Unfortunately, the majority of my time in Nairobi was spent in the hotel where the conference was held. But I decided to extend my time on Saturday so I could actually experience the city a bit. The fun actually began on Friday night, when I went with a couple of colleagues to a local restaurant with live music - a band with at least 10 members with lively trumpets, guitar, keyboard, and loud voices belting out the best of Congolese and East African music, but recent and older classics. And the dance floor reciprocated the enthusiasm.
On Saturday, I walked all over downtown Kenya and even found some local public transportation routes that made for interesting rides. A couple of highlights were the Kenya National Archives, the first picture here, which had a range of art and artifacts from Kenya and across the continent. What made it such an enjoyable visit was that I happened to arrive at the same time as a high school group, and the tour guide found excellent ways to keep it lively and engaging. Meanwhile, I was amused as students tried oh-so-slyly to snap a picture with the mobile phone that included this foreigner in the background.
I also stopped by the memorial garden for where the U.S. embassy was bombed in 1998. In the picture to the left there is a sculpture made from some of the rubble. Another part of the garden had a fountain and list of names of those who were victims. Sadly, the vast majority of those who died were Kenyans who were in or near the embassy when the bombing took place.
I could share more about the tourist market maze I found myself in, or the crowded meat market I stumbled upon, or the little agricultural shops I snooped around, or the city park I found myself in when the rainclouds burst open, but that's all I'll write about today.
SWAHILI WORD OF THE DAY: "ndege" - the word for both bird (there were huge 4' tall crane-like ones near the hotel) and airplane (which got me safely home on Saturday night)
