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!

Malindi

In September I went back to Durban for another conference, and in October to Johannesburg for a similar reason (though I also popped in to our fairly new office complex which is almost as green as Shenzhen HQ with lakes and waterfalls). It does make a nice change to travel occasionally and it is nice that it is not too often.

During October school half-term my Dad came out and we went to Malindi and rented a place by the beach, just to the north of the town, where the beach stretches for kilometers and is empty all the time. It is great for running, though of course fairly primitive. Just by the town itself the beach has a small pier, which is occasionally packed. We did go to some places to the south of the town where there are a few more hotels and beach bars, but still quite basic and not very busy (December should be peak period). The kids were a bit put-off by the 10 minute walk to the beach and spent most of the time in the pool, making the most of their mermaid costumes (at least Hannah was, since she can swim) with mermaid tails which enable swimming butterfly-style. In fact it was hard to get them out of the pool and we were worried they would get sunburnt!

Airbnb has really broadened up the opportunities for tourists along the whole coastal areas as many holiday homes are available. With fairly low demand, and more and more supply through airbnb, prices are good and there are a lot of options (though many of the nice hotels are still expensive) which tend to come with cooks and cleaners.

Malindi has historically been the center of Italian life in Kenya and still many properties are owned by Italians, and there are some good restaurants in town. Though the town itself does not have too much to see, transport by tuk-tuk is fairly easy, its a short flight from Nairobi, and its not expensive.

Nearby (heading south towards Watamu) is one of the major historical sights of Kenya, called Gede Ruins, which are the remains of a town from 500+ years ago which was quickly abandoned and of which the remains are fairly good quality. It is well worth a visit, though the guide struggled to keep the kids entertained with the history of the place and the buildings. There are several complexes available for viewing and many still have walls as well as foundations. It reminded me of visiting Roman ruins in Barcelona or the UK. 

Next door was a butterfly center which has a short tour and talk about butterflies whilst walking in the butterfly house, but is primarily a social enterprise. This means it helps create work for locals, it does this by helping locals breed butterflies which it then sells to butterfly centers across the world. With butterflies only living a couple of weeks, there is a steady stream of revenue (the larvae are flown overseas) though butterflies don't sell for a lot of money.It was certainly not something that I would have ever thought of but was interesting!

Also near Gede is a little-known tourist attraction next to Mida Creek. The Creek itself is great for exploring by boat and seeing the birds, mangroves and small islands. Beautiful water for swimming in too. The attraction that was built is a boardwalk, that stretches for a few hundred meters about 2 meters above the mangrove forests. The fact that about a third of the wooden planks are missing makes it quite an adventure, especially with kids! I'd highly recommend spending a day there with a walking tour around the creek, another tour of some local villages, and a meal at the ecocamp making for a packed day. The local village tour included the rice-wine that I'd sampled in Lamu before (made from coconuts), coconuts, and a visit to some of the locals' houses and even the local cinema (i.e. a hut with a TV). The whole host of activities has been set-up by some entrepreneurial locals.

Next time we might head to a different beach, but Malindi is definitely worth visiting. Though I returned early back to work, the rest of the family also found a place to visit with owls and eagles and the like (which like the butterfly center rarely gets any tourists), so there are a few things to do beyond just the pool and the beach.

German School

In late August, Leah moved from the local kindergarten (Bambini) to the German kindergarten; a switch which went fairly smoothly. It probably helped that Hannah was just one building over, and that Leah was already friends with one girl in her new class. With both kids at the same school, we decided that Andrea would drive them to school, stay and work from nearby the school or at the school itself, then drive them home afterwards, rather than using the school bus (which was fairly expensive, and took a long time). It did cause some problems with Leah running out of her class looking for Andrea at the beginning, but it settled down and Leah seems fine, with a few German words already coming.

Hannah moved up from the kindergarten to the primary school (you need to be 6 to start the primary school), and though it didn't really seem like a big deal to me (she's already had her first day at kindergarten in Beijing, and in Shenzhen and in Nairobi, and now she was only moving from one building to another one), it was celebrated as a big thing at the German School. There was a whole ceremony with a show from older primary school kids, speeches, photos and shultute that parents watched. I am not sure Hannah felt particularly different compared to kindergarten, and the schedule is still similar with classes in the mornings and after-school activities in the afternoons. 

She does, finally, have more normal school lessons (as the kindergarten is not very academic in the German system, but primary school is) with maths, english, german, art, science and even ethics. They start learning to read and write (in German, they won't confuse the kids with reading/writing English until next year) using an approach focusing on syllables rather than letters. And they have homework. Hannah has always enjoyed doing homework since she had it in kindergarten in Shenzhen. Long may that continue!

The afternoon activities at the German school are quite good for both Leah and Hannah. Leah is doing cooking, karate, ballet and swimming for example. Hannah is doing cycling, scouts and ballet. The Chinese teacher also comes to kindergarten to do some lessons a few times a week, to fill in some gaps. So far everything is going well though it is becoming more demanding for us parents. Not only the homework support but also teacher-parent days and much more. They are very keen to keep parents informed on what the kids do and how to help them.

Their classmates are a big mix: the German school (especially at the playgroup and kindergarten stage) is quite popular amongst Kenyans, and also non-Germans who like the "play rather than study" approach, or just like the location of the school. As kids get older though the numbers tend to fall, and usually there is only one class per year group (which means class sizes of around 20-25, though this year Hannah's year has two classes, each around 17 kids per class), and more of those remaining are of course those who are German, half-German or German speaking, but that still leaves quite a diverse group of classmates. All communication with parents is in both English and German since at least one of the parents often doesn't speak German.

The school is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year but it's current compound is less than a decade old I think. It has all the normal things a school should have along with a swimming pool, volleyball court, tennis court etc. Although its certainly not the most modern or grandest school in town compared to some others, at least some of the fees seem to be reinvested into the facilities quite regularly. The focus is really on the teaching and activities for children than facilities, and so far so good!

Durban and Lamu

A couple of months ago I went to Durban for the first time. Though I was there for work and didn't see much of the city, the hotel was right on the beach promenade, and it is a fantastic beach promenade: along several kilometers there is a perfect beach, a theme park, aquarium, a few small water parks, lots of showers and cafes and a well-used cycling and walking path.

I attended a meeting at the conference center in the World Cup stadium there; a nice stadium but it doesn't seem like is used much. I was reminded though that South Africa is a strange place with some very typical African problems in terms of inequality and crime, some unique ones in terms of racial conflict, and then infrastructure as good as much of Europe which doesn't look like Africa at all. 

Last month I also went back to Lamu, a county, a town and an island on the Kenyan coast neighboring Somalia, where I've been a frequent visitor for a health project for a few years. The town itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the oldest towns in the region with a long trading heritage with the middle east. Most people in the town are muslim, and the town has no roads, just tiny streets, large, solid stone houses, and then some small villages with huts on the sand stretching across the mostly barren island.

It is hard to describe Lamu town really, because it is very local, with a bustling market and everyone involved in trade or fishing. There is a tourism industry, mostly in the neighboring village of Shela, a half an hour walk along the coast from Lamu town itself. There is a wide range of hotels from backpacker budget to luxury private beaches and everything in between. All the buildings are spectacular, the weather is always great, and the fish and swahili food is excellent. Time stands still and no-one is in a hurry. There are some things to see, like the fort, the museum, some villages, and various ruins, as well as explore the other islands on the picturesque Dows (a wooden boat).

Many wealthy Europeans have houses in Shela and its very quiet and clean compared to Lamu; there are even some small tourist boutiques in dramatic contrast to Lamu town with very local shops providing the fundamentals along with some craft workshops that still make traditional wooden doors and furniture in a unique style. 

Of course something else somewhat special in Lamu is the mode of transport (apart from boats), which is primarily on donkey, well at least for transporting goods, as donkeys are the only things that can squeeze in the narrow alleyways (apart from a few wider streets that you can push a handcart down). Though recently some motorbikes have appeared (controversially) to go up and down the promenade, and out to some villages.

I'm sure I'll be back there again, hopefully one day as a tourist!

World Cup in Kenya

So the World Cup is over now - the Kenyans have been watching it, though maybe not avidly. The local media has of course been disappointed that no African teams did very well (the Kenyan team is not particularly good and has never participated in a World Cup). Football is probably the most popular sport in Kenya, though the Kenyan National team do better at some other sports, including Rugby, as well as athletics of course. Most Kenyans support a Premier League club, and there is not much interest in the other leagues (though of course some interest in some of the other superstars around the World)

Certainly it has been on all the TVs in all the restaurants and bars (it is very common for restaurants to have TVs, especially local joints, though usually showing the news). Even our local vegetable street stall downstairs had it on the TV (they have a few other light bulbs in their tent too); I can't recall them having a TV before the World Cup, but maybe they did. It was also easy to watch the World Cup online, as the main mobile phone company had a deal with one of the broadcasters which made it quite affordable to watch in on one's phone (many matches were also on the state broadcaster, as well as on the expensive satellite station).

I think most Kenyan men especially like going to one of the many many bars around town, some small joints along the street in tents or small buildings; others larger in former houses now converted or in shopping malls and other buildings. The World Cup was as good a reason as any to get our more, and the timing was very good (the same time zone as Moscow). 

In general it seemed they liked to support the underdogs, and not one team in particular, and most days the scores of the night before would take up a small part of the front page with further reporting inside, though of course the larger and more important matches took over most of the front pages.

Towards the end of the competition some MPs took a selfie of themselves watching a game. The problem is they were actually in the stadium in Russia watching it, using taxpayers money to study how to organize large-scale events. This became a big storm in the media who enjoyed adding up how much the trip would have cost including their daily allowances, the hotels, flights, match tickets etc. The trip was officially approved (at least for some of them), so they didn't do anything wrong; it is just what happens...They would, it was promised, write a report to parliament on what they had learnt. 

The media of course pointed out that it didn't need a dozen people to go, they didn't need to book their flights last minute (which were expensive), they didn't need to attend such expensive matches, and of course, Kenya is very unlikely to ever host such a large sporting competition ever. It even had the regional African Nations Championships tournament given to Morocco instead recently as stadiums weren't yet ready (this is not even the more prestigious, more well-known African Cup of Nations; the 16 teams playing in the African Nations Championships are only allowed to field players who play in Kenya, not players who play overseas). I don't know how much the MPs really studied the logistics, operations, maintenance, construction, media, sponsorship and other important aspects of the competition that might be useful, but we'll have to see if the report is every made public!

Laikipia

It rained a fair amount the week before last when I spent the week at a hotel the other side of Lake Naivasha (a two-hour drive away) for a conference. Having a golf course nearby provided a suitable place for running anyway and keeping up the training in preparation for doing a full off-road marathon at the end of June. Earlier this month, during a three-day holiday weekend I did slightly more than a half marathon off road in Laikipia, the same area where the full marathon will be. A very tough route included a couple of miles of full-on mud and a lot of hills, and beautiful views of the snowy peaks of Mount Kenya during the whole run.  It was organized by a campsite, so less than a hundred runners took part, but it was well organized and enjoyable. I saw a few locals who lived alongside the route but I wouldn't say they were there to watch: they were just out working in the fields or outside their huts.

During that weekend, with a few other families, we rented a large house nearby that was beautifully furnished and with spectacular views as well as an amazing swimming pool. The kids all ran around a lot and parents relaxed before and after the run. Kenya is full of amazing houses, lodges and other places built in rural areas in a completely different side to the country compared to the urban chaos (although there are still many amazing houses in the suburbs of the main cities, which were in the countryside when they were built)!

I actually went up to the area where the marathon will be for a few days to visit some of the community projects there that we support through our sponsorship of the race. The Lewa conservancy is incredibly well run and does tremendous amounts of work in the communities so the communities not only support the and benefit from conservancy (rather than resent the land that is set aside for wildlife), but also so they themselves are willing to prevent, deter and even monitor potential poachers. 

The conservancy has a great security set-up (including a system to monitor where many of the animals are, which are wearing collars, along with the rangers and that can also track and respond to any incidents reported in/by local communities) but it is clear that is success is mostly based on successful community engagement. From supporting water irrigation projects to clinics, schools and fencing to keep wildlife away from villagers' land, they end up letting the local government off the hook for its responsibilities. In fact it seemed to me that Lewa has almost become a police force for a major part of the region, with its security forces monitoring and responding to incidents every day, most not being related to wildlife (there is police liaison officer stationed with them).

The whole region in that area is full of conservancies, which are privately owned and managed parks to protect wildlife. It is actually incredible to see how much of Kenya is either national parks or conservancies, which is certainly positive in terms of wildlife protection. Some areas are just privately owned farms (often but not always run by White Kenyans) though, and those are areas that have been scenes of conflict during areas of drought where locals would be desperate to look for more land to graze their animals (though, as with most things in Kenya, apparently local politics also had much to do with the conflict as local politicians sought opportunities to benefit).

In Lewa I was able to stay at and visit some of the very nice high-end tourism lodges there which are all stunningly designed with incredible service. I can see why some people pay so much to stay there, though as a Kenyan residents the rates are much more affordable and good value for money. Of course much of the income goes towards conservation. 

This part of Kenya is not particularly accessible so there are a lot of small, often grass, airstrips and a few airlines that run services, almost like a bus. The planes often sit between 10-20 people and every day the route will change based on who has bought tickets. On our way out we stopped first at the Mount Kenya Safari Club airstrip to drop some passengers off. On our way back out we first went further North to pick up some passengers from another lodge in Samburu (really in the middle of nowhere, I didn't see any tarmac roads anywhere as we landed) before turning around to head back to Nairobi. 

From the plane it is clear how empty so much of Kenya is, how barren it is, and also how little transport there is. The views from these low-flying aircraft are fantastic and really interesting. After half an hour we reached the more fertile and populated areas, and then we came into Nairobi. Seeing the changes (as well as Mount Kenya in the distance dominating the skyline) makes it a very enjoyable trip.

We'll be back again in two weeks for the race!

Mating!

Early in the year we were given a couple of bunny rabbits which kept the kids entertained for a few weeks (they then got bored of having to take them downstairs to play from their hutch on our balcony)... the bunny rabbits became just rabbits, and too large for the kids to even get in/out of the box to take them downstairs. A few weeks ago one of the rabbits began shedding a lot of hair and the next day we noticed six small hairless ugly things in the hutch. Well, three have grown hair, become cute and survived into adulthood, after we were told we had to kick the male out of the hutch.

Though the little TV the kids watch is usually cartoons in Chinese to help with the language, I also think its better they watch some real TV sometimes or good Disney movies which nice plots and characters. So sometimes they go to the cinema, or watch something on our portable projector at home. Last week I thought they could get into some non-fiction, so they've been watching BBC Earth's Africa series. Attenborough at his best, and the footage is spectacular: it covers birdlife, large mammals, small insects, oceans, lakes, savannahs, forests and much more. The kids have generally enjoyed it, however most of the episodes are all about birth, fighting, death and mating... whether animals, insects or flowers. It's a bit much for the kids sometimes, especially the part with the baby elephant dying from the drought.

Talking about fighting, Leah still occasionally has bursts where she'll hit people if she is angry and unhappy... usually teachers or parents, so this is something we still need to work on. She's not great at controlling her anger. Maybe its the terrible threes or something! In other news, tennis continues and Hannah has experimented with several dance classes and currently enjoys tap dancing, though Leah has decided against it. The kids are definitely sprinters rather than distance runners. They often enjoy running so much that if they complain about walking, they'll prefer to run (which is more of a game) instead!

This week is also a little more than a month since Hannah got her smartwatch, enabling us to call her and see her location at any time (and see how many steps she does each day!). A relatively expensive luxury but quite useful. We can see the ridiculous route that her school bus takes as it picks up and drops off other kids taking more than an hour each way mostly, so after the Summer we'll work out an alternative for her and Leah (Leah will also start at the same school as Hannah soon). Generally Hannah doesn't complain too much about the bus, occasionally listens to music and often talks to friends.

After a couple of relatively dry weeks, we can be be fairly sure the rainy season has basically ended so the government have been out fixing roads, thankfully, as the storms had made the roads so bad they made driving dangerous as cars weaved all over the place to dodge holes that were often half a meter or more deep, let alone the traffic jams ensuing from the slow driving.

Meanwhile our apartment complex invested in a borehole to directly get underground water instead of buying in trucks of water every week (drinking water is still provided separately)... there was a lot of noise for a week. Last year it also invested in a backup generator in case of power cuts. Despite all the rain these last three months the Nairobi Water company still does not provide regular water supplies, hence the need for trucks or boreholes; and Kenya Power does not provide regular electricity either (most of the electricity comes from hydropower or geothermal; hydropower is affected by the rains) though often both companies suffer from the infrastructure as much as the water or power generation.

Dealing with the rain and Easter

A whole two months have passed since the last blog which is unacceptable. There's no doubt how long it has been: just look at the size of the bunnies which are now definitely rabbits. It really is time to work out what the gender is of the two rabbits...

Since the last blog we had our annual team building and awards dinner event, though it was somewhat disrupted my the rain. In fact the rainy season came early and the rain is still coming down hard two months later... and there's possibly two more months to go of the "long rains". It is filling up the reservoirs, but causing havoc in rural areas. Actually the drainage on the newer roads in Nairobi is fairly good, but not as good on the older roads or the more densely populated areas. It tends to mostly rain overnight, but it does rain a fair bit during the daytime as well; or at least it is this year. The roads themselves, unfortunately, can't handle the rain as well as the drainage ditches alongside and underneath them (there are a lot of rivers around Nairobi). As they degrade, and the stop-gap stones dumped in holes get washed out again, at least it saves on building speed bumps!

I was in Malaysia for a few days for the World Urban Forum (In Malaysia it rains every day around 5pm for a couple of hours, and it is fairly regular) which was fairly interesting. I went to visit Kenya's main e-waste center, which is doing its best, but mostly just sorts and exports for actual disposal elsewhere. It's also been non-stop conferences in Kenya, since the cabinet was confirmed (and the opposition has come to an uneasy truce with the ruling party), business has not just gone back to normal, but has tried to catch up on a lost year. And this means lots of conferences, speaking or attending which are part of my job. Few are that useful, but some are necessary. Some are less necessary and I'm fast learning which are which. I'v sent interns to some, and just got hold of the notes/presentations of others. In the meanwhile there's plenty of nice food and lots of tea breaks (the Kenyans love their tea and cakes during conferences). 

Meanwhile during a couple weeks of Easter I gained way too much weight across Manchester, Birmingham, London and Germany. Going to Cadbury's World during Easter was never going to be a healthy encounter; any time near my mum's house is time spent eating (fantastic food). There was occasional exercise, chasing kids in museums, Go Apeing, or trying to run in flooded fields. We managed a few short walks in the Cotswords and Parks of the Midlands during short trips with my family which showed the kids can walk a long way when accompanied by family, pets or ice cream! The weather was warmer in Germany, but the highlight of the two weeks was Hannah getting the confidence to abandon her swimming bands and actually her the swimming skills she has had for almost two years.

The girls and I are doing quite well managing when Andrea travels for her PhD: they tend to survive on simple food interspersed with leftovers from restaurants. Today Hannah enjoyed her first tennis lesson and second viewing of Peter Rabbit. I suppose that is one way to try to get some English culture when rarely actually living in England or having many English friends. At least she gets all the fairy tales from the stories. She's made great progress with her simple maths, and is beginning to make progress on at least writing and recognizing letters which should soon lead to actual reading, hopefully by the end of the year, and then we can start her on reading some classic English books. 

It's an ongoing consideration, as parents, to resist the demand for TV and encourage more indoor play, outdoor play, art or homework. In fact the kids enjoy TV the least of all the options, but it still seems to be a regular request that needs to be side-stepped or avoided (or when it is granted, is in Chinese only). I think we are doing fairly well with this so far, and that we're lucky that our two daughters are so happy playing together so much of the time. A shame they don't seem to care too much for those rabbits now they are so big...

Jazz festivals, play dates, and new four-legged additions to the family

Today we went to the Safaricom Jazz festival which is held in the grounds surrounding the national stadium, with a large stage and overhead pavilion to provide shade for several thousand, many food and drink stalls, and a large kids area.

Though we spent some time at the music stage when we first arrived, and again later as we ate, 80% of the time was in the very hot midday sun at the play area: riding camels and horses, watching magic shows, riding a circular train, jumping on trampolines and playing inside various other balls floating on water. Even though young kids are free, even the adult price ticket of $20 would still be worth it for the kids to be able to have so much fun for 6 hours. They'd have kept going longer but I managed to get them away before the predictable breakdown (caused by tiredness and heat) began... there had been a warning from a collision on the bouncy castle (resolved by an offer of chips for dinner). 

With hair washed and both kids asleep by 8pm, it was a successful, an unusual night. During most of the last four weeks when Andrea's been away, they've been going to bed later once I've got home from work, sorted out dinner of some sort and then got them to bed. During that time I also had to fly to Malaysia for a day, leaving the kids with Mary-Anne for a weekend, who was Leah's teacher last year and is the person we rely on to look after the kids in the afternoons when Andrea is away. The kids have managed great and its nice to spend a lot of time with them!

Over the last few weeks there have been some birthday parties (usually at the house of a kid with swimming or bouncy castles or other entertainment) as well as an interesting talk by a former astronaut that I attended at one of the Country Clubs (there are a few elite, members-only, colonial-era country clubs). We've been at other friend's houses playing, eating and painting at River Cafe in Karura Forest, and trying to give the rabbits exercised. I'd also attended the Kenyan Sportsperson of the Year Award (SOYA) invited by a friend and sat next to Edna Kiplagat, who won the Boston Marathon last year (and she's older than me, which is incredible)! It was quite inspiring with so many categories for community and school sports teams and individuals, but especially the focus on coaches and teams, even though I was not aware of who most of the people were. My friend introduced me to most of the former winners though... reeling off what long-distance world record or marathon or Olympic medal they had achieved as she introduced them to me!

The rabbits had been offered to us by my boss when his daughter left them behind when she returned to South Africa, and we've invested in a hutch and "runway" (as the local who build it called it). Both were handmade; the hutch by an entrepreneur in the Eastleigh part of town, an area with a lot of markets and Jua Kali (local street side craftsmen and entrepreneurs, and the runway at our house by the former gardener of a friend. We're hoping it has a positive impact on the kids to take some responsibility for them, but of course the early excitement has somewhat died down.

The Malaysia trip was fairly successful (organizing an event as part of the World Urban Forum), and work has been busy, with the odd interview on television, speeches at events and interesting discussions with all kinds of people on how to use technology to improve life in Kenya. Now the election is over, the new cabinet is finally in place, work is beginning to move forward again after the challenges of last year. There is a lot planned for this year, so fingers crossed things go well!

Hannah's birthday party

Hannah had her birthday party two weeks ago: several friends (and their brothers/sisters) at Nairobi Art Center making and painting clocks, along with some gymnastics and games in the garden there.

Most birthday parties this age in Kenya (at least for well-off people) involve something like this. Leah's was similar (though with a bouncy castle). Others may have acrobatics displays (as happened yesterday at the birthday party of Hannah's best friend, Padme) or organised activities like playing drums. Of course there's some food provided depending on the time of the party, often including a BBQ as meat is eaten so much here, and there's a variety of different portable BBQs around. One was meant to cook a few pizzas in a vertical stack.

As with Leah, we went to the local Cake Shop down the road and ordered a cake, balancing the desire for pink icing (the soft icing is not as bad as hard icing) with the opportunity to have a cake that is actually nice (chocolate fudge). We encouraged Hannah's friends to give arty presents instead of toys, and now our living room looks more like an art studio there is so much stuff everywhere: some completed, some underway, and all the paints and other things around.

This year Hannah didn't have a breakdown during the games like she did last year, and managed to keep her calm well during the treasure hunt to show she is maturing. Incredible that she is six years old and ready for primary school. She enjoys writing though she can't spell yet so we need to help tell her what letters to write. Still some way to go with reading, but that will be next as the German system doesn't start that until primary school after they are six.

She's fine playing downstairs on her own and usually gets off the school bus and comes up on her own, though we're not yet ready for her to go alone to wait for the bus in the morning, where she might be waiting around and it's still quite dark that early.

Christmas and New Year in Kenya

After a year of many public holidays, another few have passed. With the girls still in China, I've had a few weekends and evenings to myself, though work was still fairly busy. Apart from running, I watched a few movies and did some reading. There was also a bike ride through some tea plantations in Tigoni, not far from Nairobi. Nairobi is fairly quiet without much traffic as most people all go back to their villages in the countryside for Christmas, and some head off for vacations on the coast or elsewhere.

Aside from the odd pop-up Christmas shop and aisle here and there, there's not too much in the way of Christmas decorations around town, at least not compared to Europe or the US, though in some way its nice not for it to be too commercial (and waste money on trees and lights everywhere in a poor country). Still, as many Kenyans are fairly religious (mostly Christians, some some muslims), millions of WhatsApp messages were sent at Christmas.

During the last two weeks a friend has adopted me into her family - with her two sisters as well as various spouses and children around - so I went over for drinks one night, Christmas Lunch one day, and away for two nights over New Year around Lake Naivasha.

Christmas was most notable for finding a Christmas Pudding from a local Kenyan company in a tin: after boiling it for an hour and setting the brandy around it on fire, it wasn't too bad (the custard helped). There were also mince pies, a ginormous turkey and much more besides. Various interesting people were there from the UN, media and even a politician.

The night before New Year's Eve we stayed at Olerai House, a farm owned by a couple who run the Save the Elephants NGO. The rooms and houses (including a converted dairy) are beautifully decorated and Oria, the owner, is a wonderful, fascinating and incredible hostess who is a delight to talk to. The food is very good (much is grown in their own organic farm). There are also plenty of swings from the trees and a swimming pool. The large conservancy borders the lake and has hundreds of zebra, gazelle, monkeys, warthogs and hippos amongst many other animals which walk right next to the houses and people. I had a wonderful run doing laps of the airstrip and even saw a baby hippo.

For New Year's Eve we stayed at Sanctuary Farm, also on the lake, with a stables that has been converted into a dozen rooms or so, and a clubhouse that now serves as a restaurant since the polo ground is no longer used. We went Horse riding which was a great way of getting close to the animals on the farm, especially the zebras and wildebeest who let you get very close when you are on a horse (and its safer than being on foot). We had a very nice New Year's Eve dinner before the fireworks and in the morning did the hour-long climb up to the crater at Mount Longonot, two years since I was last there.

There are so many wonderful cottages and farmhouses in Kenya, though these may be some of the best around that area. They all have so much history and their owners have a lot of character. They provide a nice getaway from the city and interesting people to talk to, as well as a place to relax right next to the animals. I'll certainly have to bring the family back another time. 

Traffic Lights in Nairobi

Nairobi has 1 major thoroughfare running from south-east to north-west, and despite a southern bypass allowing trucks to avoid going through the city center (a northern bypass is also coming soon) the road is often a major blockage for people trying to cross that road. There are also a couple of other major thoroughfares, especially one running off the main one to the north-east which is also chock-a-block during rush hour (though empty in the opposite direction).

Traffic in Nairobi is not as bad as many other places around the world or Africa, but at rush hour it can be a problem, particularly at the 3 or 4 roundabouts close together near the town center (which is just to one side of this main thoroughfare). 2 of the roundabouts have traffic lights, but they vary between being off, flashing, or being on. It doesn't matter which state they are in because they are not followed even when the are on. During rush hour there will be traffic police on those roundabouts (and also on the ones without traffic lights) and they'll direct traffic no matter what state the traffic lights are in.

These are basically the only traffic lights in entire city (and probably the entire country actually), and they don't work. Actually there is also a set of traffic lights close to the UN which work and are followed. But when a new set of traffic lights opened a month or so ago just a few hundred meters from the set by the UN, for on the first day everyone ignored them, on the second day some people ignored them and on the third day a traffic policeman turned up to try to enforce people to use them. Even a week later often some local drivers, and especially the public transport minibuses (privately run, known as a matatu) still ignored them.

Now two weeks ago another set of traffic lights were turned on. These were on a brand new road which is also an important thoroughfare this time going from the city center to the south-east, (though it is only a dual carriageway, unlike the other one going north-east which is often three or four lanes each way). Something similar happened here: first they were ignored entirely, then semi-ignored and now, after some enforcement they are being mostly followed (at least be traffic; the pedestrians are still not really following them (it is an area with a lot of pedestrian traffic, unlike the other traffic lights).

Now two weeks later, something else has happened--as i found out when i took the shuttle bus home from work. The driver didn't go up to the traffic lights (where he'd turn left), but instead turned left down a small side road beforehand, then turned a right to come out where he wanted to go; in effect, doing the other two sides of a square compared to the two sides on the main road. And everyone else was copying him (in both directions) since it was quicker than waiting at the traffic lights. It might not have been an intended consequence, but I suppose it doesn't really too much harm--unless you live on those street that now have a lot of extra traffic on them!

We've also been doing a new traffic light project: ours are "smart" in that there are cameras monitoring the flow of traffic and adjusting the timings accordingly (rather than just operating on fixed timings).Hardly revolutionary technology compared to the developed world, but still...There are 7 sets and the first ones started being turned on last week.... Let's see how things go with these ones :)