It’s a short flight from Kigali, Rwanda to Nairobi, Kenya and there’s also an hour time difference between the two. In addition to the time difference I immediately noticed they drive on the left side of the road & Rwandans drive on the right (like Americans). They do not share the same currency – Kenyans use shillings. I never needed to get Rwandan Francs because my card & US dollars were taken everywhere. But in Kenya, cards are ok but shillings are the dominant currency. Both countries have completely crazy traffic but I noticed that in parts of the highway in Nairobi there are no lanes! You could have 2 cars side by side or….I don’t know, maybe 5? The width changed, there were a ton of round-a-bouts which are quite confusing being on the opposite side, and very few traffic lights. IF any, they were really just suggestions rather than rules. In Rwanda I never went anywhere that didn’t have a “regular” bathroom…regular meaning American. They all did have little hoses like a bidet. But Kenya was different! I used pit toilets, squat toilets – that was different! – and many public bathrooms did not provide toilet paper inside the stall. If it was there at all, it could be near the sink where paper towels would normally be. So you would need to estimate what you need and hope for the best!
But idk so don’t ask me.
First day in Kenya we all met each other as a group of 7, including our fearless leader Jen. Jen is the one I bumped into via Instagram and the reason I ended up here! She’s spent extensive time in Africa, specifically Kenya, and knew the area better than most drivers! We went to a shopping area to get whatever things we needed, including exchanging money – I never really understood Kenya Schillings. It took quite a while to have 3 of us exchange some money. Quite the complicated system unless you know what you’re doing! We stayed at Ibis hotel – apparently they have many across the globe. We stayed 2.5 days in Kenya, then traveled via train to our next destination. That was my first train ride and even though we had “first class” seats, it was nothing like you see in the movies!! The pic of the baobab tree above was taken from the train. I didn’t realize I’d get a chance to see them here. Although the ones in Madagascar are huuuuge! The train was like a bus =) but I’m getting ahead of myself. First Giraffe Center!
And if you read my first entry about how I ended up in Africa, I mentioned how I fell in love with Giraffe Manor in Kenya. Google maps told me that I couldn’t get there from here when I tried to find directions. I knew that Giraffe Manor and The Giraffe Center were next to each other based on a map. What I did not know, is that they were literally next to each other and I was able to SEE Giraffe Manor in the distance as I was wrapping around the path giving the giraffes snacks & pets. I literally could not believe that I was essentially there – a place I never thought I could ever get to. It’s right there, behind me! By the way, even though it would be aaaaahmazing to stay at Giraffe Manor, there are other/better ways to spend that kind of money! It’s ridiculously expensive!
We ate at this gorgeous restaurant called Cultiva. It’s a farm-to-table new restaurant in Nairobi…only about a year old. The farm was literally the back half of the property. The plating was magnificent and the pizza – I ordered that, it was made with sourdough bread – was the absolute best pizza I’ve ever had, hands down! I will forever measure all pizzas against this one and will be on a quest to find sourdough bread crust. And yes, I ate the entire thing.
The next day we went to a shopping area that specializes in training women for skills to build their families. The beads and jewelry was fantastic – I could have bought everything but I showed incredible restraint.There was a very trendy, fun place to eat with incredibly cool restaurants (like a food hall). Again, fantastic food was literally everywhere. How could you not want to order from these places?? And I also had my first Ethianopian restaurant experience…let me tell you I cannot wait to do that again! If you’re not familiar with it, check it out. We will be visiting Goorsha in Durham very soon!
Even the bathrooms were cool and educational! I took a pic of the inside door of the stall – we visited the forest it describes and I also read about it in Unbowed, which I highly recommend. So interesting how this one woman created a huge green belt movement by planting millions of trees.
The next morning we rode to the train station about 2 hours, then hopped a train for about 2 hours. Then found our driver & made our way to the next destination….Zawadisha!!!
CHANDRA GREEN 