An amazing day

Sunday 10th April
As there was no church service today, the Meschenmosers’ gave us a choice of either visiting Säntis in Switzerland or going on a boat trip on Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Europe. We decided that visiting the Alps would be more exciting, especially as it meant travelling into Switzerland AND a boat trip!

First we drove to Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance and briefly visited the Zeppelin Museum as the ferry wasn’t due to leave for some time. We looked at the displays in the foyer. Zeppelins are still made in various sizes, some are used for tourist flights. If you look closely at the LH photo, you may be able to see a model being played on by children outside the museum.
Walking by the side of the lake, we saw a nesting swan so close to the pathway. What a brave bird to nest so close to humans in such an exposed spot!
It was a lovely calm day on the lake and we could see the Säntis in the distance. It is the highest of the Appenzell Alps at 2502 m above sea level. We had even been able to see it (just) from the Meschenmosers’ house as the sky was so clear that morning. It was fun looking back to the German side – there was a castle on the outskirts of Friedrichshafen (pic top R) - and ahead to misty Switzerland. You can see the other ferry boat heading away from the Swiss side in the photo below left. Eventually we reached Switzerland at Romanshorn, a very attractive-looking place (centre pic).
We were soon driving off the boat, and then proceeded on our way. At first we passed many orchards. The grass was full of dandelions and other flowers. We had noticed the rather (to our eyes) unkempt-looking lawns in Germany and were told that while some people have ‘English' lawns (that’s to say they keep them short!) many prefer a more natural look and enjoy the wildflowers that come up. There were certainly plenty of them! We also passed many cyclists - what hard work to climb those hills!
We passed through many towns and villages on the way to the Alps - Rorschach seemed quite large, and the houses were timbered and had shuttered windows. We saw a Zeppelin in the sky! I didn’t like St Gallen very much, it seemed quite ugly – there were lots of ultra-modern multi-storeyed buildings. Even in the older part of town, the buildings towered up 6 or 7 storeys, but at least they were more attractive to look at. It's the largest city in Eastern Switzerland.

As we drew closer to the mountains, the scenery became more and more interesting. Smaller towns and villages such as Urnäsch, Herisau and Appenzell led us closer and closer to our destination. It was so lovely to see the little mountain chalets, Brown Swiss cattle, small farms dotted all over the plentiful green grass, with dark pine forests and the snowy peaks providing a pleasing contrast.

When we arrived at the foot of the Säntis it was so awe-inspiring to stand in the road near the cable car depot and to look up the mountain (LH pic). What would it be like to go all the way up there? We were soon to find out.







It was simply amazing! From time to time we’d cross over a sheer rockface, and on all sides you could see mountains. The snow soon covered everything and we had the most incredible views in the clear air. The car park soon looked really tiny and the people like little ants. The cable car was really large and can hold up to 60 people, but it wasn’t too full that day. It was a great way to travel and not at all scary. LH picture is the view back down to the car park near the top. Centre - view from top, RH sheer face at terminal.
The terminal building has several stories and includes conference rooms, restaurants, viewing platforms and a rock and mineral collection from around the world. Unfortunately there were no examples from New Zealand.

Once we went outside, the views were absolutely stunning. In one spot a large panoramic view engraved into a metal plaque showed the peaks that are visible in six countries: Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Lichtenstein and of course Switzerland. The land slopes down towards France and Germany but we could see some of the high alps in the others. Way over in the distance we could just make out Lake Constance (LH pic). One interesting mountain with a distinctive shape was the Altmann (centre), 2,435 m above sea level, and further north is the Churfirsten group (RH pic), a range of mountains whose beautifully scalloped peaks rise up into the sky.
As the day went on, it started to cloud up a little but we had a great time. It had been a lovely warm temperature of about 20-21 deg down by the lake but was only 5 degrees up on the mountain, 2007 m above sea level. Once the clouds started to thicken, a cold wind sprung up and we soon started wanting to seek shelter.
From one side of the complex you can descend through a partial tunnel in the rock - part of the outer wall is of glass so you can see outside – or into the snow that was covering it. It was really cold in there. On the inside wall were placed various pieces of equipment used over 50 years ago by alpine guides. The tunnel leads to the mountain guide quarters. Guides have been active on the mountain for well over a century. There is are tables set out on a small terrace where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or light meal. We did just that and it was most welcome.
You could just sit back and relax, gazing at the tremendous views. Leading down from the buildings were paths leading to various places, with signposts telling you how many hours it’d take you to get to the other mountains and villages. If you want to walk/climb up or down the Säntis, it is supposed to take you 4 hours. It takes about 1/2 hour by cable car!

The complex also has an important weather station with a huge tower that was too difficult to photograph adequately (LH pic). it was interesting to look at however.
We also enjoyed watching the Alpine Jackdaws (centre) that liked visiting the outdoor restaurants and were having an amazing time soaring on the thermals up the side of the main building (RH pic).
We decided to leave around 4pm as we were starting to feel quite cold. We returned by a different route, driving around the side of the lake passing through a small section of Austria before reaching Germany again.







It was amazing how the countryside suddenly opened out into a broad, flat valley, bordered by snow-capped mountains – the Rhine. In one place we saw a cog railway that went up a steep hillside in a little gorge. I was quite surprised to see a vineyard or two in Switzerland, I'd always imagined it to be too cold! Pics: Urnäsch, Rhine valley scene, Altstadt.
It was interesting to find out that the Swiss still prefer to use their francs rather than the Euro. There is a hefty annual fee of E100 if you want to use the motorways there! It you don’t buy the ticket, it might cost you 2-300 Euros just to make one trip.
It’s often quite difficult to tell just when you cross the borders in Europe - unless your cellphone decides to tell you you've just joined a new exchange. Ours did this when we crossed from Belgium to Germany. We did notice that there were a lot of curved tops on the chimneys in Austria which was different from the Swiss architecture. Of course, place names change too, so if you know your languages, it does help. At some borders there is a police check-point but they usually only stop trucks. There was one between Austria and Germany.
We stopped to fill the car with petrol once we'd crossed into Austria. It was quite interesting to see the different prices between the diffent countries. It's cheaper to buy in Austria so many people make a special trip across the border just to fill up the car! The differences in price are caused by the way petrol is taxed in each country.hough sometimes you see a police-stop at the border (there was one at St Margrethen between Switzerland and Austria). They don’t usually check the cars, just the trucks.

We decided to stop for a break in Bregenz, an Austrian town at the side of the lake. It has an ancient history dating back to Celtic settlements over 3,000 years ago. We had a good walk around the waterfront, visiting a rather unusual-looking unfinished lakeside open-air theatre. Performances will cost €100 a seat! Ouch! Nearby was a marina where the Stadt Bregenz was moored (centre), and just past there, the town hall (RH).
We were feeling a bit hungry as we hadn't had much to eat since breakfast, so we bought some butter Bretzels – huge, butter-filled pretzels. Really nice but a bit too much butter! It gets injected into the roll in long strips about 5 mm thick! It was very welcome though as I was starting to feel quite weak and tired after all the walking an fresh air!
As it was getting on a bit and we were all rather tired, we went back to Friedrichshafen via a more inland route, and from there back to Horgenzell. We crossed into Bavaria in Germany over a river at Lindau. We had Spätzle for tea, a Swabian speciality.

Back to Uganda

Wednesday April 6th
We slept till about 4am, and that was it! Dogs were barking, Bruce got up, the mosques started to blare out their call to prayer, then the roosters started. A man knocked on our door at 5.40 – he may have been from hotel management, otherwise he was in the nextdoor room and had been woken by the noise of our shower. We left just after 6 am and were on the bus at 6.20. We bought a loaf of bread to eat on the way, and the bus left at 7 sharp!
There was no checking of passengers at Kyotera on the Tanzanian side of the border, and we reached Mutukula at 8.30, and only stayed there a short time. One young man in a yellow T-shirt had been tugged and pushed onto the bus by a woman, his mother? before the border. When the bus stopped at the side of the road in Uganda where a man was standing, he didn’t want to get off and the opposite to what had happened when he got on! One wonders what the story was there!
Masaka was reached at 10.30, then the outskirts of Kampala at a quarter to one. A man got up and started trying to sell medicine – in fact he made quite a few sales – of creams, pills and potions that were supposed to cure anything from baldness to impotency. He was quite amusing as he pantomimed a bit and told all these stories as testimonials – some really made me laugh and amused the other passengers too. I was kept busy outlining it all to Bruce.
Half an hour later, we neared the city centre, where the traffic had practically ground to a halt. It took another hour to reach the bus centre, which the bus couldn’t enter as there were vehicles parked in front of the gates. many of the other passengers had already got off, getting frustrated with the lack of progress – not an option for us, not knowing our whereabouts! We found the taxi stand quite easily, and soon set off for Entebbe. This time we had a much faster journey! It was a pleasant day, 26 degrees. The minibuses stop right outside the Entebbe Flight Motel so it’s a very convenient place to stay.
After dropping off our bags, we went for a walk past the nearby supermarket to the small village shopping centre. Around the taxi park are many small shops and cafés. We chose one that said it served snacks and cold drinks. Lutheran music was playing and we seemed to be the only customers. It was around 4 pm by now. The menu was a little unexpected: the ‘snacks’ were all some kind of meat or fish accompanied by chips, whereas ‘meals’ were the same thing but instead of chips, were served with ugali, matoke or various Ugandan alternatives! I asked the girl whether they had anything smaller like chapattis, and she was able to offer us samosas. We enjoyed drinking mango juice as well. Whilst we were relaxing in that cool place, we noticed a rather amusing poster on the wall. It said that if you smoked, the staff would think that you were on fire and treat you accordingly!!!!
After that break, we walked around a small food market and bought some bananas. Bruce was interested in finding out the price of some very nice looking steak at a butcher’s, and we were surprised to find out that it was quite expensive – 7,000 Ush a kilo (nearly 3USD). In Tanzania it is about Tzsh 3,000 a kilo (2 USD).
We stopped at a rather modern supermarket and bought some water as it was much cheaper than the hotel’s. We had a look around at all the different foods on display and bought some fruit juice. They have an interesting system when you leave the supermarket – you have to hand your docket over to a person near the exit doorway, who has a brief look at your purchases before waving you on. There is also a guard at the entry point. Rather different from here in NZ.
I found out that you have a choice of ordering from a menu or eating the buffet dinner at the motel, so I decided to choose from the menu rather than have to try to eat lots of food at the buffet to make the extra price worthwhile. Bruce wanted the buffet, so this put the staff in a brief quandary. Normally people eating from the menu dine in one room, and those partaking of the buffet in a 3-walled room opening onto the main courtyard. However, they decided that they could serve me my meal there as well as long as we agreed on a suitable time for dining.

Last day in Tanzania

Saturday 25th July Another nearly sleepless night – the nearby pub again! We got up shortly after six. Unfortunately I knocked my glasses onto the floor when getting my towel off the towel rail where I'd hung them up, it being the only dry spot in the bathroom. It chipped a piece off the top of each lens, but they were still usable.
We were disappointed by the complimentary breakfast: a toasted sandwich and a cup of coffee or tea – she brought us hot water for a second cup, then took the sachets away! I think you weren't really supposed to have two cups!
We repacked our bags leaving out the guys’ gear as well as the peanuts, rice & dried native veges that had been given, then the Michaels turned up at 8.30.
Little Michael had woken big Michael up at 6, wanting to visit mama (me), but was told I might be still asleep!
As they hadn't had breakfast and we were still hungry and thirsty, we decided to breakfast somewhere else, it was far too expensive at the guest house. One of the neighbouring houses was serving breakfast in a little opened-up room and also outside, so we sat on stools and had refreshments: 4 teas, 4 chapattis, 3 maandazi for 1,250 Tsh! Compare this to the price of having one cup of tea at the guest house = 1,000 Tsh!
After going back to our room, we took our bags to the office and started to walk to Michael’s with his bags. He was very sad we weren’t going to take the peanuts, and I felt bad knowing how much hard work had been done, but we had tried to explain a couple of days earlier that such gifts are not advisable due to NZ regulations. Bruce said Michael could start up a small business selling them to other students, he thought it’d be fun but better if he could cook them first, but so far he hasn't bought any cooking or eating things. He’s still eating with his former landlord.
It was an interesting walk through streets lined with small dukas outside and between the houses. We passed through a narrow alleyway (not for fat people!), walked down a grassy hill, and crossed the deep, narrow, smelly drain at the bottom. It's nearly choked with rubbish. Michael's little room is on a lower level past some other houses, you have to climb over a wall that has stones set in it, and then go down past a row of little rooms to reach his at the end, near the thatched bafu & choo. It's very clean & tidy but not very big. He hopes to squeeze in a couple of chairs, and buy a cooker & cooking/eating utensils soon. He paid 140,000 for the year's rent, and an extra 10,000 Tsh get it re-plastered/whitewashed inside. He missed out on a much cheaper (only 40,000 a year ($50)) and nicer room in an apartment block nearer his school, originally built for government workers. His bed cost 60,000 Tsh then he had to buy a mattress, a mosquito net & water containers as well.
We went for a good walk back to the main road to go to the university internet building – what a fast connection - well, once I got a different computer, the first had a problem!
Then we went to a large complex that housed banks, fancy shops and a Forex, however, no-one was willing to change our traveller’s cheques. AT least there was an ATM so we used the Visa card instead, and also changed our large USD notes at the Forex into smaller ones to use at the airport - we'd been told there would be departure tax, but there wasn’t!
On the way back to the guest house, we stopped to buy ice blocks from a roadside vendor – most refreshing, as Dar was very hot & windy. We went to a cheap restaurant for lunch - HUGE platefuls of food, including very nice chips + a yummy salad of tomatoes, onion & cucumber.
As it was now after 1 p.m., we went to pick up our bags and head for the airport. We had a ½ hour walk to the main daladala stand, otherwise we'd have had to have taken two, and it gave another opportunity to chat. You had to watch out for cars using the pavement as a road to get past all the traffic jams, plenty of those! In the daladala, at one point it took twenty minutes to advance just two hundred metres!
We got to the airport bang on time, but were disappointed to find that, like Nairobi, passengers are screened on entry so other people are excluded. My hopes of a proper farewell were dashed, we had to say goodbye very quickly before disappearing out of sight. If we’d got there a little earlier or known the layout, we could have stopped in the gardens in front of the airport, taken a group photo, prayed for each other, & had a proper hug. I had also wanted an opportunity to say some encouraging words before leaving Michael again.
We gave him most of the money we’d got out of the ATM (apart from the cost of our accommodation & lunch), hoping no-one bad saw & would mug him on his way home, before saying a quick goodbye. I managed to slip in a quick hug, but Bruce had already gone on ahead!
It's a strange airport, there are only a few shops, a cafe and a restaurant in the lounge. There also were only two or three boarding lounges.
The boarding procedure took us by surprised, we heard our flight being called so went into the lounge and wondered why there was a group of people crowding round a desk near the entrance but no desks near the exit as there usually are. We almost went to sit down, but I looked at the time and thought it was too close to departure time. We decided to investigate the desk, which was now not chokka with people, and saw there were two girls, one checking passports and boarding passes, the other ticking names off the list. You then just walk outside onto the tarmac, get directed to the appropriate aircraft & climb on board using the aircraft's stairs!

Off to the Great Rift Valley

Thursday 2nd July Cool & overcast again. We watched the cattle being taken out to find pasture at 8.30, then looked over to the sheep pen, one ewe was rejecting one her new twins. Most are Dorper or Dorper cross. The cattle were very thin, many very weak and likely to die soon, even some yearlings. One old cow was no longer able to stand, so lay outside the house all day. They belong to Nicholas and his brother Moses. Nicholas earns some cash by using his vehicle to deliver meat, and by handling baggage at the airport.
We were shocked to be told our vehicle arrangements now had to be renegotiated, it had been agreed we'd just ensure it was full of petrol when returned! After two hours of frustrating discussions, we decided to use public transport as we didn't have enough money to fulfill the new demands!
It took an hour to reach the internet café, frequent traffic light failures cause long traffic jams; the traffic police control the large roundabouts but are sometimes very slow to let each line of traffic take its turn.
I found that Amex had changed its phone number to a collect one - no good for cell phoned! I wasn't sure if the only public phone we saw, complete with armed security guard, would even connect me to an operator. So I sent an emergency email to mum & dad, asking them to contact Amex on our behalf.
There was only a short 1/2-hour wait on the bus before it left. It took 2 1/2 hours to get to Duka Moj, a small ‘town’ between Mai Mahiu & Narok.
We were impressed by the lush feed near Limuru on way out of Nairobi, but it soon petered out. From Mai Mahiu, everywhere became more and more arid, any grass was short and brown, and the maize crops had failed: surviving plants were small, scattered, withered & dying.
We went to a small cafe for a little food and met a nice Maasai man, Ezekiel, who shared some of the problems in the district with us. John went to find a car to take us to Luka’s manyatta near Inkoirienito church, but we were very upset by the amount he'd negotiated, 3,000 Ksh (NZD 75!!!). We went to buy some food from one of the small stores: 4 kgs rice; 4 kgs maize flour; 2 l oil; some tea; 4 kgs sugar; a sack of potatoes (15 kgs?); total Ksh 1,000.
We stopped 3x on the way: 1) the unfinished clinic (above left) at Ole Sharo, built by church funds, an Australian dental team, NZ friends, + a Narok District Health Board grant. It still needs roofing, a doctor’s house, an incinerator + a toilet.








2) John’s 3-roomed house (left), a similar house for his mother (right) except built with traditional walls, the kitchen/store room (below left), and the “the deepest choo in Maasailand” (36 feet deep!) (below right). John was gifted 3 acres by Inkoirienito church for the work he's been doing for them. The houses' floors were unfinished, the kitchen/store needs mud plaster, the choo needs finishing. 3) Some neighbours: the wife has a bad back, her husband has TB.








The 25 km trip took 2 hours (including stops), so it was dark when we reached Luka’s manyatta. A tall boma (fence of thorn tree branches) surrounds most of the huts, the small failed vegetable patch + the animal enclosures. Small night pens made of twigs/mud with thatched roofs contain the youngest calves, kids & lambs. They are let out in the morning before their mums go out to graze, stay around the manyatta all day, then get another drink in the evening before being shut away again.
There are many huts here: one for each wife and some for others. Those who live here include Luka & his 2 wives (Maria & Joyce), his son Paulo + his family, Pastor Petro + his family, Luka’s father’s widow Raheli + her children – one of whom was widowed last year, and lastly John + his mum.
This time we stayed in Paulo’s hut (Maria’s son): 2 small rooms in a rectangular mud brick building with dirt floor & iron roof. He has 2 wives, Susanna and Yasintha, who is one of John’s 5 sisters.
Pics: our sitting room, bedroom, view from the window of traditional huts.


Traditional huts are oval, built (usually by women!) of woven twigs plastered with cow dung/mud. The narrow doorway leads into a narrow passageway, where young livestock may be kept at night. The main room contains a smoky cooking fire, 1-2 wooden stands for pots, pans and any other belongings, a timber/cowhide bed, + possibly some stools or a bench to sit on. A smaller room contains another bed for children/guests. Windows are a couple of 4-6" holes, often plugged with cloth for privacy! Smoke escapes through these + the space between the top of the walls & the roof.
Lots of people came to greet us when we arrived; we were pleased to see that the children weren’t scared this time! After being taken to our hut, we spent some time with some of the men, who wanted to share with us how the current drought was affecting them. They all had similar stories.
Moses had 30 sheep/goats, + some cattle, now he just has 5 sheep/goats. He has 1 wife and 5 children.
Isaya Kishau had 300 sheep/goats and 30 cattle, he now has 50 sheep & goats, and 13 cattle; 2 wives and 10 children.
Daniel Teeka had 10 sheep/goats and 7 cattle, he now has 3 sheep/goats and one cattle beast; 1 wife and 3 children. He’s John’s full brother.
Luka Kishau had 300 sheep/goats and 30 cattle. He now has 60 sheep/goats and 5 cattle; I'm not sure how many children he has, many are now married. He’s 53 years old, same as Bruce.
Paulo has no livestock of his own, his dad says he’s his ‘errand boy’, but he has two wives, and a number of children. Yasintha was expecting her fourth; I don’t know how many Susanna has.
Some people in the Inkoirienito community have lost all their cattle; all are finding it hard to cope. They say they have avoided malnutrition because everyone has been helping each other. In other places, if you go to your neighbour for help, you’ll be chased away. Between 40-50% are now Christians out of the thousand here.
Even the local leaders are in trouble, despite their small government salaries. One in Ewaso town having lost all his livestock, sold his fence!
The rains that usually arrive in March failed; there was just the odd short shower until mid-June when they got a week’s rain. Attempts to grow maize & beans failed; the cattle started to die from April on, the sheep & goats followed suit, even the donkeys.
John has been to World Vision in Narok but they don’t work in the area. He says there is no aid from the District Health Boards in Suswa or Narok, although an NGO leader told me that they are the ones organising relief food. It’s a long way to Narok, 12-15 kms on foot through the bush to Duka Moja, then another 45 kms to Narok by matatu (minibus taxi).
We were pleased to hear they want to form a Community Based Organisation (CBO) to better use donations and to access government funding. They want to fund projects such as helping people with school fees, loans for micro-enterprises, build water tanks/health clinics etc. Bruce said it could also act as a community bank: in good times they could deposit money from cattle sales & use it later for school fees.
A lesson from this year – heed the early warning signs, sell surplus stock or you lose them + your more valuable breeding stock.
Cattle had been worth 15,000 - 20,000 Ksh ($400), but are now 5,000 Ksh. Hides are worth only 50 Ksh, so dead cattle haven’t been skinned.
We ended up eating at 10! It was good to get to bed, but our sleep was disturbed by cold winds, dogs barking, pounding feet as they chased hyenas past our hut,then the whoops of hyenas in the distance.