Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Day Twenty: Kenya in the Rear-view Mirror

On day twenty we took an eight hour bus to Kampala and ended our short time in Kenya. With more than half of our days in Kenya out on safari, we didn't have the same opportunity to experience day-to-day life.

Lasting Impressions:
* People on the street were very friendly and quick to help if we needed it (or offer Erin kisses). While roughly half of people working in tourist facing businesses had little interest in being of assistance.

* The men were very jovial until your questioned them and then they seemed to pout. (So far true of Uganda as well, our cab driver seemed very upset when we suggest he look at a map for the place he admitted to not knowing where it was.)

* The people in the markets were less pushy than Ethiopia, and we garnered less attention in general. The go to cities to mention when we said we're Canadian changed to "Toronto? Vancouver?"

* Particularly in Nakuru, it was interesting seeing all the activity on our street, knife sharpening and sewing machines running (both pedal powered), along side restaurants and market booths.

Masai in traditional dress
 * Both in Kenya and Ethiopia we have certainly experienced a Mzungu tax (Farangi in Ethiopia, both mean white person/foreigner). The starting price for a taxi, or any other service/product without a listed price jumps up 200% or more and it is up to us to fight the price down. We have more success on non-travel days when we don't have out large packs with us.

* Kenya has amazing wildlife and the people are very proud of it, we would often be asked if we had been to the Maasai Mara.


2 comments:

  1. Love the maps- saves us lugging up our National Geographic Atlas! Here's to a successful gorilla trek. Take care, MomT

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  2. Some day I'll surely visit Kenya! I'm crazy of their culture! But I won't forget to create a good qualified trip map on well-way.com just not to be lost in African deserts

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