Here's looking at you Kid!!! - Casablanca, Morocco

 

 

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she walks into mine....

 

Released in 1942, and one of my favorite movies of all time (next to Life is Beautiful) the iconic film tells the tale of Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund's (Ingrid Bergman) devastating romance. A story of love and places, things that have always pulled at my heartstrings. Not my main motivator for yet another trip from yours truly,  it's more that I have seen a great deal of Africa and the lure of the exotic North and the fascination of the West have led me to this  -- yet another little adventure. 😉

The idea is that I'll explore Casablanca a  bit then go to Marakesh (3 hour train ride south of Casablanca) to meet up with my great friend and travel companion Barry. We'll then make out way to Merzouga near the Algerian border ... there-- we'll cross the mighty Atlas mountains and mount camels (meaning get on top of them)  and explore the mighty Sahara desert!!! (Or at least a small taster)

From there it's onto Senegal where we'll rent a car in Dakar and explore north up to the French Colonial town of St. Louis. Just after that - onto Ghana where we'll do a similar trip renting a car and exploring north from Accra up the coast. Then back to Nairobi for me. Well that 's the best laid plan. Let's see what happens!!! In mind is more of a historical tour trying to make a bit of sense of the Berbers, Bedouin and Bastards -- the last of that triad who made fortunes trading slaves through these main coastal ports.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Morocco style

Though I've just arrived in Casablanca, I took the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit given the longish flight that doglegged through Dubai. 

The walk from the train station in Casablanca to my hostel was super interesting. Cool and sunny I enjoyed the new sights and sounds as I ambled along. More European felling than African, language is definitely an issue and my smattering of French came in handy more than once. I was warned a couple times about my safety and agree having the sense that Casablanca was not the best place to stroll with all your belongings on your back. Armed robbery with knives is popular amongst some of the young, brave yet misguided loitering menacingly about.


Admittedly, I have a hyper-sensitivity to danger in the streets but see this is preferable to the reverse. Casablanca very much reminds me of a combination of Cairo and Paris divided by 25.  
 
A couple shots below from my stroll and later on the ocean front where the Atlantic crashes majestically onto the shores of the Dark Continent.

Lots of fruit around ... conspicuous is lots of big pomegranate

Masjid al-Hassan ath-thani - more on this cool place later

 



Thanks for reading ....Layno!!!

Just Food

For as little as $125 a month we can feed a school with 250 kids!

I have now positively found the best source of beans and rice in the city of Nairobi. I proudly announce Nyayo beans  at 62 ksh (about 50 cents) and rice at 92 ksh (75 cents roughly) This is a significant savings over my previous "thought - to - be" low price.😂

And therein lies the problem. Brokers and unsavory middlemen find ways to get betwixt the willing seller and willing buyer and inflate the price to the highest level possible. Ok - it's not that I blame them really. Everyone is trying to make a living. But even as I made my way to the store to negotiate with the owners of Betta Grains, the cab driver was trying to get in the middle of the deal. Aye yay yay.... it takes a bit of patience to be sure.

So as previously mentioned - I'm going to attempt to keep this school (Malezi) in food for as long as I am able ...obviously with the help of a few selfless souls. My thought is to try and link with a Canadian school to share money, friendship and learning. Can you think of a willing elementary school that may want to get involved. If so ... please let me know. Donations welcome.

The charity is called Just Food, a play on words noting three dimensions:

1. The idea that the food is bought at a fair (or just) price free from corruption and other forms of illicit misrepresentation
2. That is all the charity will do - Food
3. The notion that if we can do just this little bit - we can really make a positive contribution.

Website and registration coming soon 👷

                                                                                                                                                                   

 

And now a Jake update!!!!! 

 

 

Hey dude!!!! Those are $200 Ray Bans you're chewing on there ..... a little civility if you please!!! 

If you've looked at some previous blogs you'll recall the story of Jake and him Mom - close friends of mine and the beneficiaries of some money sent by readers of this blog. They are very grateful for our help. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the lunch date on a wonderful Sunday afternoon where we languished over a delicious lunch punctuated by squeals of delight from little Jake.I'm sure they would not be opposed to a bit more help if anyone has a few extra scheckels. At present Momma is only eating a single meal a day and sleeping down. That means she doesn't have a bed. If you want to give a little. Just e-interact to laynemahon@live.com. I'll make sure they get it.

                                                                                                                                                              

Speaking of Jake (s), my son turned 20 over the last days!!!!! Prouder than a penfull of peacocks I wish a hearty Happy Birthday to a fine independent surprisingly well-adjusted (I was the father remember) young man. Super proud of you son!!!! Also a shout out to my daughter Stevie who has taken the basic rudimentary skills around cake making that I shared - and clearly taken to an entirely new level. Nice job kiddo!!

Another shout out to my good friend Kim. I am forever in your debt appreciating you for taking a Saturday off to help me with some moving. I really can't thank you enough Kim. I'm lucky to be able to count you among my friends. I still can after that day can't I????? 😉

Thanks for reading ....Layno!!!

May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live. 
Robert A. Heinlein

Kilifi Gold Traithlon

SWIM - BIKE - RUN OLD MAN!!!!

 

While a "veteran" of a number of Triathlons (though always moving slower than an Amish drag race) I have never seen such a beautiful course. From the photo above, the open water swim started from the beach on this side of the jetty -- turn right -- around a buoy and back towards us before sprinting in an mix master like frenzy of limbs and spandex to the sandy shore. I'd been training in fresh water so really pleased about the salt water buoyancy. It was so fun!!!

And next a 20km bike off road which was mostly single track through pineapple fields and grass track. There were some challenging technical bits which were a bit tricky but not as much as the cows and herd of sheep along the way. Scat fuckers!!!! We're racing here!!!

The run was a beautiful thing though so hot I saw a squirrel putting sunscreen on his nuts!!! Now that's hot!!!



The other tricky bit was dealing with the icing sugar-like sand. It gets everywhere.... and getting it off your feet before the bike and run is pretty critical. So there's my set up to the right. Dip your feet in the bucket ... stand on the towel -- drop onto your bummy -- then sox, shoes, helmet and sunnies. ( you're not really a cool triathlete dude without your sunnies)

This event comes within days of the exceptional feat accomplished by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge who smashed the marathon world record by clocking a time of 2 hours one minute and 39 seconds in Berlin.The 33 year old took nearly one minute and 20 seconds off the previous best, which was set by compatriot Dennis Kimetto when he ran 2:02:57 in Berlin in 2014. What an amazing effort by this man and I thought of him as I limped along in the heat.

The triathlon, while maybe not quite as important in the grand scheme of things, was remarkably well attended with a completely unexpected level of talent in abundance. There were about 250 participants with a nice mix of both locals and expats. The energy was great with the tunes bumpin and lots of spectators enthusiastically cheering everyone on.

I found the cycling part tough. In part - as I had a hybrid rather than a mountain bike for the event. If I were to do it again I would definitely use a mountain bike with suspension and nice fat tires for the sand. It was like cutting pizza at times, in fact - I was so slow that I thought I may have a puncture ... Please note the front wheel in the accompanying picture from after the race....... Duh!!!



A note on Kilifi -- where the event was held. Just north of Mombasa -- it is one of the poorest regions largely ignored by the government. These things take time... and while the government has gone through the process of devolution, that doesn't necessarily mean that each county gets their fair share. I mentioned Kilifi in another post when I went to volunteer at a boarding school. It is however - pretty as seen just below.

On the charity work we are doing

I want to thank the Brimacomb family for their donation  and also an old colleague Matt and family for that donation. More rice and beans are planned to be delivered in October (just sourcing now) but also working with a family to see if we can farm it. That would help the family and improve our costs as well. The idea is to put 3 acres into production. I'll update as that develops but for now just planting the seeds of that idea. 😝



Lastly - while writing this piece  -- and sitting at the restaurant nursing coffee and thoughts my moment was interrupted abruptly as I listened to the restaurant owner yelling at the cook. I've been accused of being hard on staff and people myself and think I have some work to do in that area. As does this man. "What are you fucking stupid!!" and on and on it went. When he came out of the kitchen - I told him calmly that you just can't talk to people like that. It's unacceptable. He turned his anger on me next and as he came up to me and I looked in his red bloodshot eyes I saw that he was completely out of control and a slave to his anger.

Some months ago when I was at the Taj Mahal in India -- I witnessed a man punch who I think was his wife. It was swift and hard to the side of her face. Most people immediately looked aways ... and shamefully so did I. That moment still haunts me -- as I should have said something to that man. Not today though 😉 ... this guy got an earful ....though respectfully!!! I cancelled my breakfast -- thanked the server and took my business elsewhere. In my view --that kind of behavior is unacceptable in a civilized society regardless of the culture.... and if presented with the opportunity... I think it best to say so 😊









Thanks for reading .....Layno!!!

With a little love ....

... and some tenderness

Andrew, one of the main admin folks at Malezi scholl in Majengo, supervises the transport.

 A lame-ass American band of the mid 1990's once put together a tragically catchy tune called  Hold my Hand. Yes .. the south Carolina rockers Hootie and blowfish had a big hit on their hands indeed. And as lame-ass as they were (in my humble and oft overly judgmental opinion) the song endures given that the opening line springs so easily to mind. Remember?  Here's the link: With a little love... and some tenderness.



The tune title and lyrics reconcile well with my feelings about the needs of the people in Majengo slum. My gosh -- I doubt there are many places in the world where folks have it so rough. And as many times as I've mentioned the slum whose people are so close to my heart, I find myself again describing their sad reality and then humbled by the generosity of others.






Pictured above is a load of rice and beans along with some new plates and cups going into the slum. Precariously loaded onto a mkokoteni, this wheelbarrow on steroids will make its way down the twisted paths - through the mud and sewer and finally to Malezi school where the 250 kids will have food for the next 6 weeks. Rice and beans isn't exactly haute cuisine from the fancy restaurants of Paris, but it is nutritious food that will take their minds off their bellies so they can concentrate and learn a few things. My education experience was a bit different if I remember well.





My Mom and Kath both made generous donations as did their friend Marg and Rick. Thank you very much for sending this money along to me. I won't editorialize too much (how unlike me) on the benefits of direct intervention as compared to donations to large organizations that chew up massive amounts of aid through top-heavy blood sucking administration and the pantheon of corrupt officials along the way... but suffice it to say the money was well spent. With that in mind a thank you to my friend Debbie who sourced the beans and rice direct from the farmers up country and arranged the transport to Nairobi.  Also thanks to my procurement team at MSF who found a manufacturer of plates and cups reducing the price to a fraction of the retail price.





I remember vividly my daughter Stevie's 9th birthday. While we were planning her birthday party she announced with all the seriousness and gravity that a nearly 9 year old can muster that she would not be accepting gifts this year - but instead only donations to the Sea Shepard's Conservation Society. An NGO with whom she had fallen in love with. Hmmm quite telling I would say.


So it's with little surprise that she (slightly older now)  has gone on to  rally the members of her Facebook group, The Vancouver Island Fish Enthusiasts, to participate in a raffle that led to raising of over $800. I'm so proud of her and thankful to all those who participated in the raffle for what is a great cause.






The money raised so far will feed the kids for 12 weeks. We have enough to bring in another 100 kgs of Rice and 100 kgs of beans in October. The cost for this (the 2 sacks)  is about $270 usd. I wonder if between us, the readers of my blog and I, we might keep Malezi in rice and beans on an ongoing basis? If you want to continue to help out... email me at laynemahon@live.com Together we can make a real difference in this little corner of the world.


Hootie went on to say; .....Take me by the hand - take me by the hand..... wiser words were never spoken -- even if they were a lame-assed band. 😀 Maybe Hootie and the owls would have made more sense ??










Thanks for reading .......Layno!!!