Nairobi

Last week I met with several large families to learn about their stories of flight and survival.  I am constantly amazed at how resilient and compassionate people are - especially those who have nothing.  Some of the people I talked to included: a couple with 6 biological children and 8 orphans they "adopted" as they were fleeing civil war in their home country; a 15-year old boy taking care of his 5 younger siblings because both of the parents had died; and a single woman (younger than me) with 8 children.  All of these people are just trying to survive in a place that is not their home, where they have difficulty getting steady work, and where they have few legal rights. 

Below are some pictures of a home where a family of six lives.  As you can see, the apartment has indoor plumbing, but water is only available two days a week!

When I'm not meeting with clients, I'm trying to get a taste (sometimes literally) of Kenyan life in and around Nairobi.  I've sampled a variety of Kenyan dishes - kachumbari (fresh tomato and onion salad), ugali (a starchy, porridge-like side dish), chapati (basically a deep fried tortilla), pilau (rice pilaf), and irio (mashed potatoes with peas and corn).  I still haven't tried nyama choma (bbq'd meat), but that's on the schedule for this week!  Kenya isn't really known for its food.  After trying ugali - a staple in the Kenyan diet - I can see why.   Ugali is about as tasty as starchy porridge sounds!  But the fish I had with it (see photo below) was excellent. 

Ugali - the mashed potato looking  blob on the left 
Kachumbari - the tomato and onion salad next to the fish

The restaurant were I had this meal is a popular lunchtime spot, located just a few blocks away from the office.  I'll definitely go back for more fish...not sure about the ugali.

I carry my camera with me just about everywhere I go because I never know when something will catch my eye.  One of things that caught my eye on Saturday was this Kenyan-style scaffolding!

As I mentioned in my first post, I am surprised by how green the city is.  Located near the Kenyan president's residence (no photographs allowed!) is the Nairobi Arboretum. 

The Arboretum is a great jogging destination on a Sunday morning (when traffic is minimal and the air quality seems relatively good).  The first time I went to the Arboretum, I saw so many monkeys.  But of course, when I came back with my camera they were nowhere to be found!

When I was a young warthog...

I couldn't get the Lion King songs out of my head this past weekend...I blame it on the warthogs, giraffes and zebras at Hell's Gate National Park.  The park is small by Kenya standards, but it felt vast to me. 

Getting there was quite interesting, even though it was only 90 kilometers away from Nairobi.  As soon as we got on the highway (the main road from Nairobi to Rwanda), the traffic going our direction slowed down to a crawl.  And we kept crawling for a long time.  People were standing on the rooftops of nearby buildings to get a view of what was going on.  It took us a curve in the road to figure out exactly what was going on...

People were striking on the highway - the highway!  We finally saw some official looking men carrying big sticks walk past our car.  Shortly thereafter the traffic began to move again. 

We meet up with the rest of our group at a restaurant in Naivasha.  Enjoying the sun and a few Tuskers maybe a bit too much, we found ourselves hurrying to make it to the park gate before 6pm.  It was close! After sorting out how much we owed (entrance fees are quite pricey for non-citizens -10 times more than for citizens, granted citizens only have to pay $5.00), we proceeded to our camp site.  The views upon entering the park were amazing, as we drove through a break in the cliffs, with zebras, buffaloes, gazelles and warthogs roaming free.

Behind (and below) me is the road leading to the entrance of Hell's Gate (to the left).  Our campsite was up on the cliff with unbelievable views of the valley floor - a perfect spot to spy on the wildlife! 




The next morning, we fueled up on a gourmet camping breakfast of bacon, sausage, beans and eggs before heading to the gorge.  The park is very well known for the gorge and hot springs. 

On the way to the gorge, I requested many stops to photograph the locals:

Spotting zebras just didn't get old!

Although I didn't see any, we were warned many times about baboons -

It was another warm day in Kenya, and I certainly wasn't complaining, but the gorge did provide some relief from the blazing sun.

We had to maneuver over rocks and through tight spaces...

but it was worth it!

Then it was back up to the top!

On the way back to the campsite, we spotted giraffes. Stop the car!!

And zebras and giraffes!



That's me with the orange hat - trying to get the giraffes to look at the camera!

 Another successful adventure in Kenya!

Rafting the Tana

As many people know, I don't like to spend my weekends sitting around - especially when I'm in a foreign land!  So last weekend I jumped on the opportunity to raft the Tana River.  The Tana River is located east of Nairobi (in the direction of Mount Kenya).  Yes, hiking Mount Kenya is on the to-do list! I was part of a group of about 25 people making the trip down the river, which was organized by a Nairobi-based non-profit.  The number of non-profits/NGO's in Nairobi is astounding, and trying to keep up with all the acronyms is impossible! Basically, a lot of people from all over the world are doing good work in Africa.

Although we were the only rafting group on the river, we certainly weren't the only ones making use of the Tana that afternoon.  There were school kids cooling off after a hot morning in the classroom, women washing their laundry, and local men fishing for dinner.

With sunny skies and a warm breeze, we slid into the rafts and began the 5 hour adventure down the Tana.  Kenya is currently experiencing a drought, so the water level was very low, making for a technical ride. 

But don't worry, there was still plenty of excitement!

After a great day on the river and a tasty bbq, we headed back to Nairobi for a good night's sleep!

Daily Life Part II - A Different View

Last week I had my first opportunity to go into the "field".  This meant visiting refugees at their homes, either because they cannot make it to the office (no money for the bus or no one to watch the children) or because we want to evaluate their living situation (size of home/room, number of people living at that location, access to clean water, bathroom facilities, etc.).  The whole experience was eye-opening, starting with the journey there.  Upon entering one of the refugee neighborhoods, the road became impassable by car.

The homes we visited in this particular area ranged from a tiny one-room tin shed that housed 6 people, to a two-room apartment in a seven + story apartment building.



Above - view heading towards a one-room dwelling, entrance through the opening at the end and then to the left.

Right - the "kitchen"

Below -  view from inside looking out.  Note the child's toy car in the bottom right (stick with wheel).

View of apartment buildings. 



This area of Nairobi is called Eastleigh and has a thriving economy.  The main street is filled with markets, shopping malls and businesses.  We had lunch at a local restaurant that sold cappuccinos for 30 cents! Eastleigh is predominantly Somali and is known as "Little Mogadishu".  Although a bustling commercial center, where many go to do their shopping, Eastleigh is lagging in infrastructure.  Many homes do not have indoor plumbing and the potholes in the streets can swallow cars.  As you can see  above and below, the streets are littered with  garbage, causing quite a stench in the neighborhood. And dust is everywhere - I can only imagine what it's like when it rains!

One block off the main street of Eastleigh.

Seems like a world away from downtown Nairobi!