What's Going on Wednesday

I feel like I have been away forever. I went to New York last weekend and was completely disconnected from the world wide web the whole time I was gone. I left Thursday, returned late Sunday and didn't get the shakes once (unlike the university students at the University of Maryland that went through varying stages of withdrawal symptoms during a 24 hr social media-free experiment). Ha, in your face social media!

and yes, I have been right back at it ever since.
sigh...

Not here though. And I miss you! I miss you all out there in bloggy-land! I have checked in on some of you, but my own voice has been silent. I played catchup with work, and wrote articles about the aftermath of a thunderstorm cleanup, the heat wave rolling across North America and the best bathing suits to wear to the beach to beat the heat, and even delved into the joys and mysteries of coconut milk! Fascinating stuff that you should all check out and comment on ;)

But I feel like I owe myself a stint of writing too. Maybe that is because I also met up with my newly formed writing group tonight. Perhaps you agree though?

I did post a few haiku on twitter, that I will share with you again here if you missed them.

Butterfly flits by

Birds chirp, chirp, chirp hello

A break in the rain

Sunshine dreams

Offered up on ruffled leaf

My rain drop's gift

and how about a new one,

cloudless blue skies

looking cool and inviting

bake everything

Plus, I did a little gardening - trim a little here, pull weeds out of the lawn there, and snap a few pictures of the newest things that are blooming;

Fairy overseeing the garden

Columbine

My favourite discovery today though, was this absolutely stunning iris! It is so ruffly and delicate. Makes me just sigh with the beauty of it...

Iris

And you? What have you been up to? Written any good poetry, prose, songs? Taken any shocking, stunning, stimulating pictures? Painted, sketched, designed any good artwork?  Tell me what's going on!

Lazy Days in Lamu

Lazy days in Lamu began with a call to worship. The many mosques on the small island rang their bells five times a day to remind the Muslim population of their responsibilities in prayer.  While I did not run off to join them, I still found the island community fascinating. Just two degrees south of the Equator, with a population pulling from Chinese shipwrecked survivors back in the 14^th century, local Swahili people, Portuguese explorers, Turkish traders and Omani Arabs, there was a rich tapestry in the local history. It was reflected in the narrow streets, numerous markets, even more mosques and gently bobbing dhows that nestled in the harbor. Time seemed to stand still on this exotic island that begged one to slow down and stroll at its pace. As long as you watched for the donkey droppings underfoot.

In the mornings,  I sat on one of my two balconies and watched the world drift by with a book in hand. It was hard to believe that I was in the heart of Africa, as I gazed around at the culture that I was submerged in. Men would saunter along the narrow streets, kicking at the occasional donkey that refused to get out of the way. Chaste women seemed to disappear due to strict religious decrees of who they could be seen by. Their presence was noted though, in the laundry strung out to dry between the narrow alleys. The sounds and smells of locals going about their days, making chapatti, tea and crafts to sell to the many tourists that descended upon the tiny island for a taste of something exotic.

When I had enough of idling watching the world drift past, I would venture out to stroll through the narrow streets myself. I had never seen streets so small before. They were no more than 6-8 feet across, hence the lack of vehicles on the island. None were allowed, but for one solitary police car. It did little good really though, as there was nowhere that it could really go. When I got tired of wandering through the streets, I would find Ali Hippy, and sit and talk religion for hours over mango smoothies. He helped me to understand a little more of the Muslim ways of the island and I appreciated the time he spent with me.

One day Stuart and I even ventured so far as the beach. It was a long walk from our apartment, but the adventure was worth the 45-minute stroll. Of course coming home to a reliable source of running water and ample beds for the three of us, plus room for many more was a luxury that I did not experience often in my journey to date. The bugs were a bit overwhelming mind you, but for our 1050ksh for the week, it was still a good deal. I just had to remember to steal myself to the scurrying cockroaches, ants and spiders that scattered in all directions when the lights were turned on. Ugh. Better to go out for another mango smoothie or take in a seafood meal at a locals home. If we could look past the bugs and numerous donkeys that overtook the island, then it was indeed a tropical paradise very worthy of anyone’s time. 

Saturday's Email of the Week: Who has this kind of time on their hands?

Saturday's Email of the Week

Happy Saturday all! I am traipsing around the nation this weekend, but queued up a video for you to enjoy while I am gone. As was noted in the email from P., these boys have a little too much time on their hands, but we can just sit back and marvel at how their brains work. Quite impressive, I have to say. I bet it took a long time to put together, but the evidence is there in their jumpers.

And they have a good message to boot;
OK - Go: This too shall pass...

Forever Young

How did I get here?

this day, today

filled with running, 

tasks, responsibilities

that I never dreamed, imagined

or ever really wanted.

these hands cannot

will not
dare not

(& I don't really want them to)

but they run...

Time past makes me want to cry though.

forever young
laughing curled into
a dark cave
ready to screw the world
and ourselves in the process

but we had each other
and that was more
than I had
in years before,
and some since

So, do I really want to live forever?
forever young?
testing, trying, proving, lying...
My answer,
no

but this song always takes me back to when I did...

Friends Along the Path

Within a short time, I was amongst friends again. It is amazing how when you travel, you can make friends at the drop of a hat. Your backpack alone gives you that first thing in common. The road erases your differences and you embrace people for their smiles alone.  It still amazed me though; that ease of friendships formed. Back home, you can pass a million faces and not look at any of them. Or worse, not talk to anyone for fear of the what ifs and the dreaded maybes that could harm you from the “strangers” that filled the world. As I ambled along though, all those strangers were friends that I just hadn’t met yet. I was ready and keen to meet them all.

The newest friends in my roster were Stuart and Rob. I met Rob in Malindi. After my long and uneventful night bus from Nairobi to Mombasa, I quickly moved along to Malindi. The plan was to explore Mombasa later on my way back through town. For now, I was headed  North on my adventures.

In the pleasant town of Malindi, I met Rob at the hostel where I stayed. Over the two days that I explored the coastal town, I got to know Rob a little bit. He was a quiet sort that had a bit of a weird feeling to him, but we discovered that we were both headed to Lamu, so decided to join forces along the way. Heck, we are all weird in our own ways and being a traveller made anyone alright in my books. Despite our differences, we were still on the same path.

So waving goodbye to Malindi, Rob and I climbed on board the bus to Lamu. It stopped on the side of the highway to pick up us dusty travellers, then we were off again. We found a seat and right ahead of us was Stuart, another backpacker. He was travelling alone from Mombasa, also headed to Lamu. We got to talking and figured that perhaps sharing a room between the three of us would help to stretch our traveller’s dollars a little further.  

Once it was decided, we all got to know each other a little bit better. Stuart was much more dynamic than Rob and we instantly clicked. We had similar taste in music, food and conversation flowed between us like water. By the time the bus pulled up to the ferry dock, I felt like I had known him for years. Rob, Stuart and I laughed and joked waiting for the ferry that would take us across to the island. I was excited to get to know another new place with my new friends. While it wasn’t a long crossing, by the time we reached the other side and landed on the vehicle-less island, I knew that my travelling companions were a good match for this new adventure. Lamu shimmered in front of us, like an oasis ripe for exploring. I faced it smiling.