Travel with Dignity (Lake Victoria and the Kenya Coast)

We went to Kenya with a desire to see as much as possible for first-timers, and thus knew we had to see and do more than just the safari, amazing as it was. With Nairobi as a jumping off point, we traveled to the west and then to the east of the country in turn, and in doing so we started to get a feel for the breadth of the national culture – if it’s even possible to aggregate the quite distinct traditions and influences of each region.

Going Fishing in the Garden

After a bit of Jess’ research, we arrived at the idea of taking a trip west to a town called Kisumu. Always an important trade hub and a thriving port city thanks to its easy access to Lake Victoria, Kisumu’s fortunes soared after the city was connected to the cross-country railway line at the start of the 20th century. These days, though, its aging infrastructure is a shadow of what it once was following several decades neglect, and although trade is once again growing the city has a far more quiet, laid-back feel than Nairobi.

Lying in the largely-overlooked west of the country, Kisumu doesn’t feature on many group tours, and the city offers little in the way of tourist attractions. What it does have is a truly warm, friendly, and welcoming local community, along with a sprinkling of NGO workers, volunteers and long-term adventurers, which was more than enough to get us interested. Not to mention the region’s important claim to fame – Kisumu is just down the road from the hometown of President Obama’s father, which has played host to the President himself on occasion.

One of many “Kenyanized” tributes to Obama – quite worthy of an action movie poster, spelling notwithstanding

The highlight of the museum in Kisumu. By this point in the trip we’d been to some really terrible museums, but this one takes the prize

We’d heard mixed reviews of bus travel in Africa, but our first foray went very smoothly, perhaps because we booked with a company whose motto was “travel with dignity.” At the appointed time, we hopped on the bus to Kisumu, leaving the rather sketchy Nairobi bus terminal behind, and headed over the mountains to Lake Victoria.

Looking and feeling like a paratrooper before the jump – at this point we didn’t know what to expect

The best part of Kenyan bus journeys is the rest stop food. Rather than reentering the vehicle with a few sad packs of peanuts and a soda, in a few minutes you return cradling a massive plate of stewed meats, fragrant rice, and tasty shredded salads. The difference in novice vs pro is how well you squirt hot sauce from a tied-off plastic bag without collateral damage

You probably wouldn’t think of Kenya as a hub for growing tea, but en route to Kisumu we spotted the unmistakeable emerald hue of tightly-packed tea bushes. It’s that British influence again

We quickly settled into a lovely Airbnb in Kisumu and set about taking care of the basics of eating lots of food and working out just enough to counteract the bulking effects of said food. The roads are broad, smooth, and pretty empty, making Kisumu the ideal town to start a street hockey league – if that’s your ambition.

Doing some sprints near our Airbnb. Unlike in India, we were quite unenthusiastic at the prospect of getting challenged by little kids since the result wouldn’t ever be in much doubt

The sandcastle-y thing you see on Ethan’s plate is ugali, a sort of African polenta that forms the carb-heavy base of most meals. It’s extremely dense and its soporific effects aren’t to be tangled with lightly

The highlight of Kisumu was a visit to a nearby fishing community, in which we got to understand the complete food chain of fish consumption. We decided to take a chance on a full-day bike tour – one of the few organized activities in the city, and one which we later found out had customers in the single digits last year – and it turned out to be a fantastic decision. As well as exploring the city, we traveled to the outskirts to meet fisherman, acquire some fresh-caught fish in the market, and then learn to cook these properly from a couple of the resident culinary gods. It was both tasty and thoroughly educational.

The cormorants battle it out with fisherman in traditional wooden boats for first catch of the day

The night shift fisherman returning with their catch

What we suspect is a Tilapia, which was to become our lunch

Nile perch are the freshwater leviathans, and can grow to be about Ethan’s size

Nile perch, tilapia, and catfish being deep fried in a wok over an open fire. East Africa is masterful at the non-breaded deep fried fish, which creates a lovely crust of flavor over moist, flaky flesh, and is one of the most gourmet things you can prepare in a rustic camp setting

Ugali-making requires the forearm and wrist strength of a world class arm wrestler, combined with an utter disregard for second degree burns

We even had a chance to indulge in a spot of hippo spotting when we took a boat trip out onto the lake. While they only attack when provoked (typically on land when a person gets between a foraging hippo and its escape route to the water), hippos are extremely dangerous, and the cause of numerous fisherman fatalities. Fortunately, we were able to spot more than a few as they lazily bobbed to the surface for breath, and no humans were harmed in the recording of this episode.

While life preservers are helpful if the boat sinks, in case of hippo attack, they merely prolong the agony until it eventually murders you

Hippo starboard ho!

Aye, tharrrr she blows!!

Like attack submarines, their snorkels let them study their adversaries with a minimum of exposure

Perhaps because of the general absence of tourists, people in the nearby fishing village were incredibly friendly and genuine, eagerly showing us, with no expectation of any sort of payment, how they fixed fishing nets, auctioned fish, and wove baskets. We met some really interesting people, most notably a local athlete who, having largely taught himself to row and trained in a homemade gym by the lake, has achieved national success. In his spare time, he provides free swimming lessons for the community, since many fishermen head out in small boats every day with no idea how to swim.

A hog farmer with one of his very relaxed charges

Nature, a school, and some zero-carbon, energy-efficient laundry drying

It’s common to see “not for sale” signs on open lots in Kenya, and during our mosey around town we were able to find out why. Since the country still uses paper land title records rather than digital, and some officials are notoriously bribeable, people will occasionally find their property “sold” by a nefarious actor to a third party, leading to multiyear legal battles and epic confusion – much easier to just put a sign in the ground for when the buyer looks at the property

The local cinema, capitalizing on a precious satellite subscription for the benefit of the whole fishing community. It’s used for movies and important football matches, although the AC is perhaps a bit substandard

Despite reports of recent growth, Kisumu proper appeared to us a sleepy shadow of its former self.  The railway no longer runs west past Nairobi, and the port sees only a handful of ships every month. Compounding the city’s problems, a massive infestation of water hyacinths over the last couple decades has clogged up the fishing industry, and much of the economic activity these days seems to be linked to NGOs. While we selfishly enjoyed the amazingly non-touristy tourist experience, we were happy to see the beginnings of some pioneering, energetic businesses seeking to build a sustainable tourist industry. Kisumu is blessed with beautiful natural scenery as well as ample wildlife, and based on what we saw it has tons of potential.

Moored amidst a field of water hyacinths

The port was mostly filled with rusting relics, and fortunately for us nobody seemed to mind us climbing all over them

The Jetty to Nowhere

The Kisumu market was a bastion of activity amidst the otherwise sleepy surroundings

Jess’ largest avocado encounter to date. Just look at it!

No, this isn’t an insurance fraud in progress. People use Lake Victoria’s gentle banks as an ideal place to wash cars

These posters were visible all across Kenya. A witty friend pointed out that “see your enemy in the mirror” is pretty self-help-y. We’re waiting for activist investors to discover the benefits of “Business Boost” as a turnaround strategy

Gateway to the Continent

Like Kisumu, Mombasa is a city with a long legacy of trade, and where life revolves around the water. Other than this, though, there are few similarities to be found. Sitting in prime position next to the glimmering Indian Ocean, Mombasa’s beaches have long been a magnet for tourists. And with its naturally deep waters, Mombasa has been unchallenged as East Africa’s largest port for decades.

The city center is a dusty, messy hive of activity, with traffic clogging the ancient streets, winding past construction sites and dodging street traders. Further out, long lines of resorts are strung along the coastline, surrounded by clamoring salespeople brandishing kangas and postcards. Fortunately for us (and our budget), for the first time in Kenya we unearthed a full-blown backpacker hostel. It was just close enough to both the beach and the town for optimal exploring, and low-key enough that the traders mostly passed over us in favor of more lucrative targets.

The unmistakeable triple peak of Kilimanjaro loomed out the right side of the airplane en route to Mombasa

Once on the ground, the searing heat meant that walking anywhere required frequent pit stops, and we became experts at identifying air conditioned buildings from afar. The water below was beckoning rather forcefully by this point…

Along with a pool, our hostel featured a remarkably adorable feline, and a very excitable dog

Two bunnies were also part of the menagerie. The dog chased them nearly continuously, and this guy is getting some badly needed recuperation by using the “stingray stealth” approach of laying himself as flat as possible

Gloriously fulfilling long-held ambitions of rustic training, including barbells made of car parts

Our hostel was just down the road from the sea, and picturesque strolling opportunities abounded. While most tourist traps offer horse rides on the beach, how many provide the rider with a dromedary?

Stand forth and do battle!

Mombasa is by nature a city that transcends nationalities, languages and faiths. A strategically important hub, it has been fought over and occupied on multiple occasions by the Portuguese, the Omanis, and the British. While the influence of all three can be felt today, there is a decidedly Arab tinge to the Swahili architecture in Old Mombasa, and Islam is seemingly the dominant religion in much of the town. To our great enjoyment, the cuisine has some wonderful smokey, spicy hints of the Middle East.

Studying the mutton at a famed Yemeni eatery in Old Mombasa

In Old Mombasa, crooked little streets radiate outwards from the mosque

Observe that the businesses on the shady side of the street seem to have a lot more clients

These days, it is the Chinese who are wielding their influence over the city via a flood of capital. Signs are visible everywhere, from the burgeoning roadside noodle joints to the huge construction sites packed with Chinese equipment. Most visibly, the Chinese are funding and constructing a brand new, high speed rail line alongside the existing link to Nairobi. It should be noted that this is badly needed. We debated at some length taking the existing train down to the coast, since spotting wildlife from the window of your dining car is supposed to be one of Kenya’s great travel experiences. Alas, were ultimately dissuaded by a collection of horror stories we found online, with highlights including 20+ hour delays, furnace-like conditions, and hole-in-the-floor toilets. And while the journey currently (theoretically) takes 18 hours, the new train will reportedly do it in under 5 – the potential boost to the coastal economy is clearly huge.

The story is similar across East Africa – investment is sorely needed, but many nations are hesitant to involve themselves, dithering in the face of political uncertainty, lax regulations, and potential corruption. The Chinese are happily stepping into the void, and are contributing mightily to improvements in infrastructure. We learned about the dark side of this, however, when we found out that the new high speed rail line is being built right through the middle of Nairobi National Park, posing another survival challenge to the animals that reside there, and more worryingly, potentially opening up the Park to further development.

La Spiaggia Africana

Did you know that there’s a sizable enclave of fully-fledged prosciutto eating, cappuccino drinking, impeccably dressed Italians on the Kenyan coast? Neither did we. But as it turns out, Malindi – just a few hours up the coast from Mombasa – is a town where the Swahili kids greet you with a “ciao”, and every chef worth his salt has a deep familiarity with al dente pasta.

Malindi was a favorite destination for Jess’ grandfather, thanks to its deserted beaches, low key resorts, and extensive coral reef. Much of this remains a draw today, and the bumpy coastal road is still enough to deter a good portion of the package tour crowd, giving the town a very different feel from the somewhat congested, commercialized Mombasa. The town’s older visitors are extremely loyal, and some of the people we ran into at the British-owned resort we stayed in had been coming every year for decades, or – like Jess’ mum – had first come with their parents.

It’s a little tough to figure out how, in spite of this, Malindi became such a hotspot for Italian vacationers, but today the little town even has its own Italian Consulate. For us, the change was pretty great – a small Mediterranean paradise, with much better beaches! We relished the chance to brush off our Italian, mingle with a few expats, and enjoy large amounts of olive oil.

Our hotel was a mere stumble away from the main beach in Malindi, which usually had about 10 people on it…

…but compared with the other beaches in town, it seemed a bit crowded

Just laying out and working on his tan like anyone else

Like most visitors to Malindi we spent most of our time generally lounging around and eating, but we did manage to drag ourselves onto a (gorgeous, and masterfully operated) dhow and live out some fantasies of exotic voyages

We also did a bit of snorkeling and fish spotting. We haven’t tried to embed GoPro videos in the blog before, so hopefully these work out.

Sergeant majors (sergeants major?) schooling near the surface

Up close and personal with a sea star

A spirited pursuit

In case you’re worried that entirely squandered our time at the coast…Jess’ family brought us a copy of the Times games and puzzles pages which we gloriously, and for the first time ever, completed in full