Africa Welcomes Us!
Africa welcomes us with open arms! We were met at the airport by our tour guide. We have spent 2 nights in Nairobi and leaving for Uganda this a.m. and returning to Nairobi again next week.
Its our second day here..and we are feeling pretty good! Nairobi is pretty much how I imagined it to be. Having lived in Kampala before, many years ago the atmosphere, people and surroundings are all familiar. Times have changed, yesterday I was in an internet cafe across the road from the Hilton hotel in Nairobi. The background music was playing loudly in the background with lots of familiar hip-hop songs that I’ve heard before. For 1 Kenyan Shilling per minute you really cannot complain.
Kenya, observes Waswa is becoming more westernized. I let him know, we want to experience some of the real Kenya. Like Matoke and Maragi (Plaintains cooked with Red Kidney Beans) or Samaki in Jugu sauce (Smoked fish cooked with ground peanuts). He was delighted!
Yesterday, he sent a a guide, Wesley to chaperone us through the city markets and Mall. We took a ride in a Tuk-Tuk, 3 passenger vehicle designed on a scooter. It was interesting to note the Blue Shield Insurance sticker on the windscreen. As we approached the Uhuru Highway, one the longest highways leading straight into Uganda, we got hit from the behind by a Matatu. A Matatu is a van-taxi that picks up multiple passengers along the way and notorious for bad driving and speeding. The drivers got off, checked to see the damage and we were off again, and we see yet another accident just ahead of us. Wesley, says while accidents are not that uncommon it is most unusual to see 2 in within minutes of each. We get to the next round-a-about, and lo and behold another accident!
The Kenyan markets are not as agressive as in other parts of the world like Jamaica. Of course, everyone wants to know where you are from and whether you have anything you can give. I gave my Hilton ballpoint pen to Justin, a young boy at one of the market stalls. We took pictures with him sitting on “Kiti”, a foldable stool with leather seating area which is hand painted with animal prints. My “Livestrong” bracelet went to an older man who wanted it. And then he tried to sell me one of the batik prints that were way overpriced for the quality of work.
High point of the day was visiting a store that sells crafts made by women suffering from AIDS. A great concept designed to help build an economic structure and provide the women and children hope for the future. We will be meeting with the founder next week.
Lunch in the mall was at a place called “The Swahili Plate” the food was great! We headed back to the Hotel to get some tea and relaxation and took a trip down to the internet cafe again. It was hot and sticky and all the computers were in use. So we made our way to the nextone, which was even busier and the network was done!. We gave up, and decided to use the Hilton Business Services to catch up, which is where I am writing this blog from. Cleaner, faster but very expensive at 20 Kenyan Shilling a minute. Having said that I think it is fast approaching the half hour and time to sign off!
