this blog is now being switched to a new site where I can post photos a bit easier – www.jessfanzo.com

Also check out the food site here.

I really felt like a tourist this september when we went back to New York yet it had only been five weeks since we moved to Kenya after eight years of living there. Now, after two months, New York seems like a distant memory. It was fun to go back briefly to the big apple though – i was inspired to take pictures of it again but there is no way I could move back there especially after hearing that McCain/Palin is in a dead heat with Obama (say wha?) and the economy nearly imploding. Doesn’t sound so attractive. Anyway, some last photos of new york.

Funny that Derek and I are back in gotham city on the 7th anniversary of September 11th. We are still on Nairobi time, as I type at 4 am here. Marybeth, mother to my very dear friend Gwyn, has graciously allowed for us to stay in her top floor apartment on 108 and Broadway. When we got to the apartment last night, we looked out the windows to her stellar view of curvy Broadway and the Hudson. Very nice. Marybeth is not only a mother, but a successful and talented actress who is one of the few to make a living off of it. She has photos all over of her times on Broadway and on movie sets and TV shows. Very neat to see. It is like glimpsing into a true New Yorker’s life that has been so colorful and full of experiences I could never imagine.

It is really weird to already be back in New York. When we went through immigration at JFK, the officer said “welcome home.” But funny, i feel like it is not my home any more. Eight years of living here and feeling it was mine, are gone in a month, and I feel like a stranger to this city. And sitting here typing on September 11th is even stranger – seems like that happened twenty years ago. Well, until you see the video footage. And those feelings all come rushing back.

Every early morning around 6:30 or 7:00 and then around 4:30 to 6:30, there are tons of Kenyans walking along the side of the roads. Everywhere. This is typical for Africa if you have been here but in Nairobi, where roads are packed with cars, with crazy drivers behind the wheel, it is a dangerous proposition.

evening time when people are walking home

The picture above doesn’t even do it justice – there are many along the roads, and usually without sidewalks on narrow crowded streets with cars wizzing by. Why doesn’t the government build sidewalks so people can safely walk? It boggles my mind. There is no transport system here with the exception of the matatus, the little VW buses that pack about 15 people in them for about 30 schillings a ride. Some have to walk for about 5 km to get the right matatu stop, then wait for an hour for the matatu, and then ride in a cramped matatu for about an hour to get to their job. Twice a day. Not easy.

To another place in Nairobi that is. What a strange trip it has been already this past month. After living in the place in Runda, we realized that it was not the home for us. The whole time we were there I never felt comfortable – not comfortable with the neighborhood, the guard dogs, and the place itself. It was like living in a high security hotel/prison but with the added factor of smelly barking dogs. Derek has blogged in much more detail but regardless, we are out of there.

The place we moved to is so funky and actually reminds me of Derek’s moms place in mexico in a way. At least the style of it. Our landlord is fantastic. Born and bred in NYC but has lived in Kenya for 20 years, and is a certified professional photographer. She has taken some amazing photos throughout her travels in Africa and has essentially made a living off of it. She is so laid back. No “indentured servants” or super tight security. The place is totally safe. The neighborhood has no thorough foot traffic with nearby slums and is in a beautiful setting with huge trees, cobblestone roads and lots of birds.

The place itself is eclectic. It is one large room, but bigger than anything we ever had in NY. There are our landlord’s touches – lots of beautiful rugs and artwork from all over the place which we like. We walked in and felt like it was ours.

Here are some photos.

When going through the “domestic routes” of Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi, our bags were haphazardly checked when entering the airport. Once we got our tickets to Mombasa, we were supposed to go through another security checkpoint before entering the gate area. There was a handwritten sign on the bag scanner that said “out of order.” No one checked our IDs or passports the whole way through.

On the way back from Mombasa to Nairobi, same thing. No check of an ID.

One word: sketchy.

We went to the North beaches of Mombasa this past weekend and stayed at the Serena. It was truly a dream. I haven’t had a vacation where you just completely relax in a long time. Interestingly, my blackberry called it quits right in the airport on the way out of Nairobi so I wasn’t able to check email all weekend. And you know, it was totally awesome. Here are some photos and check out Derek’s blog.

We have been doing a lot of fine dining already since arriving in Nairobi. Pedro and Cheryl took us to Tamarind, one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. We ordered this huge platter of fresh seafood. YUM. Derek and I have also tried out some tasty Indian restaurants with Haandi being the most famous and best. The food is heavy, but is excellent. So much better than what you get in New York. We have tried Japanese – Furusato which was surprisingly fresh and authentic. Talisman, a Karen white African hangout was just alright, haughty and way overpriced. Arte des Cafe near the UN was really good and was more ‘fusion’ food not to be confused with Arte Caffe in Westgate Mall, which serves creamy strong lattes. We had burritos at Java House, which were more tex mex-ish. Not bad, but not great. We have yet to try Italiano but there are a few to try. I have been impressed overall but I must say, the prices of these places are somewhat comparable to NY. Nairobi ain’t cheap. What you do get is service with no attitude (as opposed to annoyed hipster waiters who act like you are doing them a favor), beautiful outdoor garden settings (as opposed to sitting on a raunchy sidewalk with homeless people grabbing at your hair and of course, smokers), and empty restaurants (no waiting for three hours and carrying around beepers).

I guess we aren’t in New York after all…

And the guard dogs that live with us, and watch over our safety once dark, are doing just that every night. The last two nights have been particularly intense, waking me up out of my sleep. Right around 11:00, they start howling. Once they start, you can hear about 20 other dogs in the hood howl back. It sounds like a chorus but I wonder what they are saying to each other? Derek thinks one of the neighbor’s dogs is in heat and all the male dogs are letting her know who is the big dog in town. Or, maybe they are just obsessed by the devil, ala Ozzy? I am leaning towards the obsessed – I caught Suzie on film looking a little crazed by the moon…

suzie the obsessed

]]> http://jessfanzo.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/as-ozzy-says-bark-at-the-moon/feed/ 1 jessfanzo suzie the obsessed http://jessfanzo.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/nairobi-national-park/ http://jessfanzo.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/nairobi-national-park/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:17:38 +0000 jessfanzo http://jessfanzo.wordpress.com/?p=61 ]]>

So, if you drive for about 20 minutes down Langata Road in Nairobi towards Karen (yes, I had a Farm in Africa Karen), you hit the Nairobi National Park. You can take your car right into the park and pay about 1000 Kenya Schillings a person (about $17 bucks) and you are in the wilderness. Some say the park serves as a corridor for wildlife to the Rift Valley. Not too sure about that but you do get to see zebra, hartebeests, giraffes, baboons and other critters roaming freely, ungated and minding their own business. We spent about 4 hours driving around and it felt like we left Nairobi for the day on a safari. Check out the photos below but dont get too excited. We didn’t see any lions or leopards. Or elephants (tembo in Kswahili!)…

Derek also posted a cool video of our explorations.