The big smoke aka Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya, is only an hour's flight from Kigali, and a popular destination for those in need of some cosmopolitan R & R. It's a big city - 3 million people - and dates from the time of British colonisation. The railway to Uganda was built by the British, using labour from India, many of whom stayed, so there is also a sizeable population of Indian Kenyans.
Many of the colonial buildings have been demolished, sadly, and those that remain are juxtaposed with the skyscrapers found in any modern city. Masai markets are side by side with mosques, Hindu temples, department stores, parks, shoe shine boys, newspaper sellers, women selling fruit etc, all of which make this city a fascinating place to wander around.


Nairobi city scene



Acacia tree, Nairobi




Nairobi city street



<>

Kenya national library, Nairobi





Mosque, Nairobi city



North-west of the cbd is the suburb of Parklands, where a lot of expats live, and where I spent a rather indulgent day in the 2 main shopping malls there - the Sarit Centre, and Westgate mall. Although my usual style in Oz is to avoid shopping malls unless forced by necessity to enter them, I made full use of the shops, coffee shops, cafes, even a book fair, to satisfy my more materialistic yearnings - I think I was suffering from deprivation and needed my 3 month fix. I didn't buy much because of my local salary and the fact that prices were only slightly cheaper than Australian ones, apart from books. But I enjoyed the real coffee, variety of cakes etc, and even the offerings in the supermarket. All a bit sad really, I realise as I write this.

I stayed in a little inner city bed and breakfast place called Kweza, which is in the heart of the dodgiest part of Indian Nairobi. The place is very friendly and cheap though - like a home away from home.



bedroom at Kweza



Kweza bed and breakfast



Rooftop dining, Kweza



Stairway detail



Anne-Marie and Cathy

 Anne-Marie joined me after 3 days at a conference out at Lake Naivasha, and we celebrated her birthday with Cathy, a colleague of hers from Australia who now heads up the Red Cross in Kenya. We had a yummy Japanese meal out in Parklands. South-west of the cbd is another expat enclave at Karen, named after Karen Blixen of "Out of Africa" fame. Her homestead is still there and can be visited, as well as a project for raising Rothschild giraffes - next time maybe.