My friend Alexandra from Sweden came to visit me in Uganda and we decided we would travel through Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar during the two and a half weeks Alexandra would be here. Elin would also accompany us. I was happy to see Alexandra again. I am not able to meet her as frequently since I moved to Amsterdam, however when we do meet it is like no time has passed. It was also nice that she had the opportunity of meeting the Karlsson family who have come to grow very close to my heart.
After the weekend had passed the three of us, Elin, Alexandra and myself took the bus to Nairobi in Uganda. The bus ride took 12 hours, and the roads were terrible. Uganda has a lot of pot holes in the roads and each time the bus drove over them we flew up from our seats and almost knocked our heads. The bus ride was like a twelve hour unpleasant roller coaster ride. When we finally arrived to Nairobi bus station we got off and had some dinner in a restaurant nearby. A whole fish plus Ugali (boiled corn flour) was on the menu. It was not to our liking but it was at least food.
After eating our meal we needed to take a taxi to our hostel. After a lot of negotiating with the taxi driver of the price we wanted to pay, he passed us over to a friend of his who was driving an illegal taxi car. This guy drove us for the price we requested. He also smelt like he had taken a lot of pot. Whenever we tried to converse with him we did not get a sensible answer. Elin was a bit concerned about his driving skills but we calmed her with the simple fact that at least he was enjoying the ride.
We entered the back packers’ hostel which had the usual atmosphere. The hostel was a colorful place with travelers passing through from one destination to the next, wearing a relaxed look and the clothes and hair were maintained in all simplicity. And not to forget the collection of local bracelets on their arms which they have picked up on the way, each bracelet with a different story to tell.
Alexandra, Elin and I wanted to go on a safari in the Masai mara in Kenya. The eco system of Serengeti stretches between Kenya and Tanzania. The same animals wander between the two countries. Before heading out on the Safari we spent a day in Nairobi. Nairobi is said to be a dangerous capital and when you walk on the streets you see signs stating to alarm the police if you see anyone holding armed weapons. However after being in Johannesburg I found Nairobi not having an alarming vibe but more of a metropolitan feeling. It is far more advanced than Uganda’s capital Kampala. Better roads, many more restaurants and shops. There were also quite a lot of foreign business men and women. Of course the outskirt of Kenya is also poverty stricken but by just judging the capitals Kampala and Nairobi the differences are major.
The following day we left for the safari. An American girl named Nitti also accompanied us on the tour. She had flown the whole way from San Francisco and straight after joined us on the safari tour. To get to the Safari took an additional five hours so this was a very long travel for her. However she said that she always needs to keep herself in motion, but then again, the following day she fainted due to exhaustion and heat. We engaged in some good conversations with Nitti. When you travel you meet so many people. At times you just let go of boundaries and speak of whatever crosses your mind since there are no expectations attached. You create a brief bond knowing that you might never meet again, but just carry with you the words expressed. Just that acceptance that you meet some people for a reason, some for a season and others for a lifetime gives a pleasure in every encounter, however brief it may be. On the other hand facebook has changed a lot of the mystery behind “wonder whatever happened to that interesting person I met”.
Nitti was telling us about her marriage. She seemed so much in love with her husband. She had been married for two years but they had known each other for nine years. She said that people often say that the beginnings should be rosy and nice but the first three years for her were clearing out the differences and doubts which later lead to an agreement of understanding. She said that after that they fell more in love than ever. I found this very comforting and similar to my own situation. My partner and I are travelers in our souls and we have spent the last three years trying to combine our different cultural backgrounds, destinations and longings with each other. He has always been supportive of whatever I do and allowed me to explore myself and go wherever I wish, even if it meant me doing so alone. He is my best friend and I can not see myself without him. Even though love can strike fast, friendship takes time. Reaching this point may have taken time, but a solid foundation can not be built over a night.
The safari was amazing and much better than the one I had done in South Africa. However Kenya and Tanzania are very famous for their safari. We almost saw the big five, the buffalo, lion, cheetah, and the leopard. The only one we missed seeing was the black rhino. It is very difficult to see the rhino and almost impossible to see the leopard. However I am so pleased we saw the leopard since of the five it is my favorite. The leopard lives its life as a loner and is so incredibly beautiful. The lion was also very majestic but extremely lazy. Lions sleep apparently 20 out of 24 hours. One of the male lions we spotted had just eaten a buffalo and fallen asleep. His family had left him since he had dazed of. He then could not find them and when we spotted him he had just woken up and was calling for them. His roar was amazing. I was surprised that even though there were so many jeeps surrounding the animals they were not bothered. James our guide explained that they can not get a scent from the vehicles therefore they ignore it. However if one would step out of the vehicle the lion would attack. It felt incredible just being a few meters from the lions and other animals in the wild. Unfortunately we did not see a hunt taking place but knowing myself I most likely would have started crying at the sight of a gazelle or other animal being slaughtered by a lion.
We stayed two nights in a big tent with an own shower and a toilet. We heard the hyenas at night and Alexandra and Nitti were a bit scared. However outside the Masai were keeping guard to prevent the hyenas, cheetahs and lions from entering. The Masai people are a tribe residing in both Kenya and Tanzania. Their signature mark is that they wear a red checked blanket and a specific type of sandal as clothing. The men in the tribe can jump very high and the higher they jump the less cows they need to give for a wife. The masais like the karamojans live on blood and milk, however they have nowadays become very commercial. Many of them speak English and wear shorts and t-shirts under their blankets. Some of the masais invite tourists to see their villages and make a living out of it. They have got more commodities whilst maintaining the cultural traditions. Alexandra found these cloth bearing men very intriguing especially the masai who kept guard of us. We followed him to his village and he told us how he had killed a lion (in self defense). He showed us his home which was very small and so dark so we could not see a thing. They had a separate room for themselves and another one for their animals. We were able to ask them anything we wished and I asked if they circumcise their women. They said they do so when they reach the age of twelve. There is a book named the white masai, which is a self biography about a European woman who falls in love with a masai. She writes about the cultural differences. When their daughter was expected to be circumcised the cultural barriers were too hard to overcome so she eventually left the masai village. It is interesting how some people get fed up with the notion of life in the west and seek for the utmost basic lifestyle. However a harder fact to adapt to than the physical changes are the differences in mindset.
