ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 2003...
I tried to run every place I could… It’s a great way to get a feel for an area and to experience some true local flavor. Without the “buffer” of a guide or a tour group, I always seemed to extract great moments and memories from my jogs. Additionally, making my way around an area "on foot" invariably yielded a new discovery (usually a small local shop, or place to eat) that I would drag the guide back to later… In my opinion, the benefits to running in a new country are multiple: health boost, jetlag recovery, an “on the ground” sense of a place, and the opportunity to find true “off the beaten path” hidden gems. Highly recommended for any traveler...
Garonga, South Africa (July 2002): This was actually my first run, at the very first lodge, but it was not easy to set up. In fact, they thought I was nuts for asking. But one of the guides agreed to take me out on a “protected” road which was well-traversed but pretty rocky and dangerous… Given the amount of time spent being scared of an elephant or lion around every bend in the road, I soon after began to ease up on the need to run… The guide got a kick out if it, though, and must have thought “these Americans are nuts!” I also remember him telling me he was a big runner or soccer player, and I had this image in my head of being smoked by a Kenyan-like marathoner. Meanwhile, he asked to stop after about a half-mile to catch his breath, lol… That helped me beat one stereotype into the ground - not all Africans are amazing runners.
Tongabezi, on the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls (July 2002): I didn’t run very much in Africa. In fact, other than Garonga, I wasn’t even allowed. I don’t think the headlines “Early Morning American Jogger Consumed By Lioness” would be great for African tourism. As I mention above, the dangers - from lions to rhinos to hippos to cheetah to hyenas to elephants – add up to all the reasons why tourists don’t run on safari. After 2-3 weeks of “prohibition,” however, Tongabezi allowed me my first real opportunity to run on my own, simply because there was a long, fenced-in road that led to the main road into town… This was deemed safe enough to run. Because of the limitations in the length of the road itself, it was a short run, but given the heat and the dust (and a couple crazy looks from a passing van heading to the lodge), I didn’t mind. It was good to just get out and stretch my legs.
Swakopmund, Namibia (August 2002): It may not seem like much, but for a guy who played basketball or ran everyday, getting in only three runs in a month was torture… Especially when the first two were less than the “one with nature” runs I had hoped for. But the third run in Africa, in Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast of Namibia, I got the experience I was hoping for. Ironically, however, it was much more “coast of Ireland-feeling” than “Africa-feeling.” Swakopmund is this quaint desert town, but it’s set right on the Atlantic. I am guessing that the effect of desert to the west and cold ocean to the east lends itself to a chilly, early-morning, foggy atmosphere. Kind of “misty” if you know what I mean. But oxygenated! It was truly refreshing to get away from the dry and dusty parts of Africa for a bit, and the air of Swakopmund was dense and moist. I ran east along the main road the hotel was on, then turned north along a road/sidewalk along an oceanfront strand. I remember seeing all these quaint little German or Bavarian looking homes (thatched roofs and all that) and then remembering I was in Africa! It was a refreshing run, and a surprising run, and I ended it on the beach just peering out into the Atlantic mists, and looking at the smooth rounded stones pounded by the surf. It was an eerie, shipwrecked kind of place… very cool considering this was Africa!
Stone Town, Zanzibar (August 2002): Another urban area, another chance to run. This one, however, featured people and culture over nature. Zanzibar is just replete with history, and Stone Town is a bustling, jostling center of trade. It’s also one of those ancient cities, built up over time that is full of winding, twisting roads and alleys that make no sense. This run was memorable for two things. First, after taking what seemed like a common-sense turn up a particular street, I found myself in an open courtyard deep within a maze-like area that featured a school full of chanting and bowing Muslim children and doorways and walls marked with life-sized posters of Osama Bin Laden. Needless to say, I pulled a Looney Tunes-type maneuver, and slowly tip-toed myself backwards the way I came in… Second, I found a basketball court, and despite not touching a ball for some time, I jumped in with some locals for some pick-up hoops flavor. What a blast, and what a great ice-breaker. Is there anything better than sports?
Pemba Island, Fundu Lagoon, Tanzania (August 2002): Ran along Fundu Lagoon at low tide one morning, much to the shock and dismay of the locals out fishing or walking along the beach. As always, they thought I was nuts… I remember a fair number of ghost crabs, and the area was full of mangroves, which eventually stopped my progress along the beach. Oh, and beaches have this deceptive ability to look a lot shorter than they actually are – that run back always seems to take twice as long…
Lamu, Kenya (September 2002): Just south of the amazing Peponi Hotel and past a home supposedly owned by Princess Caroline of Monaco lies the amazing Shela Beach in all its splendor. This deserted stretch of beach was marked by slight waves, decent winds, and deserted sand dunes. In fact, people warned me to not venture too far down the beach alone because of some dangerous types living in the dunes, and I must admit that this beach was SO deserted that I was actually scared at times. The beach was also marked by a lone deserted "castle" all by itself...rumor had it belonging to a wealthy Italian. It was odd to run by with nothing for miles and miles, and to have flashbacks to Star Wars-type sand dunes are far as the eye could see, but with an empty fort set right in the middle of it all. That house spooked me out a bit, to be honest. Shela was another beach that was deceptively long from end to end. Not only that, most of my runs there were truly against the clock, as rising tides would close off the northern tip of the beach, around which sits the Peponi Hotel. In fact, the first time I ran, some fisherman were sitting on some elevated steps watching me with wonder as I sloshed through the surf to get back to the room... From the quizzical look on their faces, I am sure they shared a laugh or two after I passed by.
Lake Victoria, Kenya (September 2002): I went for a run along Lake Victoria with one of the guides, a local Kenyan man. There were two cool things about this run. First, this was the first run during which I felt running was "normal." In other words, people saw us and said hello, but did not stare or otherwise ogle us... And you know what, that was kind of nice for a change! I finally felt I was in that part of Africa (Kenya!) where running was recognized as normal sport. Second, we ended up running past a group of fishermen - a whole community, really - working the nets and bringing in the morning catch. Everyone had a role - men, women, and children - and the entire effort was amazing to watch...
The Great Rift Valley, Kenya (September 2002): Being in the "cradle of civilization" was awesome, and I had to get a run in. Given that Shompole was a pretty trendy spot, and there were some younger, hipper people there, we actually did a morning group run with one of the guides, and ex-Special Forces guy from the UK. He loved being the center of attention - the drill sargeant, as it were - and he stopped us to do push-ups, etc, from time to time, but it was a solid cross-country workout that included rock climbs up steep hills as well as flat running. The earth was dusty and reddish, and we ran at dawn so as to avoid the brutal sun, and it was a bit difficult to run well at elevation, but all things considered, it was amazing...
Alphonse Island (September 2002): Alphonse is a tiny, windswept, shield-shaped island of the Seychelles in the middle of the Indian Ocean that is renowned for its bonefishing. After the "big game" fears of mainland Africa, it was great to be in a place with no such running restrictions. Or so I thought. First, the wind was brutal. I would basically do laps around the island (about two miles in circumference, as I remember - found a photo blog that shows some of the path) along a dirt track, and when I came to "unprotected" open areas, the wind would absolutely stand me upright. Second, have you ever heard of a palm spider? Wow...these things scared the crap out of me, despite being totally harmless. They spin webs between palm trees, and when no one had been on the path before me, the webs - and spiders - would still be there. It's all fun and games until you run into a web and wonder what part of your body this thing is now on. If that wasn't enough, imagine one of these things crossing your path. Biggest arthropod (shelled-animal, or animal with an exoskeleton) in the world - it can cut through coconuts! Yeah, running on Alphonse was a real treat...
Fregate Island (September 2002): Well...in continuation of the animal theme above, Fregate Island (another gem in the Seychelles) did not disappoint. It was, however, much less scary. First of all, it's a very beautiful island and its terrain varied enough (as opposed to flat Alphonse) to provide a great running experience. The problem here was that I ran at either dawn or dusk, because Fregate - situated on the equator - was truly hot. And running at dusk was especially interesting because Fregate has a decent community of Flying Foxes. Now, i have seen my share of bats, and I've had them swoop nearby in order to thankfully pick off the mosquitoes buzzing around my head. But when bats the size of a small beagle start criss-crossing trees in front of you, it will get your attention. The second cool thing about Fregate, however, was much less frightening. About 400 tortoises live on the island, and it was always fun to stop and feed them some grass... Finally, there is a rumor of major pirate buried treasure hidden somewhere on Fregate, but given the wild landscape, I never drew up the courage to stray too far off the path during my runs...
Mauritius (October 2002): Unfortunately I did not run much - if at all - while in Mauritius on this trip, but considering some of my past runs in 1997 and 1998 while living there, and in 2001 during my last visit, I had to include it. But this time around it was basketball with my old team, and plenty of diving...
Phuket, Thailand (December 2002): Ahhh, Thailand...no scary animals...paved roads...regular running was back! One of my most memorable runs was the first, on-arrival, shake-off-the-jetlag jog near our hotel, on the northwest side of the island. I ran past individual homes, gorgeous beaches, rolling hills, sprawling fields of what looked like rice and sugar cane, and through tiny communities of homes clustered together. Some people smiled and waived, one farmer looked at me like I was nuts (who runs in 95 degree weather? who runs, period?), others ignored me... all in all it provided a great glimpse of country-side life, away from the bustle of Phuket town itself... the run was so varied - up and down some hills, through a small fishing community, along the water/beach for a bit, inland through scorching fields, back through a bigger town, and around to the hotel again. Funny how many runs I went on then with little or no map, just an instinct and a hope I could find my way back... Anyway, in short, I loved running in Phuket (despite the heat), and loved the behind-the-scenes glimpses of "normal life." Running past a guy washing his car or chasing his kids in the American 'burbs is not so exciting, but somehow watching it in a foreign country is a whole new experience!
Ko Yao Island, Thailand (December 2002): The thing I remember most about the small, unspoiled, and "off-the-beaten path" island of Ko Yao was the cool little go-cart path that seemed to circumnavigate the island. (Well, I guess it was a road, but the cars were few and far between.) Anyway, Ko Yao gave a glimpse of what I assumed was Thailand-unchanged or Thailand-past. Little stilted huts and people basically living a subsistence, day-to-day lifestyle. What was really striking was the smell of burning...something! I could not place it until I realized that I was running through rubber trees - note the small bowls placed to capture the sap. (They sure as heck weren't maple trees, but sapping them for maple syrup looks exactly the same.) Between the trees and the smoking cauldrons outside a few homes, and the weird off-white things that looked like throw rugs drying everywhere, I began to realize that smell was vulcanizing rubber! Very cool, and a great throwback experience...
Ko Phi Phi: 20 in 20 on tennis court...injury...
Burma: Bagan
Burma: Mandalay
Thailand: Chiang Rai great hill...
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