safe and fun island and it's small enough that most of the people know each other.

I hooked up with a lot of the local Kenyans and they showed me a good time. I especially spent my time with 2 chicks - Khadija and Evanglina who were beautiful and crazy good time people! Through them I met a lot of the people I wouldn't have otherwise met! Because of the small size of the town comes gossip and stories of some people and their reputation. Unfortunately these 2 girls were given a bad rap of being trouble makers (matata's). However they weren't trouble makers or prostitutes as some called them. Because we never did anything as a group but dance, drink and party. Most of all there were no payment on my part or anyone for that matter!

Khadija is Muslim and comes from a poor family. I met her family who were friendly and nice. I felt sorry for them as the family of 8 lived in a 2 room with no bed or even mattress. So like a sucker that I am I couldn't help but get them a couple mattresses to sleep. I brought the kids a bag of candy and they were so excited. It costs maybe a few dollars but to me it was nice just helping a family. Heck so I had a couple less beers or whatever! I'd like to help them more in the future because that's how they affected me! Muslims, Christians or whatever nationality they are is of no importance. They were just a sweet kind family who needed some assistance! Yeah some may ask why pick them? Well I just met them and tried to help.

Hey I'm not rich, in fact I don't have a job or a home address. But I had a couple bucks so why not help someone before I piss the few dollars away! I know this sounds corney - seeing that it's Christmas and all but it makes me feel good to help people! I've always said I'm here for a good time and not a long time! Well part of this good time is not just partying but doing things my way and one is buying or doing things for people I like!

Anyway back to Lamu Island. Well the people are of course Kenyan of Swahilli background mainly of Muslim faith! I've lived in Saudi Arabia and Oman but while the people here are strong Muslims they are not fanatical but quite tolerant. Heck they allowed me there so they have to be tolerant.

The town of Lamu has narrow streets and reminds me of Arabic towns I saw in Saudi or Oman. I found it fun to walk down the streets in the evening eating snacks for dinner from the various carts or stalls. It was dark but a person always felt safe. I stumbled down them many nights finding my way back to my little 3rd class hotel. Heck it got to the point that for a few days I'd leave my bags with the guy running the local laundry. Then towards the evening I'd look for a place to stay. I guess I always felt I'd find a cheaper place to stay. But in reality if I had stayed at just 1 place for a few days I'd have probably received a better rate. But once a fool always a fool!

Heck after 3 nights of carousing and whatever I decided to head out to Seaha beach (can't remember the name) with Maria and Michelle (2 Irish chicks) who wanted to suntan. The beach is about 40 min walk from town or 10 mins by $1.50 dhow (boat). The beach is beautiful and long. We hung around the beach for awhile but since I'm not a sun worshipper I decided to check out the village. I came across a cheap place to stay among the expensive resorts so I decide to stay the night. I fell asleep till about 830 pm and found no one else in the house I was staying. It was so quiet in the village that night that I couldn't find a place to eat that night. So I took my mp3 player, joint and laid in a rubber dingy and watched the stars till about 3 am. That was so peaceful and isolated that it was great! However the next day I decided I had enough isolation and headed back to Lamu town.

I hooked up with Khadija and Evangilina and partied for the rest of the week. Unfortunately I didn't have time to bus it from Lamu back to Nairobbery. So I had to fork out the price of a plane from Lamu to Nairobbery to make my flight home! I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Lamu Island again but it was fun and I left some good friends there.

Well I made it out of Kenya and Africa after some crazy experiences. I can't say I'll ever forget my time there or if I'll ever remember some of my time there! Yeah it was that kind of time! It was all good fun but some times shit happens and quite often it happens to me!

I've done a lot of travelling around the world but I must say that the Africans are the friendliest people I've met! They are always smiling even if their life style isn't the best as they say "Hakuna Matata" (no problem). So I sort of hung on to that phrase as my motto while there and since. I saw a lot of poor people who still smiled and were happy. You have some one back home in that predicament and they would be soooo down! Someone asked me how I would compare say Africa and Asia. I'd have to say that I loved Asia but I found the Africans (East Africa) were much more hospitable and friendly!

I sort of felt sorry for some I met and ended up helping them when I could. Yeah I probably got lied to and suckered by their stories but no regrets as I did it because I wanted to help. I'd get invited to people's homes for meals and see that they bought meat for dinner. Then I'd notice that no one else was eating the food but me. So I'd think this is probably the only time they bought meat in months. So feeling guilty I'd leave them some money for food. At one home I also noticed that there was about an inch of water on the floor. They told me that their tap wouldn't stop dripping when they cooked. They couldn't afford to get it fixed so I offerred them money to get it fixed. The cost wasn't much but I left feeling better about helping the family. They were just awesome to me and the kids were so grateful for the candy I brought them. It's one of those times I felt guilty for being born in a rich country and they weren't.

I had a night layover in London on the way home and met up with this Aussie guy and his sister on their way to Denmark. So we headed to a pub for a meal and ended up having a few beers. They mentioned this liqueur called Ambience or something that was 73% liquor and could knock u for a loop. Well I tried it and yeah it does that. I was told to light the liquor and then immediately put my palm over the glass to cause a vacumn then you inhale the air and shoot the drink. I was told it isn't allowed in Canada (not sure if it's sold in the US) as it has a sort of hallucagen in it. I saw a bottle in Heathrow the next day but didn't buy it as it cost 24.95 pounds ($60) duty free.

Finally got my butt out of Zanzibar in Tanzania to return to Kenya to do some of the same - chilling out at Tiwi Beach & then on ward to Lamu Island

Yeah Zanzibar was pretty OK but it was time to move on. If I didn't want to take a ferry into Dar Es Salam (the largest city in Tanzania) I had to book a ferry ride to leave Zanzibar to go to Tanga. Unfortunately there is only a weekly ferry on Tues from Zanzibar to Pemba (sister island to Zanzibar) and then on to Tanga on the mainland. Unfortunately like everything else it cost me a lot to get on and off the island. I had to pay $50 USD (more if I paid the equivalent in Shillings) to get the ferry. There were mostly locals in their Arabic outfits in the hot sun. They passed out these plastic bags which I naively thought were to put our garbage. However I later found out that they were barf bags for the passengers as the water got very choppy and wavy. Most of the pax got sick, the only thing that saved me was I went out on the deck to get fresh air. All the others stayed inside and got sick watching a stupid Jackie Chan movie. That in itself was enough to make me sick.

We got to Tanga and I had to find a bus to get me to back to Kenya. Unfortunately no one spoke English except this one girl who helped me out. I got back across the Kenyan border OK but the officer noticed my Kenyan visa expires on Dec 14. So he asked if I was aware of it and if I was leaving Kenya or renewing. I said yeah I’ll be leaving soon but didn’t tell him my ticket has me flying out on Dec 19, a week after my visa expires.

I decided to stop at Tiwi Beach south of Mombasa to check out the place. So I got dropped off at the highway and had to catch a cab to this Twiga Lodge (the cheapest place on the beach). Dam cabs have a monopoly on the 10 min cab ride so they can charge $7 one way – a King’s ransom in this country. But it was hot and I wanted a drink so I took the cab.

There are only a few people staying at the Lodge which was nice. Dec is normally a busy month but this year Kenya is having a Presidential election on Dec 27. So a lot of people feel there may be violence leading up to it so they have stayed away. But their loss is other people's gain.

The lodge is really nice and I got a double room with bathroom and fan for $15 a night (of course nice here is all relative). There’s a restaurant/bar where all the guests congregate so it was easy to find company to talk and drink. The food was so/so but the beer was cold. There were a good group of people there so we hung out and enjoyed our selves. About 8 of us took a cab into the next town to go to the ATM to get some money. Then we descended on a nice African restaurant with more Indian cuisine than Kenyan but hey it was good fiddles. Then everyone wanted to check out the local night life so it ended up a crazy but fun night.

The next 2 nights we built a bonfire and cooked some fish and crayfish on the beach. I didn't contribute much but my appetite and a couple bottles of cheap wine! Nothing like having fresh seafood on the beach over an open fire in the tropics. If you have a chance check out Tiwi Beach as not many people bother but it’s fun.

Some of the people went out on a boat for the day of snorkeling, fishing, etc. However I had to give it a pass as I had promised John (the Kenyan friend taking his PHD in Vancouver who set us up for our volunteering gig in Kanyawegi) that I would come to see him in Nairobi. At that time I said I'd come to see him I didn’t realize I’d be in Mombasa (a 9hr bus ride away) but thought what the heck, I'll still go see him.

Mombasa is the 2nd largest city in Kenya with a deep Swahilli and Muslim influence. There's an old city which is nice to see but other than that I wasn't too impressed with the city. The beaches and islands up and down the coast are nice and relaxing but Mombasa is just another big city to bypass if possible.

I didn't realize it but Mombasa is on an island so I had to take local bus to the walkon ferry. Then catch a matatu (local mini bus filled to the rafters) to the train station with this American guy who was also going to Nairobbery. We thought the train would be a nice change from the dusty, bumpy bus ride. Unfortunately we found out the train doesn’t run overnight on Sat but on Sun. So we had to end up taking the night bus on the dusty, bumpy road getting to Nairobi at 7 am Sun.

I got invited for lunch at this Kenyan family's home some where in Nairobbery. It was really nice to visit with them. I got a couple of favorite foods here - chapatti and goat meat.

Then I went to meet up with John at a downtown hotel bar. Boy it was Sun afternoon but the streets were still really busy. It was good to talk to John and his friends. I wasn't sure what to expect from John as I didn't exactly part company with my KASOW volunteer group in Kanyawegi as I had sent an email telling them about our frustration. Before I met with John he had a chance to visit the village of Kanyawegi to find out first hands the problems we encountered. So he was aware of why I had been frustrated. However John is such a nice guy that there was no animosity towards me for my undiplomatic email leading to my dismissal from KASOW, He understood that my concern and interest were for the villagers and helping them.

So after my 2 hr meeting with John, I went to catch another 9 hr overnight bus back to Mombasa. Most of the buses were already booked so I had to search to find a 3 rd class bus to get me back to Mombasa. The ride as usual was a bumpy dusty ride but I was lucky to get a seat up at the front, which eliminated the dust but I still got the bumps.

So you might say I was pretty tired after 2 nights on a bus but didn't want to spend anytime in Mombasa. So I took my 3rd bus long distance bus in 2 days to go to Lamu Island which is about a 6 hr bus ride to the north.
Crap this 6 hr bus ride to Lamu Island was longer and tougher than the 9 hr bus ride to Nairobbery. No one told me they take a big greyhound size bus and stop and pick up passengers on a milk run. I think we ended up with probably over 100 people on board! First time I saw people standing on the seat with people sitting on the actual seat. I got the last seat on the bus on the condition that I give up my seat if any army people get on. Even though I had a seat it was like I had someone leaning on me all the way. I was sitting by the door and it was so crowded they couldn't close the door all the way. I got squished between 2 Muslim women in their traditional black head pieces so all I could see were eyes, no face. All this reminded me of my years in Saudi Arabia - all the good old days of pray calls and Salam Malekum's, Enhallah, etc.

By the time I got to Lamu Island I was tired, hot, dusty, hungry and a few other feelings too! I then had to take a hot ferry ride to the island. Lamu is another throwback to the ancient Swahilli Arabic days. It's similar to Zanzibar with narrow walk ways but there are no cars. They use donkeys as a mode of transportation and beast of burden. So of course there is donkey crap all over the place. I find the town safe and a place to chill out. I've been here 3 days and have not made it to the beach yet. But there's always tomorrow - Bokra enhallah (arabic for tomorrow god willing)! In the meantime I'm just veggie as usual!

But there are a few interesting things happening here I'll post about

I've posted some pics here but unfortunately with the internet running at the speed of snailmail, I'm just happy to get it loaded so sorry there is no great presentation - so just view! Will post some more as internet and time allows

The beach scenes are at Nungwi beach at the north end of Zanzibar about 1 hr north of Stonetown. There are a few resorts there however the place I stayed Jumbo brothers of course were grass huts but with showers and toilets for $15 which starts to get pricey.

Then I posted pics of Maasai Mara but of course my pics didn't do the place any justice. But no one said I was a great photographer as I was too busy viewing the animals not taking pics.

Pic of my tent at Lake Naivasha in Central Kenya. My tent was only about 25 meters from the hippos which wandered out of the lake at night. Luckily the campsite had erected electric fences to keep us campers from getting trampled. Really enjoyed my days camping in that area.

Some pics of friends at the village of Kanyawegi and a beautiful pic from Kit Myakai a rock which has a lot of religious significance to the Luo people in Western Kenya.