Feast IV-Mombasa

For those of you who don't know, Josh and I have been playing ultimate Frisbee pretty regularly here in Kisumu.  A group of our friends decided that it would be great to get a league going and we've been able to recruit a lot of interested folks to play every Thursday evening.  As part of this team it was one of our goals to get to the East Africa Frisbee Tournament in Mombasa this year.

Feast (I'm not sure what that acronym stands for) was held this year on Tiwi Beach which is just south of Mombasa.  Twelve of us headed out there to compete with other teams from Kenya as well as teams from Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Sudan.  The first day we were scheduled to play Uganda, a Nairobi team, and Peace Corps.  These games would decide the seeding for the next day so it was crucial to get a win or two.  Boy were our eyes opened!

We quickly learned we hadn't been playing by the rules exactly.  Sure we kept a somewhat structured game going in Kisumu but these guys played by the books.  We also found that our once weekly game for fun was a lot less then what the other teams did.  The Uganda team was up at 6am running laps on the beach!  We were also faced with a few other challenges as well such as playing in the sand.  Normally we set up our games on a grass field so running was a lot more difficult and we found we got tired a lot faster.  That first game really was a learning experience...

After two losses to Nairobi and Uganda we were able to come out ahead against Peace corps putting us at 9th overall (out of 12 teams).  The next day was set to be a single elimination round and our first game was against Ethiopia/Rwanda.  Although we were probably evenly matched as far as male talent their female members blew ours out of the water.  A rule in the tournament was that the team on offense got to choose the number of female players and the other team must match that.  We only had 3 females so when they chose to have all 3 out at once we got tired fast!  Ethiopia/Rwanda eventually ended up beating us and we played a fun consolation match against Peace corps again later that day. 

Overall I'm not sure were we ranked but it was so much fun to get out and play with other teams from around the area.  We learned so many new rules and strategies that we are already incorporating into our Thursday play!

*For pictures of the tournament check out Josh's Flicker page http://www.flickr.com/groups/feast_iv/

Besides the tournament, which was the main reason for the trip, we were able to do a little snorkeling and some general relaxing.  The lodge we stayed at was a bit of a dump but we traveled to neighboring Diani every chance we got to indulge in great food.  Easter dinner we dined at Ali Babar's which is this beautiful restaurant situated in a preserved coral cave.  It was beautiful to look up in to the night sky while enjoying amazing seafood. 

The last day of our trip we escaped the falling apart lodge and rented a condo for the night in Diani.  This was definitely the highlight as we enjoyed three beautiful swimming pools and air conditioning at night!  Although we were a little disappointed that the restaurant did not have the Thai menu it boasted we made do with more amazing seafood with a few Japanese starters. 

Josh and I Easter dinner

If we play again next year, I think we'll be better equipped to do well.  Our knowledge of the rules has improved so much and I think we'll be able to take that and really develop some effective strategies.  Also it wouldn't help to have a few more girls on our side this time!  Overall Easter weekend was a blast.  It wasn't the relaxing holidays we're used to but it was fun to go together and participate in the tournament.  Maybe if we ever go back that way we'll take it easy!


The amazing condo we rented the last day

A reminder of Illinois

If you squint really hard it almost looks like the cornfields of Illinois....almost

A Perfect Saturday Morning

Despite being here for almost a year now, I have yet to get out on the lake in a kayak.  There is a local man who was given a few kayaks by a couple of mzungus a few years back and now he rents them out to locals looking for a relaxing morning on the lake.  The night before we got to bed fairly late and I wasn't looking forward to the early start.  I'm not a morning person so the idea of only four hours of sleep that night didn't appeal too much to me.  Josh convinced me it was a must do in Kisumu so I dragged my butt out of bed at 6 am and off we went. 

They hyasin it coming again!

The lake was its normal murky self but it was great to get up close to the mangrove forest and check out the bird life.  At one point we paddled into the forest and were surrounded by the trees.  I doubted our ability to get the kayak out but we managed to steer the long boat through the grove.  In the end we didn't see anything amazing or even any hippos, but it was great to get on the lake and get a little exercise in.  You can't beat that burn in the shoulders from all the paddling!

I look awake, don't I?

After a few hours on the lake I convinced Josh to stop by the grocery store with promises of omelets and bacon.  With the supplies in hand we headed home and whipped up a breakfast that was definitely worthy of the calories we burnt on the lake that morning.  The eggs and exercise began to settle in and after about an hour at home we decided it was time to go back to bed.  A nap was in order! 

Josh on the lake

 Although it wasn't anything extraordinary, our Saturday was just perfect.  A few hours on the lake, a great breakfast, and a nap to finish it off!

Baking Adventures

I caught the baking bug again.  This time I tried a new twist to a favorite brownie recipe of mine in honor of Elise coming back home tomorrow.  Instead of water I added Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor to the batter.  In case that wasn't enough Irish Cream to taste I whipped up some Bailey's flavored frosting to top the delicious bars.  Think I definitely hit the nail on the head with this one!