Around the World and Back Again

This July I left Kenya to pursue graduate school back in Boston. After 3 years there, and 6 years abroad in total, it feels like a major step. My excitement to learn new skills and grow through an MBA helps to maintain motivation and resolve, my belief that I will be back again soon helps to balance the difficulty of leaving, and returning home to Boston alongside Emily helps to smooth the transition. 

After 114 blog posts, that's at least one a month since the day I left, I'll no longer be adding material on a regular basis. I'm so glad to have this detailed record of the experience, where I can relive the discoveries, the trips, the music and the learning at a monthly or even weekly level. I'm also glad I was able to share all this with people I care about- it helped to maintain a feeling of connection and shared experience.

After these past 3 years of incredible work and exciting travel, I thought this map I made of all my flights during that time would be a fitting coda. Thanks for reading.

Moving to Kakamega- part 2

When we moved to Kakamega, we also moved into new houses. Many of the staff moved into a complex of newly built homes on cleared hillside surrounded by farmland. It’s a beautiful spot, very green and hilly. The surrounding hills are coved in maize and sugarcane, and, since it’s essentially in the rain forest, there are tropical trees, flowers, and birds all around including hamerkops, hornbills, ibises, cranes, and many others. It’s also incredibly peaceful; there’s little noise apart from nearby children playing and cows in the pasture. It’s a ways off the main street: a 40-minute walk on a dirt road. However, we did have access to shared company cars to make running out for groceries or to the office easier.

(Sunset over the compound)

 (July 4th party)

Despite living on a compound, it felt very private for the 3 months we were there. The houses themselves are spacious with lots of natural light and high ceilings. Emily and I had a place right at the base of the compound with an uninterrupted view of the surroundings. We had a nice little porch from which we could enjoy incredible sunsets daily. The inside of the house, though I don’t have any photos to share, felt very homey and pleasant with its open floor plan. The highlight was probably the very strong, hot showers- a major upgrade from our last place in Bungoma. While there are some drawbacks to living so far out of town (difficulty interacting with the community, for one), it is a very pleasant place to live and we were really happy we had the chance to enjoy it!

(Our porch)

(Birthday party in our house)

A New Side of Ethiopia

When I started this job with One Acre Fund, one of the first places I visited was Ethiopia, barely 2 weeks after arriving in Kenya (a sign of travel demands to come). Since then, I’ve visited 7 times, by far the most of any other place I’ve traveled. I’ve known our the counterparts at our partner organization there for almost 2 years, and their office is as much an office to me as the One Acre Fund office here in Kenya. Ethiopia really started to feel like a second home in general, with people I cared about, wonderful food, and incredibly interesting history. In all that time, though, I hadn’t managed to fit in any trips to see all the amazing places the country has to offer, from fantastically old historical and religious sites, to unique and expansive mountain ranges, and even a volcano. I finally managed to fix that this past April, made all the better by traveling it with Emily and being able to celebrate my 30^th birthday together in my second home.

Ethiopia has a lot to offer over a huge area, so with only 1 week we had to pick just region to visit. We decided on the northern circuit in Amhara region, where we split out time between historical sites in Gondar and Lalibela, and trekking in the Simien Mountains. A big money-saving tip someone gave us was to buy all our flights as a multi-city ticket on the Ethiopian Airlines website (international + domestic)- we probably saved 50% of the cost doing it this way.

Gondar

Gondar was one of the ancient capitals of the Ethiopian kingdoms, and is the closest big town to Debark, where you set out for Simiens hikes. Can’t speak to what Debark is like, but there are some things to see in Gondar and it’s only about 1.5 hour away, so it seemed like a more interesting place to stay. We stayed at Lodge du Chateau, which was decent but nothing too special apart from its proximity to the castle and the really nice included breakfasts. You might be able to find a better value elsewhere, everything’s pretty walkable there. Random note, if you're there over Easter like we were and are a light sleeper, you'll want some earplugs- the masses are loud and last through the night.

We ended up spending 3 nights in Gondar before and after the trek, but we probably could’ve cut it down to 2 nights. After we visited Fasil Ghebbi, the main castle attraction, and FourSisters Restaurant there wasn’t too much else to see. Fasil Ghebbi was really cool and definitely worth visiting for a couple hours- it’s open until 6pm. It’s a huge walled area containing all the former palaces of the emperors from the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

(Fasil Ghebbi)

Simien Mountains

The Simiens are an impressive and extensive mountain range formed by volcanic activity, with amazing views that extend miles and miles into the distance. They’re also home to endemic wildlife like the Ethiopian wolf and the Gelada. You’re at altitude most of the hike, peaking around 4,400m, but otherwise the hiking is pretty accessible.

We spent some time debating how long of a hike to do in the Simiens- there’s anything from 2 nights to a week plus. We settled on 3 nights, which fit our schedule and seemed just long enough to make it to the 2^nd highest peak in Ethiopia. To get to the highest peak, Ras Dashen, you’d need around 10 days. It’s certainly doable on your own- you could bring your own food and gear and hire a scout at the national park office in Debark, but we decided to go with a tour group. We went with Dezy of Simien Mountains Trekking and Tours because of his high reviews on Trip Advisor, but there are plenty of others out there. While he doesn’t actually come on the hikes, Dezy coordinated all the people, gear and food and gave us an easy and enjoyable experience. We paid $266 per person for 4 days, including all food, which was delicious, and gear, which was good quality and kept us nice and warm. On that, definitely pack warm clothes (multiple layers, a heavy jacket if you’ve got one, hat and gloves) and rain gear- it gets cold up there after the sun sets.

We had some hazy views the first couple of days, but once we got up into the real heights the views were amazing, and we were able to see lots of Geladas, and even a couple Ethiopian wolves and Walia ibexes. We were tired and smelly by the 4^th day, but it was an awesome experience and definitely worth doing.

(Gelada)

(Simien landscapes)

Lalibela

We decided to end our trip in Lalibela and I’m very glad we did. It’s a smaller town than Gondar, but much more pleasant with lots of interesting things to do. The main attraction here is the historical and religious significance. In the 12^th century, the Ethiopian King Lalibela decided to make a second Jerusalem right there northern Ethiopian, as an easier pilgrimage alternative for Ethiopian Christians, as the trek to the real Jerusalem was long and dangerous. They built ten churches that represent sites and themes of Christian significance, and they are incredible. They are all rock-hewn churches, and most are monolithic, meaning they carved the things straight into solid rock. It’s difficult to comprehend the workmanship and planning needed to make them in present day, let alone 800 years ago, especially when you see the detail in the interiors.

There seem to be many great guides to choose from in Lalibela, but I highly recommend seeing the churches with Sefiw (sefiw60@yahoo.com, +251911913759). He was very knowledgeable, enjoyable to spend time with, and flexible. We split the visits over 2 half days, which I’m very glad we did; I could see it getting a bit tiring seeing all 10 churches in 1 day.

Since they were built, they’ve been used continuously as working churches. We were able to see a Sunday service while we were there, both at a number of the churches in town, and at a monastery slightly outside of town. We were glad we added that in because it was quite different. We also went with Sifew, so could negotiate a cheaper package price for everything.

We spent 3 nights in Lalibela. We spent the first night at a budget place, Alef Paradise Hotel, which was fine. Cheap price, but lots of mosquitos in the room and no net, so didn’t sleep well. We splurged on our last 2 nights for my birthday at the Maribela Hotel, which was great. All the rooms have a stunning balcony view of the sounding mountains, and there’s a really nice garden to relax in. Best hotel of the trip. We had my birthday dinner at Ben Abeba, which is definitely worth a visit for the bizarre architecture and beautiful views, even if the food is nothing special. Much better to get there early to enjoy the views before sunset. Two restaurants we did really enjoy were Kana and Seven Olives (great place to get a traditional fasting plate). Also, all the coffee ceremonies we had throughout the trip, but particularly in Lalibela, were a major highlight. 

(Coffee ceremony)

(2 of the rock-hewn churches)

Addis Ababa

We left Lalibela on the morning flight and reached Addis by lunchtime. We stayed at the Sidra Hotel, a good value since we negotiated them down to $60 a night. That evening we went on an awesome food tour around Addis with Go Addis Tours, a birthday gift from Emily and one of the highlights of the whole trip. We visited multiple excellent restaurants, eating delicious Ethiopian dishes like shiro and tibs (at Yilma- so good), and drank lots of Ethiopian beer (way more varieties than I knew). I learned a lot about Ethiopian food and some new restaurants- only wish I’d done it sooner! Addis is a cool city, and while we didn't have much time to explore it on this trip, here are some recommendations from other trips:

• Africa Jazz Village at Ghion Hotel
• Sishu for great burgers
• Tomoca Coffee for an excellent macchiato and some bags of beans to take home (check out the original on Wawel Street for the most character)
• National Museum of Ethiopia to see Lucy and learn about Ethiopian history
• Kategna Restaurant to try a variety of Ethiopian dishes

Moving to Kakamega - part 1

In March of this year, the entire One Acre Fund community picked up and moved to an entirely new city in Kenya. Our new home, Kakamega is not far - only about 1.5 hours away from Bungoma. However, it was still a major undertaking to relocate 5 separate offices, 100s of Kenyan head office staff, and 50 odd international head office staff. Not to mention our infrastructure team has been building the new office and many of our houses from scratch over the past 3 years. The move was driven by the location, more central for our future expansion, as well as the rent savings, since we own the land and buildings. Kakamega is a slightly bigger town, though Bungoma's been closing the gap over the past few years. Kakamega still has the distinct advantage of being more or less in a rainforest.

This post is a brief tour of our new office. The first and most noticeable improvement is its size: it's big enough to house the entire Kenya team under one roof. After 3 years working in just 1 of 5 offices in Bungoma, it's great to see how big the Kenya team really is and to interact with lots of new people in the hallways and canteen. And that's the next best thing about this place- we get free daily lunches of simple but tasty Kenyan food provided in a large canteen where it's easy to connect with people you may not interact with often through work. Third best thing about the office is how spacious, light and breezy it is. It was designed with an open floor plan and entire walls that can slide to let in the breeze or keep out the rain as needed. It's a unique building with some nice spaces, sorely needed functionality (like a big amphitheater / training room) and a beautiful setting. It seems like a solid permanent home for One Acre Fund Kenya over the long term, and it's been fun to have the chance to enjoy it.

(Reception)

(Training hall)

(Canteen)

(Sliding walls)

(My desk)

Anderson .Paak: The Dreamer

Just one great song of many off an impressive album: Malibu.

Ode to Nokia

In a world of growth, you stay proudly small

Compact, simple, discreet

Jelly-like buttons and a sliding back

Great for bored fidgeting

Your games are a no-internet refuge

That insatiable snake

Height of design, the most useful of all

Your double-click flashlight

I wouldn’t change one thing about you, but

If I could, some advice,

Please lose your friend T9

Gorillas and Volcanoes in the DRC

We were originally drawn to the hike up Mt. Nyiragongo- the active volcano looming over Goma, a border town in the DRC. There are maybe 6 other places in the world where it’s possible to see an active lava lake. It’s located in Virunga national park, which has been the site of conflict at times during the unending conflict in the eastern DRC and was recently the subject of a worthwhile documentary on Netflix.

There are mountain gorillas living amongst the (mostly) dormant volcanic chain running through that area. Their territory reaches into Uganda and Rwanda, where you can also visit human-habituated families. We chose to see them in DRC as they’re only a few hours drive from the volcano, and it’s the lowest price for a permit.

Permits for both the gorillas and the volcano hike are purchased ahead of time through the Virunga website, where you also apply for your DRC visa. They have limited permits available per day so buy in advance. We opted for a basic package (which you pre-select): we had porters but we brought our own gear and food, which seemed like the best value. From home we brought some simple cooking gear (pot, spoon, spices) and it wasn’t hard to buy ingredients for a 1-pot meal and snacks in Kigali. We chopped our veg the night before we left for the hike so we didn’t need to bring a knife or cutting board. A couple things to be aware of when packing gear: it gets pretty cold at the top (multiple layers, hat and gloves), and there’s a high chance it will rain on you (dry bags, bags covers, etc).

We made the DRC visit into an easy long-weekend trip by working remotely that week from the One Acre Fund office in Rubengera, Rwanda. On Friday afternoon it was just a 3 hour boat ride across the Lake Kivu to Gisenyi, the sister border town to Goma, with Nyarigongo smoking in the distance. Gisenyi from Kigali is not bad either- just a slightly longer taxi or bus ride, for around $50 and <$10 respectively. If flying from an East Africa Community country, make sure to get your transit card when exiting immigration so you don’t have to pay the Rwanda entry visa.

Since we arrived around nightfall, we spent the night in Gisenyi at Inzu Lodge- good accommodation and food for not a lot of money. The next morning we were picked up by Green HillsEcotours, the tour company who provided our transportation during the weekend and helped facilitate the border crossing. They picked us up around 7:30am, as were starting the volcano hike mid-morning. Plan for a couple hours to cross the border and get your actual permits from the park office. The company’s price was a little steep- $120 for the volcano, $200 for the gorillas, but seemed on par with alternatives for 4x4s. You could get away with paying less by not using a 4x4 for the volcano transport, but you definitely want one on the day you drive to the gorillas. For crossing the border, make sure you’ve got an up-to-date yellow fever card (with your name and details filled in correctly) and you’ve brought print outs of your passport, visa confirmation, permit confirmations and the visa list emailed by the Virunga staff. Basically just print and bring everything they email you. We hit a couple snags so it was nice to have the rep from Green Hills there to help chase down some missing documents.

We were late to the trailhead because they picked us up late, so the rest of the hiking groups were waiting for us, but we still started more or less on time. The hike takes about 6 hours, and is somewhat challenging as it’s straight up the whole way- particularly so during the sections of loose volcanic rock. However, there are rest areas every 45 minutes so it never felt very difficult, apart from the 45-degree scramble at the end up to the lip of the volcano. It’s a stunning view on the way up out over Lake Kivu and the hills of Rwanda. We were lucky to have a very clear day with just one light shower during the whole hike.

The view into the crater is another level of incredible. You’re fairly high up, but at times you can feel the heat of the bubbling lava lake. Black with neon orange-red cracks, billowing smoke (or is it steam?), constantly moving, bursting, roiling- the lava is mesmerizing to watch. While the nighttime view may be the most striking, the best time for photos is early the following morning just before sunrise, when the crater is illuminated but the lava still stands in stark contrast.

At the top of the volcano, almost on the rim itself, are small wood cabins where we spent the night. All the materials used to build them were carried up by hand. They offer some welcome warmth after dark, but you still probably want a sleeping bag that covers close-to-freezing temperatures. We cooked 1-pot chili outside the cabins over a small fire from charcoal we’d bought at the trailhead.

Hiking down the next morning can be harrowing at times but only took about 5 hours, and the tour company dropped us at our hotel in Goma by lunchtime. We spent 1 night at Hotel Caritas, which was adequate- expensive but with a nice lake view. It was recommended to us and suited our needs. They can do $5 packed lunches for your gorillas hike but you’re better off just wrapping some things from breakfast. One expected but still surprising thing about Goma was the cost of living- you could pay $20 for a taxi ride at night. Dollars are accepted everywhere as a parallel currency, and there are even dollar-dispensing ATMs which we definitely took advantage of.

Green Hills picked us up from Caritas around 6:30am the next morning, and it was a fairly bumpy 3-hour ride to the gorilla ranger station. After a quick intro and a dos and don’ts session about gorillas (yes to slow movements, no to pointing and eye contact…), we headed into the forest. It’s basically bushwhacking so long pants are key and sleeves are nice. A raincoat is also a good idea. The length of the hike depends on where the families are that day; luckily we only had to go in about 20 minutes before finding them. You may ask yourself, at a $400 price tag for 1 hour (and even more in Uganda and Rwanda), is it really worth it? We were very close to not doing it, and I have to say I’m really glad we did. It’s a viscerally amazing hour. Watching the big males knock over whole trees, or the baby roll around and play, or them grooming and sunning themselves just feet away from us made me feel downright giddy. For a long weekend it’s not cheap, but they were both such incredible and rare experiences it felt like a much longer and very memorable trip.