My original plan was to be in Nairobi for 2 days before starting my trip down to Cape Town but with the bike arriving 3 days late, I have had some time to kill. Having no transport of my own has meant relying on Uber taxis to ferry me around. On my list of places to visit have been to David Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage, The Giraffe Centre and on the Nairobi Safari Walk, all of which i would highly recommend if you do not have the time to go on a full safari.
Now getting around in Nairobi is a nightmare. There are no rules on the road and when it comes to roundabouts it is free for all, in other words ’He who dares wins’’ and this results in horrendous traffic jams. It didn’t take long before i experienced the Kenyan police. After 5 minutes into my first Uber trip the police pulled the taxi driver over telling him he had cut the corner on a dubious roundabout on an industrial estate and they wanted to impose a 500 Kenyan Schillings fine so that we could carry on our way. The taxi driver refused to pay the fine and then a 15 minute stand off ensued with me sitting in the back of the taxi wondering what to do. Eventually the police let us carry on with no fine, clearly not an official fine!
My second trip out in an Uber on the 2nd day and guess what, we got stopped again. This time the driver was a lot more confident dealing with the police which the policewoman didn’t like, as she stood there clutching her machine gun. She then diverted her attention to me asking me for my papers. I replied “what papers!” which put the policewoman into a frenzy. She then threatened to fine me and take me to the police station unless i could produce an ID or Passport immediately which I could not do as they were in the hotel safe...whoops. Fortunately we had been pulled over about 100 yards from my hotel so after 10 minutes of a heated discussion she let me go back to the hotel to get my passport whilst she waited with the taxi driver. This meant crossing a 4 lane dual carriageway to get back to the hotel with little break in the traffic. Eventually I returned with my passport and pleased to see that the taxi had waited for me. The policewoman merely glanced at my passport and waved me on. What was that all about after all of the fuss she had made?
The taxi driver told me as we drove off, that she wanted me to give her a bribe.
So this was a real eye opener....it is clear to me that as I travel through Kenya I am likely to encounter more of this ’Kenyan Police Hospitality!’
On a brighter note both days out have been great and seeing the animals close up, including two of the big 5, was incredible, having only seen some of them in the London zoo or on TV. I still have a full on Safari to go on when I get into Tanzania, but these 2 days have given me a taster of what is to come.
Just to put thinks into perspective on how wild it is out here, when visiting the Girraffe Centre I was told that 2 weeks ago a man who was a little drunk and walking home at night was attacked and killed by a lion on the road that passes the gates of the centre. This was a fairly built up area. The only part the lion left was the mans head!!!!
Finally whilst writing this blog I have just be notified I can pick up my bike from customs tomorrow at 9am so I am hoping that this will go smoothly with the help of my fixer.
It’s definitely time to get on the road now.......
You may well find that once you are out of the big cities everything is much calmer including the police. I've always found that the constantly smiling dumb englishman act goes a long way..Loving the pics. Reminds me that there is a world out thererwhile i'm traopped in my microcosm of normality.
Be vigilant! Down here at the bottom end of Africa the "Afrikaaners" say "skerp kyk soos 'n perd kyk, nie rond kyk soos 'n hond kyk". (Focus like a horse, don't neglect like a dog)
Stay calm Ash👍🏼