"Looking is for free"

Well here I am in Africa at long last!

Arrived in Nairobi after some more great service from Emirates.. while I was waiting for my friend Roos, I went to have a beer at the bar by the pool. Not sure of what was available, the helpful waiter started rattling off names so I asked for 'just a lager please' and he nodded enthusiastically and said yes, we have tusker larger (what are the chances?) Anyway, tasted pretty good and inadvertently ended up with another one as said yes when he cleared the table thinking that he was asking if okay to take it away...

Roos, my friend from Holland arrived a bit later due to a traffic jam and it was so great to see her - really crazy small world that we are in Nairobi at the same time! She is travelling with her friend Monica from Germany and we all went to an Ethopian restaurant down the road called Blue Nile. Interesting experience as you eat with your hands and they bring out a big platter with flat, almost soggy bread on it and toppings that looked very much like animal excretions. You scoop up the food with the bread and toppings and it was surprisingly tasty and filling, despite less than aesthic appearance!

Staying at Silver Springs Hotel, which is quite basic but actually nicer than I was expecting. Only complaint is that there is some construction going on pretty much next door to my room however this was advantageous this morning as alarm clock battery was flat!

First morning just went wandering the streets of Nairobi and really so far there is not much to recommend the city, except that it makes a great people watching spot. It is one of those places that even those who don't physically live on the street, seem to live a lot of life on the street sitting outside shops, on the pavements, outside houses.. everywhere there are people. On the way from the airport caught a glimpse of some tin shack abodes and you can see a definite divide of wealth when the next thing you pass is a brand new apartment building. Driving along people are standing on the road hawking all sorts of goods, on offer are jumper leads, garden tools, newspapers, caps and some strange kind of reflective road signage... The traffic here isn't as crazy as I expected but they do drive quite fast with disregard to lanes and road signs (maybe that is what the reflective road sign is for?) so still have to run and pray a bit crossing the road.

We went up to the top of the Kenyatta Conference Centre for a look at the view which was mostly a vista of concrete and ugly buildings, the train station and the airport - the only thing that was of any inspiration was the Nairobi National park. In the afternoon, Roos and I went to the movies movies, as they have really cheap cinemas here - obviously playing in English. Really funny as they play tinned version of national anthem first and you have to stand for it with the option of hand on your heart and singing!

Next day checked out the curios markets in Westlands about 2km from city centre and heard many cries of 'sister, sister, step into my shop, looking is for free' (glad about that) ... they were very small crowded stalls, very much tin shacks so stepping into the shop was only a small step up!! Great bargaining to be done here but kept purchase to scarf only as am sure will have plenty of time to add to my giraffe collection!!

Speaking of which, went out to the giraffe centre in Karen to feed the giraffes - really feed them as they actually wind their big purple tongues around your hand!! Great for close up shots and the volunteers there really helpful so learnt all about the different types of giraffes. Had no ride back to Nairobi so was cheeky and asked a guy with a carful of kids if he was heading back, unfortunately not, so walked along the road a bit.. then he offered a ride to the junction so I could catch a matatu (local bus)... as it turned out joined them in going to a bead and pottery factory, then Karen Blixen museum (expensive and a definitely overrated - buy a postcard), another small glass shop then back to Nairobi right outside my hotel. Was really fun and my kind companions (dad was Charles plus 6 kids) were Nigerians, living in Kenya with the strongest English accent you ever heard! Was great afternoon and without them would never have seen the extras after the giraffe centre.

That night met the group for dinner at cheesy touristy place called Simba Saloon and pretty much discovered that we are a travelling UN with 11 nationalities amongst 24 people!! The age range is actually much higher than I expected, so not the grandma by any stretch. Tour begins first thing Sunday morning...