Living Vicariously

My friend S. is in Kenya right now. Her descriptions are inspiring and I am envious of her joy and contentment, sought so hard by so many, and found within days of arriving in Nairobi. They haven't left on Safari yet, and have already seen elephants, giraffes, and zebras. Her girls are having the time of their life, snuggled in the grass with their mom, watching the biggest animals in the world in their native environment. I checked out the hotel, The Whistling Thorns, and it looks pretty good. My friend K. and I can get a room with two single beds in it, a private bathroom and patio, for $22 each ($44 for the room). The rooms overlook the Ngong Hills in Kenya, and you can go for walks near the hotel and see Masai herders with their cattle, and my friend saw the zebras there, mixing in with the cows.

She wrote about the time difference and the challenges in adjusting quickly to it. I expect I'll have the same trouble...I'll likely need pharmecutical help to sleep...

It's warming to think of Africa as the temp locally drops to below -30 Celsius.[contented] sigh....

twiga = giraffe

ndovu/tembo = elephant

punda milia = zebra

My Friend Sarah

Well, my friend and former coworker just left this past weekend for New York and then East Africa with her children. I am super excited for her, and for the children. They will be gone for several months. What an adventure! I am on her group list so will hear from her then. Have already heard from her at the airport in New York. How lovely to be leaving behind -30C frigid weather to feel the hot sun shine down upon your body in the grasslands of Africa. They intend on spending their first month touring around before picking a spot to settle down for a while and absorb the culture, likely in Tanzania. I am still researching where I would like to travel in East Africa when I go. This is not a photo of my friend. This is a Bantu woman and her little one.

Huyu ni mtoto wangu = this is my child
Ni suki nzuri sana! = What a beautiful day

Visa!

Well, after a bit of investigating, I found out that I do not have to get my visa before I go and can easily obtain it once I arrive at the aiport there. Phew. I really don't like the idea of sending off my passport to embassy's either and have heard horror stories about it. So THAT matter is settled...onward with planning! My savings are growing healthily, and I am pleased. The countdown is on...

Visa Frustrations

Well, having never had to apply for a visa, I wasn't even sure where to start looking. I needed to find out who issues them, where do I get the forms, how much it costs, etc. Logical place I thought was to visit the Canadian government website, and look for a link. I tried searching for the Tanzanian office in Canada, but didn't get any search results. I managed to find a phone number for the Tanzanian office, but it was continuously busy. I searched the Thorn Tree on Lonely Planet, and nothing there, so decided to post. Someone replied right away, and quoted a 12 digit phone number for the Tanzanian office in Canada. I had to break it to her that we don't use that many digits in our phone numbers, particularly not when calling within one's own country.

It was very frustrating and I went in circles, with nobody offering forms, links to forms, links to websites. The only thing I could determine was that I needed a visa for both Kenya and Tanzania. Great. Where the hell do I get one? And how? Finally I was able to get through to the Tanzanian phone number and a very helpful gal provided the website for me. When you don't understand the process or what is required, there sure isn't much information out there to help you. Even on the Thorn Tree, I got conflicting information. Some tell me that I can wait until I arrive there to buy a visa for cheaper at the aiport, or when I cross the border. Then I had someone tell me they did that on another trip and spent 2 weeks holed up in pissing rain England, unable to complete their journey to India because they did not buy visa's ahead of time. Of course, they were royally pissed because they packed clothing for hot and humid...not pissy wet and cold. I also found out that one should not apply too far in advance as it might even expire before I leave! Some are dated for your travel, while others are simply dated from the time they receive it.

So, here is the website for the Tanzanian High Commission in Canada and here is the Kenyan High Commission both with downloadable forms for visas. If only I had this information before I wasted hours this morning looking for it...

viza = visa

kamisheni = commission

ofisi = office

Passport Hell - Am I There Yet?

My passport expired last year, so now I'm in the middle of applying for a new one. I had filled the entire thing out and was ready to print. I tried to access my epass from my work computer so I could print it out on laser, as opposed to the cheap inkjet I have at home. Unfortunately, it required the installation of a small program for which I do not have access to install. Fine, so I will simply root out my printer and do it from my laptop at home. Then I log into my epass only to find out that the Passport Canada website is overwhelmed, due to the new US requirement that you have a passport to enter or travel through the US. Crap. I can't even get in, despite numerous tries. So I go back to my work computer, and print off the application and fill it out by hand. My handwriting has suffered from keyboarditis over the years and I'm lucky to understand it myself, let alone some pencil pusher at the passport office. I tried my best for legibility, and am ready to send it off to my guarantor for signatures, and then it will make it's way to the passport office. Good thing I'm not travelling until fall, or I would be starting to panic by now...

pasi = passport
or
pasipoti = passport

Fresh New Blog

Habari! Welcome to my new blog. I'll post occasionally as I plan for my adventure, and if I can entice my friend S.S. to guest post occasionally, you'll get a preview of Africa before my adventure begins. Once I arrive, depending on net access, I will be posting photos and video from my journey, with more to follow upon return to Canada. Stay tuned! Tutaonano.

habari = hello
tutaonano = goodbye
I am hoping to share new Swahili words each time I post.