Sep 2006

Time flies...
Internet acces is still quite scetchy, the embassy has been without intranet and internet for some 5 days now, we are apparently waiting fot support from Cph. My personal workstation cant be set up untill we can connect to Cph. So Im still in limbo.
My emidiate superior is concentrating on her main field wich is agriculture and as the environmental programs mannager is not starting untill in 2 weeks I am mostlikely not going to be put to do anything serious untill then.. bummer...
I looked at cars this weekend, almost bought an old suzuki 4wd but my mechanic friend told me to back off and offered me an old landrover instead. 200.000 Ksh. = ca 18.000 Dkr. and he would be willing to buy it of me when I leave.. Have to talk to my netbank though..
Sunday was spend on Picnic with Maria and Mario + 20 of their friends and their kids, hicking in a cool and beutifull forest, stepping over elefant dung and looking for monkies in the trees, saw loads of beutifull birds, but no larger mammals, the walk ended by a beutifull little waterfall. Later we did a huge bbq, loads of Meat were consumed, after dinner I went on a small but nice bike ride in the forest. (pics will follow (i hope..))
gtg for now enjoy your Indian summer!!

I have finally managed to find my self a more permanent home!
From now on Ill reside on the abowe mentioned adress! I am to share a house with Claire and Matt a couple from England, Matt works for Save the children mainly with Somali refugees in the north of Kenya and Clarie works for some WWf like organisation (she is to spend the nxt 4 weeks counting animals in Masai Mara..)

The house (pics will follow I hope) is a lovely one storey bouilding set in a wonderfully old garden with all kinds of tropical plants. The actual household concist of Matt, Claire, Me being the Muzungus, Kipangi the Askari (guard) our house lady (whose name Ive forgot, 2 great dogs + some chicken. Kipangi is an elderly but watchfull fellow who stays on the premisses from 18.00 to 6.00 in the morning helping the dogs guard the premessis. Our houselady does all the cleaning, washing etc inside the house as well as managing our tiny kichengarden.
The area Loresho is reputed to be one of the safest in all of Nairobi, both muzungus and locals live here, but all the people are pretty well of.
Transport to and from the embassy might turn out to be a bit tricky, but just this very day Ive been looking at a car that I probably shouldnt but probably will buy..
(a suzuki LJ80 from 81..)

Well its weekend and i really havnt got any wild plans.. Ill probably have a sundowner later on, to morrow I might do some shopping to make my room a bit more "homey" and sunday the rich upperclass are hosting a carshow on the nairobi Racetrac..
Take care in DK!

Whoooaaa!

The coast is absolutely wonderfull!

Finally got the definite GO! and quickely hooked up with Beatrice a Kenyan girl Ive met through Maria my seconf landlady.
Beatrice acted as a guide on most the trip and that saved me a lot of trouble..
We initially wanted to go by 2class night train, but as we found out that 2class is gender divided, we went for a first class compartment, that was a really good idea! the trip took about 8 hours and was smooth and comfy.
As we arrived in Mombassa in the morning we emidiatly started to head south were Beatrice had already booked a beachhut with a friend. After a mataturide, a trip on the local and public(free) ferry, another mataturide and finally a taxiride we finally arrived at Maweni cottages.
our cottage was basic but had all we needed, kitchen, shower etc, we were advised to close the kitchen door at all times as the monkeys were very apt in opening fridges.. We decided to head straight for the beach.
As we walked down towards he beach we agreed upon doing absolutely nothin for the rest of the day as Beatrice had to return home to work the very nxt day and really needed to chill..
when we arrived at the beach a few local boys were just leaving, broadly grinning the welcommed us to a perfect little cove (pics will come!) stunningly white coral sand, cliffs defining the outer edges, and absolutely nobody but us.. the rest of the day we had the beach to our selves and did nothing but swim, talk and relax.. utter bliss!
finished the day with seafood on the local restaurant and a glass of redwine on the porch.
nxt day we once more had the beach all to our selves but had to pack up and head towards Mombassa around 16.00.. we found a little guest house for me and a bus home to Nairobi for Beatrice.
I got in contact with Mogen and Mellanie , the Danida and the EU advisors to NEMA (national environmental management agency( who were my real excuse to be by the coast) and found out that I was late for a dinner invitation. We dined at "the Tamarind" probably the best and the most expensive seafood I have ever had, oysters, lobsters, crab, mussels, everything + great wine. the bill took a seriouis chunk out of my car bying plans..
nxt day we had a meeting with the district officer to the whole of Mombassa, not the mayor, but something very close.. a seroius loking very black man in a huge office overlooking the whole town, Mogens and Mellanie presented them selves and their (Danida and EUs) intentions and were assured that they and their money would be most wellcome. we left to meet with the actual people on the ground, the DEOs (district environmenatal officers), the story from them were all the same, they lack funds, office equipment and means of transport.. In the afternoon I toured around Mombassa, visited the old portuguese Fort Jesus. and looked around the old town, people and the whole "vibe" is alot more relaxed and friendly in mombassa compared to Nairobi.. as the saying goes "it is easy to get to Mombassa, but it is very hard to leave..)
My cheap hotel unfortunately had a bedbugs so I didnt sleep all that well..
Nxt day, we went up the coast to beautifull Kiliffi and Melindi. A long drive on bumpy roads in a hardsuspended Landrover.. The cities and the coast was beautifull but we were there on business not pleassurer, so Ill have to come back some day to enjoy the ocean and the tranquill.. (pics will come!)
Last day we participated in a workshop in mombassa on coastal zone management, quite interesting to meet and work with the actual stakeholders, people living and working on the coast. everybody had different agendas, yet everybody worked together. I ended up in group working with education and awarenessa and learned among other things that most kenyan villages has an active adult education system where the chiefs teach the citizens whatever he finds interesting (usually to read and write..)
Infortunately we (The Muzungus:Mogen, Mellanie and I) had to leave for Nairobi early that evening and could not participate in the final day. Mogens and Mellanie went by air, and i opted for the most expensive of the many bus companies servising the Nairobi Mombassa rute.. 8 hours in the night bus was not funnnnn
gotta log of now more to come!

mail me ur adresses and postcards might follow !

9

If all goes well Ill spend a few days in Mombassa by the coast, I am still not allowed at the embassy, so I have been spending time at The environmental ministry and at ..miljoestyrelsen.. some of the guys from miljoestyrelsen are going on a fiels trip to the coast to check out the programs there and I might be allowed to come..

Lookied at a car today, Nela the husbanf of one of the embassy workers are helping me to find a car, to day I looked at a Nissan from 1974 (!) really a nice car and very well kept, but I just felt if was a bit too old.. I hope to find a cheap 4wd.. cars seem to be a necessity here..

Finally got my living situation figured out! more on that later!
Will try to get pic on asap, but the net and my acces to it is quite unreliable..

take care all!
Hugs
Asger

internet is really not reliable here.. this keypad sux too..
hmmm..
loads of things to tell where to start?

had a great weekend, which included a really nice bbq lots of beer and a wonderfull full day craterrim hike on an old vulcano called Longuenot. (will post pics soon if possible)
i have met quite a few really nice people, i am still without a permanent place to live, but that will change really soon.
i am seriously considdering buying a car. a 4wheeldrive could be great fun!

worksituation:
the ambassador has for some reasin decided that i am not to be allowed in the embassy before my security clearing has come through. so I am on loan to one of the danida advisors in the actual ministry of environment and natural ressources for the time being. as this is a quite small minnistry nothing seems to work as it should. (or is it ther whole country?) (pics might follow..)
my duties have yet to be defined and this is probably the most annoying thing about being here so far, not knowing what my tasks are going to be.. patience is more than a virtue here.. it is a necessity..

transport.. as i have no car i am forced to use public transportation.. matatus are crazed minnibusses roaming the bus routes picking up any body who looks remotely interested in a ride, they drive like madmen but are loads cheaper than taxis.. the lokal busses are qquite cheap and safe, but there are quite few of them around, and they are never there when u need them, taxis are almost as expensive as in dk, some are close to falling apart and some are quite new, when going home late from anywhere taxis are a must as nobody, not even the locals, walk at night.. most people have one or two taxidrivers they trust and call upon when they need them.
trafic in general is crazy, they drive in the left side wich adds to my confusion, most of the cars here looks as if they was dug up at a decades old garbage pile and fixed with whatever scrapiron was closest by, most make a tremendes noice and all of them belch out facinating clouds off jetblack fumes.. this does not go for the expat cars off cause.. quite a few shiny 4wheelers imported straight from japan..

safety (yes mom i am careful)
safety is a big issue here. I have been told some quite horrid stories, and I am taking things quite serious. as mentioned before, nobody walks the streets a night. Every house has a gate and one or two guards called askaris, when driving at night carjacking is a potential danger and roaming false policemen doesnt exactely ad to the feelling of safety.

expats
i have already met a lot of super friendly people from all over the world andthe xpats here take socializing quite serious, as i said earlier i went hiking this sunday, great group of people whom i have met through a girl i met on the plane. i am going to try to get out of the city every weekend, partly to get away from the noise and smell but just as much to see as much of this beutifull country as possible. there are a lot of international organizations here and employees from all over the world.

housing
i am still staying with a girl from denmark called maria, actually met her in denmark at a gardenparty at steens (thanx steen!) i might be mooving in with an english couple in a nice suburb, but then i might have to buy a car.. more info on this will follow

gotta run for now

how many people reads this? plz leave a comment! hugs alaround! a