My mum wrote to my aunt in USA and also mentioned that I have determined to go back to Kenya. Aunt responded to that quite unexpectedly. She has visited Kenya once some time ago, I don’t know when. Well, it seems our experiences are very different. I don’t know exactly about her travel, but one is sure she doesn’t think that Kenya is a good place to live. First of all, I go because Kenya right now offers me life I can’t have in Estonia, but I also believe that my half year stay showed me more than she saw and understood in her travels. Thing is, Kenya isn’t only big cities where people see white people mostly as money source. Kenya isn’t only dirty streets with crime and it isn't half-desert-like nature, it is much more. Actually there are countless little hidden paradises where tourists never go. Even most of the locals don’t wander to these places even if these are only few km-s away from towns or major roads. Even better held secrets are away from these populated places. Kenya is a true wonder if you only know where to look and when you have time to find real friends among locals.
Yes, first thing is to live among ordinary people and to get used with the urban environment. Or you go to live in some rural area and there it is even easier to find the true Kenya. You got to learn local commons and reality. But I prefer getting to know some trustworthy people from towns/cities first. Then you can let yourself free. Your local friends give you good insight into everything – best places to visit, real prices, places to avoid, they help and protect you every way, and of course they show you these marvellous hidden secrets of Kenya. Such good friends like I found, never expected anything from white people. They want your friendship.
You already know that I had many girls in Kenya. Justas at the same time said that he would never trust the Kenyan girl. He said that only thing Kenyan girl wants from white guy is either his money or way to EU or USA. Now imagine that there are millions of girls in Kenya – can they really be all the same. Of course there are such oportunistic girls and maybe, just maybe Kate was such. But there are surely also girls who really can unconditionally fall in love with white guy. Same way there are lots of locals who just like you and with whom you can really be friends (again unconditionally).
Already such a friendship is a treasure, as if you have got through to the peoples real being, then hearts of Kenyans are even better than they looked at first when you saw the general hospitality. Until I met my Kisii girl, I can actually say that I felt like a tourist, but she really integrated me into the real Kenya. Being only white guy among her friends circle, I felt like I would have always been their friend. And also other locals, I really felt first time that colour of the skin doesn’t matter. Everyone were acting towards me as to other locals. Local girl in your hands, dreadhead and a little knowledge of local languages, that was basically everything that diferentiated me from the white guy who was yelled wazungu, come buy this shit, really good price. Or maybe this four months, all the experience with previous girl and other closer people that had already passed, had changed me. I can’t say it, and Sarah said that I’m still European, but still people acted differently towards me. For this time there was no street children asking me money. At this time I could even walk around alone in dark time and in such places I never could have gone in first month. Perhaps not absolutely safely, but mostly people even didn’t turn their heads to look much anymore. Mzungu Africani (white in Africa) had more or less turned into Mzungu wa Africa (local white).
But this chapter actually was intended to be about the well hidden treasures of the Kenyan culture and nature. With true local friends come also privileges to see these. In right time they not only invite you to their home for lunch and meet their family, you get the full package. Their friends are your friends and their family is your family. Their country is your country. And for example when Betty (one of these very special friends of all of us) first time took our entire group to her home and also to one secret waterfall, then later I alone could go to meet her other relatives, grandma and feel really like a part of the family. She also took me to one another waterfall (tripple waterfall actually) that is for me now absolutely one of the most special places I have ever been. Such a wonder. And also with Caroline (our house aid) we also went to her rural home. You know, in rural areas you see the real worth of this country. When also towns and cities and more traveled places have their worth, then rural areas with amazing nature and best people ever, are priceless.
But even without local help, you may find similar places. Don’t think that National Parks are only places you can see something. Yes, maybe you don’t see all the animals, but most of the best views, most of the amazing nature is outside of the parks and away from tourist routes and major populations. Hills in Pokotland, Northern Great Rift Valley, Deserts in Turkana, Eastern and North-Eastern, even Lodwar town in the middle of nowhere, some little pieces of rainforest here and there. One of these although really small area of almost untouched nature was in many ways better than Kakamega Rainforest National Reserve. Well, in Kakamega, we got some glimpse of real depth of rainforest, how you could get lost, The amazing look how the light comes through the thick cover of trees to the even thicker undergrowth. Everything filled with sounds of monkies and birds and colourful butterflies. But then again, at this other place, we climbed the amazing cliffs in look for yet another waterfalls and got the bonus of really similar forest to Kakamega only even more untouched. No one tells you that when you go offroad, when you go to hike to places that are away from everyday life and often in hard to reach locations, you can get to the fantasyland. The amazing play of colours and forms, the moss like plantlife on the ground where no one ever had stepped, if not by monkies or other animals. Already in Kakamega I could forget sometimes that only about ten km-s away there are roads leading to crappy towns, then this place was like another planet. It was real past - many centuries ago.Another place about what I always write (and about what I write more when I get to the Turkana story), place that I remember forever and where I surely want to go again was in Pokot. Why should I ever read Tolkien, why should I ever watch fantasy movies when there are such places in the world. In such places you really start to believe into all kinds of mystical stuff. And when you get back from there to civilization, you have no words, you only want to get back. Such are the little secret paradises of the world.
Yes, first thing is to live among ordinary people and to get used with the urban environment. Or you go to live in some rural area and there it is even easier to find the true Kenya. You got to learn local commons and reality. But I prefer getting to know some trustworthy people from towns/cities first. Then you can let yourself free. Your local friends give you good insight into everything – best places to visit, real prices, places to avoid, they help and protect you every way, and of course they show you these marvellous hidden secrets of Kenya. Such good friends like I found, never expected anything from white people. They want your friendship.
You already know that I had many girls in Kenya. Justas at the same time said that he would never trust the Kenyan girl. He said that only thing Kenyan girl wants from white guy is either his money or way to EU or USA. Now imagine that there are millions of girls in Kenya – can they really be all the same. Of course there are such oportunistic girls and maybe, just maybe Kate was such. But there are surely also girls who really can unconditionally fall in love with white guy. Same way there are lots of locals who just like you and with whom you can really be friends (again unconditionally).
Already such a friendship is a treasure, as if you have got through to the peoples real being, then hearts of Kenyans are even better than they looked at first when you saw the general hospitality. Until I met my Kisii girl, I can actually say that I felt like a tourist, but she really integrated me into the real Kenya. Being only white guy among her friends circle, I felt like I would have always been their friend. And also other locals, I really felt first time that colour of the skin doesn’t matter. Everyone were acting towards me as to other locals. Local girl in your hands, dreadhead and a little knowledge of local languages, that was basically everything that diferentiated me from the white guy who was yelled wazungu, come buy this shit, really good price. Or maybe this four months, all the experience with previous girl and other closer people that had already passed, had changed me. I can’t say it, and Sarah said that I’m still European, but still people acted differently towards me. For this time there was no street children asking me money. At this time I could even walk around alone in dark time and in such places I never could have gone in first month. Perhaps not absolutely safely, but mostly people even didn’t turn their heads to look much anymore. Mzungu Africani (white in Africa) had more or less turned into Mzungu wa Africa (local white).
But this chapter actually was intended to be about the well hidden treasures of the Kenyan culture and nature. With true local friends come also privileges to see these. In right time they not only invite you to their home for lunch and meet their family, you get the full package. Their friends are your friends and their family is your family. Their country is your country. And for example when Betty (one of these very special friends of all of us) first time took our entire group to her home and also to one secret waterfall, then later I alone could go to meet her other relatives, grandma and feel really like a part of the family. She also took me to one another waterfall (tripple waterfall actually) that is for me now absolutely one of the most special places I have ever been. Such a wonder. And also with Caroline (our house aid) we also went to her rural home. You know, in rural areas you see the real worth of this country. When also towns and cities and more traveled places have their worth, then rural areas with amazing nature and best people ever, are priceless.
But even without local help, you may find similar places. Don’t think that National Parks are only places you can see something. Yes, maybe you don’t see all the animals, but most of the best views, most of the amazing nature is outside of the parks and away from tourist routes and major populations. Hills in Pokotland, Northern Great Rift Valley, Deserts in Turkana, Eastern and North-Eastern, even Lodwar town in the middle of nowhere, some little pieces of rainforest here and there. One of these although really small area of almost untouched nature was in many ways better than Kakamega Rainforest National Reserve. Well, in Kakamega, we got some glimpse of real depth of rainforest, how you could get lost, The amazing look how the light comes through the thick cover of trees to the even thicker undergrowth. Everything filled with sounds of monkies and birds and colourful butterflies. But then again, at this other place, we climbed the amazing cliffs in look for yet another waterfalls and got the bonus of really similar forest to Kakamega only even more untouched. No one tells you that when you go offroad, when you go to hike to places that are away from everyday life and often in hard to reach locations, you can get to the fantasyland. The amazing play of colours and forms, the moss like plantlife on the ground where no one ever had stepped, if not by monkies or other animals. Already in Kakamega I could forget sometimes that only about ten km-s away there are roads leading to crappy towns, then this place was like another planet. It was real past - many centuries ago.Another place about what I always write (and about what I write more when I get to the Turkana story), place that I remember forever and where I surely want to go again was in Pokot. Why should I ever read Tolkien, why should I ever watch fantasy movies when there are such places in the world. In such places you really start to believe into all kinds of mystical stuff. And when you get back from there to civilization, you have no words, you only want to get back. Such are the little secret paradises of the world.
Ah yeah.. I almost forgot, I probably do some illustration for this chapter, but it takes time.
No comments:
Post a Comment