Tuesday, February 21, 2006
February 20th
Well, I realize now that my last post was filled with typos and unclear sentences. I was in a big rush, and had to e-mail the post to Jim for him to post because blogger wasn't working for me. I also posted it on Saturday the 18 th, I forgot to adjust the time zone I was posting in. Anyway… It's February 20th here, and it's noon right now.
We spent the last few days at Anthony, John, Solomon and Gabi's house. They run Maasai Moja Tours, the safari company I mentioned in my last post. They live out of town a little bit, a 40 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride, but it's a very nice, very quiet area. Lots more mosquitoes than in town so we've had to be diligent about our mosquito repellent applications (on top of the Malaria pills we're already taking) and making sure the net we sleep under is securely closed so they can't sneak up on us in our sleep. I have one huge bite on my thigh, but it's the only one so far.
We got to see some nice critters at their place too – birds, a weird little porcupine creature we haven't yet found the English name for, and a beautiful Praying Mantis that we played with for a while last night. I have a great video of it dancing and trying to fight with a small stick that I'm sure everyone back home will enjoy very much! Last night we were out on the porch when it was dinnertime for the bats. I didn't enjoy that so much, though I do appreciate their diligence at trying to rid us of mosquitoes.
After posting on Saturday we went shopping for a hotplate, a fridge, and some food for Solomon to make our meals. It was a hot, hot day and we had 5 shops to visit so we could compare prices on appliances. We found what we needed except for a fridge and some fans, but we got that this morning so now we're all set. When we went to the market to get some food, we had to leave Solomon and Anthony so they could do the shopping for us. Our mere presence doubled the price on just about every item. We gave Solomon a shopping list and he got good prices on everything. It's all still pretty cheap despite the price gouging. One vendor told us the huge pineapple we wanted would cost 1500 shillings, a buck fifty. I've paid 4 or 5 bucks for those at home. When we left, Solomon got one for 1000 shillings. I wish I could bargain like that at Trader Joe's!
After shopping we met up with some more friends and sat in a large bar for a while. The terrace up top was packed with men watching Manchester United and Liverpool duke it out. I don't care much for soccer but it's infinitely more exciting when people are yelling at the TV. By the time we were getting ready to leave, a fight broke out even. It was quickly broken up, but I'm tickled by the fact that wherever I go, there are always avid soccer fans. I know I should be calling it football but for the sake of clarity, and the Americans reading this, I'll stick to soccer.
Later that night we met up with those friends again at a small bar with a pool table across the street from the house. I would have won the one game I played but on my last shot I accidentally sunk the 8 ball. Oh well, they have different rules here anyway (like if you miss the shot your're going for, your opponent gets two shots) and I was just happy to play a game.
Sunday the guys scrubbed their house from top to bottom. And I mean top to bottom. I've never in my life seen North American men clean like this. Floors, windows, windowsills, walls, the front porch, all the laundry, and more. They do this every 3 or 4 days because otherwise the dust in the house is unbearable. I got to cook with Solomon for the first time yesterday too. I was so thrilled that he finally let me set foot in his kitchen! We made a veggie stew of sorts that included plantains (my favorite!). It was scrumptious and I wrote down the recipe so I can make it when I get home. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from him, not the least of which are his soups – they're the best I've ever had. AND he makes this all in a kitchen the size of a closet, with tools and appliances that we might consider camping equipment. I feel spoiled now with the large kitchen I get to cook in at home.
So, today we were supposed to move into our house but they're not quite done cleaning it out yet. We brought over our fridge and the fans (which we bought this morning from a mean old man) and they said we can move in tomorrow. I enjoy staying with the guys but it'll be nice to have our own space. Not to mention the 4 of them have been sharing a room on account of us being in one of theirs.
The big house on the same lot as theirs is for rent though, and my mom's pretty sure she's going to take it when she comes back in September. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms with mzungu toilets (white people toilets), a big kitchen, and a spacious front made up of two sunny sitting rooms. The lot is at least 1.5 acres, gated. The owner is a friendly Tanzanite miner who showed up drunk, but harmless, and the guys vouched for him so we both feel ok with him dropping by once a month to collect 500 bucks. Rent in California for a house like this would easily be 5000. Easily. And like I said, it's a 5 minute drive to town, and the view of Kilimanjaro from the lot is breathtaking.
Well, the rest of today will be spent helping Anthony, John, Solomon and Gabi prepare a presentation for a group of newly arrived volunteers who want to go on Safari with them. They have a nice package to show them already, but it can use some fine tuning and I'm more than happy to help them impress.
This weekend we're going to visit with the Maasai. The guys said that they've never brought anyone with stretched ears like mine to visit them, so they're sure that I'll be a big hit, especially since I explained to them that I was inspired to do this early on, at 5 or 6 years old, when I first saw images of the Maasai and thought they were so beautiful. I'm looking forward to finally meeting these people after 17 years of admiring them from afar.
I'm getting used to the weather – the days are in the 95 degree range, with a very hot sun, but it cools off significantly in the nighttime so I can sleep quite well. The good thing about this heat is that I'm barely hungry so I just may shed the few extra pounds I've been carrying before I get back. I'm walking more than I do at home, even though everything here is done at a relaxing pace, and I can feel my pants getting bigger already.
So many benefits to Africa! ¶ 2/21/2006 05:19:00 AM
We spent the last few days at Anthony, John, Solomon and Gabi's house. They run Maasai Moja Tours, the safari company I mentioned in my last post. They live out of town a little bit, a 40 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride, but it's a very nice, very quiet area. Lots more mosquitoes than in town so we've had to be diligent about our mosquito repellent applications (on top of the Malaria pills we're already taking) and making sure the net we sleep under is securely closed so they can't sneak up on us in our sleep. I have one huge bite on my thigh, but it's the only one so far.
We got to see some nice critters at their place too – birds, a weird little porcupine creature we haven't yet found the English name for, and a beautiful Praying Mantis that we played with for a while last night. I have a great video of it dancing and trying to fight with a small stick that I'm sure everyone back home will enjoy very much! Last night we were out on the porch when it was dinnertime for the bats. I didn't enjoy that so much, though I do appreciate their diligence at trying to rid us of mosquitoes.
After posting on Saturday we went shopping for a hotplate, a fridge, and some food for Solomon to make our meals. It was a hot, hot day and we had 5 shops to visit so we could compare prices on appliances. We found what we needed except for a fridge and some fans, but we got that this morning so now we're all set. When we went to the market to get some food, we had to leave Solomon and Anthony so they could do the shopping for us. Our mere presence doubled the price on just about every item. We gave Solomon a shopping list and he got good prices on everything. It's all still pretty cheap despite the price gouging. One vendor told us the huge pineapple we wanted would cost 1500 shillings, a buck fifty. I've paid 4 or 5 bucks for those at home. When we left, Solomon got one for 1000 shillings. I wish I could bargain like that at Trader Joe's!
After shopping we met up with some more friends and sat in a large bar for a while. The terrace up top was packed with men watching Manchester United and Liverpool duke it out. I don't care much for soccer but it's infinitely more exciting when people are yelling at the TV. By the time we were getting ready to leave, a fight broke out even. It was quickly broken up, but I'm tickled by the fact that wherever I go, there are always avid soccer fans. I know I should be calling it football but for the sake of clarity, and the Americans reading this, I'll stick to soccer.
Later that night we met up with those friends again at a small bar with a pool table across the street from the house. I would have won the one game I played but on my last shot I accidentally sunk the 8 ball. Oh well, they have different rules here anyway (like if you miss the shot your're going for, your opponent gets two shots) and I was just happy to play a game.
Sunday the guys scrubbed their house from top to bottom. And I mean top to bottom. I've never in my life seen North American men clean like this. Floors, windows, windowsills, walls, the front porch, all the laundry, and more. They do this every 3 or 4 days because otherwise the dust in the house is unbearable. I got to cook with Solomon for the first time yesterday too. I was so thrilled that he finally let me set foot in his kitchen! We made a veggie stew of sorts that included plantains (my favorite!). It was scrumptious and I wrote down the recipe so I can make it when I get home. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from him, not the least of which are his soups – they're the best I've ever had. AND he makes this all in a kitchen the size of a closet, with tools and appliances that we might consider camping equipment. I feel spoiled now with the large kitchen I get to cook in at home.
So, today we were supposed to move into our house but they're not quite done cleaning it out yet. We brought over our fridge and the fans (which we bought this morning from a mean old man) and they said we can move in tomorrow. I enjoy staying with the guys but it'll be nice to have our own space. Not to mention the 4 of them have been sharing a room on account of us being in one of theirs.
The big house on the same lot as theirs is for rent though, and my mom's pretty sure she's going to take it when she comes back in September. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms with mzungu toilets (white people toilets), a big kitchen, and a spacious front made up of two sunny sitting rooms. The lot is at least 1.5 acres, gated. The owner is a friendly Tanzanite miner who showed up drunk, but harmless, and the guys vouched for him so we both feel ok with him dropping by once a month to collect 500 bucks. Rent in California for a house like this would easily be 5000. Easily. And like I said, it's a 5 minute drive to town, and the view of Kilimanjaro from the lot is breathtaking.
Well, the rest of today will be spent helping Anthony, John, Solomon and Gabi prepare a presentation for a group of newly arrived volunteers who want to go on Safari with them. They have a nice package to show them already, but it can use some fine tuning and I'm more than happy to help them impress.
This weekend we're going to visit with the Maasai. The guys said that they've never brought anyone with stretched ears like mine to visit them, so they're sure that I'll be a big hit, especially since I explained to them that I was inspired to do this early on, at 5 or 6 years old, when I first saw images of the Maasai and thought they were so beautiful. I'm looking forward to finally meeting these people after 17 years of admiring them from afar.
I'm getting used to the weather – the days are in the 95 degree range, with a very hot sun, but it cools off significantly in the nighttime so I can sleep quite well. The good thing about this heat is that I'm barely hungry so I just may shed the few extra pounds I've been carrying before I get back. I'm walking more than I do at home, even though everything here is done at a relaxing pace, and I can feel my pants getting bigger already.
So many benefits to Africa! ¶ 2/21/2006 05:19:00 AM
