Nairobi, Kenya Day 2 - Stayin' Alive

the Upperhill Campsite (1°18'2.14"S 36°48'43.11"E) is a pretty good hangout. Good crowd. Good beer. Good security. Centrally located. Satellite TV. Dorms were kind of grotty so I stayed in a prefab tent (right) instead for a pricey 6.42 dullah per night. Not bad.

Still alive. Decided to bust out of the fortress today. Headed downtown to get some ATM money with a newly made Kenyan friend, who laughed at my paranoia. After getting a stack of cash (kind of stupid of my carrying such a stash), Tony drove me to a "suburban" shopping mall where I did a little shopping. [ed. note: Tony was apparently drunker than a skunk. Why can't I spot these guys?]. I ended up buying 2 books: the Bradt guide to Ethiopia and a lil' book called "the constant gardner". The guidebook is supposed to be the best and "gardner" is supposed to be good. Both are pretty heavy. Ugh. More crap to carry around. Besides I'm still trying to finish the power of one. Anyway, the more I think about it, the more frivolous the purchase was. I hardly spend money on creature comforts like books. So, I guess this was worth it.

Finished an important task today at least. I met with Surinder tonite at the Campsite. She's my contact here. [ed. note: I was mugged by 4 knife wielding thugs in Vilanculos, Mozambique (here: 22° 0'1.30"S 35°19'24.05"E) earlier in the trip and lost my Visa card.] She gave me my new Visa card. I was quite relieved to finally get it because it should offer me a bit more financial flexibility than just the Mastercard. Surinder was really nice and invited me to supper one night this week. Not necessary... I thanked her profusely.

Slight change in plans tomorrow...thought I'd start the diplomatic chores but I might be headed out to the slums (on a tour). I'm a bit worried about the security arrangements (ie. none) but what the hell...

Out of Canuckistan, Mar 4/07
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