Sunday, June 12, 2011

East Africa: Top Shots



(Cue dramatic intro)

It's hard to pinpoint where to begin.

Visiting east Africa was one of the least relaxing vacations I've ever taken. This was largely due to the almost impossible task of trying to soak up every experience to its maximum potential. I don't think one can really prepare themselves for the beauty and melancholy they will encounter in this place.

Emotions ran from the highs of sheer joy, to the soberness of heartbreak, or primal with fear. Sleep was an even rarer commodity than usual. Excitement, jet-lag, climate, and diet all contributed to this.

The chaotic streets of Nairobi greeted us with a swallowing embrace. Congestion, population and a budding infrastructure create a dizzying sense of constant movement, almost in agitation of itself.

Traffic can't keep up with construction, and the "laws" of the road are governed by the average driver's sense of patience.

Fires burn by the side of the road, trash blows in the wind by the endless passers-by on foot, or the countless loitering in the midst of nowhere and everyone.

Then it all stops. The bustle of the city's countless markets and shops and people start to fade into the countryside. The land grows hostile in a matter of miles, and any hope of sustaining the comforts of civilization is lost.

This is the place we sought. Pervading silence in the endless fields of grass and trees.

Here is a link to a small piece of it though my eyes: Enjoy.