Here we are, over a month from our arrival here in Kenya.
I hope that everyone enjoyed celebrating love yesterday! Aria and I
went to see the new Die Hard movie last night. It was quite
entertaining.
My birthday last week on the 5th was just right. We had a meeting with
the Kenyan KFC restaurant about their waste vegetable oil for our
biodiesel project. I wasn't happy to have such a disappointing meeting
on my b day... they will be of no help to us. After that Aria and I
went to the Nairobi Arboretum! That was nice! We saw trees that I
could have never imagined! I really enjoyed a calm day amongst the
trees... the warmest I have ever been on my celebration of life!
Last weekend Aria and I went to the Indian ocean coast! It was
paradise! Our Italian friend Lorenzo was just about to go back to
Italy, and some of our friends that came down from Denmark to do
circus work with children were about to head home, so we all met up in
Diani Beach. Just south of Mombasa, this little jewel opened up a
whole new love and perspective in my life!
We stayed at the Nairobi University Hostel that was super cheap, about
5 bucks a night. Just a stones throw down to the beach from our
housing, we would be eyed by monkeys that danced around us like
children. Very aware, they are snatchers of fruit and shinny objects.
The three of us where taking naps in a bunk room. We left the door
open and sure enough, a monkey came in and got away with 2 of our
three mango's! Our last day one of the guards found us some coconuts
that were ripe. We smashed them open and hand fed the little friends
as a final offering. It was quite amusing. Even then one ran up and
snatched a piece from behind our friend!
The beach had a very fine, white sand. One that I have never seen in
all my travels. It seemed to be silt based as opposed to quartz, as in
our lovely golden Cape Cod sand! Once wet this sand made a hard pack
turf, very firm. The tide was quite dramatic. The difference between
high and low covered about 500 feet of distance. At low tide, exposed
to view, came the true beauty of this place....
The Coral! Some of the closer (and seemed older) coral was exposed at
low tide. Our first day we took a walk out on it to explore! We had to
navigate the clear water for dark spots, which indicated sea urchins!
A step one does not want to take! Once on the exposed coral we began
to search the pools. We found star fish that looked like fake toys,
tiny little neon colored fish, sea urchins, and other amazement's! The
sun was quite brutal (being at the equator) and Aria and I began to
burn. We were saved by some Americans that gave us sun block. We
shared an incredible and much needed conversation!
I rented two pairs of mask-and-snorkel to explore the under. To my
surprise there was not much exciting stuff going on around our local
coral. We enjoyed some cheap meals (about 1.50 $ each) as the 4th
presidential debate played over a near by television. I met a Masai
man who I began to like. He shared time with us as he also tried to
set up a sale, as most of the locals do to "Muzungu's" aka white
people.
The next day our Danish friends insisted on a glass boat tour.
unfamiliar to me, a glass boat is a flat boat with a roof, and two
large sheets of glass in the cabin for people to view . This was
offered to us from one of the beach boys ( a local who walks up and
down the beach trying to hustle Muzungu's). Original offer was for
2,000 Kenyan Shillings per person, about 23 $$. We got the price down
to about $8 per person for the 6 of us, which was worth it!!!! The
boat took us out to a coral a bit farther from shore. Here we met up
with another 4 glass boats full of tourists. We were all issued masks,
snorkels and fins and tossed to explore! I hopped in with excitement
and immediately met one of the local guides. He cracked open a sea
urchin and a swarm of fish began to feed all around me! Incredible!!
Aria and I began to navigate the Alien World!! It was like being in a
totally different world! The coral was all different textures, colors,
and shapes. The water was incredibly salty making it effortless to
float! I can't even begin to explain the beauty we saw; giant clam
like shell animals with 4 different colors, fish of all shape, colors
and sizes, so much neon!! Some of the highlights were a tiny cray
fish with yellow and black stripes guarded by a larger fish, a Lion
Fish!!!, clown fish, many sea snakes (yellow with black stripes), a
school of minnows that surrounded Aria and I, and much more!!
I had "The Life Aquatic" sound track running through my head the whole
time! I totally love exploring the sea! I found a new love! I can't
wait to do it again! Oh and we found a dead sea turtle that washed up
on shore.
Our final day I helped about 15-20 beach boys push a glass boat about
200 feet up the sloped beach. Incredibly hard work, this took about
1.5 hours. Inch by inch, we pushed with all our might. It was amazing
to listen to the men talk in their local tongue, with the "one two
three push" in what I believe was Swahili. We were all payed 100
Kenyan Shillings, about a buck and a half!
Sorry for the length! There was so much more in those three days.Some
pics to follow once I upload!!
in other news, we began construction of our biodiesel processor today!
The project is moving along. We still only have three places we are
collecting from, despite our 1 month of outreach. This is difficult.
We must find more oil.
Send along news from back home! How was the snow storm! Sorry I missed that!
Much love to all!!
Chris-topher and Aria
I hope that everyone enjoyed celebrating love yesterday! Aria and I
went to see the new Die Hard movie last night. It was quite
entertaining.
My birthday last week on the 5th was just right. We had a meeting with
the Kenyan KFC restaurant about their waste vegetable oil for our
biodiesel project. I wasn't happy to have such a disappointing meeting
on my b day... they will be of no help to us. After that Aria and I
went to the Nairobi Arboretum! That was nice! We saw trees that I
could have never imagined! I really enjoyed a calm day amongst the
trees... the warmest I have ever been on my celebration of life!
Last weekend Aria and I went to the Indian ocean coast! It was
paradise! Our Italian friend Lorenzo was just about to go back to
Italy, and some of our friends that came down from Denmark to do
circus work with children were about to head home, so we all met up in
Diani Beach. Just south of Mombasa, this little jewel opened up a
whole new love and perspective in my life!
We stayed at the Nairobi University Hostel that was super cheap, about
5 bucks a night. Just a stones throw down to the beach from our
housing, we would be eyed by monkeys that danced around us like
children. Very aware, they are snatchers of fruit and shinny objects.
The three of us where taking naps in a bunk room. We left the door
open and sure enough, a monkey came in and got away with 2 of our
three mango's! Our last day one of the guards found us some coconuts
that were ripe. We smashed them open and hand fed the little friends
as a final offering. It was quite amusing. Even then one ran up and
snatched a piece from behind our friend!
The beach had a very fine, white sand. One that I have never seen in
all my travels. It seemed to be silt based as opposed to quartz, as in
our lovely golden Cape Cod sand! Once wet this sand made a hard pack
turf, very firm. The tide was quite dramatic. The difference between
high and low covered about 500 feet of distance. At low tide, exposed
to view, came the true beauty of this place....
The Coral! Some of the closer (and seemed older) coral was exposed at
low tide. Our first day we took a walk out on it to explore! We had to
navigate the clear water for dark spots, which indicated sea urchins!
A step one does not want to take! Once on the exposed coral we began
to search the pools. We found star fish that looked like fake toys,
tiny little neon colored fish, sea urchins, and other amazement's! The
sun was quite brutal (being at the equator) and Aria and I began to
burn. We were saved by some Americans that gave us sun block. We
shared an incredible and much needed conversation!
I rented two pairs of mask-and-snorkel to explore the under. To my
surprise there was not much exciting stuff going on around our local
coral. We enjoyed some cheap meals (about 1.50 $ each) as the 4th
presidential debate played over a near by television. I met a Masai
man who I began to like. He shared time with us as he also tried to
set up a sale, as most of the locals do to "Muzungu's" aka white
people.
The next day our Danish friends insisted on a glass boat tour.
unfamiliar to me, a glass boat is a flat boat with a roof, and two
large sheets of glass in the cabin for people to view . This was
offered to us from one of the beach boys ( a local who walks up and
down the beach trying to hustle Muzungu's). Original offer was for
2,000 Kenyan Shillings per person, about 23 $$. We got the price down
to about $8 per person for the 6 of us, which was worth it!!!! The
boat took us out to a coral a bit farther from shore. Here we met up
with another 4 glass boats full of tourists. We were all issued masks,
snorkels and fins and tossed to explore! I hopped in with excitement
and immediately met one of the local guides. He cracked open a sea
urchin and a swarm of fish began to feed all around me! Incredible!!
Aria and I began to navigate the Alien World!! It was like being in a
totally different world! The coral was all different textures, colors,
and shapes. The water was incredibly salty making it effortless to
float! I can't even begin to explain the beauty we saw; giant clam
like shell animals with 4 different colors, fish of all shape, colors
and sizes, so much neon!! Some of the highlights were a tiny cray
fish with yellow and black stripes guarded by a larger fish, a Lion
Fish!!!, clown fish, many sea snakes (yellow with black stripes), a
school of minnows that surrounded Aria and I, and much more!!
I had "The Life Aquatic" sound track running through my head the whole
time! I totally love exploring the sea! I found a new love! I can't
wait to do it again! Oh and we found a dead sea turtle that washed up
on shore.
Our final day I helped about 15-20 beach boys push a glass boat about
200 feet up the sloped beach. Incredibly hard work, this took about
1.5 hours. Inch by inch, we pushed with all our might. It was amazing
to listen to the men talk in their local tongue, with the "one two
three push" in what I believe was Swahili. We were all payed 100
Kenyan Shillings, about a buck and a half!
Sorry for the length! There was so much more in those three days.Some
pics to follow once I upload!!
in other news, we began construction of our biodiesel processor today!
The project is moving along. We still only have three places we are
collecting from, despite our 1 month of outreach. This is difficult.
We must find more oil.
Send along news from back home! How was the snow storm! Sorry I missed that!
Much love to all!!
Chris-topher and Aria