Nairobian Nights
Well... that first night at Nairobi was certainly the most memorable of them all. Felt so special being escorted by so many.
Since then I had made some friends that can accompany each other to go out for dinner together now. Met this Finnish guy, who is finishing his three months of volunteer work here in Nairobi, who had been to Nairobi three times(3 days total), and got his watch torn out of his wrist, while under escort by a Nairobian friend. And then there is this Peace Corp guy that told me, that 70% of his co-workers here got robbed while they were here.
So.., I figure that I'll meet my robber eventually ...You know, the U.N. got a rating system for the cities around the world, and Nairobi was rated "C", a rating reserve for cities that just came out of a civil war or something. U.N. personals works in this Nairobi actually gets "hazardous pay"....Go figure.
On my second night there, I think I heard my first gun shoot there. Which brings out another interesting fact about this city, that 90% of all gun shoot death are done by the police. Hmmm??... Which is why most shops have their own private security guards. I think I landed in the wrong side of town.
My third night there, one of the guy working at the guest house took me to a local bar. After a couple beers, he decided to teach me how to spot a prostitute. Which isn't too hard, considering the fact that 90% of the women there is. I am definitely @ the wrong side of town.
It is strange that, now I am out of Nairobi, and I still haven't got robbed yet. I think I might have been followed for a couple times, but by keeping a look over your shoulder at all times, and crossing the streets unexpectedly, and walk at some random speed, you can avoid most troubles.
But, I think my crime free experience there so far may have something to do with... Yes! you guessed it, Bruce Lee. Along with Jet Lee, Jacky Chang, and all those forgotten Kong-Fu stars from Taiwan and Hong Kong. They somehow managed to saturated the whole world, and made everyone think that I know Kong-Fu. I had kids running back to their home, and brings me his favorite Bruce Lee tape, when they founded out I am from China. Not to mention all those Kong-Fu moves demonstrations.... It's hard to convince them that I really don't know a thing about Kong-Fu. But Hey, it's good not to get robbed.
The National Bird
The National Museum in Nairobi has one of the finest collection of stuffed birds I had seen in my travel(the one in China are just pathetic at best). It had 900 specimens of the 1800 species living in Kenya. When I asked to see the national bird of Kenya is, my guide laughed. It is not the ostrich, not the vulture, not the kite,...it's a dame chicken. To be specific, the roaster. It is inscribe on its national seal, coins, bills.... Well... Okay, maybe it is not officially its national bird, it is actually the mascot of its leading political party. But still... a chicken? Come on, guys....you got like 1800 species to chose from....
The National Dish
If you just wandering about Nairobi for a significant amount of time, you would think that the whole country eats nothing but chicken and chips. There is fast food restaurant at every street corners that serves roast chicken, fried chicken, BBQ chicken.... This country that just loves the chicken. :-) Well...that's what I ate for four days....Chicken and chips, Curry chicken and rice, Chicken in tomato sauce...( Funny stuff aside, outside of Nairobi, they ate mostly on maze, potatoes, bananas,...very little chicken, or meat, because it's pretty expensive)
Search for the Honey Badgers
Nope.... still haven't seen one yet. The closest I ever got was a stuffed one in the National Museum. Lot less interesting than the real thing I am sured, but.....Oh well ...
The Coca-Cola Invasion
When I first saw the movie "The God must be Crazy", I got a pretty good laughed at how a Coke bottle changed the life of a bush man in the middle of nowhere. After spending nearly a month in East Africa, that Coke bottle just took on a totally different meaning for me.
It dawned on me while I was doing my walks around town in Moshi. I was standing on the side of the street, drinking a Coke to quench my thirst. I looked around and must of saw at lease twenty Coca-Cola signs lining the streets. It's everywhere!! Red and white, red and white, red and white...... Every store signs had a Coke Logo beside it(The Coca-Cola Company has a program of printing out free signs for just every stores that sell Coke here). You will not be able to walk around town with out seeing one of those Red-n-White signs. I tried once, when I was on my way to Dar-Es-Salaam from Moshi to find out if I can go the whole way with out seeing a Coke sign. I was pretty happy to find U can actually go for 10-15 minutes without seeing one. That is before I spotted a duffel bag with a Coke logo in the overhead bins.... There is no escape.
The thing is, I am drinking more Coke than ever. I may had drank it once or twice, when I was in China(two and a half month), but now I am drinking it for lunch, for dinner....two or three bottles a day. The stuff is cheaper than bottle water.
You Pepsi fans may want to skip East Africa. The Peace Corp guy I am traveling with was just so glad to find some Pepsi here in Cairo, after spending 2 years in Coke Country. The funny thing is.... right outside of our hotel lobby window, there is this huge 3 stories high neon sign, flashing the familiar Red-n-White sign... Here we are, living under the biggest Coke logo in town (the whole Egypt?).
Since then I had made some friends that can accompany each other to go out for dinner together now. Met this Finnish guy, who is finishing his three months of volunteer work here in Nairobi, who had been to Nairobi three times(3 days total), and got his watch torn out of his wrist, while under escort by a Nairobian friend. And then there is this Peace Corp guy that told me, that 70% of his co-workers here got robbed while they were here.
So.., I figure that I'll meet my robber eventually ...You know, the U.N. got a rating system for the cities around the world, and Nairobi was rated "C", a rating reserve for cities that just came out of a civil war or something. U.N. personals works in this Nairobi actually gets "hazardous pay"....Go figure.
On my second night there, I think I heard my first gun shoot there. Which brings out another interesting fact about this city, that 90% of all gun shoot death are done by the police. Hmmm??... Which is why most shops have their own private security guards. I think I landed in the wrong side of town.
My third night there, one of the guy working at the guest house took me to a local bar. After a couple beers, he decided to teach me how to spot a prostitute. Which isn't too hard, considering the fact that 90% of the women there is. I am definitely @ the wrong side of town.
It is strange that, now I am out of Nairobi, and I still haven't got robbed yet. I think I might have been followed for a couple times, but by keeping a look over your shoulder at all times, and crossing the streets unexpectedly, and walk at some random speed, you can avoid most troubles.
But, I think my crime free experience there so far may have something to do with... Yes! you guessed it, Bruce Lee. Along with Jet Lee, Jacky Chang, and all those forgotten Kong-Fu stars from Taiwan and Hong Kong. They somehow managed to saturated the whole world, and made everyone think that I know Kong-Fu. I had kids running back to their home, and brings me his favorite Bruce Lee tape, when they founded out I am from China. Not to mention all those Kong-Fu moves demonstrations.... It's hard to convince them that I really don't know a thing about Kong-Fu. But Hey, it's good not to get robbed.
The National Bird
The National Museum in Nairobi has one of the finest collection of stuffed birds I had seen in my travel(the one in China are just pathetic at best). It had 900 specimens of the 1800 species living in Kenya. When I asked to see the national bird of Kenya is, my guide laughed. It is not the ostrich, not the vulture, not the kite,...it's a dame chicken. To be specific, the roaster. It is inscribe on its national seal, coins, bills.... Well... Okay, maybe it is not officially its national bird, it is actually the mascot of its leading political party. But still... a chicken? Come on, guys....you got like 1800 species to chose from....
The National Dish
If you just wandering about Nairobi for a significant amount of time, you would think that the whole country eats nothing but chicken and chips. There is fast food restaurant at every street corners that serves roast chicken, fried chicken, BBQ chicken.... This country that just loves the chicken. :-) Well...that's what I ate for four days....Chicken and chips, Curry chicken and rice, Chicken in tomato sauce...( Funny stuff aside, outside of Nairobi, they ate mostly on maze, potatoes, bananas,...very little chicken, or meat, because it's pretty expensive)
Search for the Honey Badgers
Nope.... still haven't seen one yet. The closest I ever got was a stuffed one in the National Museum. Lot less interesting than the real thing I am sured, but.....Oh well ...
The Coca-Cola Invasion
When I first saw the movie "The God must be Crazy", I got a pretty good laughed at how a Coke bottle changed the life of a bush man in the middle of nowhere. After spending nearly a month in East Africa, that Coke bottle just took on a totally different meaning for me.
It dawned on me while I was doing my walks around town in Moshi. I was standing on the side of the street, drinking a Coke to quench my thirst. I looked around and must of saw at lease twenty Coca-Cola signs lining the streets. It's everywhere!! Red and white, red and white, red and white...... Every store signs had a Coke Logo beside it(The Coca-Cola Company has a program of printing out free signs for just every stores that sell Coke here). You will not be able to walk around town with out seeing one of those Red-n-White signs. I tried once, when I was on my way to Dar-Es-Salaam from Moshi to find out if I can go the whole way with out seeing a Coke sign. I was pretty happy to find U can actually go for 10-15 minutes without seeing one. That is before I spotted a duffel bag with a Coke logo in the overhead bins.... There is no escape.
The thing is, I am drinking more Coke than ever. I may had drank it once or twice, when I was in China(two and a half month), but now I am drinking it for lunch, for dinner....two or three bottles a day. The stuff is cheaper than bottle water.
You Pepsi fans may want to skip East Africa. The Peace Corp guy I am traveling with was just so glad to find some Pepsi here in Cairo, after spending 2 years in Coke Country. The funny thing is.... right outside of our hotel lobby window, there is this huge 3 stories high neon sign, flashing the familiar Red-n-White sign... Here we are, living under the biggest Coke logo in town (the whole Egypt?).
posted by 54 at 2:17 AM
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