Australian traveller M'Lis
Flynn visited Africa some time ago (2001) but we've
kept her tale online as it takes in a number of
countries: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
It also provides an inside look at some of the aid
organisations in Africa and suggests how you might
like to be involved.
Thursday, 1 November 2001
Well here I am in Johannesburg after a 12 hours
flight from Sydney... I'm absolutely stuffed, since
my body thinks it is 3:30 am. Had a great seat on
the plane, directly behind business, loads of legroom,
my own tv screen and no-one sitting next to me...
I was smiling like a priz idiot when I realised
what I had scored! Staying at a backapckers in J'burg,
it's not too bad, but I'm not feeling real social....gonna
shower and go to bed! I have my own little cabin
out the back with a huge deadbolt! 7am start for
me tomorrow and off to Nairobi...yippeee...I just
wanna be there now and get settled.
Saturday, 3 November 2001
Now I am in Nairobi after an event free flight from
South Africa... my accommodation is pretty good,
and it even has a tv and a pool...have used the
former not the latter yet. I am staying in a suburb
called Westlands which isn't too far from the city
and has everything within 5 mins walking distance.
I had a lovely Kenyan beer last night called Tusker.
I think my body has almost adjusted...but still
went to bed at 8:00pm. Nairobi is bustling, noisy,
polluted, green, dirty, crazy, interesting and I
think I'll be quite happy here for a week or so.
Near my place there is a corner market where they
are making great wicker furniture, with hundreds
of noisy cars, trucks flying by within a meter or
two. I'm gonna go and have a chat to them later
today...see if I am allowed to take a photo. This
afternoon I'll head into the museum and check out
some of the cultural artworks and just have a wander
around. The conference starts on Monday and I'll
be speaking on Wednesday. Hopefully I'll meet lots
of great people and make some contacts. I even saw
it advertised on tv last night!
Monday, 5 November 2001
It is lunchtime and I am at the conference.
I had my lunch and now I am waiting for the
next session to start. I think I am one of
only a handful of people from outside africa,
and definitely the only Australian. The room
where the conference is, is HUGE - I hope
I don't have to present there! There are lots
of experts here that's for sure and some of
the projects are really fantastic! Also looks
like ESRI might be giving me some software
for the place I'll be volunteering at later
in the trip.
Yesterday I went to visit Leith and her family.
Leith is the sister of a girl, Doon, that
works at Wet Tropics with me! they live in
an area called Langata, outside Nairobi, and
near the Karen Blixen house (from the Out
of Africa book). It was raining heavy but
we still visited a giraffe sanctuary and I
got to hand feed a huge bull giraffe. Their
tongues are enormous and purple and very rough.
There were also warthogs there, sniffling
around in the mud and waiting for the stray
pellet.
The roads here are pretty bad and so are the
matatu drivers (minibus) They are CRAZY! And
I think there are numerous accidents with
them too! I still haven't worked out how I
am getting out west or down to Tanzania next
week, most likely be a bus (but not a matatu!!)
I haven't got sick yet...touch wood, and hopefully
it will stay that way.
Wednesday, 7 November
2001
'Twas the hours before my presentation and
suddenly I got an urge to run very fast back
down United Nations Avenue and back to my
hotel. I am SCARED!!! The conference halls
are really huge with about 100 people attending
each one and they are all really official
looking (the halls and the people that is).
The worst thing is that the questions thrown
at the presenters are very hairy... what am
I doing here!!!
Aside from feeling way out of my league everything
is fine! Went for dinner the other night with
a nice guy from Rotary who drove me around
the urban slums of Nairobi... it is INCREDIBLY
hard to fathom these slums. 10,000 people
living in an area so small in size with almost
no toilets, no electricity, running water
or sanitation at all. What a privileged life
I live and I count my fortunes every day.
I've been trying out a few of the local brews,
and there is a nice one called Tusker. You
can buy it at the supermarket for 500ml at
about AUD 0.80c! But everything else in Kenya
is rather expensive...I can see easily how
difficult it must be to survive in this place
and why there might be so many people living
in poverty. The contrast is often from one
side of the street to the next...an expensive
retaurant opposite street vendor selling coke
for AUD 0.25c
Doesn't look like I will be doing any of the
organised activities for the last day of the
conference, as they are too expensive. It's
a pity really as there were a couple of safaris
and cool trips! But it doesn't matter, as
there are still lots of other things to look
forward to! I will be trying really hard to
get over to the Kenya coast before I leave.
Above: Aboriginal children
in north-west Queensland, Australia. They
face similar issues to the Maasai tribes
of Kenya.
The Conference finale
Thursday night was the last of the conference
and there was a 'do' put on by ESRI (a software
provider). Beer was free all night to about
400 people as was food, as well as a band
and dancing. I had a great night hanging
out with all my new friends as well as making
some more.
Last night I went to dinner with a man from
Zimbabwe who is woking in Nairobi for 6
months. We ate pizza and then went to a
bar/garden where nyama choma was being cooked
all night. Nyama choma is delicious bbq
meat (sorry vegetarians)!
Today I missed the bus as my friend Parkire
was late. It was probably actually the taxi
driver, who always seems to be late here!
I am travelling to Arusha in Tanzania and
then hopefully I can get across to Musoma
to visit my friend John. Pretty nervous
about getting out on the open road because
I remember seeing so many buses overturned
back in '97 and I have seen the way the
buses drive!
Wednesday, 7 November 2001
FINITO! TALK COMPLETE!!! Now I can relax...
And I got good feedback, I am really stoked...and
so GLAD it is over!!! After the session I
was approached by a man who is from the Maasai
tribe and he was explaining the similar issues
Maasai face to Aboriginal people...tonight
we are going to
go and have dinner somewhere, so it should
be interesting, I am looking forward to the
discussion. The last session tonight sounds
really great. It is a preliminary presentation
to the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Saturday, 10 November 2001
Yesterday I went to the Maasai market in Nairobi
with my Maasai friend Parkire, Caleb (a Kiwi)
and Thorzama (South African). The craft as
you imagine are beautiful and every seller
is your 'friend'. There were some beaustiful
women there making and selling jewellery and
looking stunning with all their own adornment.
Parkire took me to meet his sister (one of
40 brothers and sisters!!) and she allowed
me take a photo of her and Parkire. I was
very formtunate to be allowed to do this as
Maasai people believe that taking a photo
takes away your blood and they have headaches
after people take photos! So after this we
went to a settlement within the city limits
where some Maasai have been given a quarter
of an acre to live in their tradiional way.
They were living in dung houses and looking
after their cattle. The children were quite
shy and scared of us, but would come up and
touch our skin and clothes and then run away
giggling. Unfortunatley the area they are
living is pretty awful, it is actually an
old rubbish dump (which is now just the streets
of Nairobi, anywhere and everywhere). And
it is surrounded by awful high density low
income housing. To access water the Maasai
have to visit this housing and ask for water.
