26.9.2009

Dear Diary...
Today I went sailing with my friend Hassan and a merry crew consisting of Anu, Vanessa, Juliana and me, of course. We had such a gay time on our trip, we took Hassan's dhow-boat from the shore towards Manda island, where rumours say there exists a mighty pretty beach that continues on for as long as the eye can see. Such silliness didn't make an impression on me, until I laid eyes on to a golden streak of sand which was slowly massaging the Indian Ocean. I'd write more about the amazement but I'm still too full of glee to properly type another word about it. After some athletics involving swimming and standing on my hands, I joined the others on a mighty feast of biryani, freshly grilled coral fish (which Vanessa caught), snapper and some other fish that was delicious even without a name. After taking a few fresh fruits to help my stomach digest the divine cuisine, we once again set sail towards the sea, and dropped off Vanessa and Juliana to the airstrip, from whence they would be flying home. Too bad, just when we were getting to know them. Well anyway, we continued sailing with Hassan until it was time to go back. I like sailing, it is peaceful and quiet. I also like white and red snapper.
All in all, a great day.

30.9.2009

I have succumbed to illness. Seems like I've got a good 'ole diarrhea, unfortunately it's not the inconvenient kind, it's the rip-your-stomach-inside-out affair, so to put it shortly, a gastrointestinal infection. Nasty, 15 minutes and you've got the next stool coming. I'm actually sitting on the loo typing this because I can't be bothered to try to sleep because the bacteria will definately wake me up as soon as I find a decent, comfortable position. The worst part is I KNOW where I got the disease, and from whom. After our good captain Hassan (the one we went on a boat trip with) decided to show us around the other day he also introduced us to a place called New Star Restaurant. While the restaurant itself was clean enough, Hassan's hands weren't. As soon as he handed me some Nyama Choma with fingers that had been washed with tap water, I should have said no and leave the place with Anu. Well, I didn't, and whatever little s***heads were in the water ended up in my stomach. Yahoo. Should have used some common sense. Anu has already had one of these infections so her body was able to fight it off, unlike my tender baby stomach. In a way I find all this rather comedic, since I made fun of her getting sick all the time and now I have it worse than she ever did. While things like this aren't enough to put you off travelling (and surely, they are as integral part of traveling as traveling itself) it is enough to make you feel just a tad further away from home.

Uh oh... got another one coming! This sure is a circus! Footloose over and out.

5.10.2009

And so it happened that yours truly found themselves a bungalow (well, not so much found as in was told about...) and decided to stay in a heavenly nest made of wood. Good food and good people, what else do you need? The place is owned by Abdul and Marni, a Kenyan guy and an American lady, both very down-to-earth kind of people. Our daily routine in their shamba (farm) consists of finding the necessary energy to get up in the morning and migrating to the nearest hammock, if our weary bones so allow. After a healthy breakfast of fruits and pancake our heroes rest their troubled souls while enjoying whatever the shamba or the perfect climate in the jungle has to offer. The Kenyan/American pair is a beast in the kitchen and cooks the kind of foopd that would make Gordon Ramsay cry from sheer jealousy. Why, I believe even Chuck Norris would find it in his heart to be slightly touched by the amazing flavors (but no tears, not from Chuck). I've had a diarrhea for 8 days now, and been digging out worms from my feet for 2. Anu's had 5, me 2. Jiggers, they call 'em. I actually have a mango worm lodged inside my knee, but it will have to wait until it's big enough to be pulled out. I finally got some meds for the diarrhea, so hopefully my rearend will stop resembling a watergun some time soon. Since I have a date with a chicken club sandwich I'm gonna have to stop here, but feel free to feel bad about living in Finland right about now (yes, I'll take worms over freezing my ass off any day!).

Now what's that mango-worm doing? G'dammit, over and out!