Greetings from East Africa

Personal Vicissitudes


This  overview table contains Bert hamminga's personal anecdotes and vicissitudes of his life, mainly sailing with his dhow on Lake Victoria, Africa.

These personal pages are a sequel to a similar series in Dutch, largely frozen, but still reachable by clicking http://asb4.com/groeten

Title Created Contents
Departure 120711 What job did Miss Eunice tell you to do today?
Another me, another Africa 120709 I did not see it coming
Closing A Leak Part 4 120707 Delay: Birthday prolonged one full second
Closing A Leak Part 3 120628 Distractions by Uganda Immigration and the Netherlands tax authority's paper mailing computer
Closing A Leak Part 2 120614 Distractions by Nature and Philosophy
Closing A Leak Part 1 120605 Following the no-Africans protocol
The Flying Dutchman Explained 120527 An experimental contribution to the history of navigation
The math of Hollande's gender constraint 120516 Not read on BBC
Marine Certification 120515 Undergoing regulatory purification
Total Chaos 120423 Undergoing biological purification
The Day of Truth 120405 Nasty, or Spinoza about Falsity
Dutch Car Handling Technology 120302 Introducing Contemporary Dutch Culture by Example
The Netherlands 120301 1566-2012
Spinoza Ethica 120127 "I Read And Understood Spinoza Ethica completely"
Extremely miscellaneous news 120116  Spinoza, a thief's remorse, artistic breakthrough postponed etc. etc
A New Mast 120101  Profiting from experience 
The Weirdest Blog 111126 ....Ever...
Nairobi #11 111107 Granuloma Annulare
Closing the hull 111026 U-turn Journal #10
Porridge and a 32 ton jack 111022 U-turn Journal #9
Harbour Life #4 111016 Some steps forward and some backward
This Failed (for now) 111002 U-turn Journal #8
The Sanitary Complex 110930 U-turn Journal #7
The Forecastle 110928 U-turn Journal #6
Nairobi #9 110812 "You are less useful than at previous visits"
The U-Turn Journal #5 110806 Cabins and Kiswahili
Return 110608 With King Dom I, II and III
Last Banda Trip? 110702 Decay Lost Supervisor
Bert 60 110701 Welcoming The Inevitable
The U-Turn Journal #4 110523 Water & Tarping
Harbour Life #3 110523 Shed on the work list, snake on the menu
Dom dead 110508 "The government must be behind it"
Cardiovicissitudes 110507 Approaching 60
The U-Turn Journal #3 110325 Sese Island Wood hunt
"You Should Have Been Here!" 110317 Nairobi #7
Zanziiiii! 110310 The Harem Before and After The Bombardment
Harbour Life #2 110309 Straight And Square
Elections 110308 Candidates, Voters and Embassies
Cats&Monkeys 110207 Great Fun
The U-Turn Journal 2011#2 101231 Coming off the Drawing Board
Rats and Cats 101226 And the rest of us
Back In Town 101122

Tilburg Amazing? Yes! - to Africans

Rain 101031 Flushing Kampala
Harbour Life: You Are Not Alone 101030 We fly, run, swim and think (to be updated regularly)
Douglas 101023 Zzzziiiiiissss izzzzz how you are taaaoooohhhhwkin
The U-Turn Journal 2011#1 101005 Drawing Table
  101004  
The U-turn 101004  
The Family 101003 Stay in touch for party announcements...
Roland 101002 My Kampala Gabriel
Garuga Entebbe Kampala Sese Kampala 100930 The Most Beautiful Failed Sales Show Trip Ever
Redoing the Rigg 100905 Size matters!
Mukusu, rare birds and cobra 100823 More patching

The Last Maintenance Session

100817 Google Earth paste: 0.074795� 32.535267�

Orange

100711 MTN-Orange: 1-50, Allahu Akbar

Nothing To Say Really

100701 Indeed

Snail without Shell

100605 Nairobi High End Golf Clinic

Hammerkopsnest Blossoming in Full Action

100408 My final bid to leave a decent impression frustrated

Hammerkopsnest

100404 A stand-in farm keeper's life

The Hammerkopsnest Farming Manual

100328 Keep It Goin'!

Maiden Voyage: Entebbe-Nairobi

100309 How Can They Give You 21 Police Checks For $65 only?

Refinements

100219 Toggle "Shower" and "No Eyes": 30 seconds

Mehta Golf Course

100218 Lugazi, Uganda

Pupating

100214 2003, 2006,2010

Golf

100201 In Theory and Anecdote

Like a Boat

100120 Napoleon and Benjamin Constant about democracy

Breaking News

100115 Napoleon in 13 days from Elba back to French emperorship

New York Nairobi Vienna

091228 On Ambitions And Their Strings Attached

Nairobi #3

09122 We Do Not Reply To Claims Our Title Is Faulty

Mooring

091124 Little heaven at JP Cuttings

Close to Give Up

091114 8: Sick, Stuck and Stinking

A Europe Trip

091022 Contrasts between Continents

Fingers fingers

090809 Nsereko Rorens Back To The Shore

Lawrence

090805 The Best of Nsereko Rorens

Sangara

090720 "Do you have this thing for wind to push the canoe..."

Nsereko Rorens

090716 "This is GOOD!... tsjubtsjubtsjubtsjub..."

Selekololens

090714 My first 24 hours with a 12 year old orphan wanderer

Lake Victoria Fish Crisis 2009

090708 Fish catch 36% down in three years

Nairobi Time

090706 "Can I wear this?"

Dhow Updates

090618 Some more work and back to the Nile

Cas To The Mainland

090529 Blessings of Civilization

Cas on Banda

090506 What you could do...

Golf on Banda

090505 "Did you see my ball?"

Jews shipwrecked

090412 Subject: with every end comes new begining

Banda Life

090403 Cap neck pieces, marine dogs and another tornado

Headwind

090310 Bonaparte returns from Egypt

Nairobi

090206 Private appendix to Wikipedia

How To Make A Bad Canoe

090118 For The Same Money!

Finishing The Job And Launching The Dhow

081231 Malaria, Misty Looks But No Leaks

Your index of all Banda Pictures

090101 Peep round at a tiny tropical rainforest island on the equator

Banda Christmas 2008

081229 Goats carcasses on the beach

Sanding Christmas

081225 Progress Is Unstoppable, And So Is Degeneration

Banda News

081208 Progress Is Unstoppable, And So Is Degeneration

The Real Caulking

081204 Running In Front Of A Machine Gun

Caulking Part II

081128 Climbing the Beach of Banda Island...With a Dhow!

Caulking Part I

081126 How To Hire A Caulker And Get Him Where You Want

Greetings Highlights

081123 Concise overview of the "Greetings" subweb

How to Operate a Sailing Dhow

081105 Previously dispersed remarks on one page and improved

Cas Sailing!

081105 60 km in 4 days...

Cas

081023 Cas climbs on Board!
Nile Source Updates 2 081016 Gale 12, a 13000 km bike ride and some tennis
Nile Source Updates 080924 What we see and what we do
Marseille 080716 Europe "Marseillais, pas Francais!"
Old Age and New Times 080710 57 in Europe Part 2, From Bad to Worse and Back Again
French Alpine Joys 080710 57 in Europe Part 1
Fear 080622 Europe: Parasailing in thermals after 4 years
Dhow for sale 080311 Chance in a lifetime!!!!!!!
Storms 080220 Some Pictures of Storms & cet.
Banda Xmas 2007 080101 King Dom and The Invasion of Sicily
Sisters, Super Models and Theft 071211 Heading for Our Second Banda Xmas
The Canoe Sails! 071121 Spreading Tanzanian sailing Hi-Tech
Big Round 070813 Photo Diary of a Sailing Dhow Trip Around Lake Victoria
(If not displayed below) Add Older Greetings
Preparations for the Big Round 070813 Crew, Communications, Money Logistics, Defense
My head illegal? 070624

Applying for a new Dutch passport: my head illegal according to The New Dutch Passport Photo Model Matrix? A cliff hanging story.

Doing nothing Part II 070617

New wisdoms: moderately spice your doing nothing with some color movement on your retina, joy and irritation

Commander on Safari 070427

Egypt, Netherlands, Southern France, Turkey

Philemon 070221

Deputy Captain, Saa Moja

Dhow Repairs 061227

In love with a tree

Christmas 061225

Rain, vomiting, fever, breaking dhow parts, cancellations and the difference between Coke and Pepsi

A Summary Guide To Banda Island 061203

With maps and recommended strolls

Banda revisited 061202

Second visit to Banda (First)

Fighting Shit 061020 Some improvements of the dhow deck tarpaulin, "Baafu Mzungu", Steering deck roof, solar panel capacity, electric bailing, waterproof storage, deck stiffening, new GPS
Doi 061011

Our boat boy, my Kiswahili teacher

Grandfather 061002 My father's visit Nederlandse versie
Sese Islands 060918

First visit to Sese archipelago Island Banda: dhow meets dhow

Guests! 060915

Our very first guests

Depression Battle 060915

Down and up again at 0o24'37.7"N 33o11'31.7E 1140m

Test Trip Part 2 060622

Honesty requires a les flattering evening later update of this trip

Test Trip 060621

Sounds and pictures straight from here and now Lake Victoria.

Tanzanian Reflections 060613

Killing the BPP

Doi Arrives 060608

 

They Do Not Even Know How to Steal 060530

How They Do In Their Specialty

Nile Source Life 060529 You Are Not Alone!
The Dhow 060522

Technical Data In Final State

Closing The Deck 060519

Just A Drip. Dessert Of  The GOOD LORD: One Of His More Potent VAC's. The End Of The Dhow Building Logbook

Jonathan 060510

Just A Drip. An African Carpenter

Malaria and A-fib 060429

Rather Wet Neck Again. It Pleases The GOOD LORD To Haunt The Commander With Diseases. The Advent Of Philemon

Problem Shooting 060417 Dry Feet Not Too Wet Neck. BPP Introduced, Mooring Off Shore
Finishing the dhow 060412 Dry Feet Wet Neck. "GT" Ben unleashed. Buying A Canoe, Big NEMA's, Other Defecational Incidents And The Advent Of Carpenter Jonathan
"Kazi imemaliza" 060401 Wet Feet, Wet Neck. "The job is finished": TZ crew out.
To Jinja 060326 Final Laps Of The 300 Km Lake Trip Of Unfinished Dhow
Kidnapped 060323 Dessert of the TZ menu: operation of Tanzania Police "Mr. Malima & His Camp": kidnapped by TZ police, ransom demanded
Off To Joseph 060319 My "Backpackers' camp between Masaka and the Tanzanian border
Remote Head Quarters Jinja 060309 Back in Jinja. Email, SMS and phone circus. Computer breakdown, medicine withdrawal symptoms, gadgets and golf. No boat.
 Banned 060303 Chief Mwanza Immigration Officer, District Commissioner and probably Regional Commissioner all unaware....
 Putting The Mast 060228 Released by police but "keep your cell phone switched on", agreeable company of a remarkable German couple
Hacked 060222 Mindphiles.com/greetings Turkish hacked by Metlak
Jailed 060221 Arrested At Gunpoint and Jailed by Mwanza Police On Request Of Mwanza Immigration
 Finishing The Deck 060220 Fitting The Deck Planks
 Making Mast and Gaff 060212 And renewed immigration harassment, and making the palm mat sunroof
 Making The Sail 060211 Hand made, christian ground use fee avoided
Lake Shore Life 060209 The local village divided about how best to milk us
 Reaching The Shore 060207 The Gate Of Heaven
Launching 060205 A Work Of God
Last Preparations For Launching 060204 A Crane Or Not A Crane, That Is The Question
Author Before Tribunal 060128 Kamkala Soap #10, Kamkala Soap Home
Triangle Operetta: Curtain 060128 Shire polyhedron mounted
Laying The Keel 060125 A bit late....Two teams at work, money down
The Kamkala Soap Index Page 060123 Kamkala Soap Home
The Letter 060123 Kamkala Soap Home
Rain Yes, Brains No, Planer May Be 060120 In which even just drilling is a problem, the author needs explanation of the African meaning of rain, and brings the town's best shipyard's planer back in operation.
Saa Moja 060113 The author as acting shipyard boss. This suspiciously looks like working
My Shopping Centre 060108 Unfortunately newly equipped with a video tent
Pseumonia, Police and Productive Paranoia 051231 Good Luck: hitting on the right threat. Amazing ertia
Despair and Depression 051228 They built me a matchbox
Why Tanzania is a Serious Country 051213 I need a "Job" and a "Visa". Who the hell taught them about these things?
 Back in Shipyard supplies 051212 Dhow inspection 2: The thing moves like a snake!

Digression
 on
Donkeys and Monkeys

051201 My sincere apologies to the donkeys and monkeys for sometimes following the primitive habit of humans to associate them with the three most prominent characteristics of their own kind: Stupidity, Selfishness and Greed
 Arrested 051130 Arrest ends in laudatio
 Wrong Screws, No Wood 051126 Angel founders and falls: The reverend's carpentry work halted: wrong screws, no wood, no money, fear of imprisonment at the ship yard
Greeneye 051120 A remarkable cat
 Gabriel Descends From Heaven 051120 A reverend arrives on the scene of the dhow yard
 The Mother Of Doldrums 051117 Dhow Yard boss Daniel enters the orange zone without further delay
Mwanza from above 051105 Three Bird's Eye Views of Mwanza
 Drying a Yard: Grand Finale 051101 Lawyers into play, a new contract with details, time table and wittness, and money paid (the end of drying)
 A Memorable Lake Trip 051016 How my box on the ear of a little thug put my guests off and left the hired dhow and its crew for me alone
Money Stolen 051015 Kamkala Soap #7 Kamkala Soap Home
 The Miraculous Return Of My Money 051004 An End To Wetting The Wrong Yard
 Nataka pesa ("I need money") 051003 How to put African economic theory in practice?
Dhow Pictures 050922 No words...

Personal Kiswahili vicissitudes

050920 Dhow building stagnation, good for my Kiswahili. Author on the edge of craziness, but finally starts cutting Kiswahili verbs like fresh French baguettes (and suddenly finds himself in control of his piano)
Wetting A Yard (The Wrong One) 050907 My dhow money involuntarily invested in another ship
  Money Unavailable 050901 Kees will give me my money "end of next week" Kamkala Soap Home
Drying A Yard 050831 To stop a yard doing nothing, it should be broke first
Classical African Business Doldrums 050831 The Desert Of Indolence, Lies And False Promises
Isamilo Life 050901 My Life at one of Mwanza's hilltops overlooking the bay Kamkala Soap Home
Dhow Diving Down The Line Of Perfect Inertia 050809 Working like nuts and amazing progress on dhows and Kiswahili
Dhow Yard Revisited 050804 Pictures of my dhow in statu nascendi
Finding a house 050803 Isamilo is my place in Mwanza as long as the dhow is on land Kamkala Soap Home
Unexpected logistical node at Bukoba 050801 Ferry Bukoba-Mwanza: its crane is broken, it takes no cars
Nomad logistics 050729 Nomad life looks easy, but it isn't if you have scattered property stores
Vous n'�tes pas dans le bon sens l�! (Europe revisited 2) 050613 Rolling cabin of 3.20 m meets 2.4 m tunnel at midnight in pouring rain in Lyon
Europe revisited 050612 Game Park Europe where you see its citizens in their natural habitat
Playing the Wrong Song (my expulsion from 2 Friends 050528 Yes, indeed, though you may not believe it: how I was expelled from my house for playing a song which did not please the son of one of the owners of 2 Friends restaurant
Cutting and Planning 050524 Finally: wood! Reassuring enthusiasm among my people
Mwanza Yacht club and Hotel Tilapia 050516 Surprising luxury at the Mwanza shore side
All about mninga wood  050513 A beautiful tropical wood, too hard for the wood boring lake insects
Day Zero: No Train, No wood and Malaria 050511 Deadline for wood delivery violated, client on drip in hospital
Screws, maps but still no wood 050509 Mysterious wood and screw price quotations and hard too believe stories
No Wood 050502 An adventurous inquiry into mysteriously long delays in wood delivery
Haipa Killed by School Bus 050328 Asshole with school bus refuses to pull his brakes for Haipa
Move to Two Friends restaurant Boys Quarters 050316 Real size dhow training for watchdogs, only the Lake is a restaurant with a lovely refuse dump
Illegal 050101 Business trip from Jinja to Mwanza, meant to start building a sailing dhow, ends underground
The Best Yard in Town 050101 A second round along the shipyards with second thoughts
Exploration and a False Start   050101 Finding the right town but the wrong shipyard to build a dhow
Maersk (bringing in your stuff) 050101 Importing your personal effects. Experience of an naive immigrant to East Africa with Maersk Kampala and the Uganda Customs Authority. How "government officials" do everything they can to prevent the economic development of their countries.
The Problem and the Idea    050101 How I got the idea of living on a dhow on Lake Victoria
Getting set for Uganda 050101 A summary account of how my life led to my emigration to Africa

Groeten (Dutch language predecessor home page)