Dubai and Nairobi, July 18 (Perry)

Dubai

After 5+ amazing months in Asia, both Jen and I had mixed emotions as we headed to the Bangkok airport. Both of us were a bit sad because we were finally leaving Thailand, a country that both Jen and I love. But the predominant feeling for the both of was a mixture excitement and fear. Reading the East Africa LP, we began to feel that the days of easy traveling were behind us. It doesn’t help the matter that Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya and our first stop, is known to be one of the more dangerous cities in Africa. But at the same time, we were feeling an obvious amount of excitement. Excitement of entering the unknown once again and leaving the comfort behind us. Our first stop in Africa would be Kenya and more specifically, the capital city of Nairobi. Excitement for the almost the same reason as the fear, for getting out of our comfort zone and starting a new leg of our trip.

Leaving Bangkok at 1:00 am, we wouldn't arrive in Nairobi until 7:00 at night. While a substantial layover was involved, thankfully for us it was in Dubai and it was long enough to actually do something with the time. Seeing that we would be arriving at 4:00 am in Dubai and departing for Nairobi at 3:00 pm, we figured we had plenty of time to leave the airport and check out some of the city sites. This time, both Jen and I were in complete agreement that the only way to do this was by an organized half-day tour.

Both of us were looking forward to seeing Dubai but we knew that if we didn't get any sleep on the flight, we would be in for a long day. Unfortunately for us, Air Emirates was not very accommodating to our needs. Usually it's me who can't resist staying awake and watching as many movies as possible, but this time, the 100 plus channels even got to Jen. While I only slept about an hour and a half more than Jen, the fact that I got any sleep at all would prove later on to be very beneficial.

Arriving on schedule, we had plenty of time to secure our visa, freshen up a bit, and catch a small bite to eat before we headed out of the airport to meet up with our tour group. Despite the 8:00 start time, we still managed to cut it pretty close as finding the meeting point turned out to be more difficult than we thought. Throw in the fact that by 7:30 in the morning it was already around 28 celsius, and you can see why we quickly abandoned our effort on foot and jumped into the nearest taxi. When we did finally make it to the meeting point, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was just the two of us on the tour.

The itinerary for the day would concentrate on the newer developments in the city, such as the Palm and World Islands, various humongous and over the top malls, the Burj Al Arab (7 star hotel shaped like a sail) and the Burj Dubai (world’s tallest structure). While the sites were very impressive, what stands out for me was the heat. After our time in Asia, we both thought that heat wouldn't be an issue anymore. However, in Dubai, we were quickly reminded that we are Canadian and not made for this type of weather. Being a muslim region, Jen figured she should dress conservatively meaning covered shoulders and covered legs. She opted for cargo pants and a thin long-sleeve black top (black!?!). Me, I wore by swim trunks and Beer Lao shirt.

The tour started out interesting enough as by the second stop, we were on the beach looking at the world-famous 7 star hotel. Pretty amazing site. Still more amazing though was the more than 35 degree weather that early in the morning. At this point, I knew that it was going to be a long day for Jen. After returning to the van, the only words she could muster were, "I can't believe how hot it is. It's just so hot." This phrase would continue to dominate Jen's vocabulary for the next few hours as we stopped along the way. I also knew that the lack of sleep was starting to get to Jen as the head-bobbing started in the first hour. I felt pretty bad for Jen as here I am, wearing my standard beach attire while she's wearing an outfit more suited for a fall hike in Calgary.

In the end, the half-day tour was pretty good and we did manage to see some of the major sites. What I enjoyed seeing was the amount of construction that's still going on in Dubai. You know the email that was circulating awhile back showing how fast Dubai was developing? Well, it wasn't lying. The city is still full of cranes and half-constructed buildings. However, some projects seem to have been halted, and in many parts of the city there appears to be more incomplete than complete.

Nairobi

The flight to Nairobi was quite uneventful and for the life of me I can't remember what movie I watched (this is rare). Most likely because the two of us were in and out of sleep the whole way. While in Phuket, reading and planning for Kenya, we went ahead and booked a safari with a company called IntoAfrica. While the safari didn't start right away, the company was nice enough to find us some accommodations for the first few nights in Nairobi and to pick us up from the airport. Thank goodness. Once we picked up our bags and left the arrivals terminal, the airport was a complete sea of touts and taxi drivers, much worse than anything we had seen before.

Arriving at our accommodation, it was easy to see that this wasn't "Asia traveling" anymore. The Parkside Inn was definitely midrange in terms of price but in terms of value, it was probably the worst we've had since traveling. That being said, the place did have its good points. In addition to being centrally located, the place had in-house security and a great little restaurant that served a tasty english breakfast. After such a long journey getting here, we pretty much crashed as soon as we checked in.

The next morning, I woke up before Jen and decided that I would head outside to check out the area. Arriving at night, I didn't get much of a chance to see our surroundings. I didn't get 5 feet of the exit before I was chatting with a couple of men, who were all interested in finding out my plans while in Nairobi. Maybe it was the early morning or the lack of sleep but for whatever reason, I found myself chatting with these guys for about 30 minutes or so, revealing more information than necessary. I finally came to my senses near the end of the conversation and simply said, "Sorry, I can't make any decisions until I chat with my wife." Usually I would cringe upon saying these words, but good thing that I came up with this little excuse because somehow these guys had got me talking about doing a walking tour of Nairobi and potentially another safari with them. While I never said anything concrete, my feigned interest in the conversation was good enough for them. From that point on, whenever we left our hotel, there they were, asking us what our plans for the day were and trying to get us to simply go to the office and check out the various tours. In the end, we never booked anything with them but they actually turned out to be pretty nice guys.

Our first day in the city, we decided to check out the National Museum which was only about a 20-30 minute walk from our place. Although everything we've read says to avoid walking the streets at night, I felt pretty proud of ourselves when we successfully made it to the museum without incident. My pride was perhaps unwarranted, since it was actually mid-day . . . . About the only "incident" we had was when we stopped at an intersection to determine whether we should go left or right. A older gentlemen stopped and asked where we were going. I hate the fact that I immediately thought, "Okay, what's he selling?" so I reluctantly answered the musuem. Well the man turned out to be nothing but kind, pointed us in the right direction and gave us a friendly "Karibu Kenya", or "Welcome to Kenya".

The museum was quite impressive and we ended up spending the better part of the day there. In addition to the various cultural artifacts and of course, the many large and detailed animal displays, the museum is home to many of the significant finds concerning human evolution. They don't refer to Kenya as the "birthplace of man" for no reason as some of the oldest "human" remains ever found were found here. Despite all the culture and history the museum had to offer, it was the lunch that day that probably gave us the quickest introduction to Kenyan culture.

Scanning the menu at the museum cafeteria, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and in the end, I decided on the mutton and Jen had the grilled fish. The side dishes were something entirely different. Not wanting to settle on plain old rice, we both opted for the local favorite called ugali, which is made from maize flower and water. After the first bite of ugali, it is obvious why it is, and will always remain just a local favorite. It’s really hard to describe the taste as I think most Kenyans believe it to be tasteless, but I would say that it has the definite aftertaste of white glue. Texture and appearance wise, it’s a cross between mashed potatoes and a bath sponge. Suffice it to say, that has been our one and only ugali experience.

The next day we continued our tour of Nairobi by heading to the Kenyatta Conference center which, despite the age of the building, is still Nairobi’s tallest. The building essentially looks like a tall apartment building with a ufo-shaped viewing deck placed on top. Although the building itself is not much to look at, it does offer some pretty nice views of the city and surrounding areas. After some obligatory photos, we took the elevator ride down and made our way to the next site. It was at this moment that we, I’m embarrassed to say, fell for our first Kenyan scam. Embarrassed not because we got scammed but because not only did we see it coming, we allowed it to continue to fruition. Here’s some background information. On the first day that we arrived, a man approached us and asked where we were from. Replying “Canada”, the man asked us what Canadians think of black people. We replied that Canadians treat black people like they treat any other race, equally and very kindly. Of course, hearing the desired answer, he continues on to say that he is from Zimbabwe and that because of his country’s problems he has fled to Kenya to look for work and that if we could help him out in any way it would be appreciated.

Now back to the current situation. Leaving the conference center, a man approached us and started to ask us where we were from. Again, he asked us what Canadians think of black people and we replied accordingly. Next, he began to ask us what the Canadian university system is like and that he would love the opportunity to ask us some questions. Don’t ask me why or how, but before we even had a chance to say no, Jen and I found ourselves seated with this complete stranger in a nearby restaurant. I just want to remind everyone that even as this is happening, we both know that we’re getting scammed.

Anyways, as we’re seated, the man continues on by saying he’s a student from Zimbabwe and that he and his friends came to Nairobi to look for work and that later on today, they must jump on a train to take them back home. Oh yeah, and they don’t have enough money for the trains so if we could help them it would be appreciated. Even though I didn’t believe this guys story, I still felt for him and believed that he needed money. But even my compassion and naivety has a limit and the limit was crossed when our waiter came and this guys, without even a polite look-over, proceeds to order food and a drink. This was the last straw for Jen who bluntly but politely said, “While we don’t mind paying for lunch, we are not in a position to give you any money at this time.” Start the fireworks. The man replies with something like, “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to the man over here.” I’m cringing at this moment and thinking to myself, “Buddy, you are crazy if you think I’m going to go over my wife’s head and give you money.” Of course I knew it was time to leave when, after Jen replied with a surprised and stern “excuse me”, the man basically waved us off and told us to leave. Check please.

In the end, the total damage was only around 100 KSH or about $1.50 Canadian. I know it’s not politically correct to say, but in hindsight it would have been awesome if one of us had answered his “How do Canadians treat black people” question with, “The same way we treat Asians, terribly”. Anyways, the damage was minimal but it did leave both Jen and I in a sour mood for the rest of the day, which is a shame because I think we both would have enjoyed the art and crafts on display at the Nairobi Archives (our next stop) more had we been in better moods. I think what probably calmed us down the most was that right after the archives, we booked our trekking trip on Mt Kenya. More on that later but the excitement of having booked it definitely brightened our moods.

After having “survived” the city center of Nairobi we were somewhat relieved to be heading to Karen, a suburb of Nairobi named after Karen Blixen, best known as the author of “Out of Africa”. Our safari company had suggested moving to their guesthouse in Karen, called the Rock House, as that’s where the safari starts from. As you read “Rock House”, you literally need to picture a rock house because this place was something out of the “Flintstones”. As nice as the place turned out to be, the best part of our move was that it gave us chance to see some great sites and to meet and get to know some of the IntoAfrica staff. For starters, Lydia, who runs the show at the Rock House was the nicest woman who would do anything to make us feel at home. Because we were the only ones staying there the first day, that meant a lot of attention and a lot of good home cooking.

Once Jen and I finished our four-course lunch, Lydia asked us what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Near to the guesthouse was a Giraffe Center, where they breed and integrate into the national parks, the endangered Rothschild giraffes, so we said we’d like to go there. Before we could even say anything, Lydia was on and off her cell phone and a guide had been arranged to take us there. This was our first meeting with Elijah, who we were happy to later find out, would be our guide for the safari. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t know what to expect at the Giraffe Center. Yeah, I knew there would be giraffes there but I didn’t realize that we’d be able to get so close to them. Standing on a raised walkway, you could feed and touch the giraffes. If you held some feed in a closed fist, you could feel the giraffes biting at your fingers trying to get in. Thank goodness they’re herbivores. I even held a longer piece of food in my teeth and had the giraffe “kiss” me on the lips. Correspondingly, it took many days and many teeth brushings before Jen would kiss me again.

The next day and the last one before we headed out on safari, we decided to check out the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, or as I like to think of it, the place where they have baby elephants and rhinos!!! Still full from Lydia’s previous night’s feast, Jen and I sat down for breakfast, which at first glance looked a bit more reasonable in size. Close to where we sat was a self-serve station consisting of tea and/or coffee and cereal with all the fixings. After serving myself a medium-sized bowl I sat down and started to enjoy my light breakfast. “You know there’s going to eggs and some sort of meat for breakfast.” Jen said. “Bet you fifty bucks that it’s only cereal.”, I replied. Since what is mine is Jen’s and vice versa, we didn’t bother exchanging any funds but let’s just say that I was very full that morning. Arriving to pick us up once again was Duncan, the same nice man who picked us up from the city center. While we really liked all the people we met with IntoAfrica, Duncan was our favorite. Not only was he super nice and interesting to talk to, he constantly went out of his way to help Jen and I get around. Thankfully, Duncan would also end up going on safari with us as one of the drivers.

Since we’d arrived in Nairobi, it always seemed that wherever we went, Jen and I were really the only tourists around. Not at the Wildlife Trust. Getting there about 10 minutes before opening, the place was packed and a hefty queue had already formed. Regardless, the place was worth the wait as we got to see up-close tons of baby elephants, some as young as a few months, feed and play around. What made it more worthwhile was hearing how some of the elephants had been orphaned and how they were eventually rescued and brought to the trust. Their stories were quite sad, and most involved poachers is one way or another. But the real star of the show was the baby black rhino, who was the last to make his appearance. Dressed in a little blue “jacket”, the baby rhino made his way to the excited crowd. I love baby elephants, but this baby rhino was ridiculously cute. Anyways, the rhino was definitely more shy than the elephants and after about 10 minutes he was gone.

Although we’ve only been in Kenya, Nairobi to be precise, for 5 days, I can honestly say that I love it so far. Yeah, when we first arrived I was bit weary and intimidated by the city. I hate to say it but having grown up in Regina, and then seeing nothing but Asian people 24/7 for the last 5 months, it was a bit of a culture shock when we first took to the streets. So much of a shock that within the first few steps I said to Jen, “I just can’t believe how many black people there are here.” Um, not sure what I was expecting?!

After spending some time in the city, the place has definitely left an impression on me. It’s not that Nairobi is the most fun city we’ve been to or that the sights we’ve seen have been the most amazing, it’s just the overall vibe of the place. Maybe it’s the fact that compared to Southeast Asia, Kenya feels a little more like the road less traveled. Or maybe it’s because the people that we’ve met, from the guys on the streets to the safari company staff, have been so nice. Whatever it is, I really can’t place my finger on it. I only know that I like it and I’m looking forward to the days ahead.