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Tuesday 27 July 2004
Bombolulu Workshops and Craft Centre, Bamburi, Mombasa
Here 150 people with a variety of physical disabilities are trained and employed in handicraft production. Their bags beads, woodcrafts and other items are sold locally to tourists and exported to 'fair trade' organisations including Oxfam. We were encouraged to chat to the workers who were very skilled, producing high quality goods. An inspiring visit.
After a lunch of local dishes we toured Mombasa Island.
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Wednesday 28 July 2004
Haller Park, Bamburi
Today some of the party took a boat out to the coral reef while others headed for Haller Park. This is part of the reclamation project of the quarries of the Bamburi cement works – so we can tell David Waugh how it has progressed. Established only 33 years ago the wildlife park looks as it if it has been there forever. We would like to bring home the giant tortoise, which is such an efficient lawn mower.
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Thursday 29 July 2004
Machakos
Geographers ‘help’ the Women’s Group make the ditches and banks to help water retention in this semi-arid area. But we could not compete with their singing. We visited a family farm (shamba) in the Machakos Hills, an area where ‘bottom up development’ has succeeded despite increasing population. Groups of women move from farm to farm to share the labour. The hospitality we received from the extended family was wonderful and we ate a local meal, which included a goat slaughtered (previously) for the occasion.
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Friday 30 July 2004
Machakos
Today we saw other positive evidence of development. At a Kari Katumani Agricultural Research Institute we saw experimental crops for dryland farming and later in the some of the applications were seen on a farm. At Wamunyu Wood Carving Centre we watched the very skilled crafting of a range of wooden giftware. Most of the animal carvings, etc., sold as souvenirs here or exported are made by hand here.
After leaving Machakos communicating with Sheffield became difficult, even when using the mobile phone for e-mail.
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Saturday 31 July 2004
After a drive with stunning views into the Rift Valley we reached Lake Naivasha and went boating among the hippos and birds.
We then drove on past the commercial flower growers to Hell's Gate National Park to view thermal power and volcanic features.
Our exploration of the Rift Valley included Nakuru National Park, Lake Baringo (and thousands of flamingos and other birds) and hot springs at Lake Bogoria.
Tuesday 3 August 2004
Our longest drive yet took us past the large farms of the Eldoret region north-west to the semi arid environment of the Marich Pass area.
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Tuesday 3-Monday 8 August 2004
Marich Pass Field Studies Centre
The Marich Pass Field Studies Centre (run by Dr David Roden) is idyllic, despite spartan conditions, cold showers and electricity only in public areas in the evening.
Ecotourism at its best: all the buildings in the Centre have been constructed using traditional materials and people from the local community work there. All food was locally sourced and Hidat Roden cooked us delicious meals. And there was plenty of cold Tusker beer! (We recommend the centre for field study groups of any age.)
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Marich Village
Local guides took us to Marich Village to visit Pokot families, farmers and pastoralists who live a marginal existence.
Like everyone else we met in Kenya, they were welcoming and happy to answer questions on any matter. Many spoke good English.
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The Wei Wei Irrigation Project
The Italian aided Wei Wei irrigation project and experimental farm has improved the prospects for the Pokot people. They live near the river on 1-hectare plots, where furrow irrigation reaches all 540 plots. The scheme is due to expand.
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Masol Bridge
Alison Lewis crosses the new bridge linking Masol to markets, medical services, etc. This bridge is one of many, made up of prefabricated parts. Its construction was organised by a man in Nairobi and was funded by Christian groups in the USA. The local people were also required to contribute to the construction.
We also visited the Turkwell Dam, to investigate the success and sustainability of the project, and to a large local market at Lomut (where photography was restricted) and a (live) goat was purchased for our leader's birthday feast.
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Kevin’s present
In the Pokot tradition men who reach a certain age need presents such as this large cockerel. Brian (‘Survivor’), an orphan who lives at the centre, presented it to Kevin. I will leave to your imagination as to the repartee which followed! The bird is still alive and well at Marich.
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Rainforest at Kakamega
On our way south we were able to visit one of the last remaining stretches of rainforest in the area, at Kakamega.
The photo also shows the minibuses in which we travelled. These were expertly driven by driver-guides from ‘Lets Go’, who navigated potholes and minimised bumping along unmetalled and rutted roads, while providing a running commentary of information at the same time.
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Sunday 8-Monday 9 August 2004
Siana Springs and the Maasai Mara tourism experience
After a long drive south through the tea areas around Kericho, we reached ‘heaven’ in the form of a luxurious tented camp at Siana Spring. We had hot water and working flush loos for the first time in a week! Here, and in the nearby Maasai Mara, we studied the tourism experience, including game drives to watch lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, etc. By this time zebra were no longer a novelty!
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Wednesday 11 August 2004
Maasai Village
Tourism is an important income earner for the Maasai peoples, who charge for a visit to a traditional village. Though initially sceptical at viewing what appears to be becoming a ‘museum piece’, the visit gave us interesting insights into the Maasai lifestyle and culture. Some of our guides were students home for the holidays, and it was good to see traditions being kept alive.
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Thursday 12 August 2004
Nairobi
Yes, the classic textbook view of Nairobi city! We had already been up the round tower block to the right of the picture and driven around the central business district.
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Friday 13 August 2004
Kibera Settlement
Kibera is the biggest informal settlement in Africa, housing over 1 million people. Through contacts in Oxfam we were able to visit the KIKOSHEP HIV/Aids project and the KISEP education project.
We walked through a large part of the area and found a poor but vibrant community, with much small-scale industry and trade. Also, in Kiberia we found aid money being used effectively in projects which involved the community in decision-making without the waste and corruption that had been apparent elsewhere.
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