I have a tried and true policy when it comes to travel in other lands. The largest, most populated city in any given country is usually where the airplane lands. Your job as a traveler is to get out as quickly as possible.
Nairobi, due to the late arrival of most international flights, being the base of most safari companies, and the transport hub of most of East Africa, is nearly unavoidable. Fortunately this sprawling metropolis is far more modern and far less lethal than the guidebooks would have you believe. Nairobi is a vast city of over three million souls. Gleaming imaginatively shaped skyscrapers puncuate the skyline like recently landed spaceships. The roads are paved and maintained to an admirable degree. As Nairobi traffic is justly infamous, this is perhaps only to be expected. Nairobi has the lush plant growth and evident love of color (both in exterior decorating and costume) that seems characteristic of most tropical cities. Indeed it is only the subtle details that mark Nairobi as distinctly African: a warthog or olive baboon ambling unconcerned along the side of the road on it's own private errands, conversations in the street corner in Sheng ( an impenetrable blend of English and Swahili), or massive flocks of unkempt disreputable looking Marabou storks loitering in the trees. While the dangers may be overstated, there are certain districts a tourist should avoid and it is never safe to walk after dark, most of the perils can be avoided by simply not being an idiot. The worst hazard I have faced so far has been Masai merchants brandishing beads at me and looking like I have offended the spirits of their ancestors by not purchasing a wooden giraffe.
I have chosen a quiet backpackers' lodging in the affluent backwater Karen district as my base of operations in Nairobi. The staff is friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely pleased to see me when I returned last night. I seek out places like this not only for the affordability and atmosphere, but for the other guests who are a font of information about the surrounding countryside. Need to know the best approach to Mount Kenya? The Italians got back from there yesterday. Want to know what sights are worth seeing and possibly find someone to split the fare? Float the idea at the dinner table. This is how I wound up finding a car and excellent local guide for Nairobi National Park, a surprisingly large and rich wilderness within the city limits that provided me with my closest lion encounter to date
Nairobi, due to the late arrival of most international flights, being the base of most safari companies, and the transport hub of most of East Africa, is nearly unavoidable. Fortunately this sprawling metropolis is far more modern and far less lethal than the guidebooks would have you believe. Nairobi is a vast city of over three million souls. Gleaming imaginatively shaped skyscrapers puncuate the skyline like recently landed spaceships. The roads are paved and maintained to an admirable degree. As Nairobi traffic is justly infamous, this is perhaps only to be expected. Nairobi has the lush plant growth and evident love of color (both in exterior decorating and costume) that seems characteristic of most tropical cities. Indeed it is only the subtle details that mark Nairobi as distinctly African: a warthog or olive baboon ambling unconcerned along the side of the road on it's own private errands, conversations in the street corner in Sheng ( an impenetrable blend of English and Swahili), or massive flocks of unkempt disreputable looking Marabou storks loitering in the trees. While the dangers may be overstated, there are certain districts a tourist should avoid and it is never safe to walk after dark, most of the perils can be avoided by simply not being an idiot. The worst hazard I have faced so far has been Masai merchants brandishing beads at me and looking like I have offended the spirits of their ancestors by not purchasing a wooden giraffe.
I have chosen a quiet backpackers' lodging in the affluent backwater Karen district as my base of operations in Nairobi. The staff is friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely pleased to see me when I returned last night. I seek out places like this not only for the affordability and atmosphere, but for the other guests who are a font of information about the surrounding countryside. Need to know the best approach to Mount Kenya? The Italians got back from there yesterday. Want to know what sights are worth seeing and possibly find someone to split the fare? Float the idea at the dinner table. This is how I wound up finding a car and excellent local guide for Nairobi National Park, a surprisingly large and rich wilderness within the city limits that provided me with my closest lion encounter to date
Comments
Post a Comment