Kenya trip: The people

N. When it comes to the people, i have to start with N. You all know her but not many of you have travelled with her. I think me and N work great together as a team when travelling. I seriously think we should apply for a state support as ambassadors of Estonia and travel the world, we work wonders on promoting our country. Don't be surprised to find that a little boy in a remote village near Masai Mara has eaten Estonian candy or to find a dhow in Lamy cruising under Estonian flag. Me and N, we find the nicest places and the nicest people. And i believe we also get the best prices when we discuss the price in the language no one understands, trying hard to hold back laughter and keep a straight face when all we're saying is that it's excellent and let's get it but let's torture the poor guy some more for a better price:) Like we did in Shella for the guesthouse or like we did when negotiating the price for the safari. Yes, if you ask me, i think me and N travel well together. And what this trip did was bring us even closer together.

George. George was our driver and guide at the 4-day safari trip and he deserves a mention. George is black as night, a very proud man, funny, sharp as a pencil and quite hot. George is also a very wise man, having done the guide work for 8 years he knows everything about all the animals. Thanks to George we now know that Cheetah always hunts alone because he is capable of that. Lions, however, sometimes have to cooperate because they are not as fast. We now also know that Rhino has a very bad eyesight and attackts just anything that moves because it could be a potential threat or that Hyenas (ugly little things) can walk for hundreds of kilometers because they're built this way and that they cannot make a kill but they have the world's strongest jaws so they can chew even through bones. George is from the same tribe as Obama, which is the Luo tribe (one of the around 40 different tribes) and therefore he is especially proud of his bro Barack and even has his speech as a mobile ring and wears his picture on his t-shirt.

Iggy and Baji. I talk about Iggy and Baji together because thats how we met them. Iggy and Baji run a little bookstore together in Lamu. They're "our people" that much is clear from the very beginning. There's such a good chemistry and by the end of the first day we're spending all the free time together. Iggy is a sweet and funny guy, he's fit, has a nice smile and his skin is charcoal black. He's funny and understand irony, which is probably one of the reasons we click so well. Baji looks like a devil. When he's serious, and you don't really know him, he might even look slightly frightening, but he's as sweet as can be - very caring and amusing and takes an immediate liking towards us. Those 2 are the first ones who make us feel so welcome on Lamu that it's clear from the beginning we're staying for longer than couple of days.

Maley. Maley, Maley, what can i say. He's tall, dark and handsome. His skin is chocolate brown so he is not as dark as most people we've met here. He's slender and each one of the muscles on his body is toned. He wears his hair in dreads, which have bleached slightly with sun and saltwater. He dresses well and likes to wear a lot of bling. Maley's our captain. He's the proud owner of the dhow Habiba. Sexy Habiba he calls it and it is his baby, his love. The first time we see Maley when we're at the floating bar, having had already one of the best days of our lives. We'd spent the day on Habiba so Maley came looking for his baby, following its smell, or so he claimed. He arrives at the bar, shaking what his mama gave him an in no time we're all shaking what our mamas gave us. Maley must also be one of the funniest people i've met. There were moments when neither me or N couldn't stop laughing at what Maley was saying and it just seemed effortless from his part. He claims he's got internet in his head and there might be something to it because as laid back and chillaxed as he is, he's got it all under control and he can somehow even talk to a deaf-mute guy.

Freeman. Freeman's Maley's cousin and another one of the rasta culture people. Freeman is not his real name but absolutely everyone here has a nickname and they're mostly very becoming. When we first meet Freeman we also give him our own nickname - the carrot top, because his dreads are short and spiky. Come to think of it - looks nothing like carrot but it seemed fitting then. Freeman's is definitely one of the people who adds a lot to us feeling like queens on this little paradise island. He seems to be somewhere in his own world and most of the time he seems to be lost in the ganjaworld but he's got it all together. He is a marvellous cook and he takes such good care of us. One day we plan to go on a boat to watch the sunset. For that, Freeman cooks the food and him and Maley have decorated Habiba with purple flowers. I love those guys, i swear!

Hannah. Finally, a girlfriend getting a mention. We meet Hannah on the "perfect day" (more about that later). She's a new addition to our dhow trip. At first we can't figure her out. She's very slender and white-skinned and seems like such a grey mouse, but thankfully she proves us wrong in no time. As it turns out, she couldn't figure us out either. In a couple of hours it's clear that she's on of "ours" and the whole chemistry of the group is just excellent. Hannah has humour, she drinks beer and doesn't say no to ganja and she says shit and fuck a lot. Quite different from what we first expected and not your typical nurse (because that's her job, you know). She also likes to shake what her mama gave her and she, too, is instantly drawn to us. It's strange that there are those people all around the world who're "your people" yet you have to travel to Lamu to meet them. Anywhow, girlfriend's coming to visit us in Tallinn very soon and i think all three of us will go back to Lamu quite soon.