Local traditions and culture in Kenya

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All through Kenya we see people at work . We see them carrying water from rivers that are often several miles away. Even young children help. We see them washing clothes in rivers whose waters are almost dried up.They work together in fields tilling land by hand, the young and the old together trying to carve an existence out of hard dry and unproductive soil. Hey make beautiful jewelelery from animal bones and hand carvings from wood in hopes of earning a little tourist dollars so desperately need.
These are some hardest working but poorest people I have ever met in all our travels. They are however quick to smile ,often stopping to wave at passing vehicles ,waving or saying "Jambo!" Once again my pre-conceived ideas are wrong and I feel so fortunate to have traveled here and get to know a little about Kenya and the wonderful people who so warmly welcomed us.

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In many places, and of course not just in Africa, you will find that the local facilities are in fact just a hole in the floor. Lest you think that this is only confined to villages with no tourists, the fact is that the Hippo Pools at the very popular Masai Mara reserve have such toilets as well - though the photo here is of one near Oyugis.

There are a number of hazards here, including closing the door and stepping into the thing in the darkness. In many cases, there will be no toilet paper, but if there is you might find it stashed at the top of the wall divider. If you didn't bring your own and need to look for some, be sure to look for it before you squat down over the hole. Some people definitely have trouble with their aim in these, and you definitely want to look down before you step inside. In one case, there was enough solid waste around the hole that I simply decided to move on to the next stall rather than figure out how to avoid the mess in the dark.

In many cases, there is in fact one side of the toilet block for men and the other side for women. However, in many cases this isn't marked in any way. Somehow, people just seem to know what side belongs to what gender.

This is how the simple facts of life work in many parts of the world. Indeed, in some places in Africa you can find flush versions of the "squattie potty" as that is what most people are used to using.

With some practice, you will probably find that you can use these fairly well, but probably still take longer than someone who grew up using one. You don't want to rush, though, because a mistake can definitely be a bit unpleasant.

Bring a flashlight if your eyes don't adjust well to the dark - but make sure it has a string and tie it to your hand or clothes or wear it around your neck. The floors in these are almost never level (especially in the rural areas), and you wouldn't want your one source of light to roll into the "basement" level of one of these. (Note how all the liquid is collected in one corner due to the floor not being level!)

Also note how close the wall is to the hole. I'm not sure if this is done intentionally (some places put the hole in the middle, but it is more of a hazard that way, especially when pulling your pants back up) or if it was done by mistake. Having the wall this close has some advantages, as it gives you something to lean against if you are going to be here a while, and it also is somewhat less of a hazard in the darkness.

For obvious reasons, it is good to have a plastic bag to keep your shoes in when you pack up to go home. Also, the shoes that I used the vast majority of the time while I was in Kenya I left there with someone who needed them more than I did. I was trying to figure out how to clean them so they wouldn't smell so bad (I had to walk through some very smelly mud one day after a rain storm) and someone asked me for them. I was glad to give them to someone who needd them more than I did, and not have to worry about what to do with them any more!

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Miraa is a stimulant that is grown in Kenya in the Meru region. It is widely available all over the country but seems to be especially popular along the coast, possibly because the hot sticky evenings seem to lend itself to sitting down with some friends talking rubbish and chewing a big bunch of miraa.

Even though its a narcotic it is frowned upon by some but it is totally legal in Kenya as well as the UK. Don't try and take any over the border to
Tanzania as it is ileagal there.

The nice red twigs in the picture are the kind I would go for rather than the long ones (kangeta) in the second picture. there are loads of different local names for miraa as well as different names for different types of twig or leaf.

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The very first thing I have noticed is the diversity of colours. Morover, I was in particularly impressed by the natural talent this women have in matching the colours together. Look at this pictures and see for yourself.
Most of the women wear long dresses without any stich on it. They just wrap it around their body. Must be very practicle to wear and simple to put it on.
And another, if not the most important fact, each tribe has it own dresscode, in particularly the colours.

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I haven't seen not a single perambulator in whole of Kenya! It doesn't metter weather village or town, weather rich or poor but every single woman is carrying baby in her own arms or in a sort of tissue knapsack conveyed over shoulders. I suppose the baby is feeling much better and more secury having permanent contact with mothers body. Some of this mothers, especially those I've seen in the villages, look very young. I wonder weather this one on the first picture is more than fiftheen?

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No metter of hard and poor living conditions, Kenyans are very joyfull and friendly people. Can't tell you nothing about the rich people here because, although they exist, I haven't seen the single one. Most of the locals, I get acquainted to, belong to the ordinary people who are struggling to survive. And yet, all of them were optimistic, joyful and very friendly. If any of problem occur to them, they just say with wide smile on the face, "hakuna matata", what means no problem at all.
After visiting Kenya I've learned something, have to appreciate my living conditions much more than I did before.

Draging hand-cart, more or less overweight, must be extremely hard and suffering way of earning money for living. This guy, on the picture, is draging pretty small content of the water but I've seen carts fill to excess with the load rolling out on the streets and motorways. It is one of the particularness you will see in Kenya because human work is extremelly underestimated in this country.

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No metter if you find yoursel in the towns, villages or along the roads, you'll meet great number of the locals offering wooden souveniers. It seems like one of the most lucrative business here. There exist huge manufacture in the outskirts of Mombasa and most of the souveniers coming out from it. Although each of the piece is hand-made, most of these products look alike and you might have impression of copies.
The minor number of souveniers, coloured in a different way and without plastered lacquer all over, coming from home manufactures and authentic Maasai villages, are coloured in predominant red colour and look less sophisicated.