Kongo mosque

Today, I am going to tell you of some of the local routines for the expats and strangers in the area. The mzungus (the Swahili word for stranger, generaly used for white people) enjoy of spending their weekends in Diani, a tropical beach bordered with coconut palms, hotels, expensive resorts, wetern-style restaurants (including fancy Italian restaurants) and disco-bars. Briefing: a place for rest and party, and indulge in mzungu food.

But not everything is that in Diani. One of the less known spots of this place is found in one of the extremes of the beach, close to the mouth of a river and no resorts have conquered the coastal strip yet. Here you can find the Congo mosque, the oldest one in Eastern Africa and which, opposite to all the others, is open for visitors. A small building made of coral stone, placed among ancient baobab trees, just a few meters from the beach, and which turns orange at sunset... when everybody is preparing for their party night.

Back on base...

Well. Almost two full weeks of holiday. Sincerely, I don't remember when did I have such a long break, a period during which I did nothing but enjoying (as my last holidays have always been occupied freelancing or preparing my next trip).
And such an unforgettable trip! I have been to two places I have dreamed of all my life: the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro. I hope you understand it: when I was a little kid, I religiously never missed the wildlife documentary that was forecasted after lunch (in holidays, when I could stay at home after lunch). Hence, being there was absolutely like being 10 years old again. And, regardless to say, I've seen (almost) all the animals I wanted: the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino), cheetahs, hippos, crocs, zebras, wildebeests, serval cats, hyenas, marabus, impalas, dik-diks, elands, baboons, waterbucks, rock hyraxes, foxes... all but the oryx and the african hunting dog (next time, I hope).
But Tarangire National Park was equally amazing, as well as Zanzibar. Ah! (whisper)... Zanzibar... Such a lovely place: history, nature, coral reefs, spices, diving, sunsets, narrow streeted old towns...
But now it's time to go back to work! The Expedition (10 week block in which we work) is close to an end, and afterwards will be time to travel around Kenya and, of course, coming home for Christmas!

In the land of slave and spices trade

Welcome to an island bordered with dreamy beaches delimited by palm trees, in crystalline turquoise waters filled with colorful fishes that thrive in pristine coral reefs, on top of which the traditional dhows still navigate with their triangular sails. An island inhabited by colorful and endemic monkeys, an island in whose deep forests witchcraft is still practiced in the traditional way. An island where you can feel the history in every corner, where the traces of the colonialism and the slave trade are omnipresent. An island whose history is full of romantic tales, adventures, explorations, infamies, slaughters, ivory trade, bloody revolutions, invasions... and where everything is flavored by the smell of spices!
I came to Zanzibar looking for a little relax after a pretty tough period, but I barely stop in my hotel for sleeping! There is so much to do and to see: the spice tour, the Zanzibar red colobus monkey, diving, fortresses, old palaces and harems, the labyrinth of the old town, the markets, the beaches... you know me, and I cannot stop in such a place.
My original plan was to spend one night in Stone Town (the capital), and then head to some beach-relax place. But I got haunted by this city! Of course I have gone out to do and see things, but the part of town is simply so charming! Stone Town seems to be anchored in time: the narrow streets, the people in their traditional costumes, the smell of the spices everywhere... it feel like in a tale from the Arabian Nights.

The green extensions of Africa

The legendary Ngorongoro crater!

Big kitten, version 2.0.

A little piece of the Great  Migration.

Hippos chilling out in their pool.

Message from the Serengeti (Tanzania)

This is going to be short! I greet you from one of the most amazing sites in the planet, and one that made my mind fly since my very early years: the never ending plains, boiling with wildlife, of the Serengeti! I will give you more news soon, but meanwhile...

Me, and the never ending plains behind...

On holiday

Well, at last... after a lot of hard working weeks and weekends, it is already my turn to take a break! And it is not a short one, not: (almost) two weeks of continued holidays! I sincerely don't remember when did I take such a long full break (this means, with no other worries like freelancing or preparing eventual changes of residence).
After a weekend in Mombasa (oh yeah: good food, free place to stay in...) yesterday I took a bus in direction to Arusha... in Tanzania! And that's where I am now. My objective: safari in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro, that is going to occupy my following five days. Then, on Sunday, I will head towards Zanzibar to enjoy of a relaxed time of diving and chilling out! (or at least, that's what I hope).
Hope to find time in this busy schedule to keep you updated...

The dolphin code of conduct

I have once mentioned that GVI, in partnership with the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Services) elaborated in 2007 the firs Cetacean Watching Code of Conduct in Kenya, in order to regulate the dolphin watching industry and ensure its sustainability. So, here you have the contents of this Code:

-          If you sight dolphins, slow down gradually, approach slowly, keep parallel to dolphin course, avoid sudden changes in boat speed or direction.

-          Do not chase, drive directly or encircle dolphins.

-          Move away slowly if dolphins show signs of distress: slap tail on the surface of the water, changes on direction or long dives.

-          Avoid dolphins with young: stress endangers their survival.

-          Do not swim, touch or feed dolphins.

-          If you encounter the dolphins while snorkeling, remain calm, let the dolphins approach you, don’t attempt to feed or touch them.

-          Ensure that there are no more than 2 boats at the same time with the dolphins.

-          Keep a 100 meter distance if there are already 2 boats with the dolphins.

-          Don’t spend more than 15 minutes with the dolphins.

Even though, this Code is difficult to enforce, and boats are often found breaking it.

The legend of Mwauzi Tumbe

Once upon a time, five centuries ago, the Shirazi people sailed across the Red Sea in seven boats lead by Sir Hasssan bin Ali, coming from the old kingdom of Persia. Some sailed to Lamu, others to Zanzibar and some to Zanzibar, and one to Mombasa. On the boat that landed in Mombasa there was a King’s daughter that settled in Msambweni, a little further up the coast from Shimoni., and a village was named Vumbe in her honor. Later, the Shirazi moved along the cross and settled down in Wasini Island, in Mkwiro village.

The people from Mkwiro were famous for being master drum makers and known to possess magical drum beats. The Vumbe were jealous of the skills of their new neighbors, and decided to attack them to steal their drums.  For that, they decided the best strategy was to marry a girl from the Shirazi village and use her to “cry wolf”. The girl, called Mwauzi Tumbe, loved her husband so much that she agreed to participate in the plan. She went to her village and yell “war, war!”, and the Shirazi ran out to protect their village, only to discover that there was nobody out there. Some days passed and once again the girl called for war again. The people from Mkwiro went rapidly to defend their possessions once more, and once more they found out that nobody was attacking them. A few days later, she cried out again but, this time, nobody believed her. And it was this time when the people from Vumbe attacked Mkwiro, ransacked it and stole the drums.

Mwauzi Tumbe came back to her husband after betraying her people, but the Vumbe were not too impressed with her neither: if she could betray to her own people, why wouldn’t she do that to them? So they took her to the tiny island of Kisite and let her there to die.

But the gods were not happy with this, and famine felt over both villages: no rain and no fish in the sea. The Vumbe and the Shirazi went to visit the shaman, who told them the gods were unhappy with their behavior and the way Mwauzi Tumbe had been treated: they should amend the damage done. The two tribes sailed to Kisite, brought back her body and buried it in the sacred forest Kaya Bogoa, close to Mkwiro.

Nowadays, this is still a cult place, signaled clearly and treated with respect, and the story of Mwauzi Tumbe and the drums from Mkwiro is still known in the island.

Kayas

Who cares about the conservation of the small and degraded piece of forest that is Shimoni East? Well, not a lot of people out of GVI and FSF... but some of them do. For instance, the elders from the village. The ones that still go to the remote sanctuaries in the forest, known as "kayas" to pray and practice their traditional beliefs. Some of them, over a hundred years old, have been adventuring onto the depths of the forest for decades to arrive to this sacred places, even in the times (not so long ago) in which you could encounter dangerous animals such as elephants and hyenas in between the trees.
So what are exactly this places? They are a particular spot of the forest, generally a clearing or a cave, in which a spirit lives (or is supposed to live). So people go to this places in order to pray, ask for things or give thanks for things the spirit has done for them. They are not particularly striking or distinct from the surrounding woods, but they have been chosen by the spirits to live in them.
The person that approaches the Kaya, generally an old man, goes there at night, often naked. It stops in the "door" of the Kaya, to ask for permission to enter to the main place. The permission is granted in exchange for a small sacrifice, which is most of times a bottle of rosewater (that's why there are a lot of glass bottles in this particular spot) but that, in times, could be even a human sacrifice. Obviously, this is not practiced any longer. I hope.
Then, the person can access to the Kaya itself. There, it is the place for praying, asking for help or giving thanks. The believer shall carry a colored bracelet according to the purpose of its visit: black, red or white, depending whether it asks for the help in the resolution of a conflict, ask a good, give thanks...
In some cases, the spirit may even decide to show himself to the believer, in different shapes. It may be even the shape of a male lion, approaching the old man while praying naked in the night darkness of the deep forest...but we all know that there are no lions in the Shimoni forest.

Hassan, the forest guide, leading the way to the Kayas.

Shimba Hills NP

Some weeks ago, I profited of one of my scarce (and, consequently, extremely valuable) free weekends to go on the trip who was my first safari ever. We went on a two-day trip to the National Park of Shimba Hills, known by its evergreen forests, elephants and the very rare sable antelope (being the only place in Kenya were you can see this gorgeous animal). And, curiously, it remembered me so much of Northern Spain: tall covered with lush forests and green grasslands. Until you see the fauna and realize of the size of the trees (obviously, in Spain we don't have elephants).
Summing up: even in this park is severely neglected due to the proximity of Tsavo, and due to the lack of big cats (no lions, and leopards and hyenas, even if present, are extremely difficult to see) this park thrives with wildlife, and the scenery is one of the most impressives I have seen so far in this part of the continent. But, this is maybe only because I felt in love with the sable antelope... once again, biologist friends, you understand me!

Giraffes.

Who cares about cars coming? The road is such a nice place for a sunbath!

Forest elephant

Pumba and some friends.

The most dangerous of the big five: buffaloes.

A curious bushbaby.

Yes, it's a squirrel.

The sable antelopes.