Nyumba ya Mungu Trip IX, north end

Overcast day. 

Nyumba ya Mungu is one of our favorite places to take a day trip to (Trip I, II, III, IV, V & VI, VII) and we recently discovered a road to a different part of the huge reservoir (Trip VIII). The landscape on the road is different than the other route as it is grassland as opposed to acacia scrub. There is also a river, which is now flooded, that provides an interesting habitat for many birds. We also think it's possibly a bit shorter and certainly not as rough of a road.

Our trip actually began as a failure. I've written about it extensively in my posts the last month but the rain really does make trip planning a risk. We set around 830 and about a half hour in we were met with light rain, but worse, black clouds in the area we were going. The weather patterns are very odd around Mt. Kilimanjaro and I speculated that it would be possible to try the trip later in the day. I should note that this trip was a bit more complicated as I wanted to take the motorcycle as a result of what I assumed would be extensive flooding in the area. Motorcycles are much more nimble than even our Landcruiser when it comes to extreme mud and water. 

Ana was not so convinced about a return but we went back home, had some coffee, and reassessed the weather. I was convinced that we should go for it again and Ana, somewhat reluctantly, agreed. We set off and sure enough, the sun came out, though clouds were present on and off throughout the day. 

As I had predicted, there was a lot of water. Having rained for pretty much two weeks straight the rivers and lakes were not only flooded but huge pools of rain were randomly placed throughout the roads and nearby areas. When we finally reached Nyumba ya Mungu the water level was far up above where we had seen it before and the fisherman had to move operations a bit further up. We actually saw someone moving their temporary grass hut about 50m up from where it was previously (which was now in the water). 

In the end the weather held and we had a great time puttering around the shores. Because of the clouds we could actually stay out all day, something that is impossible in the dry and hot times. It had also been quite a while since we had a motorcycle trip and I always enjoy the flexibility and freedom that comes with the motorcycle. The day was almost perfect as we came back to Moshi and Mt. Kilimanjaro emerged from behind the clouds. Beautiful views!

Birding at the river on the way. 

Fisherman. 

Flooded. You can see the very dirty brown water of the main reservoir body. 

Fisherman trying to get to his boat. 

Extensive marshland. 

Birding. 

Very cool lighting over the river. 

Pare mountains in the background. 

On the way home with Mt. Kilimanjaro guiding us!

TPC South Pools III

In the fields of sugar cane.

With the arrival of rainy season our weekend trips have become limited. Thus, the closest place we can go for a nice walk is the nearby sugar plantation, TPC. With a mix of farmed and fallow land the property has some great opportunities for hiking and birding and we typically mix the day with a river walk and a visit to the south pools (TPC I, TPC II). It's only about a half hour drive from our house, it's free, and there are no other people that are ever out there (aside from locals with their animals).

It helps that we enjoy birding as the size of the areas we like to frequent are not all that large but they are full of birds. They are also full of Masaai with their goats and cattle which can be a distraction when birding but nice to have a chat every once in a while. It's a very representative example of human/wildlife conflic which exists even on a vast private sugar plantation! We also see people gathering firewood and of course, workers going to and from their homes.

Overall it's a great way to spend a morning or afternoon and the views from the pools can be very beautiful. Especially during this time of the year when the grasses come up, there is a wonderful mix of browns and greens and when the sun is shining the reflections off the pools is like a mirror. 

On the river walk.

Pools!

Walking across the landscape.

Looking over the pools.

Dung beetle.

River walk gets disturbed by some goats.

An awesome grasshopper with a horn.

View of the mountains with some goats. Lots of goats.

Kindoroko Trip VIII

Clouds over the mountains.

Our last trip to Kindroko came with great risk, as it is now the peak of rainy season. We'd gotten rained on a bit during other trips (Part I,Part II,Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI ) but this trip we weren't so lucky! (note, trip VII was with my family but I didn't document it here...)

Since we are often so active taking trips on weekends, the arrival of the rainy season has quite literally dampened our spirits. The rains can not only spoil the day but they also make many of the roads impassable or difficult to  navigate. The rain can also be very unpredictable with sunny skies in the morning giving way to constant rain and vice versa. So we have to plan to go places that are nearby in case we have to evacuate and head back home.

We decided that rain or shine, Kindoroko is always a nice place for us to go. Even if the rain is torrential, we can always hole up in the guesthouse and read, which is an activity both of us enjoy. I was also adamant that even if it was raining we could at least walk an hour with the promise of a hot shower (bucket) and dry clothes back at the guesthouse.

I'm happy I had a positive attitude towards the potential rain because that is exactly what happened. We drove through the rain to arrive Friday night and woke up Saturday to a drizzle. We decided to head up the mountain and get at least an hour of hiking in. Unfortunately the roads were so bad that we couldn't make it up the normal route and we had to park the car and walk about an hour to the trail head. This was my allocated "hour in the rain" but we pressed on to the forest.

We only made it about an hour before we both realized it was more trouble than it was worth. Although the forest is amazing in the rain, it was a little too much and we were a little too wet. We went back to our friend's house and although they thought we were crazy for hiking in the rain, they welcomed us with the customary hot chai and this time they even served us some food, the local staple of ugali with fish. The family shared with us that this was the first day of the year that it has rained like this, which was certainly unfortunate timing. We spent about two hours with them warming up and chatting before we headed back down. The rain did not subside the entire day!

In the end we had a great time as the guesthouse was completely empty and as a result of the rain the village was very quiet. Neither of us got too cold or too wet so we were quite comfortable in our dry clothes, reading and relaxing as the rain came down.

The mosquito net did NOT fit the bed very well.

Ana looking out in the rain.

More rain...

Tree fall!

Very cloudy by the house.

I love a good crab.

This guy was chomping away. Note the very small wings.

A brief respite from the rain.

Road kind of clearing up.

Enjoying some ugali na samaki!

Trip to Nairobi III

I've gone to Nairobi for work a few times before, though I haven't ever blogged about the actual city in depth (Trip I, Trip II,Trip III). Nairobi is actually closer to Moshi than Dar es Salaam (7 hour bus trip compared to 11) and is far more cosmopolitan and bustling. I've always stayed downtown in the city center so I can't speak much about the affluent suburbs which are apparently full of posh shopping malls and fancy restaurants, rather I prefer the blue-collar and grimy downtown.

The one thing I really love about Nairobi is the pace and congestion. I'm sure if I lived there I wouldn't enjoy it but since I always stay in downtown and only get around by walking, it is a total change of pace from the sleepy town of Moshi. The streets are packed with people and you can hear languages from all over the continent. The hustle and bustle truly lets you feel the pulsating of the city and energy from all of those working, traveling, and doing whatever else they are doing in a city of 5+ million people.

I always go to Nairob for work though I make sure I find time to go and see an IMAX when I am in there since Moshi does not have a movie theater. They have to sell a certain number of tickets to make the showing worthwhile so I have learned to always attend a popular screening time in the evening. I also make sure to get some great food, which ranges from western to Ethiopian and everything in between.

I am always overwhelmed and have a bit of culture shock when it comes to interacting with middle and upper class Kenyans. People in Nairobi have money and they flaunt it, which isn't as common as in Moshi. Kenya is extremely Westernized and materialism is rampant with people putting in massive effort to project their image.

In the end I love my trips there even though I wouldn't describe myself as a city person. Although my experience is limited in both experience and context, I quite prefer it to other big cities in Africa that I have visited such as Lagos, Accra, Dar es Salaam and Lusaka. I have a strong feeling I would dislike it if I lived there but for short visits, I have a great time!

National Park. A lion recently escaped and wrecked havoc in the city. Well, not really but it sounds more dramatic that way.

The congested streets. 

I don't know if this is photoshopped but Nairobi rarely looks so nice. 

Downtown. 

More downtown vibes.