Nairobi is a rather modern city with a big city feel to it. It reminded me more of New York City than it did of Dar es Salaam or Mombasa. Much to my surprise, I rather liked it although there was not all that much to do within the city itself. And I felt really safe there, particularly considering that its nickname is Nairobbery. Of course, I wasn't ever out after dark and the city probably had a much different feel to it then.

One of the reasons I think I enjoyed Nairobi so much was because I was staying at a backpackers place and met just tons of cool people there. I met lots of volunteers and travellers, all with cool stories and travel tips. I even met a guy there that I'd had dinner with in Dar a couple months ago. And there was a pool table and a TV lounge. And one night 5 of us sat around a small laptop watching Troy. It had been so long since I'd seen a movie. It was just really nice to be staying with a ton of other travellers rather than on my own, even if there were 10 of us in the dorm room.

Most of my time in Nairobi was pretty uneventful, so I will just go over the highlights: the National Museum, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and my visit with a Peace Corp Volunteer in Makwa (hi Patti!).

I am not much of a museum person, but the National Museum in Nairobi was excellent. The highlight of the museum was a bunch of ethnographic portraits of people from the different tribes in Kenya. There were probably over 100 portraits and they were all painted by one woman, Joy Adamson. The government had commissioned here to do the paintings because they recognized that the traditional ways of living were disappearing. The paintings were excellent in their own right, but they were coupled with information about the tribe and/or person in the painting which made them even better. The painting all showed people in their traditional garb, some playing instruments or working in the various trades. Many showed witch doctors, warriors, brides, and, also boys and girls preparing for or in seclusion after being circumsized. And, from the expression on thier faces you could tell that they were not enjoying the whole business. There are some traditions that should disappear.

The other highlights of the museum were: an excellent display on the coelecanth fish, only one has ever been found off the shores of Kenya and which was on display; the skeleton and model of Ahmed, the elephant who had the longest tusks ever recorded and is considered a Kenyan national treasure; and a map of Africa made out of butterflies which the different colors representing the different climates within the continent.

It is getting to be time for me to leave this internet cafe, so stay tuned for the wildlife trust and Makwa stories...