You're my butterfly, sugar baby!
Trip Start
Feb 14, 2012
1
11
19
Trip End
Feb 29, 2012
Watamu, Kenya
Monday, February 20, 2012
Today was a quiet adventurous day (slowly overcoming injuries... just getting old I suppose)!
After the standard morning stuff (swim, breakfast and morning walks on the beach) Laura, Avon, Nadia and Nathalie&Cie took off to the Kipepeo farm (Butterfly) and the Gedi ruins...
The butterfly farm was really interesting even if there was only few butterflies to see (best time is End mars/April during the rain season).
The guides are as usual very knowledgeable! We learned again a lot about free range butterfly farming and all its whereabouts (It is now official Nathalie&Cie will start a free range Kipepeo farming in her bathroom!).
The Gedi ruins are fantastic to see (especially if you think that none of the tomb have been opened as yet...) a really captivating history well presented by Alphas, our guide.
The guy is smaller than me (difficult to imagine, I know), full of peps and with an endless knowledge...
The old bird kept asking questions to check if we were listening... felt like being back at school! Very hilarious though! As we were all playing the Chinese Nikon, nobody was really paying attention... that is until he told us he would confiscate our cameras if we were not more carefully listening :-))
So Nathalie&Cie's rating for the trip: 4stars out of five!
But actually I'll make it a five star because of what followed...
After settling back in the matatu (Kenyan bus), I shared with the others my will to buy a bottle of some typical Kenyan alcohol and was seeking advices... Without warning the driver made an 180 turn an drove back down to the ruins site. All very surprised we asked him what was the matter/fire. He told us that their was a typical African bar down there which was serving Mnazi!
Now have you ever been or seen an open bar in Kenya?
Probably not because you can't really see that it is there unless someone tells you! It is a rough yard hidden behind a palm leaves hedge with some very low wood benches and tables thrown around with some Kenyan music in the background coming from an old radio.
Very bucolic and atypical...
Now Mnazi... It is an alcohol made of water being generated by the Coconut tree leaves&stem. The liquid looks like coconut juice (what a surprise) and needs to be drunk through a small bamboo straw with a filter at the end (quite an experience indeed).
It tastes hmmm "Horrible" (but that's me talking... the other locals in the bar didn't seem to think the same!)... it is as well quite strong so beware!
The alcohol can not be bottled up as it does generate many gas while fermenting... but the longer you let it settle the stronger the thing becomes! Oh and you don't actually pay for a glass you need to order a bottle! I have to admit that I gave mine away very quickly... One glass was enough to send me giggling (dangerous stuff)! Other important info (that was given to me after the fact) is that this alcohol is so strong in taste that the smell will still come out in your wee and sweat for quite a while after absorption (cool to know... just a bit late)...
Hmmm and I can now unfortunately confirm! I'll have to keep in mind that not all the local things are good trying!
So the alcohol chase is still on! (makes me sound like an alcoholic ... this is only for my cellar&friends!)
Better get off now... tomorrow will be a long day! I am off to Mombasa (and I am very excited about it)!
I will probably only report back the day after...
I'll use the time as well to give some feedback to Cheeky Kathi (the book is a dream come true for nutters like me!)
Kwa heri!
x
Nathalie&Cie
