Nairobi Revisited & on to Mombasa

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Lake Nakura


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These photos are of Amboseli National Park just north of Mt. Kilimanjaro and of the Maasai who live in the region.

School children at Bomas of Kenya.

When we returned to Nairobi, I checked into a hotel that Gilles recommended where Peace Corps volunteers stay. It was basic but quite large with good light and in a location away from downtown. It was time for a rest and especially to catch up on laundry because everything was covered with dust. There are no laundromats in Kenya so I bought a plastic wash tub for less than a buck and put all my dirty clothes in for a good soak. I know this seems like mundane stuff but it becomes an integral part of the routine of life on the road. Do you know that you can rinse clothes out much faster if you do it while in the shower? Even my leather sandals got a bath.

Antoine was keen to see the sights of Nairobi and wanted some company. His father’s new girlfriend had a driver (Brasa—a woman) who was available to drive us around the city. We went to the giraffe center which was tame after having been on safari. We also saw the house where Karen Blixen lived (Out of Africa). We checked out the “Snake Pit” where they housed all the deadly snakes of Africa-the black and green mambas, puff adders, green tree snakes and several kinds of cobras. These African snakes get long. There were also some pretty big pythons and a few sad looking crocodiles.

Later we had some great Indian food at a popular restaurant. Antoine made a big deal out of having Brasa order anything she wanted. She quickly closed the menu and just asked for rice so I figured she didn’t know how to read. Her English was not that good and only the educated in Kenya speak English well—and learn to read. So I suggested that we order several things and share and everyone was up for that. In the end, she seemed to enjoy the food, except that one of the dishes was quite spicy and she was gasping for water. Fortunately the waiter understood and came to her rescue.

The next day Antoine invited me to have breakfast at his father’s hotel—the Holiday Inn. This was where all the USAID people live while under contract with the government. Since the breakfasts at my hotel were not that good, I quickly agreed. It was a nice place and the food was ten steps up from what I had been eating, with omelets and crepes cooked to order and lots of fresh fruit. These gov't people live well over here.

We didn’t have Brasa this day so we hired a cab to take us around. At the first intersection, the car died and the driver enlisted help off the street to jump start the car. This happened a few more times. We came back into the center of town to look for a new battery charger for my camera. Mine had burned up on a charge out in the bush with a generator without a good serge protector. Could not find one but I did find a guy who had the same camera as me and he agreed to charge my batteries.

That afternoon we went to a very lively show—Bomas of Kenya, depicting African dances throughout the country. Several busloads of school children of all ages were led into a large circular performing center. Each school had its own uniform so there was a rainbow of colors in the audience and the kids were really well behaved. The dancers were very entertaining and our driver was allowed in for free and he really enjoyed the show.

Later that evening we went to the famous Carnivore Restaurant and as the name implies, you get to eat just about any kind of meat that lives in Kenya. They roast the meat over coals and bring around swords of meat that they slice from at the table. That night they had camel (yuck), beef, ostrich, pork, lamb (tough but tasty), crocodile (like bad swampy fish), chicken (even that was gamey). In the end, I prefered the stuff we usually eat. The place is a landmark and one of the “must dos” in Nairobi.

Spending a couple of days with Antoine turned out to be quite enjoyable. He lost his mother two years ago to a brain tumor and it's been difficult for him as they were quite close. He also wanted my take on his father’s girlfriend (a surprise when he got over here). She's a New Yorker and I told him I didn't see her moving to the ranch any time soon. All in all, he is a real sweet man and the two of us talked quite easily with one another. He been managing the ranch while his father's been in Africa and his grandmother lives there with him.

In my free time over the last few days in Nairobi, I mostly spent them at the Sarit Center, a shopping center near my hotel. It was a safe place where I could shop, eat and use the internet and not have to worry about my safety. I would walk there in the day and take a taxi home in the evenings. It got old after the third day and I was anxious to leave Nairobi so I booked the next train to Mombasa.

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