Conclusion - sent August 28th

We are now Kenyans.
Kenya performed its once-a-decade census on August 25th, 2009. They perform it all within a one to two day period and encourage everyone to stay home to ensure they are counted. We were taking the overnight bus from Mombasa back to Nairobi, when around midnight a flood of twenty-something-year-olds boarded the bus and began polling the passengers for the census.

Yes, we were included in the Kenyan 2009 Census! Brent Vernon, Katie Seikel, and Tara Hagan are registered as Drent (no last name), Kate Serkel, and Tara Hagan, respectively. There were some language barriers that resulted in differences and Drent being registered as a female. We were pretty excited.

Conclusion

• I have the greatest friends ever. I posted the pictures here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2346021&id=9604415&l=438e721a4a.
• Surprisingly, they didn't really sell postcards in Kenya, so I will make some and send them out. Forward me your address if you want one.
• If you're in New York, I am having a kickball game for my birthday on Saturday, August 29th at the East River Park on East 6th and FDR Drive from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. There is some concern over the anticipated inclement weather, but seriously? It's kickball. I think we'll be fine. Also, I already paid for the park permits and filled out the paperwork, so I am still going.

Kenya - sent August 21

We wrapped up Cairo and headed to Nairobi where Brent picked us up at the airport. We spent a day in Nairobi exploring and then started a four-day safari through the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. Right now, we are back in Nairobi about to take a bus to Mombasa, which is along the southern coast of Kenya.

SAFARI
The drive through central and western Kenya and the safari were enjoyable -- rhinos, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, the list goes on -- but the most remarkable part of the trip was when we arrived at the campsite outside the Masai Mara.

Brent has been to Kenya five times to build schools and teach English, and he recognized one of the guards/workers at the campsite. It was an old student from a school six hours away in 2003 -- David. He goes by Sammy now and has finished his primary school. He wanted to continue school but had to start working to support his family. We spent a good portion of our evenings talking with Sammy and enjoying the cool weather of the Savannah.

Cairo 2 - sent August 15

NILE
While walking along the Nile last night, Katie and I discovered the greatest activity known to man. We noticed these gaudy boats with neon lights and bumping Arabic pop. We were entranced and followed them. I have no words to explain the rest of the night.

For 1 Egyptian Pound (20 cents in USD), you can ride this neon fireball on water with about 50-100 other Egyptians for an hour on the Nile. The music is ridiculous, and the boat is filled with families and teenagers. We were probably the only non-Egyptians on the boat. A young girl and her friend got up and started belly dancing.

Yadda yadda yadda, Katie and I blew their minds with our sweet dance moves. It was pure bliss. They loved it. It was one of the greatest nights of my life, and at the end, they begged us to stay on for the next boat ride.

Again, the movie Taken started scaring me, and we left.

TODAY
We wandered around Islamic Cairo. We met some friends and drank tea and smoked sheesha all afternoon. We might go to some handball competition tonight.

Cairo - sent August 14

Katie´s bag never made it to Cairo. She´s been surprising positive about the whole experience. The upside about flying Austrian Air - free red wine with every meal. The downside about flying Austrian Air - you find yourself trekking the desert to see the pyramids wearing the same yellow t-shirt you have donned for the past three days.

I thought I read it was only a two hour ferry ride to get to Petra. Turns out, it´s a two hour ferry ride, assuming you make it to Nuweiba, Egypt, which is a nine hour bus ride from Cairo. Due to the distance, we had to cut Petra from the trip, which means there is a BFE even when you´re in BFE.

Last night, while wandering through downtown Cairo, we stumbled upon an area of ahwas (sheesha cafes), where Ali the Nubian invited us to join him. Ali owns the cafe and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening drinking tea and smoking the sheesha (hooka) with him. He then walked us around town, introducing us to his friends. He is pretty much the most popular guy in Cairo. After a while, I got creeped out, especially since Katie told me the plotline to the movie Taken earlier in the afternoon, so we parted ways and ended up not sold into human slavery by the end of the night.

Today, we saw the pyramids. Other events of note, falafels are 1.5 Egyptian pounds, which is about 24 cents. I learned how to say, "I am here to find my ancestors." in Arabic.

Africa - sent August 12

I leave this afternoon for an African adventure.

The line-up

My best friends from high school will be making the trek – Brent Vernon and Katie Seikel.

Katie Siekel – dietician at OU Medical Center who just finished her MCAT

-- Katie has coached every national cheerleading camp since the late 1990’s. If you, a cousin, a niece, or a coworker ever attended a cheerleading camp anywhere in this country, Katie most likely was a counselor there.
-- We spent so much time in the Great Reading Room during Finals Week, we had commemorative t-shirts made.

Brent Vernon – kindergarten teacher at a private school in Santa Monica

-- The only kindergarten teacher who has headshots; he’s so LA.

-- All through high school, Brent would memorize the Beyonce dances. Somehow, we didn’t know he was gay until a couple years ago.

The schedule

We are flying to Cairo for a few days to see some of dirt triangles. They are supposedly really old and at least 10 feet tall. Next, we are taking a ferry to Jordan to see Petra so we can fulfill our lifetime dream of re-enacting Indiana Jones using only puppets made out of Russet potatoes. Finally, we are heading to Kenya for a safari, some volunteer work and some frolicking on the coast of the Indian Ocean. My coworker Subin Thomas has suggested we sing the Lion King’s “Circle of Life” upon exiting the plane in Kenya. He’s an idiot.*

* Subin Thomas is awesome, and if you friend him on facebook, he’ll probably accept. This is primarily because we created his profile for him and he has yet to learn the password.

Hepatitis is a sham.

Before leaving for India a couple years ago, I attempted a hepatitis vaccination from a Flushing clinic on a Sunday morning where no one spoke English and they just gave me a shot as I sat in the waiting room. Because they never even gave me a band aid, I had to ride the seven train back to the city wiping the blood off my arm with my t-shirt. It was included in some India updates.

Anyway, it’s a two-step shot. I was supposed to go back to finish the immunizations. I didn’t. Fortunately, my financial position has improved to the point where I can entertain thoughts of affording luxuries like vaccinations**. Before administering the last shot, my doctor performed some blood tests, which came back showing I already had hepatitis immunization.

This could mean one of two things – either the Chinatown Flushing clinic is magic and administers the greatest medical service or Hepatitis and the notion of its immunity is all a sham.

**Although, my finances aren’t strong enough for me to afford the typhoid medication. I am taking my chances with that one.

Peru Updates

Peru Update 1 – sent August 30, 2008
So the journey starts in Lima, Peru. I realized the taxi driver and I didn´t understand each other when we had the following exchange:

He motions for me to get down.
I don´t.
He motions towards the empty seat next to me.
I notice it´s really congested and we aren´t moving anywhere, so I think he´s indicating he´s not able to get in the High Occupancy Vehicle lane because he only has one passenger. "Oh, yeah, I guess we could have picked up another person. It probably would be less congested if we could be in the High Occupancy lane."
"Bandito, bandito, bandito, muy danger..."
I then realize he wants me to move my bag off the empty seat and hide it on the floor of the car.
I guess that was the sketchy part of town.
I wish I knew Spanish.

The hostel is in Central Lima. It´s swank. Chandeliers, fake marble statues, swank. I am staying in some hut on the roof. The wooden door is two feet wide and five feet tall and locked by a small padlock on the outside. I am not sure how I am going to be able to lock it from the inside though.

Peru Update 2 – sent August 31, 2008
Today, I woke up at six and decided to walk to the Pacific coast. It ended up being six miles and taking forever. Along the way, I crashed the synchronized warm up session for a 10-K (They coordinated their stretching en masse to techno, of course.) and some Catholic school girl parade.
While taking a cab back to Central Lima, the driver asked "¿Donde Estas?" I reply, "Estados Unidos." He lifts his hands in the air and yells, "Obama High Five!" We later bonded while whistling the hook to "Walk Like an Egyptian."

I am now in Cusco, which is absolutely beautiful. It´s in the Andes and full of winding cobblestone streets and steep stairways. I believe the previous statement is the equivalent of someone coming to America and saying "God, I just love Branson. It´s so clean and lovely."

Peru Update 3 – sent September 2, 2008
back to monday. sorry, but the caps doesn´t work on this computer.

i wrote thirty postcards and awoke early to mail them off, only to discover postage is two dollars a card, so yeah, if i promised you a card, it will be mailed from nyc.

i then headed back to the city center at the plaza de armas where a young boy percy approached me selling postcards. below are excerpts from the interaction, think back to 7th grade spanish class.

postales?
no, yo tengo trente postales y cero tarjetas. wtf?
como te llamo... yo tengo tres hermanos y tu... soy de estados unidos... escuela... me gusto matematicas... stuff like that

then i notice a gathering of citizens, banners and chanting.

que es?
protesta. gasolina protesta.
peligroso?
he shrugs.
want to check it out?

so percy, the thirteen year old kid selling postcards and i watch the gasoline protests for a while. he wanted my email address, so i gave him a business card. hell, who knows, maybe his postcard business will take off and he’ll need an auditor when he ipos.

later in the afternoon, i am standing on the street waiting for the tram. it never comes. a man approaches me asking if i want to take a tour of some ruins around cusco. the bus leaves in ten minutes. i get on the bus.

i meet evadio, not sure about the spelling. he´s creepy creepster and after the tour asks me to a "nice dinner." recalling he has a weak digestive system and aversion to health code violations, i inform him i only eat guinea pig at street meat vendors and proceed to enter said shop. unfortunately, i discover they have no vegetarian options, so i have to awkwardly hang out at the sketch establishment for ten minutes to make sure the coast is clear before heading back out.

they are playing the high school musical soundtrack at this internet cafe.

Peru Update 4 – sent September 4, 2008
I know I am behind but Tuesday.

Last Thursday, yes, two days before I leave for Peru, I book the one-day tour to see Machu Picchu because all the do-it-yourself train tickets were sold out. I don't know if they were sold out since I cannot read Spanish websites, but it wasn't processing my order.

Friday, the tour company calls because they cannot process my tour order without my passport number. I call back. No one answers. I fax it to them (not sure if that's safe). I call them Saturday and give them my passport number and ask where the meeting place for the excursion is. They tell me to call back. I call back Sunday and Monday, and they tell me they will pick me up at the hotel at 5:30 a.m.

It's cold in Peru in September. It's cold at 5:30 a.m. I wait. I wait. I wait with taxi drivers who, sensing my frustration, begin to teach me curse words in Spanish to use when the tour guide arrives. At 6:30 a.m. I realize I will not be able to make the 6:50 a.m. train to Aguas Calientes to see the Machu Picchu, which is the last train you can take if you want to return the same day and is my last chance since I am leaving Peru the next day.

The lady at the hotel calls the tour company and using her secret, magic language tells them to come pick me up. I make it to the Machu Picchu.

It's glorious and neither words nor pictures can explain it.

While there, the Americans keep asking me if I am from Japan. Damn Americans. Consequently, I join a group of unemployed Europeans for hiking in the Andes. One Frenchman was a plastic surgeon, specializing in breast augmentation; the others were all unemployed and just traveling the world for a year. Europeans.

Peru Update 5 – sent September 4, 2008
Alright, alright. Here are the pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2245636&l=31e8c&id=9604415

Thank you to anyone who read them. Thanks for being such great, supportive friends.