Coronavirus update #2

So 2 more weeks at home, though there was one short trip to the office and one morning at a government office. Otherwise it is a lot of phone calls, video calls, emails and the odd movement between living room, kitchen, balcony and bedroom. Not a lot of steps each day, aside from running in the morning, which for the last week or so (when it is not raining) has been whilst wearing a mask. Not a lot of excitement - though one day whilst running I came across a man convulsing on the floor with what looked like epilepsy. After a few minutes with me and another passerby he managed to get up and seemed alright, so I put him a taxi to get home with some money for food and drink.

In other dramatic news, we've increased our online purchasing locally which we didn't do too much of before, including of chairs, badminton sets and other kitchen appliances. We also bought a desk from the local artisans and have settled into the routine of the late afternoon walk and games with the kids downstairs (including getting out a boules set). OK, so there has not been much dramatic news!

On the schooling side there is a lot of conversations amongst parents of private schools (which went back to school a week ago, after the 3 weeks Easter break, whereas the public schools are on their holidays now and are supposed to go back in early May, though all schools remain closed until early June at the earliest) about the quality of the online learning. Before Easter parents were sympathetic as the schools had not had very long to prepare, but after Easter, it is another matter and the conversation of quality quickly leads to conversations of refunds. Andrea's doing a stoic job whilst the German School still gets their act together (with some prodding from the parents). Without any cleaners (we used to have one come a few times a week), and with us all around, all the time (including the dog), we are doing quite a lot of cleaning for the first time for quite a while! Very glad we have a small apartment.

In terms of the actual situation here, the testing has increased, and the numbers are fairly stable, increasing at an average of around 10 cases per day, whilst around 5 per day are recovering and turning negative again. There is still no more than 1,000 tests a day so it is not mass testing, but on the plus side there are not thousands of people turning up sick at hospitals, so even if there are more cases than then few hundred so far, it may not be that many (I suppose around 20% would normally turn up sick at hospital). Maybe the early interventions with flights and the obsessiveness with handwashing (even at the slums) have helped (with Africa generally being less connected to the world than other countries, so there were less travellers coming and out anyway at the beginning).

The government has extended the evening curfew and the restrictions on inter-City travel, but has also begun to relax some restrictions Restaurant's are now delivering in the evenings. Some restaurants may be allowed to open soon for sit-down guests with some hygiene and distance restrictions. The governments' finance Act has passed reducing some taxes, though unfortunately also increasing others. The government has launched a fundraising drive to help with the hospital preparations, PPE purchases, handwashing activities etc. A cash transfer program is starting, in order to help the very poor.

In reality it seems the economy just can't collapse as much as a European economy, even if there was a full lockdown. Partly because much of the population are farming in the villages, and would continue to do so anyway, and partly because a lot of people are barely earning that much anyway. Unfortunately some key industries that rely on exports (like flowers) have really suffered, through will hopefully pick up again as Europe opens up slowly. And some key industries that rely on imports (like tourism, importing people) have also suffered, so the economy is struggling and there is not a lot the government can do (few people are even in the formal economy that the government could support like in Europe). It might not even be possible to enforce a lockdown even if one was implemented, especially with the economic impacts.

The kids continue to handle things quite well overall, whilst us adults seem to be quite pessimistic or depressed. None-the-less, we're thankful we've not been too badly affected so far economically or health-wise. Frequent check-in with family members in Europe take place, and they are doing well too. Next weekend is a long holiday weekend (just like the long Easter weekend recently). It will likely be just like most other days, which just vary between working and not-working without much else changing! We did try to get into that big concert thing last weekend a little though it was hardly a big deal, a big evening in, or anything else. Not a lot of variety in life at the moment, but maybe that is not a bad thing? At least we're all spending a lot of quality time with family members, either in real life or on-line.

Life at home during Coronavirus

The kids have been at home now for four weeks since schools were closed. I've been at home for most of three weeks (after Europe I was in a separate apartment in Nairobi in self-isolation then one week of occasional work from home vs work from office whilst the government "encouraged working from home", and now two weeks at home since the government "strongly encouraged everyone to work from home"). Most of the time the kids have been in a sort of routine with home schooling by Andrea for 2-3 hours a day, and the rest of the time split between playing or watching TV/Computer Games. Home schooling involves some exercises set by the school and emailed, and other exercises Andrea makes up as the school doesn't send very much (and didn't send anything during Easter, but we've kept the schooling going during the holiday).

The house has had to undergo some renovations. Changes to desks for us to use. Times Table posters and star charts (i.e. you get stars once you finish tasks) stuck on walls, more plants in the house and on the balcony. Kids toys and rugs sometimes moved on the balcony. Tables set up with painting materials. Plenty of hand sanitizer and extra soap everywhere. We are pressing elevator buttons with our elbows and washing hands frequently for what it's worth.

Hannah likes to say that she is bored even though she is not bored. She only says she is bored because she wants to watch TV or play computer games. Actually she is perfectly happy playing with her horses, unicorns, farm and many many other toys together with her sister, Leah. Computer games may be better than TV, since TV seems to always have more episodes that kids can beg to watch!

The girls often play with their friends in the same apartment complex (technically in Nairobi there are few official restrictions on what you can do in the day, as long as you avoid large groups, you are just encouraged to stay at home, and many things are still open) which really helps. But they also like to play board games, or singing and dancing to videos, or building a house with blankets on top of chairs. 

When they do play downstairs there is an interesting variety of games. Some more physical ones, involving chase, tag and so on. Others more imaginative with role plays. The weather is warm, and when the sun is out it is very pleasant but the pool is mostly in the shade so the kids have only used it once. Leah is very strong willed so often has issues playing in the groups of friends if she doesn't get her way, which sometimes ends in tears. But Hannah also often ends up in tears for some reason or another. Especially later in the day when she is tired.

For me, there's a routine of taking the dog out, going for a run, having breakfast and then spending most of the day on the phone and on the computer moving between the bedroom, the kitchen table and the balcony. With occasional trips downstairs for a walk with the dog again; and then trying to find a couple of hours in the evenings with the kids to play. There's still work to do (some things are still the same as before, and there are some new things to replace other things that are on pause). Andrea usually manages to get a few hours of work in as well, which is not too bad, though obviously not as much as she'd like when the kids were at school.

So far Kenya has not had many cases; partly because Kenya was quite quick to quarantine people who flew in (and then banned flights altogether), and partly because they have only tested those who have turned up sick to hospitals, or those in quarantine (and their "contacts"). Next week there will be a lot more testing of regular people, so let's see how many other people may have the virus without being sick, and then we may know what will happen in May and how long we will stay in the current state.

The virus: reflections and philosophical musings

I've just watched the Chernobyl miniseries, which is excellent, and quite accurate (apparently). Watching it at this time is quite interesting. In that case, once the explosion happened there was not too much that could be done by the average person, just a lot of responsibility on a few people to get the situation under control within days and stop it becoming worse. So the rest of the world was just waiting and hoping. But then once it was under control, then everything was fine. It was kind of an all-or-nothing impact for most of the World.

The current virus couldn't be more different. It affects everyone directly or indirectly very dramatically, and the situation looks like it will go on for several weeks in the very best circumstances (which hopefully includes Kenya) and many months in most other circumstances (in most of the developed World). And yet there is something we can each do. 

If we lock ourselves up (if we can do that without starving or running out of money) then we can be protected. Our fate is in our own hands. And yet because of the nature of this virus, is our fate in our own hands? It may be as invisible as the radiation from Chernobyl, but at least the affects are much quicker. It may not be as deadly as radiation, but it is contagious (very highly so), and someone else could infect you without you really knowing, indeed we might already have been infected without knowing or getting sick. And even more strangely, we may be infecting other people without really knowing it (we may have done that a week or two ago before we started to "social distance").

It really is a once-in-a-century crisis, like a War, though thankfully one that we know how to stop, if people all followed instructions, and doesn't require such dramatic changes to our lives (if only everyone followed the instructions of an "invisible enemy" which is harder than the "visible enemy" in war). And it will have economic implications for a while, just like the Great Recession a decade or more ago. It is a shame. Just like the smallest thing could have prevented Chernobyl, some small and simple things with the virus could also have stopped everything--initially within China (in terms of addressing the virus earlier) and later with other countries who could have taken very dramatic actions in the short-term (i.e. banning all international incoming travel) which seemed bad at the time but would have been much better than the current situation (which we now know through hindsight).

It is strange not knowing what is going to happen... the uncertainty for most of the world seems unusual to me and hard to comprehend. Only the fact that our own fate is sort of in our own hands helps, and our family being fortunate enough to be able to handle the economic impacts. We think there is a roadmap to follow, though implementing that roadmap is very hard. And yet, it might not actually work.

I wonder what lessons the World will learn from this crisis. Certainly most of the World seems to have a lot of time on their hands to reflect anyway (on different political systems; on the importance of communication; on the importance of following guidance; on the value of preparation and preparedness amongst others). I suppose the helplessness of everything--the invisible nature of the virus; the speed at which it moves; the lack of a vaccine or any good medication; the fact that it basically affects everyone (though i suppose if you are wealthy it is easier to self-isolate, and if you are young/healthy you may not be affected even if infected). This sense of helplessness seems to be the most intriguing thing to me. And just like a decade ago, there is not much one can do when an economy is collapsing. 

The flip side of helplessness? Valuing what you have and doing the things that you can do in other ways. Families and friendships; freedom of movement. As is so often said, you often only miss them when you don't have them. We all need to appreciate what we have more and live for today because you don't know what the future will hold.

Kenya's response to COVID-19 - early and successful, so far...

So Kenya seems to be remaining at around 7 cases so far; it was fairly quick to limit restrictions on incoming travelers as well as domestic movement (unlike some European countries). Some people here thought it was all a bit dramatic and drastic action to have taken without it being a serious issue, but of course now, 1 week since the majority of those more severe restrictions came into place (some earlier ones were already there a few weeks ago), it is clear that it is very important to take action earlier rather than later; and if Kenya can continue for a few weeks or even months in this current state of distancing but not lockdown then the economic damage might be somewhat limited, and the health damage definitely limited. There is no chance that Kenya could handle much more than a few hundred severe cases to be honest, as is likely the same with most developing countries.

This current state is that there should be no large gatherings, people should keep there distance as much as possible, and not travel as much as possible (which includes working remotely if possible). But restaurants are still open, so are bars until 7.30 (people are supposed to keep their distance inside), transport continues to run (though now occupancy levels are limited to allow more space between people), people can still go in and out of houses and move around if they want. Of course anyone coming into the country (and only Kenyan citizens or foreigners with work permits, which means no tourists, can come in) must self-isolate for 14 days (as i have been doing since i arrived 12 days ago, which was before the government policy but was already a company policy) and there is all the usual stuff about handwashing etc.

It has been interesting to see how people and companies seem to be rallying around so far, coordinating efforts and it has been impressive. Even the government's actions have been fast and relatively efficient (i think the airport finally got serious though it did take a few days) though they haven't had to do too much yet to be honest; mostly just make announcements and communicate the above actions. They have been improving medical facilities and supplies, but certainly not very dramatically compared to western countries, and there are some glaring gaps. The main one being that they have only today starting doing testing on random people (rather than those who come to hospital sick) which is necessary as some people might not get sick so no-one knows if they are carrying the virus, and others may be sick but not go to hospital (fearing the direct cost or opportunity cost of not working). It seems the reason for this has been lack of tests and the costs of tests. Even getting test results seems to take a day or two!

The government has tried to take some other actions to cushion the economic costs of this current state, but it is difficult. They don't have much money, and even if they did, there are not many good (or fast) mechanisms for them to support businesses, let alone individuals. And the majority of the country are either self-employed (including farmers) or working in the informal economy. So they don't pay taxes and don't really exist in any welfare systems. So even if one wanted to help them proactively it is hard. The best one can do is try not to have to go into a total lockdown, and of course try to keep things working, like transport, supply chains and logistics etc.

Lots of endless WhatsApp messages of course which are mostly a distraction or not that relevant; often because of the various industry groups I am in where people discuss responses, coordination and share ideas, as well as latest news and activities. And it gets a bit much sometimes. Still better to communicate too much and be over-prepared I suppose than not; and so far that is the case.

The main challenge is making people keep to the self-isolation requirements (one person who was positive and in hospital even managed to escape the hospital for a few hours so of course all the people that the person came into contact with have to be traced and tested); but if the number of cases inside the country can be fairly few, and restrictions kept up on those travelling in, it might be possible to allow more and more economic activity amongst the informal sector before those people who are already very poor start to suffer major consequences. Here's hoping....

Self-isolation and the virus in Kenya

After a short business trip to Paris and London at the beginning of March I returned to Kenya to spend 14 days in self-isolation just in case.... (Kenya had no cases when I returned though has since reported 1 case). Food is being delivered... 8.30am breakfast, 12.30pm lunch, 6.30 pm dinner. My working days basically resolves sitting at a desk all day, occasionally getting up to get water, go the balcony for some fresh air (unfortunately no sunshine, since the balcony is in the shade) or move position. Much of the day is spent on the phone as well. In the evenings I try to move 2m away to the sofa to read or watch TV and not work all day. 

I'm getting a good night sleep each night since there is no time wasted commuting, no time spend having to prepare any food, no time even having to sort any kids out! Yesterday I finally decided i need to do some exercise and have been doing the 7-minute workout two or three times each day. It's surprisingly good actually.

7 days since I left Europe I feel perfectly fine, but will do the second week before rejoining my family and returning to the office. The office has taken insane precautions--I guess Huawei has experienced the worst of it in China already and is applying those lessons here. 

Its strange that Kenya has had so few cases; and it is possible the hot, dry, weather has helped. There is not so many people arriving from countries with the disease anyway (compared to other countries, Kenya only really has one major airport and around 2 flights per day from each major city in Europe, with less from Asia, though more from the big middle eastern airports). It is likely that limited testing means there are more people with the virus going undetected, so maybe in a week or two the numbers of people who actually get tested in hospital will jump. 

The country has taken preventative measures by banning public events and wants all visitors into the country to self-isolate (like I am doing), though I don't think they are enforcing that but they definitely should (having said that I suppose almost all international travel has basically stopped now anyway)!. Maybe if Europe can get control of the crisis in the next 4 weeks, and if Kenya can keep the cases down in that time, things might be much easier. Of course, if Europe can't control it for a few months it will be even harder to stop if spreading here.

The economic consequences in Kenya will mostly be from the tourism and conferences industries which are significant. Of course a general slow-down will happen from lower trade, but once countries enter a full lock-down then i suppose economically things get really bad. Hopefully that won't happen here, but the next week might be critical. If there really are few other cases in the country reported by next weekend, and that the identified case hadn't spread it too far, and if Europe begins to take control, then we might be ok... fingers crossed!

Having said that Rwanda is taking no chances. After their first case, they immediately closed all schools and offices. It should work in preventing the virus but it will of course come at an economic cost, and how long will they have to keep them shut for? Maybe it is the smart thing; maybe Kenya should do the same, but the economies here are very fragile, government's already indebted. 

Then again the healthcare system is also very fragile, and would really have no chance of dealing with a full-blown pandemic like Italy. A lot of debates happening in Kenya about which route do go down. Indeed the UK seems to have initially decided not to be too dramatic but may rapidly change course in the next couple of days.

Some Kenyans also feel that trust in government is low, infrastructure is poor, culturally people can't stop socialising and mixing, and that a shut-down might not work very well anyway. Remember of course that very few people buy food from supermarkets, just local markets or their own farms; that very few people are in the formal economy/employment and certainly can't work from home (though ironically a large percent are already unemployed or under-employed; but not being able to earn whatever little they do earn would of course have catastrophic impacts and there are not very good safety net systems). 

Meanwhile communication to the public is not that good, a lot of misinformation is spreading, there was some minor panic shopping on Friday, and throughout all of it, since I am shut inside I can't tell what is really happening... on the streets, with transport, with shops. I just know it will slow down my work a lot, even once I am back in the office, as a lot resolves around various events of which several were planned for the next couple of months (and presumably won't take place), which will just be frustrating.

Times are very interesting indeed.

Extracurricular activities for kids...and a puppy!

In January it was yet another birthday party - this time Hannah's. Incredible that she is 8 already and soon will be in double figures. That means more homework, it also means being more serious about things - like how to manage being under pressure when the class took a small Maths test, or decision on investing in kids hobbies -- and whether they should become serious at them or not?

Both kids have done bits and pieces of different sports and other extracurricular activities over the years, partly since school offers 4 different options each week, and every semester you change the options, so there's been ballet, zumba, cooking, athletics, football, singing, storytelling, gymnastics, recorder and lots of swimming. We also have done the odd extra activity; for a while there was some ballet and tap dancing, another time there was gymnastics. Since we've been in Kenya there's been tennis Sunday mornings and the last year or so has been horse riding.

The kids enjoy tennis and are improving slowly, which is good. The coach is good at making the practice entertaining and mixing up different activities. Horse riding continues, though I can't tell at what stage the kids are at. They still enjoy it and have to do a lot of cleaning out of the stables and cleaning the horses which is important. There's always a lot of art, especially for Leah still in kindergarten, as well as after tennis in Karura Forest, and often at home or even in the car. It's almost the opposite to horse riding as you can do it anywhere, any time even for just a few minutes with almost any materials for almost no cost!

Leah has now worked out how to swim, not really with many lessons, but after swimming so much she's just sort of worked it out; some lessons should be helpful now to improve her technique. Hannah has been in the school swim team since last year which means swimming 2 or 3 times a week, which recently has been becoming a bit much for her and she's always that keen. We've taken her to a few competitive events which are quite a performance as you wait around for hours, until the race which lasts a few minutes. She won one last year where she was the oldest in her age, but this year once she was in a different age category and was the youngest she struggled. We'll see if we continue to go, investing so much time in it or not.

Probably the main area we've not done much in is music and this may be something we should do more of. Hannah liked her recorder lessons, and wanted to do guitar this year too! So to the question of how much time (and money) parents should invest for these activities, how many different activities kids should do (vs just playing or sleeping etc), and then whether to focus on fewer activities and get good at them or try lots, and when to stop all the trying and focus? Who knows the answer, but I think we'll be seeking these answers in the next couple of years.

This most recent birthday party was quite simple, without any bouncy castles or swimming pools; just games and the now common sleepover after the cake. Sleepovers are a very frequent request nowadays!

In late January we had a break-in which was somewhat disturbing. One of the results was getting a puppy, who is very much a puppy. Lots of craziness usually related to biting and chewing everything and everyone. Another result was me changing my passport again, and Andrea having to replace her computer and deciding against a Mac for the first time in her life (I think she quite likes the touch-screen aspect of her windows laptop).

In other news the alternator on our car that has had problems for a while finally died and with it the car stopped moving, which I didn't know could happen, and was surprised at! Thankfully we seemed to get lucky finding a nice tow truck man, who then recommended a nice mechanic who seems to have got a new alternator for a decent price... but i suppose we'll only know in a few weeks from now if everything is still working!

Incredible Egypt - Under the Sea

From Cairo we flew to Sharm-El-Sheikh, seeing "New Cairo" on the way (a new city that has been built) and the entrance to the Suez Canal; but otherwise mostly it was desert, with some signs of life alongside the coast in patches (mostly resorts, but occasionally some hidden coves populated by the odd luxury ship). We took a taxi to Dahab, a backpacker town an hour or so north. Due to security reasons you have to go through a military checkpoint to get there.

Dahab is an interesting town, with at least 50, maybe almost 100 bars, restaurants, dive operators and shops lining the main bay in the town. It has a decent beach alongside the bay, but mostly exists for scuba-diving. We stayed in a place a half-hour walk outside of town (and well placed for morning jobs along the coast), and during our few days there we did some scuba-diving and snorkeling off the main bay, as well as at the Blue Hole, a famous diving site nearby with a sheer drop off the coast. In fact, as my dad pointed out, you don't even need to dive, and snorkeling is quite enough since the marine life is everywhere, including the corbels and the fish, and right at the surface so you can see everything with just a snorkel and mask. In fact often you can see everything from outside the water too! I had a special case for my phone and took some great videos and photos under the water whilst diving and snorkelling.

Our one negative experience during our whole trip (well maybe the second if you count the disappointing sound and light show at the pyramids) was an evening trip to a bedouin experience that was supposed to be traditional entertainment and food, but was really just a night club manufactured for locals to sing and dance in the desert whilst those who didn't know the music or who didn't want to sing or dance, just sort of watched, shivering, for hours, under the stars. Definitely one to avoid!

Before moving back to Sharm-El-Sheikh we moved to a 5-star hotel even further out of town... the kind of place with 3 or 4 swimming pools, a brushed beach every morning, beach bars, saunas, and golf carts to take you to your rooms. Most of the Sinai peninsular has so much coral, and so close to the beach that often you are not allowed to just walk into the sea from the shore as you would damage the coral (and you'd also end up hurting yourself), so you walk off a small wooden pier to where the water is deeper and then you can swim above the corals.

My last couple of days were then back in Sharm-El-Sheikh at another nice 5-star hotel, though one that was a bit faded compared to the Dahab one. All these hotels were really cheap, even though it was peak season, mostly due to excess supply and a lack of demand since the security issues and revolution. It was very nice relaxing end to the holiday, apart from the failed attempt to Waterski. Sharm-El-Sheikh is strange place, completely man-made and fairly recently, as a tourism center with a few hundred hotels strung out along the coast, with large highways, and endless land meaning it is impractical to walk anywhere. There isn't much to do apart from each at all-inclusive resort hotels, and relax at the beach or go under the water. And it is the perfect place to do all of that. Definitely a place to come back to again!

Incredible Egypt - Luxor

After Cairo, we took an overnight train to Luxor. The Cairo train station was hardly the most modern on the inside, though there is a beautiful ceiling and wonderful facade, but it just about does the job. Apart from the lack of decent power to charge anything the sleeper train was fairly comfortable, though its not easy to sleep on trains generally.

Once in Luxor we stayed a small guesthouse with just a handful of rooms but a nice view over the Nile from the rooftop balcony and a small swimming pool that we didn't use as it was not that warm. We tried to keep our exercise up so took the local ferry which decided to leave whenever the driver felt like it, and walked along the river up to Karnak Temple, which is quite incredible. Especially the room with the 96 pillars or something. The place was packed with tourists but it was still really interesting and somewhat overwhelming. Of course hieroglyphs were all over the place. Very highly recommended. We then stopped by Luxor Museum to see some of the artefacts from the Temple, including various pots, statues of pahraohs, mummies, and wall decorations. The last stop on the "East Bank" was the Luxor Temple, which we decided to enjoy from the outside since you could see almost all of it without need to go in and pay yet another entrance fee. There used to be--and there will soon again be--a path connecting the two temples and along the entire stretch of a few kilometer, every 50m or so are plinths with lions on. The whole thing is being rebuilt and it will be quite spectacular when finished (if not somewhat pointless). 

The next day was the West Bank where we rented bikes and cycled around visiting lots more temples and then a lot of tombs. It is a complicated ticketing system with all different tickets available, some form a central ticket office, some on site.  Some of the best sites are ridiculously expensive. As with the East Bank temples, the West Bank temples are interesting, though for different reasons, since they are not as complete or as stunning, but they are mostly tourist free, so visiting is a more lonely experience. 

And then it was time for the tombs... and there are hundreds of them, most open to visit if you really want to. I think we went inside about 10 in the end, in the Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Kings and some others. Generally there was a long entrance that would go slightly downhill from the entrance that was on a hillside, and as you walked down the tunnels inside the hill there would be some side rooms; and all along the tunnels were stories in hieroglyphics. At the end would be the final resting place of the relevant pharaoh, noble or other person. Usually all the persons' valuables would be buried in the room or a neighboring room near them, and their mummy would be in a sarcophagus that would be inside a casket inside another box etc.

It is a fairly interesting experience visiting the tombs and there are some variations between them, some different artwork, some are better restored than others, but after a while one has seen enough. The house where the explorer who excavated Tutankhamen's tomb can be visited and in the garden they built a replica of the actual tomb which tourists can visit and see the photos and stories of what it was like during the excavation.

Our last day in Luxor included some shopping in the market where we had made a friend selling us perfumes and paintings, and a quad bike trip out to the desert; the highlight of which was the final 15 minutes when we were allowed to have some fun driving up and down some sand dunes. Luxor was a much better place for running than Cairo and we had a couple of good runs up and down the banks of he river seeing some of the farmers and their fields along the way, as well as all the large cruise ships (apparently there are 350 on the whole river) and small sailing boats. Having spent quite a lot of money and got a tan from spending so much time outside, it was back on the sleeper train to Cairo.

Another side to Cairo

One of our favourite places in Cairo turned out to be Al Azhar Park, that had previously been a rubbish dump but is a very nicely designed green space with a mediocre cafe and a fancy restaurant with excellent views over the city. Nearby is the Citadel which is mostly also Mosques and some other buildings now turned into museums where the former rulers were based. The main mosque there has an incredibly tall roof!

Nearby is an area where all the rubbish collectors live and work. Their housing didn't seem to be too bad (at least nowadays) as the area was full of brick buildings, and mostly the ground floors were where various sorts of rubbish were taken for sorting and processing, whilst people lived upstairs. Of course the place was not very attractive but it was quite interesting, and actually not that messy. I suppose most of the rubbish is not left on the floor but actually packaged up and sold!

Behind that area is a remarkable series of churches dug out of the cliff, holding thousands of people. They are not that old, but they are very impressive. I can't imagine what it would be like packed full of people. One is more like a typical amphitheatre rectangular in shape coming out of the cliff; another is similar but really dug out of the cliff; and a third is fully inside the rock and an entire semi-cicle.  It is even more remarkable in a city that is so Islamic and full of thousands of mosques. A lot of western tour groups come to visit the Christian sites.

Some enterprising entrepreneurs had built some zip lines and high-wire activities up on the cliff which kept me entertained for a couple of hours, and since there is not much alcohol or bars in Cairo it was about as much entertainment as we had during our four days there.

Incredible Egypt - Cairo

In December and January, my dad and I spent some time in Egypt. He'd been to the odd beach resort there before and I'd popped by Cairo for work a while ago, but it was time to go explore the ancient civilisation.

We did a lot of walking - around the Islamic areas visiting some mosques and bazaars especially. And there are a lot of mosques in Cairo, most of which are very impressive, some of which also have great views over Cairo. We also visited the museum, where there are endless piles of artefacts. Walking around the museum, you pass sarcophagus after sarcophagus, stone sculpture after stone sculpture, and upstairs plenty of mummies in the side-section (which had some interesting descriptions and really made me in awe of the technique of mummification). The museum could be much better, but it could also be worse. A new museum is under construction and should be ready within a year so we'll have to go back and visit another time. Also upstairs was the Tutankhamen exhibit with all the contents from the tomb, including the famous golden mask that was placed over the body. It really is quite stunning, though photos of it are forbidden.

Cairo traffic is pretty bad but we mostly walked, with the odd subway ride and some taxis too. Few restaurants served alcohol , but they did alow you to bring alcohol in if you wanted to. The leafy parts of Cairo are pleasent, and there are some nice little cafes hidden in strange places. Many of the nice old buildings have been somewhat abandoned unfortunately. It is a very dusty city without much green, and not a place where there are many places to go for a run. We did find one Palace that was quiet and green and was worth a good look around, even though it is not used. The architecture was incredible; so was that of some of the Churches and even the synagogue (a church that was converted into a synagogue actually).

We did an evening watching the pyramid light show which really was not worth it, whether you pay a lot to watch it up close, or watch from a hotel balcony nearby (it is also cold in the evenings in Cairo at this time of year). Visiting the actual pyramids themselves during the daytime of course was special. Standing on the steps of these absolutely enormous entities is just incredible. The mind boggles at why anyone would think it necessary to build these things that have no practical purpose (the symbolic nature of a pharaoh being powerful, living in the after life and having all those around see their power don't seem very practical reasons to me). We went inside some of the smaller ones that are mostly below ground, and one of the bigger ones - quite exciting climbing in these tiny tunnels, and trying not to think of the millions of tons of rocks above you that could cave in (though probably won't since they hadn't for the previous 5,000 years)!

It is certainly pretty touristy and there are a lot of people inside, outside and on the lower steps of the pyramids. A lot do take camel rides into the desert (we mostly walked, but did hop on a camel for a few minutes). It is quite something to see and just stand in awe of, and imagine how they could have ebeen built nowadays, let alone back then with just boats and wooden rollers, and lots of people to move all the rocks.

Whilst in Cairo we ate at a variety of different places, including the odd 5-star hotel since they had football on, and we thought they would have some heating (though they generally didn't). We also had some more local food on the streets, but I think we really needed a local to help us have the best culinary experience there. Probably some of the best food was in some more modern, boutique restaurants that we went to.

Work and life at the end of 2019

The China trip last September was the beginning of a very hectic few months until the end of the year. There was time for Leah to have a birthday party at a horse riding stables with a bunch of friends taking it in turn to play games and ride horses which went well, as we just avoided the heavy rain storm (and had only 1 or 2 kids in tears at periods during the party). Leah's completely horse and unicorn obsessed so all toys, clothes, cakes are themed with one or the other. She's become much more sociable, very talkative (including singing, especially in German) though is still prone to a few outbursts every now and again when she can't get what she wants. She's lost several teeth, and recently begun swimming on her own. Maybe the last thing before she is independent is to cycle without stabilisers, so we need to work on that now the dry season is upon us.

Kenya has a very wet long rains season (April-July) and also very went short rains season (October-November), and it has continued to rain on and off even in the dry seasons, which is generally good in preventing droughts and food shortages, but also causes floods and landslides which also kills unfortunately. Still it is also good for the economy (not least in boosting hydro power generation). It doesn't mean the chaos with the dams (a lot of which aren't built/finished due to corruption) or piped water supply improves whatsoever unfortunately. And in some senses might make water pollution worse in the rivers with trash washing into it.

In October I made a short trip to Zurich which is a complete contrast to Nairobi. A highly efficient public transport system (with a ticket system partly based on trust, as is common in Europe), a spotless city, lots of high-end buildings and cars, very expensive hotels etc. We held our annual Mobile Broadband Forum there which i was involved in. In November there was also a short work trip to AfricaCom. I didn't see much of Cape Town, having been there a couple of times before, but it was a successful trip and a chance, just like Zurich to see colleagues that are otherwise only on email or phone calls. 

There was also a short trip to the beach on the Kenyan coast (literally just a night or two), though it was partly washed out by rain, and required be to return by Mombasa airport and the Likoni Ferry (shortly after another vehicle had come off the ferry sadly)--flying directly to the little Ukunda airstrip is so much easier!

Hannah has really taken up swimming properly, practicing at least three times a week and winning her first inter-school competition last October; she is also getting much better at Tennis which is good. Her real passion remains art (today it was drawing clothes), and Leah and her continue to enjoy nothing more than getting dressed up and dancing at home to some music (they've worked out the Google Home speaker that we have very quickly). 

The end of the year also, of course, included the traditional bonfire night and fireworks at one of the British Schools in Nairobi that is generally fun (and only somewhat of a panic since i had about 5 kids i was supposed to be watching over), and the annual St Martin's Day at the German School. 

There was a rush of events at the end of the year, which are a key part of my job: speaking at, organizing or supporting, both internal events organized by us and other third-party events. All went well, probably better than could be expected and when we look back at the year work-wise it was successful, despite some headwinds. All that hard work has paid off, and 2020 is poised to be much better as a lot of projects were just being set-up in 2019 and will really kick off in 2020.

My feeble attempts to blog in order to sort of diarise my (and my family's) life for future reference, and compose and share thoughts on interesting things happening with work and life have not done well in 2019. The New Year's Resolution for 2020 is to improve on that!

Back in Shanghai 15 years later

15 years (almost to the day) after I first landed in China, I was back, once again in Shanghai. I didn't have a lot of free time since I was there for work but I did manage to visit and explore a few places and thing back on what has changed and what has not changed.

And much has not changed. Physically much of the original and older Shanghai still remains as it was, with fairly narrow winding lanes past houses or apartments that are just a few storeys high. There are still armies of elderly employed in various fashions as there were before, especially on street cleaning; nowadays also in the many public toilet blocks (which are nicer than they used to be); and there are still many people keeping the peace or being security guards (even though nowadays there are also millions of CCTV cameras as well helping them out and even some robots!)

There is still a lot of green and a lot of trees remain. In fact Shanghai has probably more green than before as they have (proudly) torn down old houses to build new parks all over the city. Some of the older houses have now become cafes and restaurants and bars, but retrofitted in a trendy way.

There is still a lot of buses, though underground of course is now the world's largest subway system with at least 15-20 different lines (15 years ago there were only 2 lines)--though a few new overground train stations exist to support the incredible high-speed train system that has been built from scratch. In fact when I first arrived there were just normal trains and some "fast" trains, known as K (for Kuai or Fast). Then they introduced the T (for Te or Very), and then there were the Z trains and the D trains as the train meanings changed from speed to comfort and incorporated first class (since they were basically all fast nowadays, except for some stopping trains). 

There are still people collecting plastic from the rubbish bins to recycle them and get money, and the new push this year for separation of rubbish might have even helped them. There are still people pulling carts around piled up with cardboard and ringing bells asking for people to give their recyclables. There are still some people with their cabinet by the side of the road where they will fix bikes. In fact though I didn't have the chance to be in a downtown area at rush hour in order to see if the number of bikes is the same as it was 15 years ago or not, i would not be surprised if it was similar since the crazy of about 4 years ago with millions of bikes that you can find anywhere (and the app shows you where the available bikes are) to rent for a few pennies for 15 minutes, pay with the app and leave (almost) anywhere too. There is no doubt there are more electric scooters now than there were before though.

There are still small little hole-in-the-wall restaurants selling dumplings (I had to have my fill of the soup dumplings that are a Shanghai specialty and come with either thin or thick crust), even as there are super trendy and expensive restaurants and bars inside and outside of the plenty of shopping malls. It is not unusual to pay 6 British pounds equivalent for a fancy coffee (Sea Salt Black Gold Iced Coffee) though a normal coffee can be got for half of that. In fact money may have been the thing that has changed the most; not just the prices which have increased dramatically and even the dumplings or fruit on the street is about 5 times more expensive than 15 years ago (and of course the cost of housing, education and food is much more expensive, in many cases the most expensive in the world). Nowadays almost no-one has any cash in China, with everything being done through a mobile payment app, and many shops refuse to take cash!

There is a lot more "modern" culture, such as shopping festivals and music festivals (I was there over a holiday weekend so saw a couple in major shopping areas). There is of course Pudong, a whole part of a city that was a marsh 30 years ago, still barely developed 15 years ago and now a highly developed area (bigger than a normal city in the West) with very wide highways, universities, science parks, industrial parks and much more.

There has been a real effort to keep some of the older buildings, indeed some get a new lease of life, like the new Columbia Circle which was an old British Navy club a hundred odd years ago and now is part of a redeveloped area (amusingly you can visit the old swimming pool, but only to look at it from the side, and you must follow the "rules of viewing the scenic pool").

I went back to the Urban Planning Museum, 15 years on, to see the scale model of the city. Nowadays of course there are hundreds, if not thousands of skyscrapers, including the second tallest building in the world, two dramatically bigger airports, several large convention centers, multiple stadiums and much more besides. The museum has many exhibits explaining the development of Shanghai addressing its social and environmental challenges as well as transport and the harder aspects of the city.

Camping and horse riding in the UK summer vacation

A couple of weeks in the UK with the family took on the usual format. This year one trip was staying on a farmhouse with a horse riding stables so the kids could ride horses to their hear's delight.

Of all the many activities the kids enjoy doing, horse riding may remain an occasional activity rather than a regular hobby compared to others, but we'll have to see. As parents small decisions on encouraging (paying for) certain hobbies could have a big influence on kids future lives. But how much/early/what musical instrument should they learn? What about the various forms of dance? And Sports? And arts and theatre? The list could go on and they surely can't take them all up seriously. Some they can take at school during class or as extracurricular activities. Some they can try and see what they like or what they are good at, but some activities you can't really try since you may not get good and enjoy it straight away. And of course the enjoyment and suitability factor will be influenced by the setting, i.e. the teacher, the friends, even the timing of the activity during the week!

As the kids get older they are of course getting better at walking or cycling during these holidays. There still remains a lack of "grit" (the in word it seems), though that may not be unusual for their age. But they tend to do quite well in the right circumstances, e.g. having a dog (or other supportive friends) for company, having snacks on the way, having something interesting or fun at the end of the trip, avoiding hills or excessive effort, avoiding activities when kids are tired etc.

The kids always enjoy camping, partly for the camping experience, partly for what they get up to when camping when they can meet friends, play on playgrounds and so on. At this campsite we were in a corner where there was no road and many other kids in the same corner to play with.

No matter where we go in the UK there are always unlimited places nearby to explore, though some better (for kids) than others... it could be castles or other historical relics (that usually have kids activities on, especially during school holidays), it could be museums of something strange (tanks, butterflies, wildlife park) or something local (lifeboats, as we were on the coast, or a model village). There could be a steam railway, or a natural attraction and of course there could be a swimming pool, beach or other leisure facility (water park this time!). There is probably a pretty village or market, and there is always going to be visits to some pubs and/or cream tea cafes!

This year we got fairly lucky with the weather and managed to do quite well on all fronts, with only the odd walk or cycle going on a bit too long (or hilly), and a good mixture of fun activities with exercise. There's always plenty of deserts too unfortunately that can entice kids.

This trip was the first time we got to meet my sister's new son; Hannah particularly likes playing mum (with anyone, but especially her cousin) though Leah tends to be obsessed with my mum's dog still (at least she is big enough to pull the dog rather than the other way around when she was younger which often led to problems)! Though there was still the odd fights over the dog too.

The scariest part of the trip? Either going on a ride at Gulliver's Land with an almost 5 year old that goes upside down (she was exactly 120 cm and thus able to go on it) or trying to rescue family members lost in a very complicated hedge maze at Longleat. The most bizarre part? Living in Africa but going to a Safari Park in the UK to see African animals... or my sister spending most of her bus trip back to London next to someone throwing up.

June and July with the family and without

The girls are now in Europe. In German Leah has shown how much her German has improved in the last half year, which is great. Hannah's reading has come on nicely since they started learning almost a year ago and both are doing well at School according to their teacher.

Last month there was a father's day event at the Kindergarten where the kids performed a show for the dads; an open day for the school where we could get a tour of what different kids had done in different classes (and see some of the interesting art in Hannah's class that was related to nature). There was also an art exhibition for those in the school so we could see all the various paintings, collages and other things the kids have been up to, and the elder kids performed a fashion show.

Hannah did her swimming badge (200m in under 7 minutes 5 seconds as well as some other tasks) and is one of the best swimmers in her class, and her tennis is coming on slowly. Leah also joins in with tennis now on Sundays and hopefully can start to swim alone before the end of the year. The German School has installed solar-powered heating in the pool now so even when they come back in August (which is the coldest month in Kenya), they may still be able to use it.

We've found a new Chinese teacher which is working out quite well, it is near my office which was convenient when Andrea was away in part of May and June. There is also a lego place next to the office which I can leave the kids at to play too if we can't get a nanny for a couple hours after school (the bus drops them at the gate conveniently). Though it's not much fun having to get up at 5.45 and rush through making the kids some snacks and getting them both up and on the school bus by 6.20, after a while its not too bad. It is certainly easier when Andrea is here and only has to leave at 6.50 to drive them to school!

At the end of June, as is sort of a tradition we all went up to Northern Kenya for the annual Lewa Marathon (or this year, just the half marathon for me) staying at our friend Trinnie's farm. The kids enjoy being on the farm (there is even a pool there now), and spotting some animals in Lewa conservancy whilst I and friends and colleagues are running. On the way back to Nairobi we stopped at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (formerly known as an animal orphanage which I highly recommend. They even let the kids "ride" the lamas and tortoises that roam around freely.

Whilst they have gone for their holidays I've been able to catch up work, pop by Rwanda again, and come to terms with how quiet it is without them (and also watch some excellent netflix series, some very exciting cycling and even the odd interesting cricket match)!

Rwanda - as clean and orderly as expected

In mid-May I went to Rwanda for a few days for work. Rwanda is probably mostly known for two things: the terrible genocide 25 years ago, and being very clearn, organised and tidy.

In fact it is almost beyond clean. I can't quite work out why it has to be so clean! Street cleaners not only tidy up the leaves on the street (because there is no rubbish), they even clean the moss out of the pavement or speedbumps! There are of course plenty of rubbish bins and a clear culture of cleanliness. 

I had heard many times of this reputation but it is still striking how clean Kigali the capital is coupled with the fantastic street infrastructure that it really does look more like Singapore. Every road is in perfect condition with pavements, perfect tarmac, traffic lights, streetlights and road markings. This is unheard of the rest of Africa with the exception of South Africa and I have no idea how the country could afford it. Although at rush hour I did see one policeman managing a traffic junction and disregarding the traffic lights and I am not sure why.

Kigali itself is a little strange for a capital city as aside from the good quality roads the city itself is not very developed without many tall buildings and with the city sprawling out over the hills (it is very hilly and the roads are very winding). Even the business district only has a few tallish buildings and is easily missed. The city is very green with an intentional effort to keep trees as much as possible, and to keep the houses interspersed with nature. It does not look like a capital city and doesn't seem too crowded.

Though the hotel seemed close to the center of the city, in the mornings I went for a nice run through what was basically villages just a few kilometers from the center. I did find some an unpaved road there and enjoyed the run past a golf course.

Kigali and Rwanda try to position themselves as the efficient city, trying to make itself more of a tech hub, though I think it is struggling since it has a fairly small population and no real strategic advantages (hence the effort to focus on efficiency as its advantage). 

There are some reminders of the awful past with some signs up every now and again promoting various initiatives that try to make sure no-one forgets or brings people together again. I can see why the government would want to make sure the genocide or ethnic tensions never happens again (apparently it is always simmering under the surface). I am not sure if Kigali is actually dangerous at all, but at their little airport a short drive from the city there is a crazy security machine which a car goes through on special wheels (the passengers get out and go through a different security procedure). Unfortunately there is only one of these machines, so the biggest queue in the city seems to be there!

The conference I was attending was well organised and I can see why its a popular place for such events; I also can attest to Kigali (I didn't really see anything else of Rwanda) being well worthy of its reputation.

London Marathon

Having begun running a decade or more ago, and having completed a few other marathons before (Beijing twice, Shanghai and Lewa), and with Easter weekend very close to London marathon weekend, I finally ran out of excuses not to do the London marathon once, since my Dad has done it about 35 times and has constantly been asking me when to do it.

There was of course one major excuse, which was not having an entrance (the odds are between 1:10 and 1:20 it seems), so I contacted one of the best charities I know in Kenya (since Huawei gives them a lot of money every year, and I've visited many of their projects and met their team), and got a place through them.

I was not the best fundraiser to start with, despite the headstart from close family donations, but I have got closer to the target thanks to various friends from the UK and China, and a few from Kenya (Kenyans usually get more pressing requests for donations, such as hospital bills, but several have contributed). There was facebook messages, whatsapp messages, wechat messages and some emails. 

Despite having the marathon hanging over me for the whole week vacation beforehand, i tried to enjoy the vacation seeing some friends in London, taking the kids to theme parks with the family, seeing some theatre (Book of Mormon very funny, Pillowman very good, All My Sons decent), spending time with the family, escaping from an Escape Room (lots of fun), and going to the incredible Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to see a match (we eventually won).

And the marathon itself? Well, there were some differences to those I have done before. Of course the weather was fairly miserable, though it didn't rain. Of course i knew some of the route well; and of course there were a LOT of spectators.

In fact despite having watched several London Marathons when I used to live in the UK, I couldn't quite work out why there were so many supporters who were so crazy. Within a few miles of the start much of the course was packed, and certainly all the second half of the course was. It was helpful at first, and fun reading the various messages for specific runners or for everyone ("your running better than the government"); it was enjoyable touching hands with kids and hitting the "hit me for a boost" signs (or pictures of political leaders). The first half was generally fine, after fighting through an early stitch.

After a while all the cheering felt like I was getting close to the finishing line without actually being anywhere near the finishing line! Soon it was head down time to get through the tough third quarter which seems to go on for a very long time (26 miles is a very long way indeed), and then into the final quarter. At that point the feet were really heavy and the pace was getting slower. I decided not to fight it, and just accept it... plodding along so as not to be in any pain and start to enjoy the views, past the Tower of London, London eye and Parliament up to the Palace, and of course enjoy the noise.

What a noise. From the bands to the supporters. From the guy with a mic on his balcony cracking jokes, to the guy with a horn for honking, there was all sorts of people watching and all sorts of innovations to get spotted. Then of course the costumes: I managed to finish ahead of Big Ben (who amusingly struggled to fit under the finish line), but behind a Wonder Woman (there may have been more than one...). I saw a Womble on the train in the morning, and a Rhino (several miles behind at one of the corners). I passed a couple of Bananas, spiderman, cave woman, and all sorts of other incredible people running for charity.

Thank you to my sisters, brother-in-law, wife and daughters for coming out to support.

Thank you everyone for the support to Tusk!

p.s. I did successfully run 400m in just over a minute on a running machine at the Marathon Expo at World Record Pace, though it is truly incredible that Kipchoge can do that pace for 2 hours.

Photos are https://flic.kr/s/aHsmc2AbS2 and https://www.marathonfoto.com/Proofs?PIN=Y5T333&LastName=LANE

Christmas holiday in Ethiopia - part 3

Next up was a short flight to Gonder. The flights were all very nice, with great views of Ethiopian countryside. Gonder was an ancient capital of Ethiopia back in the day, and had some grand palaces which we visited. Some of the buildings were still in good condition on the outside, but were generally empty inside (some items were elsewhere in other museums). It was still impressive seeing the massive stone palaces, bathhouses, stables, dining rooms and other parts of the palace. Since they are still in their original state they seemed quite authentic. A few miles away we visited the Bathhouse which was a small room in the middle of a massive rectangular swimming pool. Surrounding the pool was a wall, that had mostly been taken over by the trees, and it was all very picturesque.

We also saw one of Ethiopia's most beautiful churches, with incredible frescoes on the walls and ceilings. And outside of Gonder is Falasha, a small village that used to be home to a Jewish community. It is possible to visit the old synagogue (really just a hut with a star of david), and some of the homes with stars of david on them. The Ethiopian jews were mostly airlifted or transported to Israel a decade or two ago (and the stories behind how these happened are well worth looking up, or watching in the the relevant films). The jewish community in Ethiopia has roots going back a very long time, but there is only a few remnants left in Addis now.

We also did a day hiking trip to the Simien Mountains, a spectacular mountain range with its own climate and vegetation, along with wonderful views, and the gelada monkeys, who we saw eating, and also fighting amongst themselves. It was a wonderful day, with a picnic, and good exercise. 

After yet another flight we were back in Addis, where we saw the remains of Lucy (and other ancient prehistoric relations) in the various museums, learned about Ethiopian culture and history in the fairly decent Ethnological Museum, walked around much of the city seeing the backlanes as well as the parks, Hotels and African Union Buildings, and also learned about recent Ethiopian History in the Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum. Guided by someone who was imprisoned during the time of the Derg (who had overthrown the previous dictatorship, only to be much more brutal), it was much like a holocaust museum. Not particularly enjoyable, particularly the torture instruments exhibits and all the skulls!

After an evening meal at Yod Abyssinia for more Injera alongside some Ethiopian cultural dancing, we left for Nairobi.

Thoughts on Ethiopia?

- Go visit, tourist friendly, great sites to see with a huge range from nature to historical to cultural. We didn't even see the South or East of the country.

- Generally friendly people, obsessed with coffee (it is the home of coffee, and the coffee is strong and cheap) and with Injera

- Intriguing history (how come Christianity came to Ethiopia a thousand years ago but didn't go any further into Sub-Saharan Africa until the colonialists arrived?; how did it end up with its own unusual language? how did it manage to bear the Italians in a small war and not be colonised? How has it built such impressive infrastructure under the previous government, and now reforming so rapidly with the new government?)

It is very different to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa and well-worth visiting. 

Christmas holiday in Ethiopia - part 2

In Addis, mum and I then flew to Lalibela, which is famous for its rock-hewn churches from several hundred years ago, after Ethiopia became Christian. There are more than a dozen of them in various clusters, and with different designs depending on who was designing them at the time, and what the purpose of that church was.

Some of the churches were connected by caves or tunnels, and most were dug out of the rock, so they are quite hidden. When there was a ceremony on, as there was in St Mary's Church on St Mary's Day when we happened to be there, it was incredible with the ceremonies, changing and praying inside and outside the churches (many of which are very small). When the churches were otherwise empty it was also quite impressive to see the various carvings and designs used.

Lalibela itself is on the top of a cliff, fairly high-up, with some spectacular views of the valleys, and we stayed in a nice hotel there. We went to a bizarre restaurant (Ben Abeba) run by a Scottish Lady which is on the top of the hill and designed to merge into the hill, once the greenery has grown. We also went on a tour to another monastery a couple of hours away, giving us some views of the countryside, which is lacking any form of modern farming techniques. The monastery was built in a cave, and is very interesting, particularly the stories related to all the corpses buried in the back of the cave.

One morning we were there it was market day, and this was, as most markets are in developing countries, a fantastic experience with tens of thousands of people streaming through and also selling things. The market was open-air and had different sections for spices, animals, vegetables, clothes and all sorts. 

One evening we also had a chance to do a cooking class, learning how to make Injera (the kind of bread/pancake that is the Ethiopian staple) along with some of the dishes that are server on top of it (both meat and vegetables). Ethiopians eat this for most meals, most days. It's not too hard to cook, and does taste good (it is also cheap), though after a week or so, a Westerner may get somewhat bored of it and what to try something else. The cooking class was good - we were only the second customer since it was set up a couple of days earlier but a lady and her sister. 

Christmas holiday in Ethiopia - part 1

After a hectic couple of months I've managed to find some time to upload all my photos from my visit to Ethiopia (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamsphotos/albums/72157705721949224), and share some thoughts on it.

Ethiopia has made a huge investment in its infrastructure in recent years, often built by Chinese companies, and during my time there, I can vouch for how much they have built. After flying into Mekele in Northern Ethiopia and joining a tour of mostly young couples from Europe, we drove for hours on brand new roads past only a few villages to (apparently) the hottest place on earth (measured by average temperature year-round) which is also one of the lowest. The Danakil Depression is really spectacular. Once we arrived in early afternoon we drove onto what is sort of the remains of lake, whilst also still being a lake.

In some parts, all the water has evaporated, leaving only salt, which you can drive on. In other parts, there is still water underneath the salt (think it of it like ice). As you drive up towards it the evaporation over the salt makes your eyes think there is actually water on top of the salt. For hundreds of years locals have dug up the salt and transported it hundreds of miles on camel to sell in markets. Nowadays there are not many people left still doing it, but there are some, and its fascinating seeing them working. Though a few do still go on camel all the way to markets, most get moved onto trucks once the camel gets off the salt plains to the village. We then stopped by a hole in the salt for a dip, which like the Dead Sea is so salty you float. 

Next, a short drive further along the "lake" to the real highlight which is the incredibly colorful eruptions coming out of some small hills. These are bright oranges, yellows, greens and everything in between from chemicals that are coming out of the geological fault lines and seem like paint on the salt floor, whilst also flowing down some small waterfalls in liquid form or erupting in small geysers. Its only a few square kilometers but it is unforgettable (it is also very hot) and really feels like being on Mars. After enjoying the sunset whilst drinking wine on the salt plains, we headed to our hut for dinner and then to the local bar (actually part of the police post), which of course was also the local TV-watching room. Our hut was literally a few wooden poles, and our beds were just like a deckchair, raised a few inches off the ground. We had a thin piece of cloth, but it was more for privacy than anything else as it was still 40 degrees overnight.

The next day was spent mostly in the car driving a massive U to get to a volcano. In a couple of years it will be possible to cut the 7 hour drive to an hour or two once the road is completed making the U a O. But for the moment that is what we did, arriving in the early evening at a camp at the foot of the Volcano; after dusk we commenced the 2 hour or so walk up the volcano to the top, where we had a look in the crater (trying to look past the sulphur smoke coming out) looking for the erupting lava. We slept, outside, on a mat on the floor just on the top of the crater, for a few hours and got up before dawn to go down to look at the crater again. We managed to peak some lava deep in the crater, but not a lot, as there was so much smoke and it was fairly dangerous. We got some spectacular photos of the crater and all the various solidified lava around it from different eruptions over the years, and then climbed back down the volcano. Unfortunately part of the drive to and from the base camp was possibly the bumpiest drive ever, over all the lava rocks, but eventually we left and headed back to the town, via a quick stop at a natural hot springs and a salty lake for a swim (some buoyancy from the salt but not as much as the salt water under the salt plains), and where I flew back to Addis to meet my mum.

Leah at 4

Early October was Leah's fourth birthday party. When she was at Bambini she had a couple of friends, especially Arthur (though as he was French Leah mispronounced his name Achu) although he left earlier this year to go back to France. At the German Kindergarten she has made progress and has a few new friends (though interestingly not that much with Leni, who is a good friend of Hannah's because they were in the same class until Hannah moved up to the primary school), but she's still not the most sociable. Maybe because Hannah has always been her best friend, or maybe it is just her personality?

For her fourth birthday party in early October we had something fairly simple beside the swimming pool at the German School, which is better than our pool, which lacks and chairs or tables or much of a grassy area to run around in. The kids mostly spent time in the swimming pool, and playing some games (we did have one clown come too). Of course the most important thing is the Cake, so in what has become a tradition, we take the kids off to the cake shop to pick the cake they want (it can take a long time to decide!). The present situation is normally fairly easy, with birthday present requests over the years varying from a unicorn to a dinosaur; never anything too expensive thankfully, though there are boxes and boxes of toys that have built up over the years.

Most birthday parties in Kenya amongst our friends are similar affairs involving pools, BBQs/food, bouncy castles and clowns at this age. One friend organised a slime-making birthday party (they also made cookies) and slime seems to be the toy of the year. Another friend organized a proper disco with a tent, lights, and dance teacher for the kids, which was popular.

Leah had a phase where she would hit people if she didn't get her way, though that seems to have passed. She still quickly gets angry and starts shouting though.She's often very stubborn, but can easily be convinced if push-comes-to-shove (e.g. if you don't brush your teeth then the advent calendar is being given to the monkeys). She is usually better when there is only one of us around, and seems to act better without her parents around!

She still understands a lot of Chinese when the Chinese teacher talks or reads books (and most of the TV she and Hannah watches is in Chinese) but Leah is not keen to make the effort to speak Chinese. It didn't change with the month of kindergarten in Shenzhen last year. I am not sure if it will change during the 3 weeks of kindergarten in Beijing this year, but we'll see once kindergarten starts next week. It's probably as much a desire issue as an ability issue. She just doesn't want to and doesn't need to in Kenya at least.

Over the last couple of months she's really enjoyed horse riding and cooking, but has not really gotten into any of her ballet at school. Funnily enough she is very shy in public. At the Christmas concert last week she didn't seek much at all, but in the car home she sang the entire song. She doesn't have the best of singing voices at the moment, but can really get into it!

Though she used to be a very good eater, she's become much more picky and generally refuses to eat vegetables at home, unless she's required to (i.e. no x until you've eaten y). She's very attached to Andrea, and had a hard time when Andrea was gone for a couple of weeks, being especially difficult when a neighbour was taking her and Hannah to and from School every day.

So she's definitely in a slightly awkward time. Though she settled into the German kindergarten quite well (she's not yet speaking much German but that should come next year), she's still learning how to handle her emotions and interact with other people. Let's see what next year brings for her!