Friday, October 31, 2008

Anniversary Splurging

We certainly have had an interesting couple of weeks, and I realize that we're a little behind with our updates. I'll just post a few highlights from our last few days in Sub-Saharan Africa because I know my mom will love it. We stayed three nights in Mombasa and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of our new friends Keren and Andrew. They have lived in Mombasa for over twenty years and were able to provide us with some very interesting perspectives.

Kim and Keren at Keren's flat
Bird Watching at dusk

Throughout our trip we have seen many wooden carvings, most of which are very similar, and I think we found the source in Mombasa. We went to the carvers' market where about 500 people were mass producing (by hand of course) the most of the common wooden souvenirs we've seen.

Mombasa Carvers' Market


After Mombasa we were in need of some beach time, after all, this travelling is hard work! We spent two nights self-catering in a small cottage at Diani Beach before splurging for our fourth anniversary. We found Diani Reef Resort and Spa, and decided that a little five-star luxury would be in order. The place was absolutely stunning. There were two pools, four bars, three restaurants, a spa, and just about everything else you'd expect. We spent three days relaxing on the beach and eating delicious dinners, thanks Mom!


Kim's temporary petDiani Reef ResortDiani Beach Getting some shade at the barEnjoying a cool drink at the swim-up bar

Relaxing at Diani Beach

That's a wrap for southern and eastern Africa--time for Egypt. We have truly enjoyed our first five months. We've seen most of the animals Africa has to offer, met plenty of interesting locals and expats, tasted and enjoyed (mostly) the local cuisine, and relaxed on some of the most stunning beaches in the world. We've also endured painfully long and overcrowded bus rides, risked our lives on motorcycle taxis in Kampala, and met with plenty of frustration attempting the seemingly simplest tasks. We've gotten sea-sick on ferries, laughed and vented with fellow travellers, and learned to speak like Brits (Could I have a Wah-ta please?). In all, we've gained an experience that few others have. We feel very lucky about our opportunity and proud of ourselves for making it happen. We also hope that anyone reading this has enjoyed a piece of our adventure with us!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Maybe L. Ron Had Something After All

I have recently finished reading "Dianetics" (I know it should be underlined Mr. Bergan but I couldn't figure out how to make it work) by L. Ron Hubbard. It's the book that started him on his path towards writing the foundations for the Church of Scientology. The basic premise is that people behave irrationally because they have "engrams." These are imprinted in your brain during times of injury or unconsciousness. When restimulated they cause irrational behavior and many types of physical illnesses. For example, if you received a concussion and while you were more or less unconscious somebody said, "I'll take care of you," that's an engram. When properly restimulated by events or people similar to those involved in the concussion incident, you might have migraine headaches. If a person undergoes Dianetic Therapy, now mostly at Scientology Churches, he can be cleared of his engrams, and therefore function at a much higher mental level, complete with full perceptive recall of all moments of one's life. It gets a lot crazier if you read more about his later works that lay out the premises of Scientology (mostly about aliens and the beginning of the universe). So, it was an interesting read, but of course I dismissed most of it as just another get-rich-quick self-help scam.

Kim at Fischer's Tower

Trying to decide which path to take

A View of Lake Naivasha from above Hell's Gate National Park

However, after a day of cycling through Hell's Gate National Park, I'm beginning to wonder if L. Ron had something after all. You see, I've never really seen Kim get nervous about physical danger before, and I certainly didn't think that riding a mountain bike would qualify as dangerous. She wasn't nervous about white water rafting, and I know she has been bungee jumping and sky diving among other things adrenaline related. But after a seriously difficult climb to about the highest point in the park, which included several instances of pushing the bikes up the hill, we started our descent. It was at this point I saw the look in her eyes that I'd never seen before. She looked terrified of going too fast down the rocky path! There was some danger involved here, losing control and flying off the cliff for example, but nothing to justify that look. Hmm???
Scaring away some zebras

Admiring the gazelles

Thirsty giraffes

It turns out that at six years of age she had a bicycle accident that resulted in the loss of four teeth. That got me thinking, "Engrams!" What else could cause that "irrational" fear of falling to her death? Maybe I'll read another of Hubbard's books, but I'm not quite ready to start her into Dianetic Therapy just yet!

The result of a 35km bike ride!

Friday, October 10, 2008

100 Meter Waterfall

We went repelling! They call it abseiling here. We were at Sipi Falls in Uganda. We did a bit of hiking--the falls are a beautiful sight. Then I somehow convinced Michael that we should lower ourselves on a rope over the edge of the cliff next to this waterfall. He agreed! Neither of us were especially nervous until the guy who was supposed to go first and then wait for us at the bottom went. He was shaking like a leaf and the look of terror on his face was like nothing I have ever seen before. I was next. For the first thirty meters I walked horizontally against the cliff face, slowly letting out the rope. The views were incredible. Then the rocks cut back, and it was hanging the rest of the way. At the bottom, I got soaked from the waterfall's mist, then trudged up the hill a bit to watch Michael. I was suprised how quickly he came over the edge (until that point I wasn't totally sure he would do it). He had an audience of other hikers and a thunderstorm while he made his descent. He was smiling when he landed at the bottom, and he said he would consider doing it again some day! We left Sipi Falls for Kenya, and our first stop was Saiwa Swamp. The lodge where we stayed was actually an old farmhouse belonging to a lady who had to be in her 90s. She and her daughter welcome visitors, cook delicious meals, and make the arrangements to go birdwatching in the swamp. It was fantastic. We saw tons of new birds, and the other guests invited us to stay at their flat when we get to Mombasa on the Kenyan coast!

After that we stayed two nights at a place called Kerio View, which is right on an escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Michael finished The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and I started Volume II of War and Peace.
We've been in the Rift Valley for a few days now. Yesterday we went to Lake Naivasha to see flamingos. I had no idea there would be so many. There were 50 billion of them (my estimate) all around the lake. All fifty billion are continuously moving around to filter the blue green algae from the water with their beaks. There are also many pelicans, spoonbill storks, yellowbill storks, buffalos, rhinos, monkeys, etc. around.
It was a great day. We had good Chinese food for dinner and spent the night in a crappy hotel in the middle of town that cost $8. There was no mosquito net, and I woke up itching at about 12:30. I applied lots of bug spray, put in my earplugs, and felt totally refreshed this morning. We are heading to Hell's Gate National Park as soon as we leave this internet cafe. It might be our last Park in Africa!