Holland, Paris, and Heading Out

My introduction to Europe through Holland has been a cold and hail-filled one. I've had a week of adjusting to the windy Netherlands while visiting my friend Laura and her family. I also spent a few days in Amsterdam (pictured above) and a small town called Ermelo, with some Dutch relatives, Gera and Peter. I met their five sons, had tea with some of my Opa's siblings, and we took a canal tour in the town of Utrecht.

King's day, a Dutch holiday where many people wear orange, was a quick, rainy visit with Laura, her husband Nick, and their baby Katelyn, to the center of Rotterdam; there long enough to see the flea market (where anyone can set up a table and sell things) and get some street food.

On my last day in Holland, Laura, Katelyn, and I visited Gouda, which had a windmill you could climb to the top of, as well as delicious bread and chesse.

 

I spent the last few days in Paris (pictures below) walking around the entire city and seeing all the sights, as well as eating more bread and cheese. Next I am headed to Taize, a monastic community in eastern France, for a week before heading out to start the Camino trail.

http://www.taize.fr/en

In an effort to keep the weight down, I left my tablet behind, so I will write again when I can!

Sacred heart

Chocolate shop

Notre-Dame

These are all locks!

The Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

 

Moulin Rouge

Eiffel Tower

Watamu: Week Two & Quitting Kenya

My second week in Watamu was spent similarly to the first, volunteering with Local Ocean Trust, and spending time with Enoch and his family.

Enoch, Adline, Wansa and Tony

I did a night patrol with LOT and saw a nesting turtle, and a few days later we exhumed a nest that had hatched. There were five baby turtles that hadn't made it out to the water yet.

 

I also went to Malindi, a larger town, to walk on the golden sandy beaches and eat gelato.

My last weekend in town I was invited to a wedding. In Kenya weddings are generally really big, and anyone invited can bring others with them. It was in a backyard, and there were even acrobats.

I also decided to get my hair trimmed, so it will be nice and easy for my upcoming walk.

My last four days in Kenya, I went back to Nairobi and hung out with some of Dacia's friends, as she was still teaching out of town. We went to the David Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary, where we met and pet 24 young, rescued elephants.

And now, Phase 2 of my trip. After some flight complications, where I was bumped to a flight the following morning, I am now with my friend Laura and her family in Rotterdam.

Sunset in Kenya

Watamu: Week One

I've kept myself busy during my first week in Watamu, a small beach town on the coast of Kenya.

Watamu Beach - Wishing Rock

Elephant towel welcome at Mvuvi B&B

I've definitely spent hours in the turquoise bath-warm water, but have been filling most of my time volunteering with Local Ocean Trust (LOT) aka Watamu Turtle Watch, and with an amazingly friendly local family I met a few days in.

Local Ocean Trust rehab

LOT rescues turtles that have been caught in fishermen's nets, pays the fishermen a bit to encourage them to call in, and releases uninjured turtles back into the safety of the marine protected area of Watamu beach. If the turtles are sick, they bring them to their rehabilitation centre. They also monitor nests to make sure the hatchlings make it to the water, and educate the community on the importance of protecting these endangered species and their habitats.

I've been learning so much about identifying turtles, documenting them when we go out for a rescue, how to take care of them when they are in the rehab, etc. If you want to find out more about this great organization:
http://www.watamuturtles.com

Jamcia - a rescued Hawksbill turtle I named from a combo of Jamila/Dacia

On the weekend I went to a local church in town with my new friend, Enoch, and his daughter, Wansa. We also walked to a mangrove forest, and today we went to Gede Ruins. And after, always back to their house for a delicious lunch, and then a swim.

The Gede Ruins are from a town in its prime around the 15th century, and only 12 of 45 acres of the abandoned town were excavated from 1948-58.

Enoch and I at the ruins

I'm still here for another week; a few days with LOT, and the rest seeing what other adventures I can get up to:) Asante for reading along with my journey so far!

Getting to Gede - local van transport called Matatus

Roof-top sunset yoga

Enoch's oldest son, Mike, getting coconuts

Me eating said coconuts

Zanzibar: Beach Bliss and Tanzanian Water Trucks

My five days on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar = beach paradise, delicious seafood, friendly people, and solid adventures.

When Dacia, her friend Jadie, and I arrived at the White Sands Bungalow right on the beach in Jambiani, I thought it was a dream. We flew in first thing Tuesday morning and spent the day on the beach in the emerald salt water of the Indian ocean.

Most of the week was about beach time and eating seafood.

We spent one day traipsing across part of the island, via walking, taking the local dadada transportation, walking some more, and then getting picked up by a group of friendly strangers in a water truck, and dropped at a restaurant called "The Rock."

Our last full day we went to Stone Town, to wander through winding streets, barter, and eat at a delicious restaurant called Monsoon, where we sat on the floor and ate our way through as much seafood as we could.

Yesterday we returned to Nairobi and then tomorrow Dacia heads north-east to teach, and I am going to the coast for more ocean and seafood fun. I'll end off with a few pictures from today; some vervet monkeys stopped by for a visit outside the bedroom window this morning, and then we went for an early birthday all-you-can-eat brunch (it was immensely tasty).