Ask A Traveller: Phaedra in Kenya

Avid Traveller | Lindsay | Sep 20, 2011

The Avid Traveller program has been thinking about putting together an African adventure tour for many years now. So when we had the opportunity to chat with Phaedra Henley, we jumped at the chance.

Phaedra is a PhD student in the Environmental Pathology program at UWO. She just returned from her second research trip in Kenya. She spent four months in the Lake Naivasha region where a massive floriculture industry has taken off (think 40% of Europe’s flowers). She conducted field work within a team to assess the damages (if any) to the human health in the area caused by this industry.

She stayed in a cottage in the area with other students, where finding monkeys in the kitchen and impalas and hippos in the backyard were regular occurrences. Other fun stories include travelling to the coastal town of Lamu and having a local friend name his new baby daughter “Phaedra”.

If you are preparing a trip to Kenya or alike in the near future, check out some helpful tips we got from Phaedra:

What kind of research did you do on your own before leaving?

I looked up online previous travellers’ experience with living and travelling in Africa. Reading blogs like the one you are doing are key! They let you know what to bring, what not to bring etc. I also met in person with a couple people who are from Kenya, or who had lived there before. My roommates were big advocates of their Kenya guidebooks (my one friend called it her bible), but personally, I didn’t use mine too much.

What is 1 item you could not live without in Kenya?

My keens. Comfortable walking shoe, waterproof, easy to clean, easy to dry. Just be prepared for hilarious tan lines (see picture). And more so just because I was there a long time – my laptop. You can buy a USB internet modem stick and have access to inexpensive internet anywhere you go. Its pretty cool to Skype back home with giraffes in the background! And blog, of course Lastly, a phone would come very much in handy. You can buy a really inexpensive phone there (equivalent of $20), plus a sim card and it would make your life so much easier, as almost every single person in Kenya has a cell phone.

If you could go back and repack, what would you leave out and what would you add?

I would leave out my blue jeans. A) Too hot B) Takes too long to hand-wash and too long to air dry C)Takes up a lot of room in my suitcase, or when I backpack travelled. And I would have left out my iPhone. Listening to music is not worth having to drop 400 bucks once home because it got pick-pocketed. I would have added water-less, disposable face wipes for when you have no access to water, or when you need to freshen up on the go.

Favourite souvenir?

I bought a bunch of lessos (colourful, patterned fabric that women use as wraps) to make into pillow cases! They are super inexpensive (200 KSh = CDN$2) and really beautiful and unique.

What are some of the things that surprised you most about Kenya and its people?

People in Kenya are very welcoming, loving and extremely helpful. If you need help; directions, with a flat tire, recommendations with where to eat, people are more than willing to help out. And, what I did not expect is that most people can speak English very well. Communication is not a huge barrier. But it does also help to know some Kiswahili words because people really love and appreciate it.

Many people shy away from Africa due to its reputation as unsafe and unhealthy, what advice to stay safe you would give to someone planning to visit Kenya?

Get your shots/malaria pills (required to get into the country anyways). Try to avoid fresh, uncooked produce (i.e. a leaf of lettuce on a sandwich). Drink bottled water only. Try not to carry valuables on you and keep your purse/bag close to your body (preferably one that zips close and that you can easily move it in front of your body if need be). But don’t let fear guide your trip. Eat local food. Explore. Just use common sense and you will be fine.

Favourite animal encounters?

Hippo encounter for sure. We pulled into our driveway and a massive (half the size of our house) hippo was waiting there. Having to shine the high beams whenever you arrive at night to make sure there’s nothing lurking around is exciting (and also a little scary!). Having to wait for a giraffe to cross the road before continuing driving is amazing and never got old. Lastly, riding a donkey in Lamu. There are zero cars on Lamu (an island in the north coast) so people get around on donkey or two foot express.

Quick list of things you DO miss and DON’T miss?

Miss: Friends & the people. Constant beautiful days. A funny story is once a Kenyan colleague said he never understood why mzungus/visitors in Kenya would always talk about the weather and say “its such a nice day”, until he came to visit Canada and realized not everyday is nice!

Not miss: Africa time – everything moves slowly and everyone is always late. It was worse for me as a student who had to get stuff done in a timely manner. Travelling is not as bad as most transportation means run on a fairly regular schedule. But, be prepared for flat tires, cars to break down, and heavy traffics. Be patient. I will also not miss bartering. Some people loooove doing this, but I am not one of them. Though, it needs to be done. When shopping for souvenirs do not pay more than half of what they first quote you – you are just getting ripped off. Usually one third of what they quote you is enough to cover the cost of the ware plus some profit for the seller.

Do you have any questions for Phaedra?
Do you have an interesting travel tale or tips to share?
LET US KNOW!
We love interviewing Avid Travellers and finding presenters for “Talks With Travellers” series which starts on October 5th 2011.

A big thank you to Phaedra for taking the time to answer our questions and sharing her adventure with us! For more stories, information and amazing pics check out Phaedra’s blog at: http://fudgeinkenya.blogspot.com/