Well there's a great example, I got too distracted to carry on with last nights entry.
And again...
31st June
So we arrived in Nairobi Airport & met Gary, Eileen and Kevin. It was the exact same way we came in last year en route to Zambia - we recognised the shops, the lounge we stayed in and the toilet where the naked woman was, but thats another story.
Colin, Avril and Mona headed off with Gary to their school in Nairobi, Getotto. We had a quick and much need debriefing with Kevin and Eileen. Some (and the Start of!) head cleansing and coffee. We changed some money and I got my hands on the first bit of kenyan currency, the Kenyan Schilling. The Euro looks so boring next to it. I headed outside for a few minutes and did a routine touch of the soil (well, cement). Our flight was delayed an hour again to Mombasa. We were in the departure lounge. Myself, Charlie and Tom decided to go out for a cigarette. The security guy asked Charlie were Tom and I his Sons!! I didn't know whether Charlie or I should be more offended. but then I remembered that last year in Zambia, Mary told us that people mostly just use the male pronoun, so I didn't feel so bad. So we got the flight to Mombasa, and it went OK apart from me nearly beheading a poor guy getting my bag from the overhead compartments.
We arrived in Mombasa and were met by Ali. He had 3 taxis ready for us. It was really really hot. The road in from the Airport to the city was very similar to the scenes in Zambia, although gradually the city drew nearer, and I realised it was much much larger than I'd imagined. But from the outset it was very like Zambia - all the handpainted shop fronts, Celtel and CocaCola shameless advertising everywhere you looked, the trademark dusty roads, and the abundance of people everywhere you looked. It was great to be back!
We checked into Jawambe Hotel, which is more of a hostel by Irish standards, but what a home from home. It is clean and has great ventilation, all you could want.Oh and a lovely terraced bar downstairs.
We were all pretty wrecked from being awake going on 36 hours, but no rest. we had a quick sample of the local brew - tusker, lovely stuff, and only 100 shillings, about a euro. So our next stop was off to the local supermarket, the nakumaat. This place was better than Tesco, you could get anything at all here, but it was only a little bit cheaper. It was a lovely walk down to the place. Even though we were tired, we opted to walk to get our bearings and a feel for the place, seeing the locals and saying Jambo to anyone who listened. We bought sim cards and I bought a phone. We all got some supplies and plenty of water.
And then, we took a tuk tuk to the Blue room. The tuk tuk is a little 3 wheeler open top taxi, with a canvas roof. They. Are. Lethal. But great fun. It seems that there are very few driving rules out here...
We got to the Blue Room and had nice food, although most of us were too tired to eat. Back at the hostel we had a few more beers and then at 8pm we all fell into bed, mosquito nets to boot.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Jawambe Hotel
2nd July
Well due to two main things I haven't been able to write in here. Mainly, (yesterday) it was due to tiredness - 36 hours awake, and then secondly, time. We have been so flat out already. So I'm going to talk about what happened from the last plane ride until now. We have just cleared the bar here out of Tusker*
*Kenyan beer, its nice, really light, a bit like coors.
Well due to two main things I haven't been able to write in here. Mainly, (yesterday) it was due to tiredness - 36 hours awake, and then secondly, time. We have been so flat out already. So I'm going to talk about what happened from the last plane ride until now. We have just cleared the bar here out of Tusker*
*Kenyan beer, its nice, really light, a bit like coors.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Somewhere
30th June 2007
Over the Mediterranean Sea. I'm on the flight en route to Nairobi. I'm not sure what time it is between my phone battery dying and the 2 hours of difference. I just started to read The Catcher in the Rye. I think we have just flown over Sicily and the blinking little lights of Malta. Next stop, eventually will be Africa at last!
So what a day it's been so far. I'll give you a brief account. Tom had no duvet in Shanowen because for some silly reason he packed it off to Sligo, I told him he could sleep in with me. We were both absolutely shattered. About 20 minutes before bed I managed to put a nail almost completely through my finger and thought I was either going to faint or vomit or both. Luckily neither. With some germoline and some plasters I was all set.
Why is it? that when you have the most to do, and are so tired, that you suddenly have an awful lot to say? Weirdly enough, last night, poor Tom had to listen to I'd say at least an hour and a half of my ramblings.
We woke, well Tom woke early and got ready. I staggered out of bed at 9.59 and the taxi came at 10. What a mess. Months of preparing and then one minute to get dressed, organise things into piles of rubbish, stuff for rach to take home for me, and stuff for steph to keep in Dublin with me. I put my backpack on my front, and my rucksack on my bag, and fell over. Its one of those really big ones with a zip on little one at the front. It was fairly heavy so i had to crouch to keep it on me. I looked like a trigger happy snail. I was grumpy!
The day got progressively worse and progressively better all at the same time. We got to the airport and met all the lads in the brand new Area 14. Loads of excitement.. Avril brought an entire fanclub with her to pay their farewells. There had to be about 16 of them! Everything seemed to be running relatively smoothly until June's catastrophe day began. Poor thing. She had no flight coupons in her pack that she got from Camara, only the reference code. Major kerfuffles ensued and Aer Lingus were being more like Anal Lingus. In the end she had to buy a ticket to London and hope that it would be all sorted out in Heathrow. Meanwhile, Charlie was having bigger problems. Basically Charlie, Leanne, Tom and myself couldn't work out how to use a certain very futuristic vending machine in Dublin Airport. It got my tummy into that mode of nervous shaky almost-laughter, you know when you feel like you could laugh at any moment, even if someone told you something really tragic. Alas, I had begun to relax..the Health Service Executive and CaptureScratch seemed so far away. Hooray.
So after June and Charlie respectively solved their problems (the vending machine was touchscreen), we all managed to get through security OK. We all met in the departure lounge, and whaddya know, we had plenty of time for a pint. I was wrecked at this stage. With a belly full of beer, I started stressing out that I had a window seat. What's new. Two middle aged 'important looking' men were blocking me in. Crap. So before the plane took off, I kindly asked for the aisle seat and they obliged. They were chatting away for ages and I assumed they knew eachother. I gathered that one guy was a pilot and the other was somehow involved with Goal in Nairobi. I had already seen his Kenya Lonely Planet. But am little while into the flight, while I was reading my Rough Guide to Kenya, he did an almost Mr.Bean presentation of his Lonely Planet to me. You should have seen his face, my stomach was jerking, and I almost collapsed with laughter for no real reason. Instead I got embarrassing hiccups. He seemed really cool and he was interested in Camara, and he was telling me about his assignment in Nairobi. As I say, he seemed really nice but he kind of guffawed at the fact we were getting a night flight to Nairobi. He was getting one the next morning.
The other guy pilots 747 jumbo jets and we talked about how I'm going to get my pilots licence!:P He was talking about Weston, and helicopters and how they're harder to fly and how most people have accidents in Robinsons, so he told me not to buy a Robinson until I really know how to fly it... I just kind of nodded politely. :|
After getting off the plane it was a long walk to terminal 3. I had a good bit to do in our hour. Food, toilet, change t-shirt, buy headphones and water. Grrr really long security, and then just when we thought we were through we had to take off our shoes. I had handy runners on, but so many of our group had boxing boots on. Well, not quite, but the same idea. Again, June faced the same problems. In the end, she got it sorted out but it took the entire stop over time (including our welcomed hour delay).I suppose the walk from the pub to our gate was our first real corny bonding session! My stomach needed a good rest from all the laughing. What's a Snowbase? Trying to skip the queue and looking like egits, and Charlies stiletto confession..:P We checked in - PREMIUM ECONOMY! Sweet! So we were greeted with champagne. The plane was really sweet, which I'm siting on now. I just watched notes on a scandal, I thought it was awful. Just looking around and I'm the only one awake, I can never sleep on planes. And I just asked for my fourth can of Heineken. Quick look at the map and it seems we're jetting over the Sahara..gulf of sidra, ajdabija, wherever that is! Going to TRY and get some zzs.
Over the Mediterranean Sea. I'm on the flight en route to Nairobi. I'm not sure what time it is between my phone battery dying and the 2 hours of difference. I just started to read The Catcher in the Rye. I think we have just flown over Sicily and the blinking little lights of Malta. Next stop, eventually will be Africa at last!
So what a day it's been so far. I'll give you a brief account. Tom had no duvet in Shanowen because for some silly reason he packed it off to Sligo, I told him he could sleep in with me. We were both absolutely shattered. About 20 minutes before bed I managed to put a nail almost completely through my finger and thought I was either going to faint or vomit or both. Luckily neither. With some germoline and some plasters I was all set.
Why is it? that when you have the most to do, and are so tired, that you suddenly have an awful lot to say? Weirdly enough, last night, poor Tom had to listen to I'd say at least an hour and a half of my ramblings.
We woke, well Tom woke early and got ready. I staggered out of bed at 9.59 and the taxi came at 10. What a mess. Months of preparing and then one minute to get dressed, organise things into piles of rubbish, stuff for rach to take home for me, and stuff for steph to keep in Dublin with me. I put my backpack on my front, and my rucksack on my bag, and fell over. Its one of those really big ones with a zip on little one at the front. It was fairly heavy so i had to crouch to keep it on me. I looked like a trigger happy snail. I was grumpy!
The day got progressively worse and progressively better all at the same time. We got to the airport and met all the lads in the brand new Area 14. Loads of excitement.. Avril brought an entire fanclub with her to pay their farewells. There had to be about 16 of them! Everything seemed to be running relatively smoothly until June's catastrophe day began. Poor thing. She had no flight coupons in her pack that she got from Camara, only the reference code. Major kerfuffles ensued and Aer Lingus were being more like Anal Lingus. In the end she had to buy a ticket to London and hope that it would be all sorted out in Heathrow. Meanwhile, Charlie was having bigger problems. Basically Charlie, Leanne, Tom and myself couldn't work out how to use a certain very futuristic vending machine in Dublin Airport. It got my tummy into that mode of nervous shaky almost-laughter, you know when you feel like you could laugh at any moment, even if someone told you something really tragic. Alas, I had begun to relax..the Health Service Executive and CaptureScratch seemed so far away. Hooray.
So after June and Charlie respectively solved their problems (the vending machine was touchscreen), we all managed to get through security OK. We all met in the departure lounge, and whaddya know, we had plenty of time for a pint. I was wrecked at this stage. With a belly full of beer, I started stressing out that I had a window seat. What's new. Two middle aged 'important looking' men were blocking me in. Crap. So before the plane took off, I kindly asked for the aisle seat and they obliged. They were chatting away for ages and I assumed they knew eachother. I gathered that one guy was a pilot and the other was somehow involved with Goal in Nairobi. I had already seen his Kenya Lonely Planet. But am little while into the flight, while I was reading my Rough Guide to Kenya, he did an almost Mr.Bean presentation of his Lonely Planet to me. You should have seen his face, my stomach was jerking, and I almost collapsed with laughter for no real reason. Instead I got embarrassing hiccups. He seemed really cool and he was interested in Camara, and he was telling me about his assignment in Nairobi. As I say, he seemed really nice but he kind of guffawed at the fact we were getting a night flight to Nairobi. He was getting one the next morning.
The other guy pilots 747 jumbo jets and we talked about how I'm going to get my pilots licence!:P He was talking about Weston, and helicopters and how they're harder to fly and how most people have accidents in Robinsons, so he told me not to buy a Robinson until I really know how to fly it... I just kind of nodded politely. :|
After getting off the plane it was a long walk to terminal 3. I had a good bit to do in our hour. Food, toilet, change t-shirt, buy headphones and water. Grrr really long security, and then just when we thought we were through we had to take off our shoes. I had handy runners on, but so many of our group had boxing boots on. Well, not quite, but the same idea. Again, June faced the same problems. In the end, she got it sorted out but it took the entire stop over time (including our welcomed hour delay).I suppose the walk from the pub to our gate was our first real corny bonding session! My stomach needed a good rest from all the laughing. What's a Snowbase? Trying to skip the queue and looking like egits, and Charlies stiletto confession..:P We checked in - PREMIUM ECONOMY! Sweet! So we were greeted with champagne. The plane was really sweet, which I'm siting on now. I just watched notes on a scandal, I thought it was awful. Just looking around and I'm the only one awake, I can never sleep on planes. And I just asked for my fourth can of Heineken. Quick look at the map and it seems we're jetting over the Sahara..gulf of sidra, ajdabija, wherever that is! Going to TRY and get some zzs.
Shanowen Hall
29th June 2007
What a year so far. And now the big adventure I've been preparing for for so long. In some ways, the prospect of going to Kenya has pulled me through a lot of rough and tough times. All the hours in the workshop, all the filming and editing, all the teacher training, vaccinations, application forms and fundraising will have paid off in the excitement of setting off for the airport tomorrow.
Hopefully at some point on the plane or in an airport I might visit some aims and objectives and then very hopefully after the trip, come back and properly reflect on them. Something I'm not good at doing is reflection. But now is also the end of an era, another time for reflection. Its the end of 3rd year in Multimedia, the end of my personal placement or INTRA, and the end of 17B*
So much has happened this year, especially since January. I feel everything I've been involved in in the last six months was very worthwhile. I just hope that I'm relaxed and at ease enough in my head to be ready to take on the Kenyan challenge...
*Thank Christ
What a year so far. And now the big adventure I've been preparing for for so long. In some ways, the prospect of going to Kenya has pulled me through a lot of rough and tough times. All the hours in the workshop, all the filming and editing, all the teacher training, vaccinations, application forms and fundraising will have paid off in the excitement of setting off for the airport tomorrow.
Hopefully at some point on the plane or in an airport I might visit some aims and objectives and then very hopefully after the trip, come back and properly reflect on them. Something I'm not good at doing is reflection. But now is also the end of an era, another time for reflection. Its the end of 3rd year in Multimedia, the end of my personal placement or INTRA, and the end of 17B*
So much has happened this year, especially since January. I feel everything I've been involved in in the last six months was very worthwhile. I just hope that I'm relaxed and at ease enough in my head to be ready to take on the Kenyan challenge...
*Thank Christ
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