enroute to Shela, Lamu Island style
So I will have to add pictures later to this post as I am at an internet cafe. I am now in Shela, Lamu Island and I really do like the island pace and locale over Nairobi. Yesterday ended up being a bit of a comedy of errors. My friend had arranged for a guy to take me to the airport for $25 USD ( I later found out that this was too much and could have done it for less). Well little did I know that there are two airports in Nairobi. So the guy drops me off and I start walking into the airport only to find out that my airline, AirKenya, flies out of the other airport. I am supposed to be there 60 minutes before hand and only have 20 minutes to make it. The security guy finds a taxi for me. So another $20 later and I get to the other airport with seconds to spare.
My awesome room in Shela. There is a reason I am paying more. Nice luxury for the last days in Africa.
Finally I make it to Lamu. It is more chill than Nairobi and there are no motor vehicles and mostly just donkeys. Kind of cool. My room and hotel is beautiful and I will post pictures soon. I am paying 3000 Kenyan shillings (KS) a night, which is about $35 CAD. This seemed like a good rate to me until I met my new friend Nico, from South Africa, this morning, who told me that he bartered the guy down to 750 KS a night. So I certainly could have at least gotten it for 1,500 KS (my room is more substantial and I have the whole floor with two terraces!). It is low season and the place is pretty dead. So at a minimum maybe I can convince him to give me free water. Of course you have to pay upfront so they’ll be no refund. And I hate to quibble.
The view of Shela and the ocean from my top terrace! It's a rough life.
Everywhere you go in Africa, like Homer Simpson looking at a cow and only seeing a sizzling steak on a plate, in Africa they see a white person (mazoongos (sp?) as we are referred to) and see only a bag of money and not a person. Well not everyone, that’s not fair, but it feels like most Kenyan’s aim is to get as much out of you as possible and if you are naive, they do pretty well. I am getting wise but too slow. I hate bartering about money. It seems cheap and trivial and I expect people to be fair and give fair market value. But they have no qualms about ripping you off. It doesn’t bother them in the least. I have tried to explain to some of them, like the taxi driver yesterday, that sure, we may have more money, but it is all relative. He makes 20,000 KS a month which is about $250 USD. He does ok. I asked him if he made $5,000 USD ($400,000 ks) a year would that be good. He said, absolutely. Well I told him that in Canada $30,000 (or $2,400,000KS) a year is borderline for getting by in Canada and you would be just making ends meet. His eyes bugged out. And of that $30,000 a bunch still goes to government.
Homes within the Masai village. The woman there in the middle is not that tall so you can see how short the buildings are. They are very dark and dirty inside. I don't know how they do it.
It was hard for him to grasp this difference and he just sees the numbers and where they would get him in Kenya without realizing that that money translates differently in Canada. It is all relative.
Beautiful male wildebeast
But anyway, I have closely remained within budget but had I been wiser I could have made my money do better here. It is just tiring and frustrating because you get tired of the constant hassle of people trying to take your money from you. Just when you want to relax, someone comes up and tries to sell you some touristy thing at top dollar. And instead of just taking “no thank you” as your response, they just keep pushing and pushing until you stand your ground and then they just get indignant with you because you didn’t hand over your money. So needless to say, all that wears me out.
My team as we wait for the Kenyan couple at their luxury resort!
So I am looking forward to Europe, where things certainly aren’t perfect but a strong NO is generally respected. Guess I just have to get as callous as they are!
Masai men doing their jump. The highest jump ends up paying the smallest in dowry for a woman. But I want to know how they measure it without a ruler and a time stop camera!
This is brief but I just wonder if you are getting my comments – I certainly don’t see them although I do see others. Let me know as must be doing something wrong ,. Mum
All your comments are there Mum. Go check again. I see them.
Glad to know that you are getting my comments – I do actually find them sometimes .
Staying with Ella & Andrew for a couple of days. Andrew took us for a drive up north yesterday and I must say he did well. A lot of driving for someone who will be 93 very soon. Love Mum
Could be confusing Mum since first I respond and then I approve you comment. That way the comment doesn’t disappear from my review until I have responded. Also your comments have to be approved by me before they appear so if I cannot get to a computer for a bit, it will take them awhile.