7:20 Woke up and did morning stuff, realized I left my razor at home qq. Looked around my room and balcony, so pretty then got ready for breakfast.
9:02 Had a lovely breakfast, managed to snap a picture of the initial plate but don't really feel comfortable photographing while eating with the house owner since u don't really know him. We're doing a tour at 10:30 when my uncle, Luis, and Raúl get here. Apparently Alan wants to expand the built area to save some of the land around here by building like a hotel /restaurant in the same style as the house. Breakfast was some tasty fruits to start off, grapes, mango, cantaloupe, and pineapple, followed by eggs with very orange yolks, toast with jam and tasty little breakfast sausages with a passion fruity juice. Not a bad way to start the day! Afterwards we walked towards the edge of the property where it meets some train tracks, which apparently there'd been a plan to tear this place down to make room for but something something my uncle was involved in some negotiations to help that not happen. Anywho, at the edge you get a pretty good glimpse of the National Park where you could see zebra and some kind of deer? I'm not really sure. Alan offered to get me some binoculars to see them better and they did help a lot. Tried to photograph through them and I guess you can get the idea... (assuming this is the future where I have enough data to upload images).
After that went back to my room's balcony since I'm not super sure what to do until 10:30.
10:17 Walked around a bit chatting with people and taking in the various parts of the house, it started to rain as it is indeed supposed to be rainy season which is a bit unfortunate for my trip's timing but c'est la vie. Then I've been idling in my balcony for a bit just taking I'm the park while listening to rain. Not bad. I'm feeling I definitely need to get a sim card for this phone though, or at least more data if only to upload more pics before I go home.
10:40 I guess due to rain inspired traffic (and if I had to bet a mix of Venezuelan and Kenyan attitudes about punctuality) my uncle will be at least 30 minutes late. Funny story, he's had his dog for 2 years because the previous one way killed by lions around "there" he said pointing somewhere. OK maybe not so funny D:.
11:06 While waiting got to hear Alan's story about how he ended up here, starting with a stint in Nigeria during the Nigeria-something? Conflict then he quit and went to Paris and drive a Volkswagen bus down through the Sahara and was in Nigeria for a bit, came to Kenya and stayed with the Turkana for a while and learned about their art getting a collection which he later showed in Nairobi. It caught the eye of Murundi which seems to be a big name around these here parts, but basically Alan then went back and did more collection and production of local art, then a Texan businessman bought out his exhibition, it toured, at some point Murundi asked him about setting up a Pan-African arts and culture place where people could show things off, and that's how this house came to be. He's basically been here since the 1970s. The story was a bit disjointed but wanted to write it down during an intermission before I forgot, haha.
1:06 On my way to the next thing after packing up. It seems like tonight I'll be hosted at Wambui's family's house tonight, aah, makes me wish I'd been more prepared with thank you gifts of some sort. Lunch will be at some traditional eatery thing? Not really sure, so many words in languages I don't have any familiarity with are hard to remember. The tour was pretty nice except that it basically seemed like every item was from a different part of Africa and a different artist, it was hard to keep track. Alan has had a rally interesting life though to have such an extensive collection and I'm quite thrilled to have had the experience to stay at that house. During the tour we got to hear a musician who is a part of the band his foundation sponsors who kind of invented his own instrument by melding am Egyptian harp and a thumb piano over a smallish drum. The songs were lovely and I kind of wish I'd gotten a longer recording. So far, so exciting though. Gonna post up to here I guess and wish I could upload more of the pictures.
9:02 Had a lovely breakfast, managed to snap a picture of the initial plate but don't really feel comfortable photographing while eating with the house owner since u don't really know him. We're doing a tour at 10:30 when my uncle, Luis, and Raúl get here. Apparently Alan wants to expand the built area to save some of the land around here by building like a hotel /restaurant in the same style as the house. Breakfast was some tasty fruits to start off, grapes, mango, cantaloupe, and pineapple, followed by eggs with very orange yolks, toast with jam and tasty little breakfast sausages with a passion fruity juice. Not a bad way to start the day! Afterwards we walked towards the edge of the property where it meets some train tracks, which apparently there'd been a plan to tear this place down to make room for but something something my uncle was involved in some negotiations to help that not happen. Anywho, at the edge you get a pretty good glimpse of the National Park where you could see zebra and some kind of deer? I'm not really sure. Alan offered to get me some binoculars to see them better and they did help a lot. Tried to photograph through them and I guess you can get the idea... (assuming this is the future where I have enough data to upload images).
After that went back to my room's balcony since I'm not super sure what to do until 10:30.
10:17 Walked around a bit chatting with people and taking in the various parts of the house, it started to rain as it is indeed supposed to be rainy season which is a bit unfortunate for my trip's timing but c'est la vie. Then I've been idling in my balcony for a bit just taking I'm the park while listening to rain. Not bad. I'm feeling I definitely need to get a sim card for this phone though, or at least more data if only to upload more pics before I go home.
10:40 I guess due to rain inspired traffic (and if I had to bet a mix of Venezuelan and Kenyan attitudes about punctuality) my uncle will be at least 30 minutes late. Funny story, he's had his dog for 2 years because the previous one way killed by lions around "there" he said pointing somewhere. OK maybe not so funny D:.
11:06 While waiting got to hear Alan's story about how he ended up here, starting with a stint in Nigeria during the Nigeria-something? Conflict then he quit and went to Paris and drive a Volkswagen bus down through the Sahara and was in Nigeria for a bit, came to Kenya and stayed with the Turkana for a while and learned about their art getting a collection which he later showed in Nairobi. It caught the eye of Murundi which seems to be a big name around these here parts, but basically Alan then went back and did more collection and production of local art, then a Texan businessman bought out his exhibition, it toured, at some point Murundi asked him about setting up a Pan-African arts and culture place where people could show things off, and that's how this house came to be. He's basically been here since the 1970s. The story was a bit disjointed but wanted to write it down during an intermission before I forgot, haha.
1:06 On my way to the next thing after packing up. It seems like tonight I'll be hosted at Wambui's family's house tonight, aah, makes me wish I'd been more prepared with thank you gifts of some sort. Lunch will be at some traditional eatery thing? Not really sure, so many words in languages I don't have any familiarity with are hard to remember. The tour was pretty nice except that it basically seemed like every item was from a different part of Africa and a different artist, it was hard to keep track. Alan has had a rally interesting life though to have such an extensive collection and I'm quite thrilled to have had the experience to stay at that house. During the tour we got to hear a musician who is a part of the band his foundation sponsors who kind of invented his own instrument by melding am Egyptian harp and a thumb piano over a smallish drum. The songs were lovely and I kind of wish I'd gotten a longer recording. So far, so exciting though. Gonna post up to here I guess and wish I could upload more of the pictures.