Shinkou

June 19, 2011
Nairobi, Kenya

I didn't sleep at all on the plane. I watched movies, I listened to a book on my iPhone, I read a book on my iPad, I listened to music. I just couldn't get my brain to shut off. So I journaled while watching Hall Pass, The Eagle, I Am Number Four.

Someone near the window opened their blinds when the announcement was made that we were over Africa. This photo was taken somewhere over Egypt. How cool is that??? I looked at the trip monitor on my DVD screen. I was amazed to see we were traveling at 37,000 feet and the air temperature was a -54 degrees F! Perhaps that explains why it was so darn cold in the plane last night! Virgin gave us thin red blankets, but my feet were inside my backpack in an effort not to lose feeling in my toes!

Wow - I got my first stamp in my passport! Having had to renew an unstamped passport, this was a monumental moment! The official at the counter looked at me and said "You have not been to Asia yet?" I said, "No, this is my very first stamp - Kenya!" He laughed while my fingerprints were taken.

All of our luggage arrived safely and we were greeted at the airport by Steve Sacher and the HEART staff! The drive from the airport was unusual. I guess that's the word I am looking for. Everything seemed to be "normal" - high rise buildings on either side of the freeway. With the exception of driving on the left side of the road, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. And then things changed. There seemed to be more and more pedestrians walking along side the road. And they were all dressed up - going to or from church? And then there were men dressed in suits sleeping on the side of the road. When we hit downtown Nairobi, I became miserable. The smell of car exhaust was so thick! I will never complain about paying for a smog check again. Everyone had to cover their faces with material. We were warned to close our windows as well, not for the air pollution but for the solicitors who walk in traffic and steal things out of vehicles. With the traffic congestion, it is nearly impossible to pursue these thieves. Up went the windows!

We passed a round about that had what could only be described as a prehistoric looking tree in the middle. And on this tree were what could only be described as pterodactyls! (well, perhaps the largest pelican/stork/condor type birds) These birds had to be every bit of 3-4' in height. There had to be at least a dozen of these gigantors on the 20' tall tree!

It took nearly an hour to get to HEART. Traffic is the definition of chaos. There are no lines painted on the street. I don't know if they would be obeyed if they were painted though. What would be a two lane road in California can be up to 7 cars wide in Nairobi. It's a "me first" attitude when driving and cars will come within inches (or even scratch) cars to get ahead. All this chaos makes traffic move very slowly. Add hundreds of street vendors walking in the traffic selling things from toilet paper to maps - and people can walk faster.

HEART is in an area not too far from the embassies. I think the area is called Ridgeway Estates. We are northeast of downtown Nairobi and due north of the airport. There is a solid gate at the entry to HEART and it opens up to a driveway and courtyard. It's beautiful! I didn't know what to expect but the landscaping impressed me! There is an atmosphere of peace here. Wendy and I were assigned Room 6 - the fireplace room! It is upstairs over the dining room. There are two beds, a sofa, a fireplace, a table and chairs and, most importantly, a large lanai!


After unpacking and getting familiar with the compound and rules, we took a field trip to Village Market. It's a small outdoor mall. The sun had come out and we were able to walk around the mall and people watch. What I found interesting is that there were numerous plant nurseries along side the roads. They must have someone stay there at night, these nurseries are way too large to be moving the plants every night. I found that more interesting than the armed militia at the mall.