It's All Over ...

Well, it is 10 days since the UK elections which did not produce an overall winner, and it is a few days now that we have been presented with a coalition government. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have cobbled together a government from their two parties and are getting down to the business of running the country.

But now, as there is no Labour government for the press to snipe at, they are trying their best to wreck the coalition. OK, so it is virtually unknown territory for the UK not to have a clear winner at an election, but there are many countries that have had coalitions and made a success of it. Why shouldn't it work here?

But the doubters, which seems to be most journalists and political pundits obviously think that we are now being rules by aliens and they are trying to find every little reason why the coalition won't work. Maybe it won't, but I for one am willing to let it have a go.

This country is in a mess, both economically and socially. We have a debt so immense, that few can even count the digit let alone imagine what it really is. We have had a raft of New labour laws that restrict the freedom of the individual. We have seen money, our money, being wasted on numerous New Labour projects that would never work and have cost a fortune.

The new government have made a start, abolishing the ID card and database fiascos, stabilising fuel prices, etc., and there will be other measures to give back freedom to individuals. This is all good news, surely?

But the press look for the differences in policy between the two parties that make up the government, rather than focusing on the things they agree upon.

So, let's give the new boys a chance. Let's not pick on the two leaders as being toffs, just because they both went to exclusive public schools - after all, would you rather have a leader who failed at an inner city sink school?

I for one want leaders who have a good education, who are intelligent and well educated.

But that's just me.

UK Election? What for?

What are we voting for on May 6th? Why do we need a Government at all? Below is a list (not exhaustive) of the responsibilities our last Government signed away to the European Union.

We were promised by our last Government that we would be allowed a vote as to whether we should sign away all these, but we didn't get it.

• Competition
• Trade
• Asylum and Immigration
• Foreign Affairs
• Industrial Policy
• Agriculture
• Fisheries
• Energy
• Transport
• Regional Government
• Consumer Health
• Social and Employment Policy
• Justice and Home Affairs.

So, why do we need a Government, made up of self-serving trough-scoffers, claiming expenses for second homes, £400 a month on food, and working in the only building in the UK where people are allowed to smoke whilst drinking their taxpayer-subsidised booze and eating in their taxpayer-subsidised restaurant?

There is little left for them to do, so let's call it a day. 

Ten people working 3 days a week should cover what remains of their responsibilities.

Gentle Drive to Kenya

This blog is getting taken over by my dream/hope or whatever it will eventually turn out to be, so I have decided that all further posts relating to it will be on this new blog.

Gentle Drive to Kenya - Middle East to Kenya

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

Since my last blog (not that long ago) in the subject of a fantasy[?] overland trip to Kisii from the UK, I couldn't find a way to get from Syria or Jordan to the west bank of the Suez or Red Sea. But now, I've found it!

So, the next part of my trip will be as follows. On leaving Turkey, I will travel south (as best I can) through Syria and Jordan, avoiding Israel like the plague.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Israel, but if I get any sort of stamp in my passport showing that I have been there, I will not get through some of the Moslem countries, apparently. So, I will avoid Israel like the plague as that is easier than avoiding passing through Moslem countries.

In Jordan, I will make for Aqaba, where I can then take a ferry to Nubeiba. In this way I avoid Israel and Palestine. The next trick is to cross either the Gulf of Suez or the Suez Canal.

Once over the canal, I will make my way down to Aswan and this is where, by all accounts, the next problem arises. It would appear that there is no unauthorised road crossing between Egypt and Sudan. This was certainly true for north-bound traffic in 2008 anyway. This is Egyptian law.

So, it is another ferry, from Aswan to Wadi Halfa, along the Nile. From there to Khartoum, then on to Al Qadarif.

Then it is in to Ethiopia, Gondar, Addis Abeba, Hawassa, Moyale and across the border into Kenya. An alternative route would be to go west of lake Abaya to Arba Minch, Omorate and across the border into Illeret on the NE shore of Lake Turkana.

There is an almost direct route to Nakuru, at which point I would consider myself "almost home", as it is an easy run from there through Kericho to Kisii.

So, apart from crossing the Suez (canal or gulf), the itinerary is sorted.

Any comments?

Gentle Drive to Kenya - Confused!

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I have been getting advice from all over to the effect that parts of and Ethiopia are safe/unsafe, certain areas should be avoided and that the best route is through the Sahara, etc.

Now I am so confused about where I can go, where I shouldn't go and where I should avoid like the plague, that there is now a broad band of red on my map, which effectively cuts off Kenya from the rest of Africa.

Will I ever find a way to Kenya that doesn't involve getting shot at, arrested, kidnapped, blown up ...?

The last information I received is that Ethiopia is OK, as long as I keep away from certain bits. And now, I am told that even in Kenya, the road from the border to Isiolo is dangerous as there are bandits in the area.

But I won't give up!

Gentle Drive to Kenya - First Brick Wall

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I asked for advice, ideas and comments on my proposed route, I have been told that parts of it are very dangerous. A stretch of a particular road is mined and in other areas, fundamentalists will take a pop at anything that moves - that would be me, then.

I have also been given certain alternatives that would take me through areas that I would have avoided - like the Sahara Desert, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Nigeria - oops!

So now, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, or rather, a desert and a minefield.

Obviously, Dafur, Somalia and Eritrea are to be avoided - I didn't need advice on that - but I have since been told that Ethiopia is OK (at the moment) by someone who has just driven through there. But everything can change overnight. We could set off and by the time we get to sub-Saharan Africa, the whole political landscape could have changed for the better, or more probably, the worse.

Do I give up? Er, no, I don't do giving up, not without a fight, anyway. So, how about passing through France and Spain, getting the car over to Morocco and traversing that sand-pit called the Sahara. I didn't want to, but, if the eastern route is blocked ...

What would it involve? From Morocco, we would drive to Algeria and turn right (south) to Tamanrasset to Kano (Nigeria), then through Cameroon and CAR, DRC and Rwanda - plain sailing from there. We pass into Uganda and then into Kenya, quite close to our objective, Kisii. Simples, as any self-respecting, Russian meerkat would say.

Another possibility would be to retain the trans-Europe route, but instead of turning left at Suez, we carry on westerly through Egypt and Libya (is that such a good idea?)

Then turn left through Niger, Cameroon, etc., as above.

Frankly, driving through France and Spain sounds a lot less interesting than traversing Europe and Turkey, but if I got shot or blown up, the kids at the Twiga Centre would be very annoyed with me.

So, I am confused. I will sleep on it and be confused in the morning.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya - 1st Leg

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

This is the first leg of the journey, from the UK to the Turkish/Syrian border as dictated by GoogleEarth (2687 miles)

Unfortunately, GoogleEarth refuses to plan my route between the Syrian and Kenyan borders.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya - More Musings

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

Within my self-imposed budget of £3,000, I have so found the following diesel, automatic vehicles:

• Isuzu Bighorn (Trooper). 3.1 litre, very strong car, needs new tyres;
• Mitsubishi Pajero LWB, 2.8 litre, fine except it has not cylinder head;
• Nissan Mistral (Terrano) LWB, 2.7 litre. I like these, but apparently, they are not too strong, more of a soft-roader.
• Toyota Surf, 2.4 litre manual, fine except the turbo doesn't work, but I am sure it can be fixed cheaply. But is the 2.4 a little underpowered, and don't they pack up rather easily? (I do like these!!)

Looking on the Interweb, my personal choice, good HiLux king cabs appear to be rarer than rocking horse manure.

I don't know about the other bits of Africa that I will be travelling through, but Toyotas are very popular in Kenya, so spares and repairs would not be too much of a problem. But what about the rest of the trip?

Back in the UK

It is certainly a shock to the system. I have been back for over 36 hours, but my body clock is still on Kenyan time (+2 hours). I have not experienced this before. After all, it is only 2 hours, but at 5.30 in the morning, that is a long time.

I am also having problems with the temperature here. Although it is hovering around the 18° to 20°C, I am finding it very cold and have to wear a jumper.

So I have concluded that I spent a little too long in Kenya, 36 days, and it is taking me time to adjust.

After all, the last 10 days I was in Kenya, I was at the coast, where the temperature was in the high 20s, albeit with torrential rain and a cool breeze of the ocean, rather pleasant really, apart from the mosquitoes and other little (and not so little) nasties that bite, sting, or just annoy.

But, lying on a sun bed, under the mango tree just outside the front door, looking at the blue sky and cotton wool clouds through the fronds of the coconut palms, being cooled by a breeze with the slight smell of the sea, I forget all the things I dislike about the coastal region for a while.

But, back here, I am cold, tired (having woken up at 5.30 again) and feeling a bit deflated. I am glad to be home and my system will get back into routine, but I think today is going to be another lazy one, the most exhausting thing I shall be doing is to watch the British Grand Prix.

Kenya Trip June 2009 - Last Episode and Back Home

Thursday 18 June

My stay at the coast was uneventful apart from two mosquito bites on my leg that turned septic, which caused my leg and foot to swell up.

The trip back to Nairobi was fine, almost comfortable on the overnight coach with plenty of "pee and tea" stops. We arrived in Nairobi at 5.30am on Thursday, but in a part of town that I didn't know.

Eventually, I found my bearings and made for my favourite café, but of course it was closed at that time in the morning, so I went into Jivanjee Gardens, one of the few places in Nairobi where one can smoke.

Having restored my nicotine/blood ratio to its correct level, I wandered down Moi Avevnue until I was accosted by a taxi driver. As I wanted to visit a client whilst in town, I bartered with him until he offered to take me to Langata for a price I found acceptable.

I spent the day, including a pleasant lunch in the KWS compound, managed to do some work and then made my way back to the City centre by matatu.

By now of course, my favourist café was open and I had my favourite snack.

Then more bartering to get a taxi to take me to that airport. My flight was not until 9.15am on Friday, but I had decided to spend the night at the airport.

The taxi driver was one of the nicest guys I have met, chatty, interesting - and a good driver!

At the airport, I could not check in my baggage as the desk for my flight was not going to open until 5.30 the following morning, but a security guard told me where to leave it. He would keep an eye on it for me.

I spent the next few hours drinking tea and wandering into a quiet area for a smoke. On one occasion, as I was puffing away, a policeman approached. I thought I was in trouble, but he only wanted to cadge a cigarette and have a chat, and I gladly obliged.

After the last flight of the day, I was alone, apart from the staff, who were ready to have a chat to break their boredom.

At 4am, I slept. Then I was the first to book onto the flight and finally managed to get through to the departure lounge, where I slept some more.

On the plane, I slept. I ate and slept some more, although I managed to stay awake as we flew alongside the Rift Valley, which at 30,000 feet is astounding.

We arrived over London early, but landed late, after several turns over Southern England.

Then a fight through the Friday afternoon traffic along the M4 and I was home - ah! sweet home.

It is good to be back. This trip was a little too long and I was longing to be back. Decent tea, and a decent bed, a decent toilet - and a hot shower. Bliss, sheer bliss!

But I am already making tentative plans for my return to Kenya.

Still Raping and Pillaging ...

As a born and bred Englishman, I am sick, tired and ashamed when I hear of UK companies and organisations "ripping off" our erstwhile colonies. I am also ashamed when I read about UK companies being involved in graft and corruption in deals with other countries.

The latest, of course is the debacle over the De la Rue Currency and Security Print Ltd, where it is alleged that said company obtained the contract from the Kenyan Government to print their currency by fraudulent means.

At least the Serious Fraud Office is looking into it and I hope that, at the end of the day there will be a full and honest outcome, unlike the Saudi Arms deal, which was swept under the carpet by the British government.

When I was last in Kenya, it was also mooted that many international companies with subsidiaries in Kenya were avoiding paying tax on profits to the Kenyan Government by salting away the money to their respective head offices. I don't know if this is true, but if it is, Kenya must be losing billons of shillings every year in revenue - revenue that can hardly afford to lose, bearing in mind all those 4x4s and elevated salaries they have to pay as a price for political stability.

Kenyans, don't expect the British Government to step in. They are too interested in saving their own skins at the moment. Our Scottish Prime Minister and Chancellor are making sure they gain a few extra votes at the next election by pandering to the banks with bases in Scotland.

Yes, tribalism exists in the UK. Each looks after its own.

So, Kenyans, don't think you are alone!

Bribery in the UK Government? Surely not!

I have just heard over the radio that the Secretary of State for Justice, Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, is calling for a measure to bribe the British public.

Apparently, the latest ploy of our esteemed socialist government is to bribe the electorate at the next general election.

According to Straw, the idea is that if you turn out to vote, you will be entered in a draw to win a plasma television, presumably regardless of which party you vote for - at least I hope this is the case!

I know that the turn-out at elections is dropping, probably due to the total apathy felt towards our leaders, but this is a pathetic attempt to get us into the polling stations.

Surely, it would be more plausible to have a manifesto that fires the imagination of the public - love it or hate it - you would feel obliged to vote for or against it.

But then, of course, manifestos are usually conveniently forgotten. What a party promises to do in order to get voted into power, has little bearing on what they actually do when they win.

Admittedly, the British Labour Party has hit a popularity low since Tiny Blur abandoned the Premiership (and the country) to Gordon Dour. The Scots want to break away from the rest of the UK (and who can blame them?), the Government cannot hold on to its safe seats in a by election, and the opposition parties are winning other by elections with ever increasing majorities.

So, I suppose Straw is hoping that if, at the next election, the Labour Party can get their apathetic voters to the polling stations, they will manage to hold onto power.

I doubt it. Listening to interviews with life-long Labour supporters after the Glasgow East by election, Labour have a snowball's hope in Hell's chance of winning - unless they bribe the electorate - and I don't mean with a plasma TV.

So, why DO we pay more for diesel?

Well, it is easy really. Not too long ago, the government encouraged people to buy the more expensive diesel cars, citing the fact that they are more fuel efficient and greener.

When diesel cars became really popular, the government slapped more tax on it so that a litre of diesel is now £1.33 (and climbing), whereas petrol is £1.20. Clever government!

Now, it is estimated that you have to do at least 40,000 miles a year to make owning a diesel car worthwhile.

But it doesn't end there. The government offered free parking spaces to people who bought an electric car to commute to London. What happened? Commuters bought electric cars, and now the government has scrapped the scheme because it is costing them too much - and they have run out of parking spaces!

Our government may not be corrupt (although nothing would surprise me), but they are totally unscrupulous - and inept.

Happy Birthday to ...

So our esteemed Prime Minister, Gordon Brown MP has completed a year in office as leader of [Great?] Britain.

In the last year he has aged about 10 years, but he insists that his way is the best way (Hmm ... didn't Robert Mugabe say something similar not so long ago?)

We in GB are lurching from one crisis to another, lost sensitive data on CDs, laptops, in briefcases ... the great and good who fund the Labour Party are pulling back ... abolition of the 10p income tax belt - there is another revolt looming over this one ... fuel prices soaring (GB - that's a world problem, not mine!, despite the fact that we are the most heavily taxed country in the world when it comes to petrol and diesel) ... inflation is climbing above the Government's own targets ... house prices are falling ... mortgages are almost impossible to get ... it goes on ... and on ...

Local and by-elections have been a disaster for the Labour Party as well. But Gordon is insisting that he is running the country, not a popularity contest.

He could have fooled me on the former and he wouldn't have a snowball's chance in Hell on the latter!