Nairobi | An Antipodean Adventure

Posts Tagged ‘Nairobi’

Kilimanjaro 2007 – Nairobi to Marangu

Wednesday, 27 June 2007

Notes and photos from my Kilimanjaro diaries written in 2007. Uploaded to my blog in 2009 but posted with a 2007 publish date.

Early start and long drive to Tanzania.

Nairobi is a handsome city in parts with pleasant government buildings on a hill overlooking the city centre. Lots of civil servants and other office workers all heading into work as we left. Giant herons flying around the football stadium!

Good road out of Nairobi until the airport where the quality deteriorated rapidly. Great scenery on the way to TZ border, but no sight of Kilimanjaro (not really possible this time of year due to haze). The most striking features of the journey were the large anthills and Masai tribesmen.

KY-TZ border is crazy: 200m of no-man’s land between the two border posts full of parked trucks and buses, and many souvenir touts asking you to look at their “free” bracelets. Couldn’t take photos.

Arrived and Nakana Hotel in Marangu. Went for an exploratory walk with Aman and Gary into the local hills before dinner.

Tags:border, bracelets, civil servants, hazem anthills, herons, Marangu, Masai, Nairobi, Nakana Hotel, no-man's land, road, Tanzania, touts, tribesmen
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Kilimanjaro 2007 – Nairobi

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Notes and photos from my Kilimanjaro diaries written in 2007. Uploaded to my blog in 2009 but posted with a 2007 publish date.

Overnight flight from Heathrow to Nairobi. Cloudy cool day in Nairobi, doesn’t seem too different from London! Check in to Heron Court hotel.

Given “Sunny and sweet” breakfast – sausages, fried egg, maple syrup pancakes. Delicious.

Visit Lea Toto project in Nairobi slums to check the type of work VSO is doing supporting HIV+ families. Children gave a role-play about stealing and honesty, then sang several songs and read poems. Unfortunately we weren’t able to meet any VSO volunteers due to holidays.

We were taken off on a tour of a local slum by some of the centre workers (Gertrude, Leonida and Carolyne). We met one family (mother, child and niece) who were left by the father. The mother runs a market stall nearby but she has lost business as her main competitor spread rumours that her food was unsafe since she was HIV+. The mother then made a complaint to the local community leader, and the competitor fortunately made a public apology.