Yesterday, Jason and I left Kisumu for the last time (at least for this trip to Kenya). It was bittersweet as we sat on the 8-hour long bus ride crawling along eastward through the expanse of beautiful green country side and treacherous mountain-side roads. I said goodbye to my old internship supervisor for the last time at the bus stop and exchanged many hugs with newly-met friends over the past week. Oh, and, as a... reminder? of our leaving Kenya, Jason and I have been sick with a nasty cold for at least the last week--think sore throats, congestion, and blocked sinuses :(
Jason and I had a delicious goodbye meal with Elise, Josh, and Jen on Monday night--stuffed peppers, wheatberry salad, and mixed greens with an appetizer of Holland cheese (special thanks to Josh for sharing this treasure :D). Dinner ended with Jason's banoffee cupcakes (banana + toffee) topped with the last bananas I would buy in Kisumu. All was well until Elise found out that her water pump was broken (while staring at a pile of dirty dishes from her hungry dinner guests)...
Jason and I spent the majority of Tuesday packing up our things and finishing up some last minute running around. I joined Elise and a few other friends for my first (and last) yoga flow get-together in Elise's beautiful backyard. I found a mix of yoga songs that I acquired from the previous teacher of late-night yoga at the SERF and Victoria lead us in a relaxing, yet surprisingly active flow to the sounds of crickets chirping, mosquitoes buzzing, and the Lord of the Rings sound track (where Josh the yogi found his inspiration for late-night flows).
Last night (Wednesday), Jason and I and a few PCVs headed to a very fancy sushi place in the nice part of Nairobi and then to HP: Part 2. The sushi was not so great, but the restaurant was beautiful and modern--something you might see in the hip and trendy parts of downtown Madison (though, way too pretentious for Willy). And, Harry Potter was better the more I think about it. I truly enjoyed the cinematography, make up, and style of the final installment of the addiction of my teenage years (who am I kidding--I'm 22 and am still reading the series!). An ending that, while not following the words or chronology of J.K. Rowling's imaginative dream in quite the way I read it, the story was still told well. And, I'm sure when I watch it again in a few months (after I've forgotten exactly the sequence of events as it's written), I'll love it even more :D
Anyway, onwards from Nairobi, Jason and I are flying to Malindi tomorrow late morning and staying for a few days before we make our way to Lamu. We're still in negotiations for finding a place to stay for the month of August, but hopefully something will work out so we can make our own delicious foods and not live in a hotel room for a month. Whatever happens, it's bound to be a surprise!!
Oh--and just a word about communication--I won't really have internet access in Lamu (think rustic Island where people get around by donkeys and most restaurants don't serve alcohol), but I'll be sure to update when we get to South Africa at the end of August!
AND--special thanks to my mommy for sending me a delicious and much desired package! My tummy is happy--and growing from foods that I *enjoy* :D (which means, I'll spend quite a bit of my Lamu vacation running along the Indian Ocean to make sure my pants still fit me when it's cold enough to wear them again)
******
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
First real post of Kenya, Part. 2
So here I am…
Back in Kenya after a year;
I’ve finished my study abroad program;
I’ve graduated (well, all but technically. And without walking, yet);
Still interested in women’s reproductive health;
Delving back into Kiswahili (and doing fairly well!);
Battling against my desire to eat everything familiar and to maintain a healthy weight and budget;
Cooking up a storm with delicious fruits and vegetables, but with the challenges that come with living in a developing country (power outages, lack of access to foods that I desire, and a lack
of funds to buy such foods if I have the luck of finding them here);
Constant health concerns (yes: I have been sick already—twice, actually. But, no trips to the hospital yet!);
Meeting old friends who I haven’t seen in a year, and new ones;
Finally spending time on the same continent (and even the same country!) with Jason;
Making plans for future travels;
Buying one-way tickets :D
My first week was fabulous—I got into Nairobi, Jason picked me up at the airport, and the next day we spent the whole day on the bus getting back to Kisumu. I met a ton of his friends, drank some awesome and expensive wine that I brought from the US, watched some sunsets, made some guacamole and had a Mexican night with about 20 other fabulous cooks (mostly other mzungus from the US), and filled my face with delicious mangoes. Then, I traveled back to Nairobi to start my study abroad program.
The gist of the program was that 8 undergrads (including myself), plus Dr. Araceli Alonso, would work with 12 women (ended up being 13 in the end) in Lunga Lunga—about 3 hours southeast of Mombasa—to share knowledge with them about prenatal, labor and delivery, and post natal care. In addition to this, we also conducted, or rather, were entertained by the fabulous singing, dancing, and dramas put on by the women of the villages, health parties. We also sat through 3 lectures by a local doctor-like official on the state of health in the communities we were working with. More on the study abroad experience to come. I’ve got to write a paper on it, and will probably post the whole thing or chunks of it for further explanation. I'm being my usual self and procrastinating on that (right now, writing this blog post has been a fine way of enabling my nasty little habit).
About 2 weeks ago, I flew back to Kisumu—a mere 40 minute journey with mixed nuts and a soda vs. a 7 hour bumpy, never-ending bus ride (However $60 vs. $15). Jason picked me up at the airport, and we made it back to his apartment just as the sun was setting. We started a strict routine of running, yoga, and a bit of weight training (lots of weight training for Jason), followed by cooking delicious meals (see, Cookery: Tasty Tastes), reading (in light of recent movie premieres, I’ve picked up the last Harry Potter again and have been trying to defend its worth to Jason over the past 2 weeks—is HP a well written work of art, or do I love it so much because I grew up with it? I’m starting to really wonder. Harry is certainly an angsty brat who can't come to terms with his place in life—and he never seems to win battles against Voldemort by himself (or feel particularly good about it). Additionally, there are numerous—and critical—times throughout the books where Harry, or other characters, just seems to get lucky. I love the series because it was always a conversation topic with my friends and my adolescence just so happened to coincide with Harry's. I'm rethinking, most of all, Rowling's quality of writing. I was never critical about it because I was absorbed into the story (but, maybe, that should say something in her defense?); however, I was also 12 years old when I began to read it, so I should keep that in mind as well. Perhaps, the quality could be excused for the age appropriateness of the audience? Hmm... I'm going to let it all simmer for now; meanwhile, I'm rereading the 7th and final book before the movie comes out, so I'm staying busy with those few hundred pages.
A few weeks ago, Jason and I officially bought our plane tickets for after Kenya. Our current plan (well, let's call it a road map) is as follows:
-Jason finishes his responsibilities on 26 July, and then we have to head to Nairobi for him to give his final signature, etc. We're planning on leaving Kisumu at this time, taking all our possessions with us (or having already mailed what we don't need back to the States), and making our way east across the county.
We'll spend about 3 days or so in Nairobi (catching the final segment of HP legacy and taking advantage of the plethora of tasty eatrey options available in the capitol city).
-Then, it's on to Malindi—a smaller city on the eastern side of Kenya that has nourished its Italian heritage by feeding it EVOO and garlic to make it the best (and, dare I even say it: only) place in Kenya to feast upon delicious, well-made Italian delicacies. Like pizza.
-After Malindi, we'll continue eastward to the island of Lamu, where we plan to find an apartment and stay for the month of August. This decision was made on a bit of a whim after learning that the organization we were making arrangements to work with in Uganda found another person to fill their positions for August. So, why not spend a month laying on a beach eating freshly caught seafood (I know mom, it's still just as weird for me to type as it is for you to read)? It sounded pretty perfect, until we found out that August just happens to be the start of the high season in Lamu (boo) because of an Islamic holiday . As a result, we're having trouble finding a place to stay on the island from Kisumu, so we're going to try our luck just showing up (backpacks in hand) and seeking out a place that will satisfy our mzungu needs (i.e. running water, electricity, bed, and kitchenette), while not digging too deeply into our shallow bank accounts.
-Then, on August 30th, we're flying to Capetown, South Africa for about 2 weeks worth of wine tasting, eating, and exploring. We're planning to stay in Stellenbosch, which is a small university town just outside of Cape Town, that also happens to have “too many good wineries to mention them all” (Lonely Planet)--and a TON of guest houses and hostels for weary travelers, like ourselves. South Africa is going to be a bit more expensive than Kenya (duh), but it will be well worth the money if I can't fit into my jeans again by the time we leave.
-On September 13, we'll get back on to an airplane (ok... 3) for the long journey to Thailand. We'll fly into Bangkok (any suggestions of things to do? Places to eat?) and then, you guessed it, head to another island—Koh Lanta. There, we'll work with an animal refuge that rescues cats and dogs for a month. We've signed up for a month, and if we like it, we can renew for another. We'll stay in dormitories that are provided for us (free!), but we have to cover our own meal costs. Which should be easy in Thailand. We're no strangers to eating street food... and when you live on an island, I only assume that one of the cheapest things to find will be seafood! (I know, mom). And get this, Thai cooking lessons are included in the volunteer package because the owners of the refuge also own a restaurant on the island. (Add Thai food to cooking repertoire: check.) :D
-This is as far as we've gotten in our travel plans`. We're looking at a few other spots to explore/stay for a time before heading back to the States via the Pacific Ocean—the rest of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. As of right now, we're thinking about coming home around Christmas, but we're not set on anything just yet.
Aside from making travel plans, I've been busying myself with exercising and eating.
Since I hurt my lower back (lower lumbar and SI joints) doing yoga almost a year ago, I've been struggling with finding exercises that my body will permit me to do without adding to my injury. Unfortunately, after months of chiropractor and physical therapy appointments, I'm still not better. Though, just before my return, I was almost feeling back to normal on my day-to-day. However, a 35 hour journey smashed into the back seat of a car, tiny airplane seats, and a bus pretty much put my slow progression down the road to recovery into reverse, and I've been dealing with quite a bit pain ever since. Jason has been immensely helpful with positive encouragement and massages, and I've been trying to get back to a regular schedule with doing my stretches and exorcises that my physical therapist gave to me (though without a lot of structure, creating and sticking to a routine can be really difficult, I'm sure most of you can agree with that). Additionally, I've been walking a lot and every few days Jason and I have also been doing sunrise or sunset runs around Kisumu, I'm up to around 4 miles, while he usually strides out 7 (I know. Damn.). So this is quite an improvement from the last few months that I spent in the States, packing, working, being a full time student, having an internship, and trying to squeeze in some low impact, but worthwhile, sweat-inducing, heart-rate-pumping exercising. This is good :D
Jason and I have been taking advantage of all the fresh and local delicious fruits and vegetables that Kenya (and Uganda) has to offer. For those of you who know me, and if you're taking the time to read this blog, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you do, I love to cook (well... and eat), and while Kenya (more specifically, Kisumu) does have its disadvantages—lack of access to many ingredients I frequently indulge in in the States (quality chocolate, cheese, peanut butter, and bread)—it also has its benefits: cheap produce. This includes, but is not limited to mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, passion fruits, papayas, coconuts, pineapples, red onions, sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, hot peppers, zucchini... I've been having the time of my life simmering and saute-ing all these wonderful items together. I've even been lucky enough to find some things in the grocery store that aren't grown much (or at all?) in Kenya, but that I can still add to my foods—like red peppers and broccoli. Some of my (and Jason's) recent dishes include: tofu stir fry with rice noodles (with a red wine, ginger, garlic, lime, pineapple, sesame marinade; apple cinnamon oatmeal from scratch; fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies; fresh pina coladas (sans real coconut—those things are tricky to pick out!); egg scrambles (with quinoa, roulee', and avocado; fruit salad with mint; blueberry flan (all Jason); bowl cakes—think pancake in a bowl (again, all Jason); blueberry and banana-pecan pancakes (ditto); oatmeal cookies with pecans, dark chocolate, and blueberries (mostly Jason); potato and kale enchiladas (group effort—I learned to cook a tortilla!); chili; roasted red pepper and tomato soup; grown up grilled cheese sandwiches (with Gruyere, tomatoes, red onions, and avocado); savory beans with carrots and tomatoes; kale sauteed with red wine, garlic, onions, carrots, and tomatoes. Whew.
Jason has a great group of friends here in Kisumu who love cooking just as much as the two of us, so we've been having some great get togethers:
The first week I was here, we had a replacement Cinco de Mayo Mexican feast—I made some of my famous guacamole, Jason made a sufrito (similar to spanish rice), and the rest of the food included: chile rellenos, carne asada, taco meat, margaritas, grilled eggplant, and more tasty tastes.
Then, the weekend I returned to Kisumu was Jason's (and a number of his friends' as well) birthday party—he made a blueberry flan and everyone brought a delicious dish to pass, including Pakistani masala chips (fries), spring rolls, homemade lentil samosas, barley salad (with apples and cranberries), and a number of desserts like cheese cake, carrot cake, and coconut cake :D
This weekend we are planning a pizza party—Jason and I found bleu and feta cheese on our last weekend's excursion to Diani Beach (just outside of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean), so we're going to make a Mediterranean Pizza (with feta, red onions, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms) and a Buffalo Chicken and Bleu Cheese Pizza. I'm so excited.
To be quite honest with you all, I've been thinking a lot about turning this travel blog into a bit more of a documentation of the trials and successes of my cooking adventures abroad, since that's what I spend the most amount of my time, energy, effort (and money) doing :D Intermixed, of course, with stories/updates of my daily life as well.
Last weekend, Jason and I traveled to Diani Beach to have a get away with the remaining volunteers from his group. Can you believe that Jason has been in Kenya for over 2 years now and had never been to the coast before our trip? The worst part of it all was the travel to the coast (especially from Kisumu), making good time, it should take about 14 hours by bus—on the way there it took us about 17, and back was 13. All in one go. Our backs were so angry after all the rough (and bumpy! traveling).
We stayed in the Beach Chalets—little condo-like rooms with bathrooms and kitchenettes right on the beach. We woke up each morning and had a fantastic breakfast of oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, and toast with jam, gouda, and camembert before making our way down to the beach for a leisurely stroll in the sand. --Which made the uncomfortable travel experience all worth it :D
This weekend we're heading to Kweisos—a, bed and breakfast of sorts. It's a group of houses on a plantation owned by some ex-pats—with a few friends. It should make for some beautiful and exciting new running terrain, and it will be nice to be in a setting with a few people to get to know them better, while cooking up and eating some tasty pizza. :)
In the meantime, we have about 3 weeks left in Kisumu before we head to Nairobi for the next leg of our journey, and I've got to finish (and start...) my paper, pack, and research our options for after Thailand, while Jason has to finish up his responsibilities for KYFA and PC, as well as sell/pack up everything he's acquired over the past 2 years. It should be interesting—and a little hectic—but I'm really looking forward to moving to a new place (read: PARADISE)--Lamu :D
Back in Kenya after a year;
I’ve finished my study abroad program;
I’ve graduated (well, all but technically. And without walking, yet);
Still interested in women’s reproductive health;
Delving back into Kiswahili (and doing fairly well!);
Battling against my desire to eat everything familiar and to maintain a healthy weight and budget;
Cooking up a storm with delicious fruits and vegetables, but with the challenges that come with living in a developing country (power outages, lack of access to foods that I desire, and a lack
of funds to buy such foods if I have the luck of finding them here);
Constant health concerns (yes: I have been sick already—twice, actually. But, no trips to the hospital yet!);
Meeting old friends who I haven’t seen in a year, and new ones;
Finally spending time on the same continent (and even the same country!) with Jason;
Making plans for future travels;
Buying one-way tickets :D
My first week was fabulous—I got into Nairobi, Jason picked me up at the airport, and the next day we spent the whole day on the bus getting back to Kisumu. I met a ton of his friends, drank some awesome and expensive wine that I brought from the US, watched some sunsets, made some guacamole and had a Mexican night with about 20 other fabulous cooks (mostly other mzungus from the US), and filled my face with delicious mangoes. Then, I traveled back to Nairobi to start my study abroad program.
The gist of the program was that 8 undergrads (including myself), plus Dr. Araceli Alonso, would work with 12 women (ended up being 13 in the end) in Lunga Lunga—about 3 hours southeast of Mombasa—to share knowledge with them about prenatal, labor and delivery, and post natal care. In addition to this, we also conducted, or rather, were entertained by the fabulous singing, dancing, and dramas put on by the women of the villages, health parties. We also sat through 3 lectures by a local doctor-like official on the state of health in the communities we were working with. More on the study abroad experience to come. I’ve got to write a paper on it, and will probably post the whole thing or chunks of it for further explanation. I'm being my usual self and procrastinating on that (right now, writing this blog post has been a fine way of enabling my nasty little habit).
About 2 weeks ago, I flew back to Kisumu—a mere 40 minute journey with mixed nuts and a soda vs. a 7 hour bumpy, never-ending bus ride (However $60 vs. $15). Jason picked me up at the airport, and we made it back to his apartment just as the sun was setting. We started a strict routine of running, yoga, and a bit of weight training (lots of weight training for Jason), followed by cooking delicious meals (see, Cookery: Tasty Tastes), reading (in light of recent movie premieres, I’ve picked up the last Harry Potter again and have been trying to defend its worth to Jason over the past 2 weeks—is HP a well written work of art, or do I love it so much because I grew up with it? I’m starting to really wonder. Harry is certainly an angsty brat who can't come to terms with his place in life—and he never seems to win battles against Voldemort by himself (or feel particularly good about it). Additionally, there are numerous—and critical—times throughout the books where Harry, or other characters, just seems to get lucky. I love the series because it was always a conversation topic with my friends and my adolescence just so happened to coincide with Harry's. I'm rethinking, most of all, Rowling's quality of writing. I was never critical about it because I was absorbed into the story (but, maybe, that should say something in her defense?); however, I was also 12 years old when I began to read it, so I should keep that in mind as well. Perhaps, the quality could be excused for the age appropriateness of the audience? Hmm... I'm going to let it all simmer for now; meanwhile, I'm rereading the 7th and final book before the movie comes out, so I'm staying busy with those few hundred pages.
A few weeks ago, Jason and I officially bought our plane tickets for after Kenya. Our current plan (well, let's call it a road map) is as follows:
-Jason finishes his responsibilities on 26 July, and then we have to head to Nairobi for him to give his final signature, etc. We're planning on leaving Kisumu at this time, taking all our possessions with us (or having already mailed what we don't need back to the States), and making our way east across the county.
We'll spend about 3 days or so in Nairobi (catching the final segment of HP legacy and taking advantage of the plethora of tasty eatrey options available in the capitol city).
-Then, it's on to Malindi—a smaller city on the eastern side of Kenya that has nourished its Italian heritage by feeding it EVOO and garlic to make it the best (and, dare I even say it: only) place in Kenya to feast upon delicious, well-made Italian delicacies. Like pizza.
-After Malindi, we'll continue eastward to the island of Lamu, where we plan to find an apartment and stay for the month of August. This decision was made on a bit of a whim after learning that the organization we were making arrangements to work with in Uganda found another person to fill their positions for August. So, why not spend a month laying on a beach eating freshly caught seafood (I know mom, it's still just as weird for me to type as it is for you to read)? It sounded pretty perfect, until we found out that August just happens to be the start of the high season in Lamu (boo) because of an Islamic holiday . As a result, we're having trouble finding a place to stay on the island from Kisumu, so we're going to try our luck just showing up (backpacks in hand) and seeking out a place that will satisfy our mzungu needs (i.e. running water, electricity, bed, and kitchenette), while not digging too deeply into our shallow bank accounts.
-Then, on August 30th, we're flying to Capetown, South Africa for about 2 weeks worth of wine tasting, eating, and exploring. We're planning to stay in Stellenbosch, which is a small university town just outside of Cape Town, that also happens to have “too many good wineries to mention them all” (Lonely Planet)--and a TON of guest houses and hostels for weary travelers, like ourselves. South Africa is going to be a bit more expensive than Kenya (duh), but it will be well worth the money if I can't fit into my jeans again by the time we leave.
-On September 13, we'll get back on to an airplane (ok... 3) for the long journey to Thailand. We'll fly into Bangkok (any suggestions of things to do? Places to eat?) and then, you guessed it, head to another island—Koh Lanta. There, we'll work with an animal refuge that rescues cats and dogs for a month. We've signed up for a month, and if we like it, we can renew for another. We'll stay in dormitories that are provided for us (free!), but we have to cover our own meal costs. Which should be easy in Thailand. We're no strangers to eating street food... and when you live on an island, I only assume that one of the cheapest things to find will be seafood! (I know, mom). And get this, Thai cooking lessons are included in the volunteer package because the owners of the refuge also own a restaurant on the island. (Add Thai food to cooking repertoire: check.) :D
-This is as far as we've gotten in our travel plans`. We're looking at a few other spots to explore/stay for a time before heading back to the States via the Pacific Ocean—the rest of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. As of right now, we're thinking about coming home around Christmas, but we're not set on anything just yet.
Aside from making travel plans, I've been busying myself with exercising and eating.
Since I hurt my lower back (lower lumbar and SI joints) doing yoga almost a year ago, I've been struggling with finding exercises that my body will permit me to do without adding to my injury. Unfortunately, after months of chiropractor and physical therapy appointments, I'm still not better. Though, just before my return, I was almost feeling back to normal on my day-to-day. However, a 35 hour journey smashed into the back seat of a car, tiny airplane seats, and a bus pretty much put my slow progression down the road to recovery into reverse, and I've been dealing with quite a bit pain ever since. Jason has been immensely helpful with positive encouragement and massages, and I've been trying to get back to a regular schedule with doing my stretches and exorcises that my physical therapist gave to me (though without a lot of structure, creating and sticking to a routine can be really difficult, I'm sure most of you can agree with that). Additionally, I've been walking a lot and every few days Jason and I have also been doing sunrise or sunset runs around Kisumu, I'm up to around 4 miles, while he usually strides out 7 (I know. Damn.). So this is quite an improvement from the last few months that I spent in the States, packing, working, being a full time student, having an internship, and trying to squeeze in some low impact, but worthwhile, sweat-inducing, heart-rate-pumping exercising. This is good :D
Jason and I have been taking advantage of all the fresh and local delicious fruits and vegetables that Kenya (and Uganda) has to offer. For those of you who know me, and if you're taking the time to read this blog, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you do, I love to cook (well... and eat), and while Kenya (more specifically, Kisumu) does have its disadvantages—lack of access to many ingredients I frequently indulge in in the States (quality chocolate, cheese, peanut butter, and bread)—it also has its benefits: cheap produce. This includes, but is not limited to mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, passion fruits, papayas, coconuts, pineapples, red onions, sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, hot peppers, zucchini... I've been having the time of my life simmering and saute-ing all these wonderful items together. I've even been lucky enough to find some things in the grocery store that aren't grown much (or at all?) in Kenya, but that I can still add to my foods—like red peppers and broccoli. Some of my (and Jason's) recent dishes include: tofu stir fry with rice noodles (with a red wine, ginger, garlic, lime, pineapple, sesame marinade; apple cinnamon oatmeal from scratch; fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies; fresh pina coladas (sans real coconut—those things are tricky to pick out!); egg scrambles (with quinoa, roulee', and avocado; fruit salad with mint; blueberry flan (all Jason); bowl cakes—think pancake in a bowl (again, all Jason); blueberry and banana-pecan pancakes (ditto); oatmeal cookies with pecans, dark chocolate, and blueberries (mostly Jason); potato and kale enchiladas (group effort—I learned to cook a tortilla!); chili; roasted red pepper and tomato soup; grown up grilled cheese sandwiches (with Gruyere, tomatoes, red onions, and avocado); savory beans with carrots and tomatoes; kale sauteed with red wine, garlic, onions, carrots, and tomatoes. Whew.
Jason has a great group of friends here in Kisumu who love cooking just as much as the two of us, so we've been having some great get togethers:
The first week I was here, we had a replacement Cinco de Mayo Mexican feast—I made some of my famous guacamole, Jason made a sufrito (similar to spanish rice), and the rest of the food included: chile rellenos, carne asada, taco meat, margaritas, grilled eggplant, and more tasty tastes.
Then, the weekend I returned to Kisumu was Jason's (and a number of his friends' as well) birthday party—he made a blueberry flan and everyone brought a delicious dish to pass, including Pakistani masala chips (fries), spring rolls, homemade lentil samosas, barley salad (with apples and cranberries), and a number of desserts like cheese cake, carrot cake, and coconut cake :D
This weekend we are planning a pizza party—Jason and I found bleu and feta cheese on our last weekend's excursion to Diani Beach (just outside of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean), so we're going to make a Mediterranean Pizza (with feta, red onions, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms) and a Buffalo Chicken and Bleu Cheese Pizza. I'm so excited.
To be quite honest with you all, I've been thinking a lot about turning this travel blog into a bit more of a documentation of the trials and successes of my cooking adventures abroad, since that's what I spend the most amount of my time, energy, effort (and money) doing :D Intermixed, of course, with stories/updates of my daily life as well.
Last weekend, Jason and I traveled to Diani Beach to have a get away with the remaining volunteers from his group. Can you believe that Jason has been in Kenya for over 2 years now and had never been to the coast before our trip? The worst part of it all was the travel to the coast (especially from Kisumu), making good time, it should take about 14 hours by bus—on the way there it took us about 17, and back was 13. All in one go. Our backs were so angry after all the rough (and bumpy! traveling).
We stayed in the Beach Chalets—little condo-like rooms with bathrooms and kitchenettes right on the beach. We woke up each morning and had a fantastic breakfast of oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, and toast with jam, gouda, and camembert before making our way down to the beach for a leisurely stroll in the sand. --Which made the uncomfortable travel experience all worth it :D
This weekend we're heading to Kweisos—a, bed and breakfast of sorts. It's a group of houses on a plantation owned by some ex-pats—with a few friends. It should make for some beautiful and exciting new running terrain, and it will be nice to be in a setting with a few people to get to know them better, while cooking up and eating some tasty pizza. :)
In the meantime, we have about 3 weeks left in Kisumu before we head to Nairobi for the next leg of our journey, and I've got to finish (and start...) my paper, pack, and research our options for after Thailand, while Jason has to finish up his responsibilities for KYFA and PC, as well as sell/pack up everything he's acquired over the past 2 years. It should be interesting—and a little hectic—but I'm really looking forward to moving to a new place (read: PARADISE)--Lamu :D
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