February 22, Wednesday, February 23, Thursday, February 24, Friday

February 22, Wednesday    February 23, Thursday     February 24, Friday

Wednesday:   Had another leisurely morning since I can’t pick up my passport and visa until about 2:30 this afternoon.   Arranged to meet O’Seismus on the way to the downtown office and met some of his business colleagues and his sister.  She has just completed a program in hotel management and is now on a job hunt. 

On the way to the consulate we walked by the Parliament Buildings and went to visit the site of the August 7, 1998 bomb site attack on the American Embassy  (simultaneous attack on the American Embassy in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania).  No idea why I do not remember this incident in the news reports at the time. 

 Picture of a photo taken the day of the blast

Although the American Embassy (right, 6 stories high) and the tall building (left) were badly damaged and many people were hurt by shattered glass and falling debris, it is a small building that you to stand between them in the middle that bore the brunt of the bomb blast. It was completely destroyed and hundreds of innocent people were killed. The American Embassy was later torn down and they relocated to a different part of the city. The tall building on the left was completely restored. 

  Restored high rise

There is now a memorial park on the site where the smaller building was destroyed and where the USA Embassy once stood.

We arrived at the Indian Consulate at 2:30 only to find out that they would not accept a cash payment; I was expected to go to the Bank of India to pay the 5,000 shillings!   Unfortunately the bank closes at 2 each day!     No one had mentioned this requirement last week when I dropped off  my application and nothing was indicated on the paper I had been given.   The clerk advised us to return tomorrow afternoon after having paid the fees at the bank.   I explained that at 2:30 the next day, I needed to be at the International Airport for my flight to India.   She called her manager and he indicated that he would make an exception and let me pick up my visa in the morning instead of the afternoon.  (Normal procedure:  Morning = Drop off applications,  Afternoon = Pick up visas.)   More bureaucracy… so happy I’m not working anymore !

O’Seismus said we would meet the next morning and 8:30; we would go to the bank to pay the fees, then head to the Consulate to pick up my visa, before heading to the airport.    He has been one of my guardian angels on this trip.   Don’t know what I would have done without him.   I know I would have muddled through I know, but it was so reassuring to have him there throughout this process.   We parted company and I decided to explore a bit more.   

I returned to the Java Café for a very late lunch/very early dinner.  Decided to try their burritos.  Good decision:  delicious,  salsa, guacamole and sour cream !   The pulled beef was succulent, but had way too much salt.  I’ve noticed that all the beef here is heavily salted, regardless of what it comes in (samosas, hamburgers, burritos, etc).   Walked by a bakery on my way back to the hotel and treated myself to a croissant and a chocolate pastry !  

Back to the hotel for an early night.

Thursday, February 23:   As planned, I met O’Seismus on the way to the bank.  Everything worked out like clockwork !   Paid the fees, returned to the Consulate with the receipt, had to wait for the manager to return from somewhere, and got my passport and visa.   By 11 am, O’Seismus was heading to his office and I was returning to the hotel to finish packing and check-out.

At 12:30 O’Seismus and his driver arrived to take me to the airport.  It was 2 hours before I needed to be at the airport, but traffic here can be chaotic, so we weren’t taking any chances.   Luckily traffic was not too bad so I had quite a few hours waiting at the airport.   Said good bye to my guardian angel O’Seismus at a small café outside the airport and checked in for my flight.

We left about 15 minutes later than expected (a passenger arrived by ambulance and a special lift was used to bring the stretcher up to the back door of the plane and load him/her in).   The 6 hour flight went well and we landed earlier than expected.   Unfortunately it took about ½ an hour to taxi to the airport itself at around 2 am local time.  There appeared to be a lot of construction between the runways and taxi ways, so we had to wait for 4 or 5 planes to cross ahead of us and take off.  

Immigration process was very quick since you needed your visa prior to arriving;  waiting for the luggage however proved to be V E R Y   S L O W.    It took between 30 to 45 minutes for all the luggage to get on the carrousel and of course mine was among the last to be unloaded.   I was worried I would miss my ride because I was warned that they would only wait 45 minutes and then would leave, with or without me!   Luckily the travel agent who made the arrangements in Nairobi and given them a half hour fudge factor, which offset the delays, and I was very happy to see my name on one of the 30 odd signs that people were holding up.   

Friday February 24   -    3 am    Safely arrived in Mumbai India !        First day will be spent resting, reading up on tours in Mumbai, and connecting to the internet.

February 21, Tuesday

February 21, Tuesday   

Had a leisurely morning in the hotel room and left for the museum at noon.   O’Seismus had indicated that it would be safe for me to walk to the Nairobi National Museum, only about a 10 minute walk away.   Half the route was on the university campus and the other half was along a highway.  Unfortunately the part beside the highway was under construction and walking through it was not that easy, but I made it through, climbing dirt mounds and avoiding strewn garbage.   The Museum grounds where beautiful.   Located on “Museum Hill” the main building was built in 1929, but added to more recently:   Gandhi Memorial Hall,   Aga Khan Hall,  Churchill Gallery.

  Mother & Child sculpture at the entrance

 Nairobi National Museum sculpture and entrance
  One of the wings of the museum

I ended up spending about 3 hours walking through the exhibits.  

Prehistoric man section:   Turkana Boy, one of the best known specimens of Homo erectus,  almost complete skeleton, dated about 1.6 million years.   Estimated to have been between 9 and 12 years old, was 5’1”;  quite tall for such a young homo erectus.    Key features:  20% bigger brain that Homo rudolfensis,   smaller molars,  projecting lower face (not flat),  short forehead,  longer legs than arms.


Animal kingdom:   Lots of stuffed animals again, but some interesting facts.   Found out what a Honey Badger looks like (Name of the Lodge outside Moshi, Tanzania)

 Greater Kudu in the middle, Bongo on the right

Horns on animals:  short spiky horns are used to stab, usually in the rump or the belly;  curved horns are used to wrestle, they try to twist each other off balance;  thick heavy built horns are used to clash: bashing their heads together. 

They had a very impressive full elephant skeleton.

  Ahmed's Skeleton

Turns out this big guy was named Ahmed who lived on Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya.  This area has long been famous for its big “tuskers”.  Ahmed was the most famous because of his large and beautifully proportioned tusks.  In 1970, President Kenyatta granted that Ahmed should be given exclusive protection from poachers.   He was protected by two National Park ranges who followed him day and night.   He died in 1974 of natural causes and his skeleton holds a place of honour in the Nairobi National Museum.   He was about 55  years old when he died, based on his 6^th and last set of teeth.  Although not the biggest elephant, or the biggest recorded tusks, it was the size of his tusks relative to his fairly small body that was impressive.

  Poster of Ahmed

In the bird wing, I also learned the name of that blue iridescent bird I’d seen during my Tanzanian Safari:  

     Glossy Starling;

   as well as another huge 3 foot bird I’d seen sitting in tall grass: Kori Bustard.    It is the largest of the African bustards in East Africa. 

    Also saw a great example of a Crown Crane (the ones that had been dancing in Ngorongoro Crater).

But the best picture of the progress made in Kenya has to be this one
 Old wooden sandals  &  new sandals made out of tire treads !

I walked through the “History of Kenya” wing, which I also found very interesting.    This country also went through bloody revolutionary wars to obtain independence.  Kenyans were forced to serve during the 2^nd world war (along with Britain, their colonizers).   While serving in the war they were exposed to people from other countries who spoke of their independence.   “By 1950, KAU’s activities had shifted from the hands of moderates, led by Kenyatta, to militants based in Nairobi.  KAU radicals advocated for violence leading to the Mau Mau Uprising.  The colonial government’s response was brutal.  Sir Evelyn Baring signed the Emergency Proclamation” in 1952 and military reinforcement was provided by Britain.   KAU leaders were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment. Detention camps were built and were characterized by inhuman treatment leading to the Hola Massacre.  Pass books were introduced (just like in South Africa) to control the movements of the Africans.   Village reserves were created in the rural areas to limit communication and food supplies to the freedom fighters.  Decolonization and Independence was achieved in December 1963.   Kenyatta became the first president, after spending years in jail.  (Does this sound familiar ? ! ! )   He encouraged citizens from all communities to unite and work for the betterment of the nation.  His government aimed at eradicating ignorance, poverty and disease.   Kenyatta died in 1978 and was replaced by Moi (pronounced like ‘boy’) who remained in power for 20 years.   Kenya recently introduced a new constitution for their country.    It wasn’t all peaceful governing however, between 1982 and 1991 there was much repression, detentions and torture of alleged government saboteurs.   The struggle for democratic government continued and the return to multi-party politics came in 1992.    Quite an eye opener for me.

I then reluctantly went to visit one of the other attractions on the museum grounds:  the Snake Park !  I’m not a fan of snakes, reptiles, bugs, etc   but I decided to go see the exhibits anyway.
  Black Mamba
  Green Mamba
  Red Mamba
  Brown spitting cobra
  Monitor lizards
  African Rock Python,   and below detail of its coloured scales.
 
  and last but not least, a nile crocodile !

I had a small snack at the museum restaurant and then checked out the botanical garden area
  Medicinal garden with beautiful mosaic walk ways
  


I decided to go back to the hotel via taxi.  There were two of them waiting beside the gates of the museum and in the afternoon heat I did not want to go through the construction site one more time.  
I should mention that throughout Nairobi there was work being done to fix roads and sidewalks.   Huge holes left uncovered without barriers around them.  


Sidewalk tiles removed and piled up.   But not a lot of workers fixing the problems;  it just looked like about 100 projects on the go with none of them finished.   There was one particular excavation on the route between my hotel and the downtown core.  On my last morning in Nairobi, after 8 days here, there were finally workers on site filling up the huge hole in the ground.   

February 19, Sunday February 20, Monday

February 19, Sunday      February 20, Monday

Sunday:

Today I went out to walk around again and try to find a map of the city and local tour information.  Not as easy as it seems.  I decided to explore some streets I had not been down before.  Stopped at an ATM to get more cash to pay for the extra nights at the hotel.   I found a nice looking hotel and went in to see if they had any tourist information.  They were very helpful and I ended up with a map, an outline of where it was safe for me to walk and the areas where I should not venture alone.  He volunteered this information when I mentioned that the National Museum appeared to be within walking distance, just beyond the University of Nairobi campus.  “No !” I was told;  “it’s outside of the safety circle”.

With map in hand, and the view I had gotten from the top of the Conference Centre, I now felt confident about really walking around and exploring.    This was Sunday and all the shops were closed !   I ended up walking for about 1 ½ hours and had still not found a restaurant I wanted to eat in.   Finally, when I decided to loop back around to my hotel, I found a nice Coffee/Tea Shop (very modern) that also served meals.  Jackpot !    Had a nice cup of corn & potato soup, followed by a hamburger and a salad.  This time I treated myself to dessert;  freshly baked banana loaf.   Definitely coming back here for the great Kenyan freshly ground coffee !  FINALLY.   Every other place serves instant coffee;  just don’t understand it.

Got back to the hotel just before 5 pm for a badly needed shower since it’s in the low 30s here.  I was finally watching some a great movie (rare here)  when we lost the signal !   It came back and kept cutting out every 15 minutes or so.   After a while I realised that there was no blaring music downstairs.  I guess they can’t open up any bars on Sunday here.   Peaceful evening watching a series of good movies.  Very nice for a change.

Monday :

Went out to the ATM again to get the balance of the money I will need to pay for my room and looped back around in a different direction.   Right in front of my hotel, (technically outside the safety zone) is a police station and beside it the University of Nairobi.   Could not resist going over and checking out a university campus; just like old times at the University of Ottawa campus where I worked in the Registrar’s office for 5 years.

  Entrance to the main Administration Building

   The Mahatma Ghandi Building
   More modern buildings on the campus
   The "Fountain of Knowledge".   How appropriate for a university campus.

I was taking pictures and met a man I took to be a university professor, but it turns out he is a mature student, studying physio therapy.  He offered to show me around the campus.  Classes start up tomorrow and they had just finished having a fundraiser and presentation to the Minister of Education, to try to get financial assistance for students who suffered from polio, and other crippling diseases.  They were also trying to raise money to purchase wheelchairs.   I could see this guy coming from a mile away, but it sounded like a good cause.   Almost everyone you meet here is a very religious Christian.   He showed me the university chapel and I went in to say a short prayer for Mom & Dad.   I wonder what they would think about this trip I’m on !   I think they would be pleased...... and worried.

I gave the student a small donation.  Don’t know if it will help with purchasing a wheelchair, or simply paying for a few meals for him, but either way, it will help.

Got back to the hotel to find out I had missed O’Sesmus.   I’m sure he’ll be back later today.

Tomorrow I venture out to visit the National Museum of Kenya

February 16, Thursday February 17, Friday February 18, Saturday

February 16, Thursday     February 17, Friday      February 18, Saturday

I'm just resting, working on my blog, reading and watching bad TV.  I almost lost my voice on the 16^th ,and kept taking medication, so I’m feeling better today (17^th). I went to the grocery store to buy a few supplies since I have a small fridge in my room.   Again I was surprised by the low prices, but it is so people can afford to eat.   

  Delta Hotel is the middle building

  The beige and burgandy colour is carried from the outside to the inside.  And I have a pink area rug that has sparkles in it ! ! !
  It is spacious, clean and has free internet !
  The view from my room !   Not so great.  The white building on the left is the back of the Parkside Hotel, where I should have been staying.  But it is closed for renovations.

O’sesmus came by to check on me a few times;  I have his phone number if I need any help.   He has been very helpful!   
I guess the 11 pm cut off for music does not apply on Friday nights (17^th), because the music blared on until about 12:30.  There was also a lot of yelling and screaming going on down there.   

Although I woke up at 5 am on the 18th, I was able to go back to sleep until just before 9.  When I went down for breakfast, I noticed that one of the marble table tops had been broken !   Must have been one hell of a party last night.
The breakfasts here are probably the worst I’ve had yet.  It’s a big breakfast that consists of dry cold toast (no butter or jam), an omelette (not really !  it’s a very flat piece of egg, fried beyond recognition and folded up) a few bits of bacon and a sausage.   The bacon I’ll eat, but I’ve never been able to digest sausages or wieners.  The coffee is instant and I need to order it black because of the experience I had with the Latte at the Outpost Lodge.  Otherwise they serve you a big steaming mug of whole milk, to which you add your instant coffee or bag of tea.   I opted for tea this morning and forgot to mention that I just wanted boiling water.  I asked for a separate cup of hot water and made myself a cup of weak tea with a bit of milk.  Just can’t manage to swallow anything with milk right now.   Thank God there is also a serving of fruit (usually mango) and a juice (some kind of blend that is dark reddish pink).   If I close my eyes and just concentrate on the taste, it’s not so bad.  Bought a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread, so I can skip their breakfast once in awhile. 

I’m drinking lots of water and juice with Sprite or Coke every once in a while.  There is also a water kettle in my room so I can boil water for tea, instant coffee or “cup-of-soup”.   I don’t think the dinners here would be any better than the breakfasts. 
At 1 pm I got a call from O’Sesmus, saying that he was at the travel agency again with some clients and wanted to know if I wanted to join them for a bit of a tour.  Sounded like a good idea so off I went, back to the Convention Centre and the 2^nd tallest building in Nairobi to see the view from the top.
Half an hour later, I found O’Sesmus exactly where he said he would be, but they were not finished with the other couples’ reservations, so I went up to the top of the building to look at the view while I waited for them. He had told me that there was a revolving restaurant at the top. When I got off the elevator on the 27^th floor, there was no security guard, so I climbed to the next floor where the restaurant “used” to be located. The area was in really bad shape ! But the views were spectacular.

 City views of Nairobi

  A tourist market below.  Must go check it out.
  Can you see the tall narrow blue building?  My hotel is about 7 blocks further down that street, just in front of the University of Nairobi Campus.
  Found a nice café "Java" near the tall beige building with the burgandy banner.
  Central Park & Uhuru Park

   A view down to the streets where the first hotels I was shown (and rejected) were located.
   Picture of what used to be the rotating restaurant at the top of the building.  In need of a complete revamp.   Some of the floor boards were dangerously springy.
  Looking down at the main plaza where the Kenyatta statue is located.

I had been waiting for more than half an hour when I decided that enough was enough and I headed back down to the elevators.  The security guard was there and seemed surprised to see me coming down from the restaurant level.  “Have you been up to the top?” he asked.  “Yes I was” and I pointed up to the restaurant area.   “No, no…. the roof top” replied.   So off we went, up a different staircase, up two levels, and VOILA I was on the roof on a helipad.  
  Me on the roof top !

He gave me a bit of information about the city, pointing out historical and tourist attractions (very few !).   I indicated that I had been waiting for my guide but he had never shown up and I was worried that somehow I had missed him since I had been on the wrong level.   He escorted me back to the elevators and I returned to the lobby area where there was no sign of O’Sesmus or the couple he had been with.  The travel agency was closed !  So I asked the security guard at the desk if he had seen the man who had been escorting me.  After he enquired of others, someone remembered seeing them leave the building.   So I exited in the direction the guard had pointed and tried to locate O’Sesmus and the couple.  No sign of them anywhere.

Well I knew where I was and where my hotel was and I now had a clear idea of what lay around the surrounding area, so off I went to look around.   I decided to go check out the market area I had seen from above.  Beautiful hand-crafted objects, but no way to just relax and look around since everyone is saying “You need a guide”  “I will help you Mam”  “I remember seeing you at the airport when you arrived, let me help you”   etc, etc.     “Des  vrais mouches-à-merde!”    

After a very brief walk around the market area I made a quick exit back onto the streets and started walking back slowly to my hotel, looking at the sights along the way.  Can’t flash the camera around too often however since there are hardly any tourists around.   I remembered seeing a nice restaurant the day I walked around with O’Sesmus, so I went off to find it again and have a very late lunch / very early dinner.   FOUND IT !   Nice Italian restaurant with an outdoor terrace.  I had a nice vegetable salad, followed by some delicious tortellini (four large pieces).  YUM.   No wine, and no dessert however.  I was full !   I was surprised to find most of the shops closed, on a Saturday afternoon, but was informed that this was normal for the downtown area since it was the weekend and the workers were back in their homes, not shopping downtown.

Made it back to my hotel and called O’Sesmus from the front desk to let him know I was OK and describe what had happened.  Turns out we really had missed each other;  he had not thought of checking the rotating restaurant level and he needed to help out the other people he was escorting.  Hakuna Matada !

He was still concerned however and dropped by the hotel to discuss the need to pay cash in advance for the other nights at the hotel I would require.  He offered to take me out for dinner, but since I had already eaten I politely declined.  We talked for awhile.  I spent the rest of the evening updating and publishing my BLOG. 

The music was blaring away, even louder than the 2 previous nights, but this time it was about 1:15 am before it finally shut down.  The music was so loud that the floor of my room was vibrating !   I guess the 11 pm curfew only works during the week.  

Oh well, at least I don’t have to get up tomorrow to go to work!   (Sorry…..   I couldn’t resist !)

Good night everyone

February 15, Wednesday

February 15, Wednesday

Well I had another very stressful day, but this one finally ended on a happy note.

First good thing from last night was that the loud music from the bar completely stopped at 11 pm.  It's a law !  Bars must close at 11 pm.  

During the night I flip-flopped about where to go next and by the time I went down for breakfast I had decided to skip Mauritius and head straight for India.    My guide O'sesmus showed up so that we could settle the hotel bill.   They want to be paid in advance rather than at check-out since too many people skip out without paying.   The deal was that if I paid cash instead of with a credit card, they would charge me the equivalent of only $100 / night instead of $120.    That meant going to an ATM to get some $.   I also told him that I had decided to fly to India and would be going to the embassy to apply for my visa.    He said he would come with me and we would get everything done today, visa and the flight to India.   Since I was not feeling too comfortable about roaming the streets on my own I accepted the offer of assistance; it would be worth spending the extra money.  

First stop was the ATM at a Barclays Bank (British & secure).   None of my cards would work !   I thought it might be because of the amount I was trying to withdraw in cash, since I usually only take out about $200 at a time.  I needed about $700 equivalent in Kenyan Shillings so we went into the bank instead and I was able to get a cash advance on my VISA card.   (I'm going on-line today to transfer funds to cover that off so I don't pay exorbitant interest fees).   From there we went to the Indian Embassy and I filled in my forms and waited in line (still had two photos from my visa for Brazil) but found out that there is a 5 working day waiting period !  Only Kenyans can get their visa on the same day.   So I'm stuck here for 1 entire week.
The good news is that while we were walking around I realized that the Delta Hotel, where I am now staying, is just on the border to the "nicer side" of Nairobi; so I will be able to walk around and see some of the sights (just not carrying my purse !).
  From the first night I arrived, in the "not so nice" area of Nairobi.
  The doors of a Hindu Temple
  The streets near where the first and second hotel were located.
  The nicer section of  Nairobi.  From the main plaza:  the conference centre.
 The main plaza, a view of City Hall (White Building)
  The Judicial Building in the same square.
  The gates to the Judicial Building
   A statue of "Kenyatta", the first President of a free Kenya
    The main plaza with a view toward the Parliament Buildings were the Clock Tower is located.

Had to leave my passport behind at the Embassy, don't like that but no choice, so O’sesmus went to make a photocopy so I would have it with me to make airline reservations.   Next stop:  Airline reservations at a travel agency in the main conference centre.   Not only could they book me a flight, but the lady reserved a very nice hotel for me in Mumbai and arranged for someone to pick-me up at the airport.
And then the problems started happening again !   Main Visa Credit card refused,  backup Visa Credit card refused !   Notice indicated to contact my bank.  So the travel agent used her cell phone to dial the 416 number in Canada; unfortunately, when they asked me to punch in the numbers from my card, her cell phone did not have that feature !   So I kept listening to the voice at the other end repeating that I needed to punch in the card numbers, until it FINALLY said it would pass me on to a real person.   Excellent !     NOT:  "Sorry, our office hours are from ___ to ___"   (#*R%&@)% ! ! ! !   Since the travel agency land line did not allow international calls,  we had to find a phone that I could use to call TD Visa.

I put a cash deposit so that she could hold my reservations, and off we went, first to a few banks to try my cards again..... all rejected,  and then finally to an internet centre where they also had 1 phone booth for international calls.   After waiting about 20 minutes, the person who was already in the booth finally came out and I was able to call directly and punch in the numbers for my main card. Finally a person at the end of the line.  In less than 10 minutes everything was solved:   Blocked for security concerns !   Large amount withdrawn at the bank = reached my limit for the week.   Continued efforts to extract more funds at ATMs with my Debit Card = blocked for security reasons.   Second credit card:   limit had already been reached (I keep this one low on purpose).

Kind of nice to know that they are "watching", even though it can be embarrassing to have all 3 cards rejected, but it was a huge amount of money for the flight & hotel.

By this time it was about 1:30 and I was parched, had a headache, and really needed water and juice because my blood sugars were too low.   So we stopped at a restaurant, where I treated O’sesmus to lunch.   He ordered a T-bone steak with roasted potatoes and a side order of salad, plus water and juice.   I had a big plate of fruit and a toasted tuna sandwich with a glass of juice.   The total amount was for less than $12 CANADIAN !   So strange, but it was a local restaurant, and the prices are geared so that people can afford to eat in restaurants.  Salaries here are very low.

Back to the travel agency we went.  Credit card went through without a problem.  I HAVE MY TICKETS to “get the hell out of Dodge”.   Now let's hope that the visa is ready on Feb 22 as promised.
By the time we got back to the hotel, I felt good about being able to wander around on my own.   I paid cash for 5 nights here and will pay for the two other nights next week.

My throat is still sore.  Not a good sign for me since it is usually a harbinger of a cold.   I took a shower, some medication, and spent the rest of the evening watching really bad TV.

Hopefully that's it for the "hic-cups"  in Nairobi.