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sandjsbeachbumbonanza · 3 years

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Day 70 – S becomes a Samburu elder

We started the morning once again with Bloody Marys and coffee. This time the coffee was pre-made at J’s request. When we arrived at breakfast, Meg gave S a hard time for keeping Rob out late.

We then headed out on a drive to the river, where we were going to take a river walk. On the way, Paul delivered on his promise and got J great pictures of a family of dik-diks. We also saw a herd of elephants up close. The matriarch thought we got a little too close and gave us a warning. We thought it was a intimidating, but Paul said it was just a little show. We saw a number of other animals. On our way to the river, Paul picked up a Samburu warrior carrying an AK-47. As we were going to be walking, they wanted to ensure we had some protection if we encountered a rogue elephant. We also stopped along the way so Leuya could make us walking sticks for our bush walk.

Our walk along the river was mostly focused on animal tracks. We saw tracks for a honey badger, porcupine, leopard and crocodiles.

On our way back, we encountered the same herd of elephants. We did not realise that we separated a baby elephant from the herd. However, it soon let us know by running in front of us and trumpeting a warning. His mother then also trumpeted a warning. This was a little bit scary at first but pretty cool in the end. We also passed by some of the Francombes’ cattle. Amongst them was a giant, white bull with enormous, curved horns. He is a Brahman bull, a species that has a hump like a camel to store water. He is apparently a sacred bull, one of only four in Northern Kenya. He apparently has evaded multiple attempts to slaughter and/or steal him. He is viewed as the protector of the herd and after he passes away, his skull and horns will be placed above the entrance to the cattle pen so he can continue to watch over the herd.

When we returned to the lodge, we were informed that S’ hair beading had been arranged. No one was quite sure initially what he wanted, but Paul managed to communicate it to Chyulu, who then organised it. After lunch, we headed off to Ol Malo Lodge, where a Samburu woman in traditional clothing, Catherine, was set up to do the beading. We were told that she would prepare the beads on a string and Leuya would put them in Scott’s hair as he typically does the plaiting / braiding for the young men in his clan. We were also told that Catherine is not allowed to touch S’ hair because he is not her husband.

Chyulu was there to oversee the procedure. The beads are made out of glass and are manufactured at a family factory in the Czech Republic. This is apparently the only manufacturer in the world that knows how to produce perfectly symmetrical beads. We heard the beads are a display of wealth and can almost be used as a form of currency. J picked out the colours for the beads and S was told to sit on a cow hide, as this is the traditional Samburu way of braiding hair. The whole process took a while and Chyulu served us drinks and told us a little bit about her history. Her family are well known conservationists in Africa and have worked in many countries, including Tanzania, Kenya and the DRC. They are still very active in conservation. Chyulu was born in Kenya and her name is derived from the name of some hills in Kenya. It turns out that Chyulu went to the same school in England as our close friends, Zanda and Roly.

Once Catherine had completed stringing the beads, Leuya dipped his hands in a bowl of water and began to braid S’ hair. The beads were then sewn into S’ hair. Chyulu also added in a few shells for good luck and finished each braid off with a few more beads. Chyulu also burned the ends of the bead string with a match to seal them. The process was taking a bit of time and Catherine got frustrated. She ended up taking over from Leuya and Chyulu to complete the job. Apparently as S is an elder and married, she deemed it OK to touch his hair. Everyone loved how it turned out and Ol Malo is now talking about adding it as a possible activity. J also got a custom bracelet sewn on to her wrist and picked up a Maasai wedding cuff and kikoi (a piece of cloth men will use to tie around their waists, torso or heads, depending on the situation). J preferred the kikoi to the women’s attire, which had a busier print. J asked why the kikois we had seen tended to look like Scottish kilts, with primary colours and a plaid print. No one knew why, but we were told that this was the current trend. We also noticed that these kikoi are similar to the Maldivian male traditional dress.

We then went off to visit a local ‘manyatta’ or homestead. This homestead belonged to Leuya’s cousin and his four wives. A number of young Samburu warriors were present and they were engaged in a traditional Samburu jumping contest to impress the girls (some of these guys should consider pursuing a career in the NBA). They then started a dancing ritual, which S and Leuya joined (see picture below).

We visited one of the wives’ mud huts and learned a bit about local customs. Apparently the Samburu diet is primarily meat, cow’s blood and milk / yoghurt. Occasionally they will also get a fruit or vegetable, but not normally. They have chickens but don’t believe in eating the chickens or their eggs and sell them to the market. There were separate pens for the adult and baby livestock, which we found quite interesting. J loved the little children, who were crowding around her to see her phone.

We left the homestead and went for sundowners by a lake. Our car had a weak parking break and nearly rolled into the lake. Paul and Leuya saved it by putting rocks in front of the tires. We saw a few birds and S saw a shooting star among all the other stars. The sky was littered with stars. It was a great opportunity to ask Leuya and Paul more questions about their community.

By now Leuya was one of our best mates. We invited him to dinner, but the dinner was chicken curry and he wouldn’t have been able to eat it. Before we headed down to dinner, S changed into the tie-dyed man dress that he bought in Nairobi. We later learned ‘kanzu’ is the proper Swahili name for the man dress. When we arrived, Paul, Meg, Rob and the server were in shock. S came in with his walking stick, beaded hair and kanzu and declared himself the village elder. Meg also shared pictures of S with the Francombe family and asked S’ permission to use the photos in their marketing materials. S and Paul gave Rob a hard time for being dressed like a city boy. Rob promised to wear a traditional garment the next morning.

The chicken curry was great. J in particular loves their hot sauce and thinks they should sell it. It is made with Scotch bonnet peppers and is slightly sweet. It is served with every meal and goes with everything. We finished the night with Meg and Rob drinking wine and whisky. J took over the Bluetooth speakers and played a lot of country music. Rob was shattered from the two previous nights, so Meg and Rob begged off and left us with a bottle of Rosé and drinks. We enjoyed our final night at Ol Malo and made it safely back to our room.

#kenya #olmalo #safari #hotsauce #samburu #manyatta #sundowners #beachbums

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accuhunt · 6 years

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Meet the First Solo Female Traveller from the Maldives!

When I first met Niuma (Mariyam Niuma), she was renting a small house on a local island in the Maldives, spending her days surfing in the warm waves of the Indian Ocean. As she spoke of her laidback life, I began yearning to live out my hideaway island dream too.

We were at the World Travel Writers Conference in the Maldives, where I was speaking on a travel panel about storytelling. We stole a few moments to chat about our recent adventures and the similar battles we had fought at home to chase our dream of travelling the world.

But I never truly understood her battles until I spent a couple of weeks living in a small guesthouse on Maalhos, a local Maldivian island, a few months later. Unlike “resort islands” – private islands occupied by a tourist resort – local islands offer an intimate glimpse into daily life in the Maldives. It was on Maalhos that I realized that most Maldivian women, including young girls, are expected to fully cover up their bodies even under the hot tropical sun; that their ambitions are often limited to becoming teachers, though most of them only end up fulfilling the duties of a wife; that even though the pristine blue ocean is in their backyard, they are shy (and often not permitted) to join the boys and men to learn to swim, surf, snorkel or dive.

Where she feels most connected – the Indian Ocean! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

So I had to meet Niuma again – the first female solo traveller, couchsurfer and female surf photographer from the Maldives – over drinks in Male, speak to her about her unconventional life of travel and share her inspiring story with you:

An adventurous soul:

Niuma’s love affair with the ocean began as a little kid, when on long ferry rides from Male to her father’s island village, she imagined herself as a mermaid! She has travelled solo across Southeast Asia, crewed a sailboat from Malaysia to Thailand, taken surf lessons in Morocco, crossed 96 islands on foot in the Maldives and honed her surf photography skills to become Maldives’ first female surf photographer.

When I reached out to her for this story, she was sailing on a 45-foot catamaran on a two day adventure from the Maldives to India!

Follow Niuma’s solo travel adventures on her blog – Somewhere Salty, Instagram and Facebook.

Sailing to India on a catamaran! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Funding her travels: Work, save, travel, repeat:

Her tryst with travel began in 2004, when she won return tickets to Colombo on Emirates. She was so stoked by the win that she decided to fight her fears and go solo to Sri Lanka. She loved it, and eventually saved enough money to move to Sri Lanka for college, where she began experimenting with Couchsurfing on her travels – becoming the first Couchsurfer from the Maldives!

Upon returning home, she scored short-term work gigs of six months to a year – with NGOs, environmental organisations and high-end resorts – and saved up what she earned to travel in between. She took courses in surfing and diving, and invested in professional gear for surf photography. This paved the way for her to live at surf spots in Pondicherry, Morocco, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where she would learn surfing in exchange for her work as a photographer – and gradually begin earning a living as a surf guide and surf photographer.

Also read: How I’m Funding My Adventures Around the World Through Travel Blogging

Learning to surf. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Challenging societal conventions:

Try to get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Try many things and fail many times. Try to identify your why. ~ Niuma

Back when she first travelled out of the Maldives, Niuma said she felt like she somehow attracted people who supported her dreams. But the more she travelled, the more she realised how different she was; everyone she grew up with was getting married and having babies and doing ‘normal’ things.

Apart from the burden that society placed on her, being in the surf industry and working as a surf photographer and guide, came with many challenges. She didn’t feel accepted in the local community for a long time. But her work built her reputation, and gradually people warmed up to the idea of supporting a Maldivian woman who was making it on her own.

Also read: Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Your Travel Dreams in 2018

Bungee jumping! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

On fears/challenges and conquering them:

I think it all comes down to our fears. After I moved out of home in 2011, I realised that I carried around a lot of fears – about relationships, failures, living on my own, society’s expectations – all which I had to face and let go. ~ Niuma

Niuma had been wanting to dive and surf since she was a kid, but it was only at age 28 that she learnt how to swim! She couldn’t let her eye glasses get in the way of her dream, so she saved up for a laser surgery.

She pushed her comfort zone to finally learn surfing at 32, despite the fear of getting injured in a foreign country as she travelled on her own. But going for a wave felt incredibly liberating to her, even if she got injured while surfing in Morocco and had to nurse herself back to health.

Also read: How I Conquer My Solo Travel Fears

Surfing in the Indian Ocean. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Her message for those who have a dream:

Niuma: “Why do you want a certain thing in life? I want a life of adventure because it makes me feel alive instead of just living a life where you get up to go to work and that’s it, or you go on a holiday once a year and that’s it. There is a whole world out there, full of amazing experiences. Make connections, learn new skills on the internet (so many free resources), ask questions from people who are doing it. It doesn’t take a lot of money to follow your dream. You just need to put in a little effort and chase it proactively. Save up and start small. Your confidence will build for bigger things.

Make a list of things you want to do in life and tick them off one by one because one day you will wake up and wonder why you haven’t done anything with your life. Do something towards your dream today.”

Also read: Solo Travel: To Go or Not To Go?

Niuma exploring her home island in Laamu, where it all started. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Blog Announcement: A new series featuring solo travellers from across Asia

Back in 2011, when I first began to travel solo, it felt like a lonely space. I wondered if I was the only one crazy enough to venture out on my own – especially as a 20-something Indian woman. But over time, I’ve been lucky enough to cross paths with solo travellers from around the world, but especially from Asia. Yet in the online travel arena, non-white solo travellers continue to be a minority.

In this new monthly blog series, I hope to share with you inspiring stories of solo travellers from across Asia, especially women. Growing up in protective families and a conservative society, our battles are different, yet not impossible to fight.

If you know of solo travellers from Asian countries who, in their own ways, are challenging societal norms and choosing an unconventional life, please connect us!

My island hideaway in Maalhos, Maldives.

Have you ever gone on a solo trip? Why or why not?

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to follow my solo travel adventures around the world!

Inspiring solo travel posts you should read: India Untravelled: These 7 Indian Women Travel Solo, and You Can Too A Dangerous Business: 18 Travel Bloggers With Different Perspectives to Follow in 2018

Thanks to Mariyam Niuma and Remya Padmadas for their inputs.

Meet the First Solo Female Traveller from the Maldives! published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com

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accuhunt · 6 years

Text

Meet the First Solo Female Traveller from the Maldives!

Where she feels most connected – the Indian Ocean! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

An adventurous soul:

When I reached out to her for this story, she was sailing on a 45-foot catamaran on a two day adventure from the Maldives to India!

Follow Niuma’s solo travel adventures on her blog – Somewhere Salty, Instagram and Facebook.

Sailing to India on a catamaran! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Funding her travels: Work, save, travel, repeat:

Also read: How I’m Funding My Adventures Around the World Through Travel Blogging

Learning to surf. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Challenging societal conventions:

Try to get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Try many things and fail many times. Try to identify your why. ~ Niuma

Also read: Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Your Travel Dreams in 2018

Bungee jumping! Photo: Mariyam Niuma

On fears/challenges and conquering them:

Also read: How I Conquer My Solo Travel Fears

Surfing in the Indian Ocean. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Her message for those who have a dream:

Also read: Solo Travel: To Go or Not To Go?

Niuma exploring her home island in Laamu, where it all started. Photo: Mariyam Niuma

Blog Announcement: A new series featuring solo travellers from across Asia

If you know of solo travellers from Asian countries who, in their own ways, are challenging societal norms and choosing an unconventional life, please connect us!

My island hideaway in Maalhos, Maldives.

Have you ever gone on a solo trip? Why or why not?

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to follow my solo travel adventures around the world!

Thanks to Mariyam Niuma and Remya Padmadas for their inputs.

Meet the First Solo Female Traveller from the Maldives! published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com

0 notes