We do the Watusi... and we're seven feet tall!

In the picture, chaotic Nairobi Inter city Bus Stand. The 'picturesque view from Gaianthiwa Lodge and photo of Kamau (right) and another Gainthiwa member of staff

Some of you might remember that old campsong:

Oh we're from Nairobi
And we're on the destiny????? (doubt this was the word, but I was too young to make sense of the song)
We do the watusi
and we're seven feet tall

Well last week I was in Nairobi. I didn't do the watusi, and didn't see any seven feet tall folk. But Nairobi was cool. Literally maybe more like cold on the first day. This was my second trip to Nairobi, though the first time I spent less than twenty four hours. Nairobi is a bustling modern city with skyscrapers and slums. It somehow reminds me of Johannesburg. Maybe only because it's so modern, yet so African. You'll see the guys in the suits and leather jackets next to the Maasai with red hair and red blankets.

The song continued:

The cannibals may eat us
But they'll never beat us
Coz we're from Nairobi
And we're on the ball!

Nairobi has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in Africa. Travellers are always warned not to arrive in Nairobi at night. I arrived early morning at about 5:30 a.m. I had studied my guidebook well, and memorised the name and address of a popular backpackers hotel so I wouldn't have to look like I didn't know where I was going. Anyone asked I was from Nairobi, and on the ball ;-) So I spent one night at Hotel Terminal, a rundown, cheap but overpriced roach motel, but with very pleasant, helpful staff. That was the first time I had ever seen cockroaches just crawling casually all over the place. I felt like they would run off with my bags if I didn't keep an eye on them.

Anyway I had two phone numbers of people I knew in Nairobi. I needed to find some locals to hang with so I could know what I was doing and where I was going fast.
After a few hours I found one of them, a friend from Kampala, who was on the exact same beat as I was - shopping for her business. I knew I had to stick to her like glue.

So she invited me to move to her hotel, but warned me that there were no sit-down toilets! Me! Been there done that - no sweat. So I moved to an even cheaper cheapie hotel for traders like me. US$3.30 a night! Gianthiwa guesthouse with its walls that badly needed a paint job, shared squat toilets that no one ever remembered to flush, shared showers, but on the bright side - there was running water so the toilets could flush if you really wanted to do that, but no one really wanted to, and low and behold hot water anytime day or night, and there was security - the manager, Kamau, a big strapping Kikuyu man with dyed teeth, stood at the door every night to ensure the safety of his guests.

Anyway to cut a long, long, long story short. I spent about 10 days travelling - 4 in Nairobi, 4 in Dar Es Salaam, and two more in Nairobi on my return. Though I planned my trip to Nairobi from Kampala well and arrived in the morning, I had no control over the trip from Dar back to Nairobi and arrived at about midnight. I had the misfortune of sitting next to a lecherous cannibalistic wolf of man, who had bought me some cashew nuts, a Coke and an apple, and had figured that by midnight that he was going to eat me and invited me to share a hotel room with him, you know since I was new to Nairobi. I pushed him aside and said "I know where I'm going!" and walked away singing to myself "Coz I'm from Nairobi, and I'm on the ball". I could see Kamau the Kikuyu guard looking out for me, smiling on the stoop of his rundown hotel. "Mzungu, you're back."