African Adventure
June 11, 2006
Evening
Hello, my name is Sara Margaret Jones. I am eighteen and just got out of high school. My hair is a light brown, I'm five foot eight inches, and my eyes are blue. I live in the United States on the east coast of New York were I am currently staying with my grandmother, Jane. I know that people might think that because I live in the city, or near one, I should love to shop and wear makeup and all that junk. But I don't! I love to hike in the mountains and camp outdoors with the stars above my eyes and watch the sunrise and play in the grass. So I ask others 'Why are you in a hazy, smelly, dirty city when you could be outside in the natural world were every thing is, well, natural?' So I thought I should just get away from all this nonsense and go for a long trip to…AFRICA!!!
That's were I am right now, well maybe not but I'm on a flight to Africa and it's a fun ride if you don't count the smell of babies and people who haven't showered for a day. But in the end I get to see a magnificent picture of the ocean for I am in the window seat! Yay!
Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you more. Granny gave me this journal so that she could know all about my trip that she paid for me to go on (well, I paid for some but that was close to nothing…). She knows that I'm horrible at repeating and remembering things but I'm awesome at writing things down.
June 12, 2006
Early evening
Oooooo, guess what!!! I just saw my first glance of, yes, you guessed it…AFRICA!!! I saw the cap of…I think they call it Cap Skiring, but I don't know really because I will be going further inland. I won't be spending too much time there in Bamako; it's just an airport and there are too many people.
Well I guess I should tell you about my trip and why I'm going to those places because you'll be following me around so you might get lost:
Timbuktu
Mud buildings and wells
Remoteness
Nakuru
Flamingoes. Here, it's said you can't even see the ground because there are so many!
Rhino's
Much more animals
Masai Mara
Mostly to see the animals like wildebeest, lions, cheetahs, and hyena's
Well there you go! I know it's not much but money and time were limited.
We're about to land because I can see the ground coming closer to us…or maybe we're crashing!!! Ahhhh!!! No I'm only joking, Granny, don't worry!!!
June 16, 2006
Afternoon
Hey there!! Sorry I haven't written in so long but I've been sleeping off the jet lag from going to the other side of the world.
Right now I'm on a tour bus (one of many) with a lot of other people going to other stops on this route and I feel kinda crowded…yet when I look out side, I know everything is worth it. There may be just dirt and other dried up plants but that's what it's all about! It's natural! The sun beats down and oozes through the bus and the acrid air slides through the open windows and settles on top of you like a heavy wool blanket. The suns, bright rays heat all in sight. Small animals hop and scavenge about, looking for liquid in the parched plains.
Although I'm sharing a row-for-two seat with two other people and their child, I find myself wishing that this place were my home.
Yes I know it may sound somewhat odd for the most part but here, I feel like was born to live in a hot and dry yet beautiful and natural landscape. I feel…comfortable. There aren't any cars to make noise, no factories to pollute the air we breathe, and no buildings to destroy the natural landscape like trees and mountains and streams and plants.
The people here in Africa may look at me with some hostility or some curiosity but I know that it's for a reason; I'm like a one, bright, shining star in the dark night sky. Oops that sounded a little rude but I think you understand. There are some white people here: scientists, ambassadors, government officials, and tourists. Technically, I am a tourist but I hope I don't stand out like the rest of them. Truly I don't think so, because my hat isn't tilted to the side and upward, my camera looks official and not small or cheap, and my cloths, a long dress like piece of cloth, look somewhat local. Phew!!! That's a load off my mind!
The intercom thing in the bus just announced that 'Our destination, Timbuktu, is approaching'. Doesn't that sound weird? Shouldn't it be 'We are approaching our destination, Timbuktu'? Well, who am I to say what's right and what's wrong when I'm in a foreign country?
Aha! I see the town of Timbuktu!!! I'll write later!
Later on today
Ok, before I start writing anything, I need to tell you that I was wrong when I called this place a town. It's more of a gathering of twenty small families with some barns and a few holy places. Oh yeah and a good amount of tourists. So maybe it is a town…I don't know…
IT'S HOT!!! I bet it's maybe 105°F, that's average!!! Can you believe that?! On the coast, the average is 50°-60°! Wow. Well even though the sun is sooooo heavy, there are still people working around outside. But now that I look at stuff…almost everything is in the shade…and the people stay away from the direct sunlight.
I just got off the bus and checked in my bag of luggage at the small hotel that I'm staying at. While walking around with my canteen that is loaded with water, I write in this journal, how talented am I??? Writing and walking!!!
Ahhh, it's too hot!!! Now I've sat on a step and every so often people walk by…I like it here. It's very peaceful and quiet like and I can just sit back and look at the surroundings.
I think every building and stairway and windowsill and everything else is made out of mud. That makes perfect sense because mud can cool things and it won't burn easily like wood. Here, there are some cool arches and house sides that are curved and so graceful they look as though a giant bubble occupies their inside. There are neat columns of mud/sand that seem indestructible and to have lasted over one hundred years, yet it may not be that long. Every person (that I see every ten minutes) wears a headscarf to cover his or her face and head. I might get one for the heat has already given me a slight burn…
WOW!!! I just saw the coolest thing ever!!!! A donkey just walk by and it was carrying hay, only its load was four times it's own size!!! No joke!!!
Oops, my stomach just snarled at me so now off to find food! I hope it's fresh…
Late at night
I'm starting to feel bad about my assumfulness because once again I was wrong. I know, I was wrong, can you believe it?
Walking down the paths between houses munching on some fruit I bought I at the daily market, I noticed that suddenly there were sooo many more people walking around. I was astounded! It was as though an anthill had exploded! I knew that there were no more buses coming in and out of town and that any traveling by mules was done in small numbers. So I just wandered back and forth through the buildings looking as bewildered as I was.
I saw that quite a few people were tired, so I took it as not going to bed on time for I was sleepy too. But then right in front of me, someone walked out of their house and stretched and yawned like they'd woken up from a good sleep.
BOOM!!! That's when I realized that these people were smart enough to sleep off the heat and do their daily stuff during the cooler night. Only did some work through the day. I thought, how adaptive is that?
So I once my revelation was complete, I myself yawned huge enough to swallow a whole watermelon! Sometimes jet lag will just get you at the darnedest moments. And sadly, I was hoping I could get some cool pictures of the town when everything is alive. Already my eyes droop as I write this in my small bed that happens to be too small and there are
June 17, 2006
Morning
Well now don't you worry your little head off! I only fell asleep last night so fast that I couldn't finish the sentence. I was just going to say that there are small bugs that are invisible and they bite! I wasn't attacked or anything like that! But you know what? I hear that this place is full of robbers and bandits because the official system is…well…not really up to date, I guess, because this place is so remote. So it might be for the best if I hide my stuff somewhere so that people don't know about it…
In the evening
You will never guess what happened to me just a moment ago!
All right, you know how I said that there are robbers and thieves everywhere? Well I was walking in the market looking for some food and I saw the most scrumptious tomato. It was perfectly round, gleaming red, and huge. So I bought it from the lady selling the delicious delicacies after some confusion with currency and I was just about to put the tomato in my bag when this little twerp runs up and grabs it from my hand! I start shouting for someone to stop him because I wanted that tomato, but everyone either ignored or watched this little thief run away with my tomato. So I chased him.
We ran down the streets and even through a house…oops. Outside again, he turned into an alley with me just behind him. When I turned into the alley, I stopped suddenly because there was this woman my age holding the little brat by the collar of his shirt. She talked to him in their language and he seemed to disagree. She glowered at him and he finally gave up and tossed the tomato at me, which I only just caught before it could hit anything. Then I safely stored my tomato in my bag were it couldn't be harmed and looked up to the woman standing in front of me.
She was tall for her age and had very dark skin, almost literally black. Her hair was tied into a bun and pinned up behind an earthy handkerchief. She wore a long brown skirt and a white tank top. She was slim but weathered as though she worked in the fields for a living. She wore only one set of jewelry, which was a pair of beautiful earrings. They were loops of wire with light brown beads fading in to a dark brown color. On the center of each was a vibrantly polished piece of wood that dangled to and fro.
I smiled at her hoping that she would understand that I was trying to thank her for help. She flashed a smile back, her teeth a strong contrast with her skin. Suddenly, we heard some shouting and both turned to the door that she had apparently come out of. We looked just in time to dodge two small bags. Behind them came a small, stout woman with a cooking apron around her neck, she started furiously shouting at the woman next to me and the slammed the door right in her face.
She turned to me with despair and looked at me with worry written all over her face. I immediately felt pity for her and quickly realized what had happened. She had been thrown out of her home and now she was alone. I picked up one of the bags thrown and handed it over to her. She warily accepted it and quickly snatched up her other bag and began to trot down the alley.
I was caught flat footed and dashed after her. I stepped in front of her and started to mumble something about her staying with me until she was back on he feet again. Surprisingly she understood whatever I had just said. She did speak English but she had a heavy accent. She studied me from head to toe, maybe wondering if she could trust me. Slowly she responded with a nod. I was so excited that I had a friend all ready; I jumped in the air and grabbed her hand. We dashed towards our room so that she could drop her stuff off and maybe we could eat, we were both starving!
So that's where I am now. She found some bread in one of her bags and I purchased some cheese so we could have a light dinner of those and my tomato, which was spectacular by the way.
While I listen to her talking to me, I can tell you she has much knowledge on the troubles of life and she has been just about everywhere in Africa. Her name is Esainkiki, but she said that I could call her Kiki if her full name was a mouth full. That's a relief!
Kiki tells me her family is in Kenya in a small place called Masai Mara and where she hasn't been for some time. I literally spit the water I was drinking all over bed. I'm kinda embarrassed because she's laughing until she cries and I feel like I hugely over reacted. I'm telling her about my plans to go there, and I hope I'm saving myself some humiliation…
Late at night
Right now the small town is falling asleep and Kiki's asleep in a small bed we made on the floor.
After my aqua eruption, as Kiki calls it, we were quiet and listened to the sounds of the beginning night market. The braying of the donkeys, the shout of venders, the whisper of a setting sun. I was oblivious to the sounds for I was furiously mentally calculating the cost of two people traveling to Kenya. Once I came to a total, I reviewed the money I had with me and realized with glee I could afford it!
I asked Kiki if she would like to accompany me to Masai Mara and Nakuru. She looked like a startled newborn kitten. I almost laughed aloud but thought the better of it; she might think I was fooling with her. She looked at me with a curious look, one that questions the honesty of people. I kindly smiled at her, hopefully she would say yes!
She asked why Nakuru, I said because I was sooo interested in the flamingoes! She gave me that look again and before it could get to me I told her she could think about it because I would be staying her for another few days. She kept looking at me in that odd way and finally she responded yes…YES!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!! SHE'S GONNA COME WITH ME TO KENYA!!!!!!! I'm so excited I had to erase the last sentence and redo it because I kept messing up!...YAY!
