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<channel><generator>iloblog 1.0</generator><title>Kate&#039;s Blog Feed</title><link>http://katesblog.outofitinafrica.com/</link><description></description><item><title>Whose idea was it to do a road trip anyway?!</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=9</link><description><![CDATA[  23rd November 2009 
 Day dawned in our little room at Mutarara with a fair degree of trepidation especially after the previous day's dramas – were we going to find diesel, were we going to find money and were we going to get across the ferry at last? We decided to pop our heads in at the Oxfam office next door to enquire about the availability of diesel and were once again delighted by people’s welcome and hospitality as we were ushered in for a breakfast of rolls and coffee (and even fruit smoothies for those that like me don’t shudder at the mere thought) and a phone call was put in to the local diesel merchant. Said diesel peddler duly arrived and once filled up with hookey fuel, with our stomachs full and a photograph of our route on our camera (no mere hand drawn maps here my friends) we were off on our little trip to Caia – over the river and far away. Or at least an awful lot further than we thought – no surprises there!! We made it to the ferry just as it pulled off fully laden with a cotton lorry and were awfully glad it wasn’t us in the lorry as it popped a couple of tyres pulling off the ferry and was still lying there broken axle by its side when we pulled off about an hour later. And then it was onwards, and onwards, and onwards as we drove further and further and further along the sandy tracks ever hoping that the promised tar would be just around the corner. So it was with some relief that we eventually hit tar with but a few fumes in our tank and 10kms to go to Caia – the promised land! 
 After some small issues relating to directions (seriously, people just make it up if they don’t know so that they don’t have to say they don’t know) we found the petrol station and glory of glories a Standard Bank with an ATM. However life is never easy on the road and with a full tank and jerry full of fuel we were still minus the funds to pay for it as the ATM was not working (someone somewhere had stolen a vital cable – TIA!) and apparently it is impossible to get money from your card over the counter in Caia! After much heartache we managed to change our dollars for some local currency (metacais) at a much better rate than we had with the guy by the side of the road in Mutara, no surprise there, and both in a foul mood headed off for the campsite south of Caia for some R&amp;R. Unfortunately our day was nowhere near done as there was no room at the inn and so we headed the extra 370 kms to Chimoio near the Zimbabwe border for a bed. On the way we were treated to the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen which more than made up for the day on the road. Said bed was in a caravan in a small little backpackers and we both gratefully fell into it exhausted by our day’s adventuring.  
 Our goal of actually getting into a National Park somewhere was thwarted when we found out that the local Gorongosa National Park had closed early due to rain (which thankfully we had managed to miss) and so we stocked up the next day and headed instead down some more dirt (by choice and for fun this time!) for some adventuring in the Chimanimani mountains. I had visited the Zimbabawe side of the mountains years before (more years than I care to mention) when whispered reports of drug and gun running across the mountains from the dreaded Mocambican side made it seem very exotic and exciting. And here we were over a decade later (damn I let slip how many years ago!) exploring on the other side. We had a great day's driving and settled for the night in a fabulous spot in the rainforest in a place called Morimbane – on our own in the wilderness. Well, if you count on your own as being surrounded by chickens with the askari playing his local radio station very loudly.  
 Then once more into the breach dear friends as we took to the road for another few hundred kms to the coast and some legendary Mocambican prawns! This road travel has got quite hectic with the amount of kms we are doing so we are planning on a couple of days of beach and beer and food to gear ourselves up for the last few weeks before hitting Mum and Dad’s and a washing machine! 
 So farewell for now and see you somewhere further South!!  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:37:43 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Malawian Dreams</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=8</link><description><![CDATA[  14th November 2009 
 At last the sun started shining as we crossed the border into Malawi – so-called the “Warm Heart of Africa” – and we hoped that the rain that had followed us down from Kenya was behind us. I’d been looking forward to returning to the place of many happy memories from my gap year (only – ahem – thirteen years before!) and first impressions were not in the slightest bit disappointing – everyone is so incredibly friendly from the police at the (still numerous) road blocks to the guy trying to get his car out of the bank car park to the couple of older gentlemen who welcomed us vociferously when we pulled into their camp on the lake. I even had a great deal of fun with the revenue authority at the border (you have to get your kicks where you can you know!) when we came to bit of an impasse when I had to pay the TIP (Temporary Import Permit) in Malawian kwacha. The forex at the border was closed (of course) and he wasn’t going to take dollars, Tanzanian shillings or Kenyan shillings. There was a host of guys in the customs hall who were bringing across a fleet of new cars from Tanzania (we had been passed a couple of times by them on the TanZam highway with no plates at considerable speed) and throwing around a lot of kwacha. The biggest note in Malawi is 500KW which is equivalent to about two pounds so between them these guys had enough bricks to build a small house on the lake. The revenue official and I thought it would be a good idea for one of these guys to help out which under pressure from all his mates around him he reluctantly did. With some help from the revenue guy on the calculations and some negotiation and a lot of smiling and flattery I managed to get what turned out to be 276 kwacha to the pound where the rate should be 244 – a career in the currency markets clearly calls! And all this was done with the complicity of the revenue officials under a big sign saying that money changing is highly illegal – TIA in action! 
 We headed down to the lake and a place called Chitimba where we had to disappoint the two aforementioned older gentlemen at their camp (right by the road, no other guests and most worryingly no beer!) and headed to Chitimba Beach camp in an idyllic setting right on the water with cheap cold beer in abundance – this is what we were looking for! We had a very chilled couple of days sampling the local brews – actually there is not much to sample, beer comes in four varieties: Carlsberg green (lager), Carlsberg red (export lager), Carlsberg brown (stout) and Kuche Kuche which is, you guessed it, Carslberg! We opted for the Kuche in the end as it comes in bigger bottles but have been reliably informed that this is girls beer as it is lower strength – perfect for a long afternoon at the beach! 
 After regaining our strength from the rigours of our flit through Tanzania we headed up the road to Livingstonia. This quirky little village sits atop the plateau that towers over the lake up a dirt road with 21 (yup, you read correctly, 21) hairpin bends. Things started out well as we loaded the back of the truck up with locals heading up the hill, put the car into 4 wheel drive and began our ascent. Problems started on the first of the hairpins as Tinga exhibited a nasty tendency to grind alarmingly over the front left wheel when she is turning sharply to the left. To begin with it wasn’t too awful but as we climbed higher and higher we both started sweating and envisaging the grinding and knocking culminating in a big bang with springs and bits of car falling cartoon-like out of the car and bouncing down the hill leaving us stranded halfway up a hill with no passing traffic! Luckily she held out and we finally reached the top 45 breath holding minutes later with the car intact but no immediate desire to have to put her in 4 wheel drive again – looked like a visit to a mechanic was going to be in order again.  
 The village is the result of the Scottish missions to Africa and is built on the site of Dr Robert Law’s campsite when he and a colleague trekked from Cape Maclear on the lake to find somewhere less malarial for their mission. The village is named after the famous Dr Livingstone and while he visited the area on one of his many journeys a few years previously he wasn’t involved in its development. Dr Laws and his wife lived in Livingstonia for about 30 years and left behind an incredible legacy which now includes a Technical College, a University, a hospital which used to be the largest in Central Africa and the Livingstonia synod which has schools throughout the area. The missionaries did a lot to improve education and healthcare in the area and even brought hydro electric power up the hill – coupled with the construction of numerous buildings in this inaccessible place it is quite an impressive achievement! We had a wander around the small museum in the Stone House and visited the church which has an awesome view from the bell tower over the lake and the surrounding hills. Then we headed to the Mushroom Farm which sits perched on the side of the escarpment overlooking the lake.  
 We had an incredible welcome from the two current managers, a couple called Nat and Dulcie, two physios from the UK who are managing the place for six months while the owner is back in Oz. I can’t recommend the place highly enough, not only is the food (much of which comes straight from the garden and is prepared by a genius called Afrieda) excellent, the company great and the beer cold but it also boasts a compost toilet (more like sitting on a throne), hot solar showers and a campsite right on the edge of the escarpment on a sheer drop with the most incredible views. Anyone in this area of the world should definitely drop in. We had a thoroughly pleasant evening stuffing ourselves on eggplant fritters, dhal and salad and whiling away the night attempting to locate constellations with the aid of a gadget called a planisphere. Unfortunately the beer proved to be a small stumbling block in our attempts to use said gadget and despite our best attempts to locate some more exotic stars we only managed to identify Orion – numerous times! Mr Litt reckoned he had seen Scorpio but given it is not visible in the sky here at this time of year we think he may have been making it up! 
 We would have loved to have stayed longer but the lake and the road were calling so we reluctantly packed up our tent, said our goodbyes and headed down the hill (in 2 wheel drive) and the road to Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay – our next stop and a trip down memory lane for me! 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:22:30 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Tanzania in 8 days</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=7</link><description><![CDATA[  11th November 2009 
 I am actually sitting in our car in a petrol station in Malawi in the rain waiting for diesel as I write this and take the opportunity of an enforced rest stop to catch up on some blog writing! Malawi was not somewhere we were meant to have fuel issues and yet here we are patiently waiting (at least at the moment, give us another couple of hours and tempers may have frayed somewhat!) for the diesel lorry to arrive while the smug petrol drivers swish in and out of the garage with their tanks stuffed full!! 
 Tanzania had no fuel issues and the roads were considerably better than the Kenyan roads and so we headed from Lushoto ever southwards on a beautiful smooth tarmac road down to Chalinze on the Dar-Mbeya road (also referred to as the TanZam highway as it runs from Tanzania through to Zambia). Here we turned right and headed for Morogoro where we intended to stay the night. On the way we realised our trusty steed had not had her practically daily slurp of oil for some time – unfortunately the rather obvious oil leak in the engine that our backstreet mechanic assured us was fine at the time of buying not only means we have to keep a constant eye on her oil levels but apparently also should have meant that we paid considerably less for her! We struggled to find diesel oil on the main highway but eventually struck black gold in BP where we calculated we should be paying about 25,000 Tanzanian shillings for 5 litres based on costs both in Kenya and elsewhere in Tanzania. True to Tanzanian form though the attendant took one look at us as we asked the price and promptly came up with a figure of 35,000 shillings. This is a classic example of “Mzungu prices” a phenomenon that seems particularly prevalent in Tanzania where eyes roll and exorbitant figures greet the question of cost which has to be asked because nowhere, but nowhere has any indication of price for goods – not a barcode or label in sight. Having got frankly fed up with this practice I lost my rag a little with said attendant but he knew he had us over a barrel and so 35,000 shillings was duly handed over – grrrrr! Apparently this cute little practice does not get any better the longer you live in Tanzania – a friend who lives near Mafinga recently stormed out of a shop she has shopped in for a couple of years leaving her not inconsiderable stack of purchases on the counter as they tried to charge totally made up prices for goods she had bought in there on many occasions before – totally frustrating.  
 After this little contretemps we decided to take our Mzungu money elsewhere and took to the road once more on the way to Mikumi. On our way we were halted in our progress by an “abnormal load” which was in fact three brewery tanks being taken from Dar es Salam to Mbeya. When we stopped for the night we met the couple of guys who were managing the process – Nick and Hamish – which two days in was already to proving to be a bit problematic to say the least. Not only were the tanks what is traditionally known as a wide load but they were also improbably tall, even lying on their sides and so the previous two days had been spent having to lift power lines to enable the trucks to pass underneath! As if this wasn’t enough the TanZam highway is currently being extensively “upgraded” which involves ridiculous numbers of roadworks where the tarmac has been effectively halved down the middle and vast tracts of road have disappeared. This doesn’t hold a huge number of problems for the average car which can squeeze down the narrow diversions but for these guys meant hours persuading road crews to fill in/ rebuild roads they had been dismantling for weeks. And as they were limited to travelling between dawn and dusk things were taking a lot longer than normal to traverse the country. It certainly made me look at roads and roadworks in a new light and when we continued on our way the next day and encountered the complete absence of road in some places we wondered whether these guys were ever going to make it to Mbeya! 
 On our way we also passed through the Mikumi National Park which proved to be an absolute delight. We managed to spot buffalo, elephant, giraffe, zebra and numerous buck thereby adding another one of the big five to Jamie’s collection. We’ve decided not to actually go to any game parks for traditional ‘safari’ and see how many of the big five Mr Litt can see on the journey! 
 The remainder of our journey to the Malawian border was fairly uneventful – we spent two wonderful nights at a fabulous place called Kisolanza Farm just South West of Iringa and would highly recommend it to anyone who happens to be passing that way. Nicky (the owner) and Mark (the manager) have come up trumps and with accommodation ranging from $4 for camping up to the couple of hundred dollar a night mark for their luxury accommodation there really is something for everyone. The showers are hot, the beer cold and the food was absolutely incredible – thank you Robin for our treat fund which was dipped into to treat ourselves to a three course meal which included roast beef, cheesy potatoes and a bottle of red wine – bliss! We also enjoyed a quick pitstop with Rachel outside Mafinga for a slap up lunch of salad (with balsamic vinegar – what a treat!), boiled potatoes (with proper butter – what a treat!), hard boiled eggs (with real mayonnaise – what a treat!) and roast pork – I think we are developing a bit of a food fetish here – Mum, you’re going to need to stock up!!! After that a night at the Utengule Coffee Lodge in Mbeya was a bit of a disappointment as they wanted $10 a night (EACH!) for camping on a helicopter landing pad half a mile from the loos and showers. I utilised my powers of persuasion however and we managed to halve our outlay – thank you Archie. From there it was a mere 100km hop, skip and jump along a beautiful road to the Malawian border and another couple of stamps in our passports – hooray! Read on in my next blog for news of our Malawian experiences. 
 P.S. We did get fuel eventually – result! Fingers crossed we can get more when it runs out! 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:21:30 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Tanzania here we come</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=6</link><description><![CDATA[ 4th November 2009

After a fabulous last couple of days in Kenya spending time with old friends and re-visiting the site of many happy memories it was time to cross a border for the first time. I must admit to feeling a certain degree of trepidation having never crossed a land border in my own vehicle before and having a healthy regard for African bureaucracy! Having traveled the Shimoni road for the last time for a while we headed South into uncharted territory and after a beautiful drive through lush tropical vegetation we hit the first of our obstacles at the Kenyan border in Lunga Lunga. We got over the first hurdle admirably getting our own paperwork in order and a lovely triangular exit stamp from Kenya to add to our growing collection. Next up it was the turn of the car – a distinctly more laborious process. First the policeman I gave our logbook to laughed at me and sent me to the CID (Criminal Investigations Department) where the very nice gentleman entered all our car’s details into a very large book then wrote our details down on what seemed like a very ragged scrap piece of paper but obviously it wasn’t as it had an official stamp on it – got to have your stamps you know, makes anything ‘official’. Then I was sent to the KRA office down the way where another very friendly gentleman entered our details first onto a form (INCREDIBLY LABORIOUSLY) and then into another very large book whilst simultaneously receiving money from various visitors, chatting on the phone and chatting to his colleagues. He was tickled by our plans and when I eventually left (after the 6 people who had been behind me all had their paperwork done in the same amount of time by another far more efficient colleague) asked if he could come with us! He was very glad that I had a husband to look after me though! Then it was time to go back to the first policeman export documentation and log book in hand and have our details entered for a final time into….you guessed it….another very large book! Finally the gate swung open and we were through into no-man’s land – left Kenya: tick.

A couple of kms down the road and we approached the Tanzanian side of the border in Horo Horo where we were mobbed by money changing touts who very kindly showed us to Immigration – the office with a large Immigration sign over it that apparently we couldn’t have found on our own! Here we had a bit of a result as we got transit visas for 14 days at a discount price of just $30 (US) each. This nearly went a bit wrong when I turned round suddenly and stepped on the foot of the immigration official. A few ‘poles’ (‘sorry’ for the non-Swahili speakers in the audience) later and a very hard clap on the back and we were sent our way to the Tanzanian Revenue authority. Here I went through yet more laborious form and receipt filling, paid our money for the car and were out of there in the twinkle of an eye (i.e. about half an hour), import documentation and receipts in hand. Then, you know the drill, followed a trip to the police where three people very helpfully entered our details into…a very large book! Whilst I went through the various motions Jamie admirably held the fort and fended off the money changers who were mobbing him. Then we approached our final obstacle of a gate which seemingly we had to open ourselves as there was no-one in sight (apart from said money changers and one very drunk/ crazy guy) and then we were in Tanzania – karibu! An hour and half all told – let’s see where that stands in the results table after the next few borders!

The road in Tanzania was initially appalling and I had to admit defeat and hand over the reins to Mr L who drove us in to Tanga. We decided to stay the night and figure out Tanzania – i.e. how much is a beer?!?! We got to grips with the extra noughts in the bank and then found ourselves a beer, a meal and a bed (with air-con and a hot shower no less) and then headed out to the Tanga Yacht Club for a final beer and a game of cards. Allegedly my brother and friends absconded from the same establishment some years ago but luckily there was no comeback for us!! So here we are in Tanzania, happy, rested and looking forward to more adventures.  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:20:00 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Bureaucracy – Kenya style!</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=5</link><description><![CDATA[ 29th October 2009  

 Well, against all the odds, here we are in Mombasa and on our way South at last! We visited the KRA yesterday which was the
day our transfer papers were meant to be ready. 
It wasn’t looking hopeful when we saw people being turned away saying
they hadn’t even processed the papers submitted in August. When we finally got to see the very kindly
gentleman at the desk of power at the front of the line we had been waiting in
for countless minutes/ hours/ days we were given the same information and told
that it was going to be at least another month until our papers were
ready. It was now time to employ our
secret weapon – girly tears!! In fact I
wasn’t actually required to cry but I like to think that the finely honed look
of despair had its desired effect. We
were hugely and pleasantly surprised by the integrity and efficiency of all the
staff we came into contact with at the KRA which I believe is a pleasant change
from other brushes with bureaucracy that people have in Kenya. All it took in the end was the blunt
statement that we completely understood the fact there were some delays but we
needed to leave the country on Monday. 
The gentleman in question punched a few buttons firstly on his computer
and then on his phone and finally waved over his equally as harassed but equally
as helpful colleague and asked him to organise a visitors pass for us to see Mr
Karicho. Clutching said pieces of highly
prized green paper we then made our wending way to the third floor of the
adjacent tower and finally the desk of Mr Karicho. We told him the same thing and he again
punched some buttons in response. I then
saw him write the following magic words on our receipt: “Processed, requires printing – please
assist”. He then took my number and sent
us to: “have a nice lunch” and await his
phone call when our log book was ready! 
We couldn’t quite believe it but having compared notes we both agreed
that we thought that it might be possible that we could maybe get our papers
that very afternoon.  

 We then whiled away a relaxed afternoon over lunch and a few
beers but started to get a bit nervous around 3:30 that we hadn’t yet received
the magic ‘phone call from Mr Karicho. I
was sent off to make some enquiries having agreed between us that in our
dealings with authority the female touch seemed to be the most effective. I made my merry way to the magic desk on the
third floor again by the same circuitous route only to have my hopes dashed
when the very kindly gentleman told me that he hadn’t been able to have it
printed that afternoon due to various issues involving printers etc –
technology eh, the same the world over?! 
I was however sent on my way with the assurance that it would be ready
for us first thing in the morning and if it wasn’t it would be done while I
waited. There was nothing for it but to
brave the late afternoon Nairobi
traffic and head for our home for the night at the house of Alistair and Laelia
Anderson in Muthaiga. 

 We spent an absolutely wonderful evening with our hosts who regaled
us with numerous fascinating tales of their adventures together over the
previous fifty years of marriage. They
are honestly two of the nicest and most interesting people we have met and rank
highly in the illustrious list of people who have generously hosted us during
our travels in Kenya. 

 The next morning we battled with the traffic once again
(5kms in an hour isn’t bad right?!?) and the parking and headed back on the
much travelled route to Mr Karicho’s desk where incredibly there was no Mr
Karicho but a brand spanking new…..LOG BOOK – success at last!! We made our way out of there as quickly as
was decent via a final trip to the Customer Care office where we expressed our
thanks in their comments and compliments book and hightailed it outside for a
celebration – we were finally free to leave the country!! And so we were back on the road again and
heading in the right direction – to Mombasa and
friends and Tusker baridi sana
which is where you will find us in Mr Litt’s blog at  http://www.outofitinafrica.com/jamiesblog . See you in Tanzania – keep your fingers
crossed we make it across the border without too much excitement!  

 Before we depart Kenya though a HUGE thank you to everyone
who has made our trip here such a delight: (in no particular order) Tom Tom and Gill Fraser and friends at
Greenpark, Naivasha; Fido (Muffadal) Alibhai and family in Nairobi; Mora at
KEEP, Kakamega; Moses and everyone at the Kericho Toyota garage; Nick and Jilly
Emson and family in Timau; Anthony Komo at Thika Sports Club; Mr Karicho and
colleagues at the KRA; Alistair and Laelia Anderson in Muthaiga; Werner at
Heino’s Bodyworks in Mtwapa; Sander and Sara in Mombasa and finally all at GVI –
you rock: Mayer, Tiss, Sawa Sawa, Elly,
Corti, Rachel, Mr Adam, Matt N, Kez, Drew, Ines, Sergi, Nick, Aaron, Gill,
Monia. 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:51:05 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Timau to Thika (where it all happened)</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=4</link><description><![CDATA[ 27th October 2009  

 After a superb night with Nick and Jilly Emson (when we had
finally found our way there via a few mishaps on the map reading front from a
certain Mr L) we woke to a beautiful day but unfortunately no view of Mount
Kenya as she was shrouded in mist and cloud – clearly a shy lady like your
correspondent! Nick has an amazing
set-up – having previously grown vegetables for package and export to the UK as stir-fry
mixes and salads he made the move a year ago into the herb market. He now has 120 hectares of incredibly
fragrant herbs ranging from rosemary through to lemon thyme (definitely get
your hands on some of this if you can – it smells wonderful and comes highly
recommended for chicken dishes). All
this propagated from a couple of plants sourced locally and now providing those
shopping in Sainsburys and Tescos with beautiful herbs fresh from the slopes of
Mount Kenya. The herbs we saw being cut
that day (two and a half tons) would have been on the plane that night and on
the shelves in the UK
two days later – amazing how small the world is.  

 After a muddy tour of the farm (thankfully the rains have
arrived and we saw a lot of them the night before as we arrived in the dark and
wet) we set off for a tour of the ranch the farm forms part of – 10,000
hectares of stunning landscapes and treacherous (but fun) dirt tracks. We were treated to some staggering views and
sightings of giraffe, warthogs, zebra, Thomson’s gazelles and Kongoni – all
before a slap up brunch back at their beautiful house. Then it was time to pack our bags again and
head back to Nairobi
and the KRA. 

 On our way down we made a pilgrimage to Thika and the place
where my parents met – Thika Sports Club. 
There is some debate between the two of them over whether they met under
the tree between the 18th green and the clubhouse (Dad’s bet) or at
the bar (Mum’s bet) – knowing them my bet is on the bar! We had some difficulty finding the place but after
an impromptu tour of the town (apparently the Birmingham of Kenya!) and the
surrounding area, we eventually pulled into the carpark and went inside to find
Anthony Komo the golf pro. Anthony had
been around in my parents’ day and had some very entertaining stories to tell
us about what they all got up to in the seventies – hearing many names that are
familiar to me from my parents stories when I was growing up. We had a walk on the golf course and then
enjoyed a few Tuskers listening to stories and looking out over the view my
parents enjoyed all those years ago. It
was so lovely being able to visit the site of so many happy memories for my
parents and see ‘where it all happened’. 
 

 We eventually decided that we didn’t really fancy braving
the drive into Nairobi
that night and so we made our way the short distance to the Blue Posts –
another landmark from the seventies. We
spent a lovely night there enjoying hot water and a balcony overlooking the
Thika and Chania falls and a very peaceful sleep shrouded by mosquito nets in
very comfortable beds – a nice change from all the camping we had been doing. The next day we awoke early and, with a
certain amount of trepidation, headed into Nairobi and our brush with the KRA – read my
next post for the result of our visit! 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:48:40 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>She&#039;ll be coming round the mountain...</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=3</link><description><![CDATA[  Well actually she won’t be, what she’ll actually be doing is
falling down it and twisting her ankle!! 
You will be relieved to know though that despite it being the size of a
grapefruit (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration more like an egg) and a complete
lack of sympathy from my husband and brother, I am being a VERY brave girl and
applying cold Tusker liberally to ensure a swift recovery. Well at the very least it numbs the pain and
can be used to reduce swelling although I think that it might have to be
applied topically rather than internally for the latter! 

 The injury in question occurred on a stunning sunrise walk
in the Kakamega Forest Reserve - not to be confused with the Kakamega Forest
National Reserve which is of course a completely different thing! We arrived in said Reserve on Monday after a
night in Kisumu on Lake Victoria and the site
of my last post. After posting, we
happened across a Nakumatt on the main street and thought we should pop in to
provision ourselves for the camping we are planning to do (something we
completely failed to do before leaving Nairobi
due to rather large hangovers courtesy of Fido and Hussein and the Klub
House). An hour and a half later we exited
Nakumatt into the craziness and heat of Kisumu laden with bags containing
various items of camping gear and considerably lighter of pocket! We were now ready to play the part of
seasoned campers able to house and feed ourselves at a moment’s notice in any
location. And so to Kakamega but not
before a pitstop for a spot of lunch on the shores of Lake Victoria – we can
highly recommend the Spanish omelette with a side of salad (the best salad
dressing in the world) at the Kiboko Bay Resort.  

 The drive there was hairy to say the least - I am convinced
that all Kenyan drivers and roadbuilders are out to get us. Mr L was driving but sitting in the passenger
seat is by no means an easy ride – I am sure that it is only by virtue of my
frequent ghost breaking, sharp intakes of breath, hanging onto the seat edge
and intense concentration that we stay on the road at all. Not much better in the driver’s seat as you
have to keep an eye out for potholes (numerous), other crazy drivers (equally
as numerous if not more so), animals (be they goats, cows on bits of rope or
zebras), pedestrians (I am sure they only decide to step out into the road when
they see a car coming) – humans just aren’t equipped with enough eyes for the
task. And I forgot the most dangerous
thing of all – speed bumps. Or speed pumps
as we saw them signposted in one town. 
Signposting was a bit of a luxury actually though as most of the time
they seem to have just dumped any excess tar in a mound on the road and left
drivers to figure out the fact they are there when they go over them at speed or
see the driver in front of them stop suddenly for no reason at all. So bad are they that we have to play a game
where you get a point for each one you spot meaning that both driver and
passenger are on the lookout at all times. 
For those that are interested, I am currently winning the game – Mr L
called time yesterday when I was 12-0 up! 
My current top three driving atrocities are: 1 – the bus overtaking me
at 160 going uphill round a blind corner, 2 – the three drivers who forced me
off the road on the Mombasa to Nairobi road, 3 – the driver who overtook me as
I was trying to overtake a motorbike in front of me. Oh and I forgot the two cows that wandered
out into my path as I was overtaking on a narrow bit of road and the fact that
Mr L is now deaf after I swore very loudly at the matatu driver who braked to a
standstill in front of me with no warning as he had no brake lights. Deep breath and rant over for now – I am sure
there will be many more noteworthy experiences in the next couple of months,
must just keep calm and carry on!  

 Jamie will be delighting you with details of our spectacular
stay in Kakamega at http/www.outofitinafrica.com/jamiesblog but for now you
find us sitting on a veranda at the Tea Hotel in Kericho surveying the beautiful
gardens and backdrop of tea plantations. 
Unfortunately we have had to forgo a tour around the plantations due to
aforesaid injury (more sympathy please!) and so we are taking advantage of the
power and enjoying the sunshine and peace and quiet having had our first
showers for a few days and having survived our first night of camping. Our Nakumatt shop was a great success so we
managed to feed ourselves and spend a very comfortable night with all camping
mod cons having figured out how to set up the tent. Admittedly this exercise was lubricated by
Tusker and red wine but surprisingly didn’t involve any arguments – we’ll see
what happens when it comes to taking it down again and getting it all into the
very small bag it came in! Our plan was
to head up to Lake Baringo today but unfortunately the car gods had other ideas
and so we are forced to stay another night whilst Tinga receives some running
repairs at great expense – a couple of shock absorbers and various other
nefarious mechanical dealings later!!! 
We hope to move on again tomorrow though so will be regaling you of our
adventures from here onwards when we are next blessed with power. 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:14:18 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Jambo Lake Victoria</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=2</link><description><![CDATA[  Rain, rain and more rain - that is how I can describe our last few days in Kenya but it really doesn't bother me in the same way as it would do in the UK. Knowing that it means fewer animals and people dying means that I feel a little bit differently about it than if it was a grey drizzly morning in London and I had to cycle to work! It does rain differently here though, no soft soaking rain for Africa, and as we were driving through torrential rain from Kericho to Kisumu Mr Litt was definitely cursing the heavens as it makes dodging the animals, people and frankly certifiable drivers that bit more difficult. And truly, the drivers here really are mentalists - overtaking on blind corners going uphill is one of the least scary things I have seen! 
 Having said that, the day dawned bright, sunny and noisy this morning in Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria. We are here on a pit stop on our way from a wonderful stay in Lake Naivasha to the Kakamega Forest Reserve about which we have heard wonderful things (Gareth, Matt, Kez - I hope you are right!!). We survived the daze of 16 hours in transit at Dubai airport, enjoyed the frankly miraculous service on Emirates to Nairobi, supped a Tusker baridi sana at The Pub at the airport waiting for our taxi driver and then were subjected to the horror of Nairobi's legendary traffic - two hours from Jomo Kenyatta airport to Westlands!! However we recovered well being fed to within an inch of our lives at Fido's house and supping countless beers at the Klub House with Fido and Hussein. And then it was off on our adventures proper as we headed west along the old road to Naivasha. We were on the way to see a very, very old friend of my parents - Tom Tom Fraser, KC (Kenya Cowboy!).  
 The bottom road to Naivasha is simply breathtaking and as we dropped over the escarpment we were treated to out first view of the Great Rift Valley stretching out to the horizon - awesome! A few hours later (excellent directions Tom Tom but we clearly don't drive nearly as fast as you!) we pulled into the oasis of Greenpark on the north shore of Lake Naivasha. Once again we were treated to legendary hospitality and some excellent company as we propped ourselves up in the bar at the golf club and enjoyed some stories about what my parents got up to in their Kenya days. M&amp;D - don't worry, Tom Tom was very discreet. Well except after a couple of Tuskers and a Gentleman's ;) 
 More rain here but we still managed to squeeze in lunch by the lakeside, a fabulous walk around the rim of the Crater Lake and some beautiful drives around the lake - I had forgotten how much I enjoy driving around Africa and soaking up the landscape and views. And of course there is the wildlife, a jolt when you are driving along a smooth tarmaced highway and spot a herd of cows/ goats by the side of the road and the suddenly realise they are zebra, or spot a giraffe calmly chewing on an Acacia right by the side of the bumpy road you are trying desperately to not bounce off - we really are in Africa! 
 Now onwards and upwards lovely people, we are off to get some views of Lake Victoria, a spot of lunch with perhaps a beer or two in the sunshine and then off to the Kakamega - oh what a hard life!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist a gloat!) 
 Kwaheri 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:06:56 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>In transit</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=1</link><description><![CDATA[  Was just about to do a quick post and we have been called for boarding!! We are mid-journey on our way to Nairobi and have managed to amuse ourselves at Dubai International for sixteen hours while in transit. Eyes are sore though and I can't wait for a proper bed and more than 2 hours sleep at a time!!! Thanks to the Marahaba lounge and J's platinum Mastercard for some free food and drinks - Bloody Mary's definitely help while away the time. 
 Must dash - see you in Nairobi! 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:03 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item><item><title>Littlest Hobos</title><link>http://iloapp.outofitinafrica.com/blog/katesblog?Home&amp;post=0</link><description><![CDATA[  Well, we've spent the last month living out of rucksacks and sleeping in different beds nearly every night in the UK and now we can look forward to another couple of months of doing exactly the same just on a different continent! We've had a great trip to the UK visiting friends and family but now the time has come to pack our bags yet again and head for the airport on Monday morning to start the next stage of our adventures. As always, goodbyes make me sad but we have some incredible experiences to look forward to as we wend our merry way from Nairobi (Kenya) to Knysna (South Africa). We'll also be visiting old friends in Kenya and making a lot more new ones on the way (we hope and provided Mr L keeps taking those tablets!!).  
 So we are enjoying the last few hot showers and cold beers and favourite meals before heading back to the land of bucket showers and no electricity! Goodness only knows why but we also seem to be gathering yet more things to fill our rucksacks despite my protestations on leaving Kenya that I was sure I really didn't need any more STUFF. Seems I really can't do without that hoodjameflip that will sit in the bottom of my rucksack until such time as I need it to get the stone out of my horse's hoof whereupon it will disappear and I'll have to buy a new one! Oh and of course the wet wipes - can't go anywhere without those! When oh when am I going to turn into a seasoned traveller who only needs a penknife and a ball of string to make their way around the world singlehandedly?!?! 
 We have had the most fantastic time back in the good old UK but I am glad we're leaving before the clocks change again - no more English winters for me!!!! I'd like to thank everyone who helped make our stay so memorable and make leaving again that bit more difficult - we'll miss you all so please stay in touch! A special thanks go to our respective parents who have fed and homed us during our stay and allowed the use of copious amounts of hot water to clean ourselves and our clothes and even allowed us to drink their booze!! And a final thanks to everyone who contributed to our fundraising efforts and helped us raise another £123 towards projects in Kenya - you know your money is going to good causes and we'll make sure we keep you up to date with exactly what it is being used for. 
 Asante tena (thanks again) and see you on the other side. 
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:43:02 +0200</pubDate><category>Travel</category></item></channel>
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