Two entries a day will probably be rare but I decided I had to this time. I am lying in my bed at the pleasant Boulevard Hotel in the unpleasant Nairobi, sighing breaths of relief, laughter and feeling a bit stronger for the experience of the last hour. I wasn't actually that fazed ahead of the Nairobi experience until I got talking to the man beside me in the plane, a German with ample experience of the continent having worked all his life for charity organisations, just as we touched down on African soil.
"We used to call it Nairobbery," he smiled reassuringly, "although back then they would just hold you at knife-point, nowadays they just shoot you, take the money and run"... A delightful and timely tale.
So, having stood in a queue for at least 45 minutes waiting to get my visa, I finally got my baggage and, with the German charity dude's words still ringing in my ears, emerged to see a character who has a carbon copy of "Bubbs" from the Wire (and yes, that includes attire!) holding a sheet with my name on it in blue marker. I soon learned the inevitable lesson that nothing is done "officially" in Africa. The guys I was dealing with might as well have been selling me counterfeit Man Utd shirts. Nevertheless, I hopped into Bubbs' small rickety vehicle and to my delight, he decided he wanted to take me on the "scenic route" through late night Nairobi city centre for a nominal tip, despite my reluctance. We saw all the sights; a few gangs on the side of the road, loads of Kenyan prostitutes - who he informed me were "not nice ladies" - and the local militia, complete with large guns. Scenic indeed. Got there in the end and slept like a baby. An exciting start.
Now, Africa, show me magic!
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