Nairobi

Well we have arrived safe and sound! We are staying at Khweza Bed & Breakfast located in the more commercial area of Nairobi (River Road area) - a bustling district that is seems devoid of any European presence (which is a good thing - more authentically African :)  Traveling business men and more seasoned travelers (well, at least those seasoned to pretty modest accommodations) seem to stay here.  I recommend it to anyone who wishes to step a bit outside their comfort zone, or within it, reader dependent :)  The staff are VERY friendly and VERY accommodating.  Khweza is plopped in the middle of a somewhat poorer district, but the hotel does have wireless internet and a satellite TV (and even an "instant hot" shower - although we failed to see the "instant hot" button on our first go and instead enjoyed an enduringly freezing shower :)

We began the day enjoying a toast and egg breakfast, accompanied by some local fruit and Nescafe, on the rooftop restaurant/bar that sports a nice view of the city skyline.  Although, the view today was a bit muddled by the cloud cover and the dust rising from the streets under construction.  I was pleasantly surprised to see some rather larger birds (even hawk) flying about.  We took a cab into the town center, the business district, that was very clean and comfortable and the foot traffic comparable to the jam-packed Penn Station.  We purchased a local cell phone and converter plug, and thanks to Bennett we were able to successfully navigate the arcades (alleyways/hallways of shops).  It is pretty convenient that most everybody speaks some English, but I do plan on attempting to master Swahili and pick up on some of the Maa and Kikuyu.

Tomorrow morning a friend of a friend, Kimani, is transporting us to Nanyuki (about a four hour drive).  There the house caretaker, Charles, will show us the local markets and then we will head "home" (I believe about an hour and a half drive into the bush).

We have just returned to the rooftop restaurant to enjoy our first sip of Kenyan beer - a lager entitled "Tusker".  Tusker suggest that, "When you know where you have come from, you will know where you are going."

Cheers!
Maria