Jambo Nairobi

RTW – 28-29 Sep 2008
Entering Africa generates a sensation difficult to explain. The continent and its people have suffered extortion, exploitation, and violence forever. Upon arrival, you are stepping into an open wound. You can get beyond that rather quickly in seeing the struggle of so many people having so very little. Most everyone has to walk where ever they want to go and carry whatever they need to take. On the drive into town, all you see are people going somewhere and doing something. These people may live in poverty, but most strive to get beyond their place. There is no welfare here to cripple spirits. It is not to say there are haves and have-nots or predator and prey. Africans know well the role of lion and wildebeest, but that is not humanity. Let’s just call it survival of the fittest to get beyond this thought.
Kenya was of lesser significance than my other stops along the way. I had three days but only booked an overnight stay at the Nairobi Hilton to get a footing, find a driver, and venture into Masai country. It was late Sunday afternoon in the center of Nairobi, where I could see safari offices near the hotel. Seeking a driver, the gal at the reception desk had a recommendation on a crumbled business card for Big Safari Tours. She called; I expressed my wishes, and they said to meet Lucy in the lobby tomorrow at nine. With that in place, I had a Tusker beer at their Jockey Pub and promptly dissolved in my room to rest my well-traveled body.
Early awake, body clock beyond repair, I did some Googling to get an idea about pricing for Masai Mara National Park. I found Lucy in the lobby. Big Safari was ready to get me there tomorrow with a private guide and van. We had to do some haggling over prices, but I did not want to spend a day trying to get something else. We walked to her office to swipe my Visa card, and I found them not to be so ‘Big’ after all. Hey, maybe they will try harder.
Another Lucy was calling, the X million-year-old skeleton found by the Leakeys. The Nairobi National Museum was a tribute to Richard Leakey, a short taxi ride away. The Humanoid Skull Room was the hall of fame for such Homo habilis findings. My taxi driver had wanted to wait, but I said I would be there all day. When I emerged after an hour and a half, he was waiting. The Karen Blixen House, as in Out of Africa, was a bit farther out of town than I thought. Her story and seeing the setting was worth the drive.