London Riots/Kenya Part 2

It was very interesting being here for the riots.  It all started in Tottenham, which is a poor area of London.  There was a peaceful demonstration to protest the shooting death of a man by the police.  It then turned ugly as rioters looted stores, set fires, and threw stuff at police.  The riots lasted three nights and spread all over London and England, although predominantly in poorer areas.  I'm not sure how it was portrayed across the world, but here in the UK it was clear this was not a revolution, it was opportunistic teens out for a good time.  Phrases such as "we have no economic opportunities" got thrown around as a reason for the unrest, although I'm not sure how stealing a TV is going to help solve that problem.  The sad part is that many people lost their homes and businesses, three people were killed, and I think London lost some of its luster (not good with the Olympics coming up next year).  Thankfully my neighborhood was spared, and no one I know was affected.  I think the reason it got so out of hand is that the police just weren't prepared.  This is a country that has almost no gun violence and poverty means living in a council house and receiving benefits.  The police basically just let the rioters do what they wanted because they didn't know how to respond to such violence.  Now the big talk here is looking through thousands of hours of surveillance videos (this country has major big brother watching over) and trying to identify all the riotos to bring them to justice!  A task that even offficals admit could take years.  And for what?  Most of the offenders were under age so they basically get a slap on the wrist.  I don't have an easy solution, I just hope that the lawmakers here try to learn from the mistakes that were made and propose real changes, not just political rhetoric!

Now on to a lighter subject, Kenya!

On our way to the Maasai Mara, we made a stop to Lake Naivasha.  We took a boat ride past some cool Hippos to an island in the lake where part of Out of Africa was filmed.  Here we got to get out and walk amongst the zebra, water bucks and giraffes.  This was awesome!  But alas, still no petting opportunities (Dan says we should just save or money and stop traveling and just visit petting zoos because that's all I really want to do).  


The last 50 km into the Maasai Mara park were the worst of the whole trip.  The road was so bad that our driver had to resort to driving off the road most of the time!  We finally made it and were rewarded with our best accommodations yet: a giant 'tent' that included a huge bathroom, mini fridge, deck, and king size bed!  We went on three game drives during our stay and they were all spectacular.  Compared to the other parks,the Maasai Mara was teaming with wildlife.  It got to the point I became jaded with zebras, elephants and wildebeest because they were everywhere you looked! The main attraction of the park however is the lions and were were very fortunate to see many of them.  Highlights included watching a female lion hunt after a lost baby wildebeest (which to my relief got away, but to Dan's disappointment), a whole pride of lions eating a buffalo right after a kill, and being the only car around to see two newborn cubs out with their mama.  The Maasai Mara was incredibly beautiful, with vast stretches off grasslands dotted with a few trees.  I highly recommend any animal/nature lover visit this park in their lifetime.


Back in Nairobi  things weren't as pleasant.  I didn't feel all that safe walking around the city,  kids came up to us begging for money and pretended to cry when we refused, and the people at the craft market were much too pushy.  Back at the Hilton, we got stuck in the elevator and the mediocre buffet dinner cost 80 dollars!  Needless to say, we were happy to return to the UK!


We just got back from Copenhagen and prior to that my friends Cara and Robyn were out here for a visit. I'll try to write about those soon.  But I'm trying to prepare for my upcoming school year in a new school wth a curriculum that is all brand new to me, so I appreciate your patience!  


More Kenya photos here:Part 2