Nairobi, Kenya, and Its Monuments

Every country and city has their own history, Nairobi being one of them. Something that i recently learnt is that Nairobi is a Masai word which means hot. Who would have guessed that. Anyway why am I writing about Nairobi. Its one of the most famous cities in Africa, mostly populated in Kenya.

In this blog am not writing about its population but the touristic features in it, ones that we don't about. Majority of people know only about the town center but where in particular. Talk about gallery centers: Alliance Française, Nyayo House.

Speaking of museums don't forget the Nairobi Museum. In our daily lives as we walk in town, most we tend to forget the one building that carries most of Nairobi's history from the mau mau period, our first Kenyan president the late honorable President Jomo Kenyatta, the Kapenguria seven, to Wangari Mathai's Nobel prize. Spend about Ksh100-200 only.

Nairobi’s latest is the statue of nationalist Tom Mboya on Moi Avenue. This was unveiled by President Mwai Kibaki on the eve of Mashujaa Day October as a tribute to Mboya's  remarkable contributions to this country, and to honour the departed hero and remind the nation of whom he was and what he stood for.

Nairobi tourism not only has just buildings with historic features in them, but we also has monuments and statues. The Jomo Kenyatta Monument at KICC, the statue field of marshal Dedan Kimathi just behind Hilton Hotel on Kimathi Street.

Tom Mboya’s is the second statue to be gazetted as a national treasure, after that of freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi in 2007.

That was the year the government created a task force to carry out countrywide data collection to establish criteria for identifying, recognising, and honouring national heroes and heroines. Statues and monuments commemorate the historical in eternal present, beside adding to a city’s aesthetic beauty.

The Pope’s pyramid slab was erected to mark Pope John Paul II's  pastoral visit in 1980 and for the African synod in 1985 at Uhuru Park, Nairobi.

The Nyayo Monument in Central Park was erected to commemorate 10 years of former president Moi’s rule in 1988 and 25 years of independence.

The monument has provided visitors with a memorial backdrop during photo sessions, besides being a reminder of the Moi administration.

The Sh100 note issued by the Central Bank of Kenya in 1989 featured the monument on one side.

Other Nyayo monuments with Kenyatta’s fly-whisk crisscrossing Moi’s fimbo to blend their two eras included The Nyayo Fountain at Uhuru Park.

Others were erected in all major towns in Kenya, prominently featuring President Moi’s ubiquitous “fimbo ya nyayo” and Kanu’s single finger salute, besides the two goblets resembling his rungu along the Malindi-Mombasa Road.

Galzon-Fenzi Memorial, was built in 1939 in memory of Galton Paul Fenzi, who founded the East African Automobile Association besides devising Kenya’s road system. Also called the Nairobi Milliary Stone as it was at the point from which distance from and to Nairobi and other parts of the country was measured.

It is situated at the junction between Kenyatta Avenue and Koinange Street. The monument currently resembles a grilled tomb.

Tours around a city or a country never cease, because if they do that means that the area in question no longer exists. Many would wonder why I picked Nairobi and nit other places. During our grand parents period, whenever they would tell you a story, Nairobi as a city would not miss in any of the sentences. From the time that Kenya was colonised, to the period it got its independence, Kenya especially Nairobi has had a massive growth. From small governmental buildings to tall buildings like the Times Towers. From the African wear that never dies to a modern version of it.

Feel free to travel with Heels and Valise Tours to learn more about Kenya and its different forms of tourism. A country is not always about a place but about the people and what they do to contribute to improvement and development of the area.

Why am going back to the UK!

No one needs to analyze me deeply to find out am full of wanderlust! The other thing about me is that am very passionate about the environment, and especially biodiversity conservation, so when it comes to travelling and exploring nature- that is just my kind of gig! So here is my story, of an excited Kenyan lady visiting the United Kingdom for the first time and the experiences it came along with!

Setting off…

I was very excited when I started planning for my trip to the UK. Everything just seemed to fall in place, with logistics being easier than I imagined. All I had to do was present myself. My plan other than my main business in the UK, was to see birds and add new names to the list of ‘birds I know’, to visit as many areas as possible and to take lots of pictures- definitely! Some people travel through my eyes- so yes, pictures are key! Niki, my camera, was ready for work and I was all set ready to experience spring for the first time. Before I left was very impressed by the fact that the organization was compensating for my travel as a carbon offset, which made me feel better and how ‘eco-friendly’ this trip was set to be!

Just before getting there…

Have you ever planned for something then you get a sneak peek of it just before it happens? That is exactly what happened… though slightly. So this year my bestie and I have been saving for a vacay in Dubai. Desert safari, sunset dhow dinner and much more is the motivation- we have not yet gone. Anyway, back to my main story, en route to the UK, I was transiting in Dubai and I got to see this beloved city from above as well as spot the Burj Al Arab. Well, I can say my eyesight is excellent! As we approached Dubai, I was looking out with Niki in hand ready to capture beautiful sceneries but this did not work too well as we were too high above. From above, Dubai looked like a desert next to a sea- which is exactly what it is. Quite a number of buildings are visible since the city is home to several sky scrapers. The Dubai airport is a heaven on its own, if you are a shopper this airport will keep you busy! I had a whole 4 hours lay-over in DXB airport which I felt was too short, my eyes just couldn’t have enough. With that said, I am looking forward to the Dubai vacay… for now I cannot write much about the place since I only had a ‘sneak peek’- but I am definitely more inspired to visit.

UK… we are here now!

I was all smiles after flying in an airbus A380 from Dubai to London - people, this is the biggest aircraft I have seen!! Being all excited and wanting to be awake to see everything, I watched some movies and was captivated by this one: A Street Cat Named Bob, I just have to recommend it. The food was good too, Emirates is not disappointing!! I was comfortable all through, so happy me, all was going on perfectly!

Nothing gets me more excited than arriving to my destination! Finally I was in the UK, after months of anticipating. The UK is an island nation consisting of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is home to many including the famous such as Shakespeare and of course Queen Elizabeth, who has been Queen of the United Kingdom since 1952. The British Monarchy is the oldest form of governance in the UK. The Royal family seems to be much loved and respected, far and wide, I remember in Kenya the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was a national affair, screening live on air on quite a number of television channels.

Anglesey Abbey gardens

Driving to my ‘home’ for the next few weeks, I was staring at bare trees and huge tracts of what seemed to be farm land. The drive was characterized with lot of flowers blooming, and I understand that I will remember spring as the season of flowers.

I was also informed that the weather was getting warm now and it was the best time to visit! I felt the cold through to my bones and this was nothing near warm for all I knew, but still, anytime is a good time for me to visit anywhere. I was not complaining, in fact I could not wait to step outside and feel the chill directly on my skin. As we approached Cottenham ‘village’ (what they call estates I believe), I spotted very neat houses with brightly flowered gardens. I also spotted a few people tending to their gardens and kids in no sweaters running around, clearly this was a warm season, but I could not imagine myself in no sweater out there- no way!! I realized Cottenham was about two hours away from the Heathrow Airport, but the drive was good, no traffic (thank heavens!) as my focus was on getting ‘home’ showering, getting a small bite and sleeping for an hour or two. We got to the house, as I took a warm shower my host was kind enough to fix me hot breakfast which I thoroughly enjoyed, and this again was a first for me, eating asparagus and halloumi cheese- which makes a certain squeak when you chew it.

Halloumi cheese, asparagus, toast with peppered egg and tea

Anglesey Abbey: this is the first place I set foot for site seeing, yaay! Mind you, it was still on that very day I had arrived in the UK. The Anglesey Abbey is categorized under National Trust, and it was the home of lord Fairhaven.

Anglesey Abbey

It is characterized by gardens, walks, statues amassed by lord Fairhaven and the House which stores his collections. I was lucky to have visited during the clean-up of the collection, which is done for conservation efforts. My favourite of the walks was the Winter walk, which has spectacular trees and so colorful from all the flowers.

The House

Some of the collections in the House

The gardens are a beautiful sight to see, hues of all colors you can imagine decorate the gardens as flowers start to bloom. I kept on thinking if I am to get married this would just be the ideal location for that, lush green grasses,  tree canopies,  birds chirping and flowery walk way- perfect! I got a chance into the House, for sure lord Fairhaven was strict about his passion and lifestyle. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and getting treated to hot chocolate and chocolate cake, just what I needed!

The following day I set out to the Lodge in Sandy, this is the headquarters of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB). I was going to spend the entire week there. My trip so far was going on so well, I was already wishing it was longer. The RSPB is the biggest conservation organization in the UK, with about 210 reserves spread out in the region. During lunch hour, you can take walks within the Lodge and spot several birds and trees including squirrels and even deer! I snapped some pictures as usual… I should mention that I met a very beautiful peacock named George!

Common Pheasant

Peacock (named George)

Grey-lag Goose

There is also a souvenir shop located within and all purchases go directly into conservation, talk about fundraising through all available means! So you can spoil yourself there, like I did on my last day at the Lodge thanks to an awesome gift from my week-long colleagues!

Outside Hope Farm

During that same week, I had two days working away from office, with the first day working at Hope Farm, assisting in preparations for the highly anticipated RSPB weekend, which was going to take place in a week and unfortunately I would be back in Kenya by then. However, I still had a lot of fun and hoping to spot a Barn owl which decided to shy away from me. The next day as adventurous with a road trip to Titchwell Marsh, where the RSPB has a reserve. This was one of my favourite days during my visit because I got to experience a totally different environment. I come from the Kenyan coast, and I am used pretty much to a warm beach, but this was totally opposite of what I experienced. Titchwell RSPB reserve is a great spot for bird-watching and this was a huge learning point for me to know and see quite a number of birds of the UK. The Titchwell beach was clean, clear and cold; and I was excited that I was actually seeing the North Sea! After spending the morning at Titchwell, we drove down to Morston Quay and towards Blakeney point by boat where we had reserved for a seal boat trip tour!  I was thrilled that I was going to see seals live and my mission was this and a ‘sealfie’! Well, taking the sealfie was not as easy as I imagined.

Titchwell Beach

a seal at Blakeney Point

Cambridge and London…

Cambridge was a busier area compared to Sandy. There are lots of malls and shops within and I observed quite a number of students streaming in and out of all corners. This is due to the fact that Cambridge hosts many universities, some of the oldest in the world, dating far back as the 12^th century such as the famous good old University of Cambridge. I loved the ‘compound’ just within the town, it is like some sort of green corner area you can seat and have a breath of fresh air overlooking the town, the people and their pets and of course not forgetting the flowers. The River Cam is the main river flowing through the town and it made for a beautiful backdrop. There are also boat tours that one could do. It is also interesting to know that DNA was first announced in Cambridge, specifically at The Eagle Pub and I had a chance to see this blue post signage which stated how Watson and Crick on 28^th February 1953 announced how DNA carries information. If I was in that pub during that time I do not know if I would have believed this duo, anyway… the Cambridge Conservation Initiative is an interesting place to work! I was wowed by the literally green walls of the David Attenborough building which hosts many conservation-led organizations including the Secretariat of BirdLife International where I was working for the second week. Also, outside the building is a huge dinosaur skeleton that has been mounted upright with a signage on the glass wall stating that the school of Zoological sciences will soon be operating.

River Cam 

  King’s College

Now to L.O.N.D.O.N!! This was unexpected but glad it happened because I had an extremely amazing time sightseeing and walking through the streets of London. If you have not watched Osofia in London, please do, it explains why I really needed to see London, because through that hilarious Nigerian movie, I had visited virtually. I took a train from Waterbeach to London King’s Cross with one stop at Cambridge. The train ride lasted about one and a half hours and as we approached the train station I saw the big Emirates Arsenal Stadium. Well, I am not a soccer fan, but I wished I was not in the train but out so that I could take a picture in front of the stadium. King’s cross is a very busy station and it is easy to get lost within. People with all sorts of baggage run across every section trying to catch a train and especially not to miss a train. Outside the station, I was greeted by fine blue skies and the sun, yes the SUN! This was the only sunny day I experienced during my visit, though it was not that warm but it was great for taking pictures. I had consulted and written a list of places I wanted to see in London and this was the time for that. For your information, this list consisted of London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. I made it to the first four, unfortunately I did not get to visit the Buckingham Palace, but that is a trip for another day. From asking around, I realized all these places were just all around one area. The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel that faces the famous River Thames, I believe there are breathtaking views of London when on it. I did not get a ride on it, but again I plan on doing that on my next visit! The Westminster Bridge is above the River Thames and there are scenic views of the London Eye, Jubilee Bridge, Big Ben and Palace of Westminster. Big Ben is an iconic clock tower and is located at the end of the Palace of Westminster. I was ecstatic to see this and I took just about a million of pictures of the Great Clock and even got a key holder in the shape of the building. From Big Ben, I walked towards the Trafalgar square, which is known and commemorated for the famous Battle of Trafalgar. The common items to look out for at the Trafalgar square are the huge bronze lion sculptures and the fountains and of course I took some pictures before I started my shopping spree (read window-shopping!) on the famous Oxford Circus. Oxford Street is for sure a circus of people from all walks of life and all corners of the world. I think I even heard someone speak my mother-tongue! Well, the street is a bit congested, but what do you expect with all these great shops staring at you and begging you to walk in! After this very busy day I took the London Underground tube, which made my ears pop, and dropped off at King’s Cross to connect to the train heading back to Waterbeach.

With that said, I had an amazing and beautiful trip and I hope to go back to the UK soon!

London Eye and the River Thames 

Trafalgar Square (National Gallery in background)

                    

                                            

Westminster Palace and Big Ben   

Jubilee Bridge (behind me)

Westminster Bridge & Big Ben in the background   

      on the streets of London     

What Was Once Holy Land

While the South of Holland goes all crazy about this costume party carnival, the rest just celebrates the start of new spring with a short school break. The birth of spring back in '89 came together with my birth. For my 18^th birthday, my father took me to Stockholm – I keep yelling that I was born in the Winter so 'let it snow' after all. Ever since, my birthday was spent abroad and this year my mom and I are going to an island once called Holy Land

A Trip to Heligoland

This German archipelago belonged to the East-Frisians and was like a holy land while at sea. A place for feeling away & free for all those seamen. The Danish lay their hands on it and holy land became Heligoland.

But “Holy land” was won from Denmark in 1814 and thus became British Heligoland. Later, in 1890, it was traded for Zanzibar with Germany. During the second world war, William II turned it into a German marine post and all its citizens had to leave. Although Holy Land survived, water did split the little island Düne from Heligo and was never one again. In 1952, all the citizens got a chance to return to the island.

Heligoland lies 70km off shore and is 100 times smaller than the Dutch grandest island Texel.

This island dune has an airport, but sea-loving as I am, I chose to take the boat. There are many places that have airlines flying to Heligoland, but now being the winter season, only Cuxhaven offers flights to this place. Plane or ferry, the weather forecast crew has given warning of a storm – so I have crossed my fingers.

Tomorrow after work at around 4 pm, we will drive our little van to Bremen. While there, we will stay at an autohof for the night then on Friday morning, we will drive to Cuxhaven where the ship company Cassen Eils will bring us to what was once Holy Land. I look forward to seeing its animals, nature, sea and wind. 

A little windstorm hit my country the afternoon we left. Blasts with rain flashed off the road up to our van. Somewhat scary... but an adventure that I will never forget. At Bremerhave, 50km before Cuxhaven, we parked at a MacDonalds and stayed over night. We had an amazing difference in weather the next morning.

'Ihr siehe aus wie Helgoland,' was what a lady told us when we were on our way to the boat in Cuxhaven. We looked like we were going to Heligoland – so that's possible! To look at a person, and just by that know his destination? Amazing! And I'm glad she did, because we were not going on the right way. 'Vielen Dank!' we said. Yes, much thanks indeed, because we were already late. Despite the blue sky and the sun, I endured the wind getting to my head and stomach during the 2 and a half hour passage. The boat brought us from Cuxhaven to Heligoland, and around lunch, we were at our destination.

If only we had known that the following days wouldn't be so sunny!Too bad, but I didn't let it spoil my adventure. Just that the pictures that I took have a little less blue sky than I had hoped for, but the animals, nature, sea and wind are enough. There was rain as well. Still, it's the wind that defined our whole stay and what I will always remember.

This island has an upland area, a middle and a lowland (Oberland, Unterland and Mittelland). The famous red sea stack 'Tall Anna' is of course up, and also with 61.3 meters being the highest place at this island, Pinneberg. Around the sight-seeing path towards Anna, there is plenty of nature and animals. But people have built their houses on the low or middle area.

Stairs take people to the high grounds. Locks hang aside on the railing, just like with Ponts des Arts at Paris once. For 60 cents an elevator can take you up as well.

The colours of the Heligoland flag actually have a meaning “Grün ist das Land, rot ist die Kant, weiß ist der Sand. Das sinden die Farben von Heligoland” Green for land, red for the coast and white for the sand.

Grün ist das Land.

Yes, green is the land. Maybe not as much this time of year, but still. Goat, cow, rabbit, sheep – they are all together at the green land. Also, the stones to be found here are fascinating in colour. The red fire-stone is said to be only found here. I looked but couldn't find it.

Rot ist die Kant

Yes, red is the stack. And we fought our way through the wind to Tall Anna. The sea stack may be famous for the red colour and hight of 47 meter, but I thought the birds on the cliffs to be way more impressive. Hundreds of them have made the red 'buntsandstein' their home. Nests they make with lost fishing nets they found at sea. The big northern gannet alongside the little penguin-looking bird common murre.

Weiß ist der Sand

Maybe a little too poetic, but white is the beach. For just 5euro's the little boat 'Witte Kliff' (white cliff) will take you one mile over sea where an amazing day at Düne awaits. Yes, Düne, the little baby of Heligoland. On New Year's Eve 1721 a big storm surge separated the Dünes from Heligoland. Therefore, the island that arose was called Düne (Düne) This protected nature area called Helgoländer Felssockel (Heligoland rock core ) is where the actual white beach can be found. Once part of Heligoland, but now a beautifull little island, filled with nature – and the airport. This may sound kind of weird and impossible. But its airport really fades away to nothing with such amount of seals. These seals are such cute models! They smile, wave and are all just gracing a perfect picture. So, at the end of the day I made of course dozens of pictures.

The boat took us on Monday at 4:00 p.m. back to shore. We could leave our stuff at the apartment till 3:00 pm, so we made a last visit to Düne and said goodbye to Anna.  

Tourist Etiquette

Say what? Yes, you heard it right. There is a famous business saying, ‘The customer is always right.’ This is not always the case. In many instances, a customer can be wrong but since he who pays the piper plays the tune, the seller is left with no option but to give in to what the customer wants. Tourism is an experiential industry. 

While in buying goods we carry them home, a tourist carries the experience.  One cannot throw it away or give it to a neighbour or relative, it is yours for keeps. While the host destination or attraction managers are the ones largely responsible for creating a wonderful experience for tourist, a tourist can go a long way in making his or her experience even better.

Respect the locals

A tourist leaves his or her home, town or country to visit something that is not found in their locality. Many attractions a found in places where people have a different lifestyle from ours, level of education or world view. While we may not agree with some of the things that the locals do, it is always important to be respectful. Instead of saying “I will not participate in your barbarian practices”, or, “I will dress in what I want”, one can say, “No, thank you” or “I am sorry I do not have any outfit that is more appropriate”. This can also give you an opportunity to improvise in a thing or two.  It does not hurt to say “excuse me”, “please” and “thank you”. It does not matter how much one is paying for the services, being respectful or lack of it will make the difference between a tourist who will be treated like royalty, or have coffee spilt on them ‘accidentally’.

Do not Show Off

More often than not, our tourism adventure leads us to low income areas with amazing beauty and attraction. In certain instances, we visit places where on only the who’s who visit. Whether we are at a high end or low income attraction, do not show off. You will have a chance when you get back home to show off to your friends, colleagues or competitors.

Showing often demeans the locals and often makes them hostile to not only you as a tourist but to future tourists as well. You do not what to be a spoiler now, do you? The greater consequence of this is that you will get robbed clean. If you have enough to show off carelessly, someone will be ‘generous enough’ to show you that many more people are in need or what you have. Modesty, modesty, modesty.

Listen to Your Guide

This has become one of the biggest issues with tourists. With so much information on the internet from countless people and studies that we have made before hand, we often feel like experts. “What is this fool telling me, hasn’t he read…”, “Doesn’t he know that …”, “Oh, but I read something different on Tripadvisor”. While it is important to find out as much information as possible about a destination before visiting it, not all the information is accurate. People often write based on their knowledge, experience and world view.

Two people can go on the same trip, be in the same team, get the same services and have a totally different experience. When a tour guide says that one should not go beyond a certain point, touch certain things or take pictures in certain places, please listen to them. It does not matter whether you are a professor, doctor in animal psychology or Nobel Peace Prize winner in whatever field. You are under the care of the guide. When things go wrong, the guide will be more willing to help you out when he or she knows that you have followed all the instruction, than if you thought that you know better than the locals. 

There have been cases of animal attacks, tourists falling off slippery gorges, among other accidents. Better safe than sorry. 

In the end, whether you are paying for your tourism experience or getting it for free, you have the chance to make or break it. Some things are beyond our control, but if we are a little bit more sensitive to the hosts, we can have beautiful memories that we will keep for the rest of our lives.

If we get an opportunity to visit the same place again, we will be received like royalty, friends or even family members. The hosts will go out of their way to make sure that we get what we need and are comfortable. Money can buy most things but a good heart can take us through almost every situation. Try it out, it works!

At The El Choro Inca Trail, Bolivia, By Accident

While some of us dream of visiting certain places, others get there by accident. Now, the Inca Trail is something that I had seen in various documentaries. It looked interesting, amazing and out of reach.  The interesting thing is that none of the documentaries ever mentioned Bolivia in the Inca Trail. They all seemed to focus on Peru. Maybe it is because the Peru version is more famous or it is the only place that they have managed to go to.

So, a group of friends in Bolivia was planning a caminata (hike). Out of curiosity, we signed up for it. A few days to the walk, we were informed of the things that we needed for the caminata. The rough information that we had was that it was to be a walk and camp. The idea that we had was a walk in the lush hilly areas of Los Yungas, which are very green, warm and beautiful. A wonderful break from the cold, dry city. And again, who does not like camping? So, we were all psyched up for the beautiful adventure on this long weekend. Nothing prepared us for what lay ahead.

The team preparing to begin the trek

We left the city of La Paz at around 6:30 am, carrying our camping bags with our supplies, ready for the great adventure. The vehicle dropped us at La Cumbre, which is about an hour from the city centre, at an altitude of about 4,700 meters. This is the highest point between La Paz and Los Yungas. It is often covered with snow during winter and many tourists who visit Bolivia for biking along the Death Road begin their biking at this point. The treks and hikes also begin at this point. It has a beautiful view, and one gets to watch the sunrise and the landscapes of the Altiplano.

Some Aymara villagers with their herd of llama.

A native walking briskly past us.

This is characterized by sharp descends at the beginning, followed by seemingly flat paths, and then more and more descends. The trek included a break at some point at the Tourist Information Centre, then a bit of a climb. We head to the Chucura village, where the villagers demand to be paid because we are trekking in their territory. A few of us negotiate with the villagers, and we end up paying a lower amount than what they had demanded. The Inca Trail at this point is so well maintained, it feels as though one is on an ancient city. After a 30 minute trek, we stopped for lunch at the nearby river. It was so refreshing to finally get a chance to sit down, relax, refill and breath in the fresh air, gently. 

Resting time

And the journey continued




Chucura Village

Soon, our time in paradise was over, and we had to continue with our journey. From this point on, it is an endless descent. There is something about after lunch that makes one so lazy. The sun was not hot that day, but with full stomachs, walking can be a challenge. Did I say that it was a descent? Yep! Going uphill is always a challenge for most people, but I didn’t realize that going downhill for long can be a greater challenge.  We are descending into the Cloud Forest, where everything is cloudy all day long. It might get sunny at some point, but as much as it is sunny, the hills on the opposite side are covered in clouds. There was lots of beautiful vegetation and the hills were spectacular. This made the pain in the knee that had gotten injured due to the long, steep, descent to be temporarily forgotten. The air was too fresh to be ignored. The vegetation, a fresh break from the city. 

Challapampa camp site

Three hours later, this was not a walk through paradise anymore but a struggle to reach the destination. Were elated to see a camp down the hill, the Challapampa Camp. We crossed the thin shaky bridge to the other side and took a few minutes to draw our energy back. Now, here is the bad news… this was not where we were going to set up camp, but we had two hour journey, which turned to be longer than that, waiting for us. 

Finally, at 6:00 pm, we got to our camp site, El Choro. Tired, hungry and with a hurting knee, wishing that we could go back but realizing that going back would probably be the same as continuing with the journey, seeing that no vehicle can access that place. Being in the Cloud Forest, it was so foggy, it seemed to be drizzling. We were happy to retire to our beds (oh, our sleeping bags), dreading the following day. The night was amazingly warm and calm, which was to our delight.

Day two, we woke up both happy and anxious, not knowing what lay ahead of us. As usual, in line with the Bolivian tradition, we were told that it would be a 2-3 hour trek, lunch, and then followed by another 2-3 hour trek. It turned out to be almost double the time. As we set down our campsite, we were anticipating another long, tiresome and equally beautifully journey. This time round, our destination was El Jardin del Japones, the Japanese Garden. 

Our Camp site

Day 2 briefing

We set out for our ‘unknown’ destination since we were not sure exactly how long it would take us to get there. From our previous day’s experience, we learned not t trust a Bolivian (and this time a Bolivianized foreigner) when they tell us how far a place is. It started out as a cold day, and we feared that it would rain. One thing about the Yungas is that when it rains, the journey becomes dangerous because one, the road becomes slippery and muddy in certain areas and two, there is danger from falling rocks and stones from the hills, or the danger of falling down the hill or cliff. We braced ourselves for the worst. 

Destination 'clouds'

Still, nature did not cease to entice us. With beautiful wild flowers everywhere, waterfalls and the cloudy hills, we were smitten.

Drawn like magnets to this flower that looked like bougainvillea from a distance

Endless hills, flowers and waterfalls

Did I mention wild vanilla plants?

The journey was characterised by both steep climbs and descents, crossing some streams that did not have bridges, but just stones and logs for support. Luckily, it did not rain. After stopping for lunch, we went on with our trek, walking past the San Francisco and other campsites. By now, it had sunk in our heads that we were on the Inca Trail and there was no going back. It was an exciting feeling, knowing that we had made it to the great Inca Trail, but a daunting task at the same time. It gave us a chance to reflect on the kind of life that the members of this civilisation lived back then. 

This is a journey through the forest, with no sign of modern development anywhere. No vehicle can get in here and even a helicopter would not make it to certain parts. Some of us even teased one another, “Have you repented of all your sins?” This was the kind of trip that makes you remember your Maker and make peace with Him. The two or three shops that we saw along the way had very few things on the shelves, most of which were soda and biscuits, which do not go bad quickly. The prices were double those of La Paz, but we were glad to pay because one, they came as a welcome relief in the middle of nowhere and two, after walking along their trail for a day and a half, we understood what it took to carry goods up the hills and down the valleys. This gave us a chance to count our blessing and thank God for the things that we take for granted.

As we stopped to refresh ourselves with a bottle of soda, we asked the shop keeper how far the Japanese garden was and in keeping with the Bolivian tradition, she said, “Aquisito no mas! Sola dos sierras” Which means, “Just here! Two hills only.” An hour and a half later, and three hills away, we were still looking for the Japanese Garden. By this time, the nature around us ceased to look beautiful. We did not take notice of anything. Our goal was to reach the promised land. With our entire bodies in pain from walking for two days, all muscles aching and the back packs feeling heavier instead of feeling lighter, the joy of the adventure had disappeared.

At last, we made it to the Japanese Garden before it got too dark. After dinner, we spent several hours around the fire, recounting the events of the day and making the very much welcome mush mellows. 

At the beautiful Japanese Garden

The environment around us remained true to itself; beautiful

Day 3, we were in what we call in Kiswahili “Kipindi cha lala salama”, which is the final lap. After a sleepless night since to our tent decided to suck in all the moisture from the environment and the night being unusually cold night, we were glad to pack and go. We had been told that this journey would take half a day. We did not care anymore. All that we wanted was to get out of there and go home. The best thing about this day was that our redemption was near.  With accumulated fatigue from the previous days and both knees hurting, every step stirred up all the pain from within. We pushed ourselves, knowing that we were on more step away from the new promised land. Still climbing and descending. The sun was hotter this day, making us glad that it hadn’t shined as much during the previous days. The nature did what it does best; impress us. When we thought that we had seen it all, we encountered some of the most beautiful butterflies ever seen.

By this time, we had met several other trekkers who became our companions. We had seen them from day one. We walked past them, then they walked past us, and we passed them later on, and they passed us again. In certain sections, the path was so narrow that one had to keep moving off the way to give a faster person a chance to pass.  It was a journey of reflection, friendship, pain, beauty and endless nature. It was a great adventure. Here we were,at last, at El Chairo, the end of our trek. This is a small village near Coroico, in the Yungas and the egg sandwich that was waiting for us, thanks to those who went ahead of us, was more like manna from.

The promised land

Here we are!

Make It Beautiful

This for me was a journey that I had not anticipated. It turned out to be a both a beautiful adventure and a painful, tiresome experience. My knees ached for more than two weeks after the caminata but guess what, I made it! Could it have been better? Yes. For anyone planning to do the Inca Trail trek, here are a few tips:

·         Know the Distance

When one is aware of how long they are expecting to walk, it makes them psychologically prepared so, instead of hoping after every 10 minutes that you have reached your destination, you will have a closer estimate of how long it will take you to get there.

·         Increase the Number of Days

What made the trek difficult for many of us was the fact that we had to do the entire trek in two and a half days. If the time is longer, it means that you walk for a shorter distance each day, and get the rest of the hours to enjoy the nature and friends.

·         Make it Fun

Instead of just walking, arriving at a campsite, setting up camp, eating and sleeping, incorporating simple games and other bonding activities make the trek more enjoyable.

·         Get a Local Porter and Cook if You Can

Increasing the number of days means having to carry more supplies for the journey, which might make the trek harder for most people. It is advisable to get a local porter and cook who can help in carrying some of the luggage and meal preparation.

·         Train in Advance

Before the trek, take time to engage in some exercises. This is almost like mountain climbing, and it needs a lot of physical and mental preparation. Taking some time a few days before the trek to engage in exercises will make the trek much easier.

All said and done, we all have different amounts of energy and drive. While this trek might be a challenge to certain people, it is a walk in the park for others. Do what you can handle and enjoy the great adventure.

Can you spot the butterflies?

Loved this butterfly shot

Butterfly moments

Lovely!