NAIROBI- 1ST AND 3RD WORLD

      View of NAIROBI CITY from the Nairobi National Park (A Denis Bouillon pic)

Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is a huge metropolis of approximately 696 sq kms, (269 square miles) and a population of between 4 to 6 million (depending of who you ask) is a very modern city. 

Well kept green spaces everywhere

I found it quite cool during the rainy season when I visited, but that is understandable, as the elevation is almost six thousand feet (1795 mtrs) above sea level.

From all appearances, this city has a large middle to upper class, if the houses in the suburbs and traffic jams all over the city caused by the vast number of high-end vehicles and SUV's, is anything to go by. 

I was quite overwhelmed by the massive construction of roads, high-rise office buildings and apartments which was taking place all around. That encouraged a fleeting question in my mind as to why such a huge county needed so many high rise apartments? But I suppose it has a lot to do with the time it takes to commute and security concerns. 

The security business is booming there, and even in the most affluent areas, you see massive walls topped with electric fences.

Video of flowers, pots and other products on the sidewalk

This is not necessarily a reflection on the current crime situation in Kenya itself though,  for apparently the real threats they face comes from outside. Especially from groups such as Al Shabaab,

Beautifully designed high rises

whose well armed gunmen, carried out a midday attack in 2013 at the upscale Westgate Shopping Mall. 

That assault left 71 people dead and some 200 injured. 

That foreign terrorist group is also blamed for another attack in January 2019, in the West Lands section of Nairobi. This attack left 20 persons dead. (These attacks are said to be as a result of those Islamic militants being upset with Kenya's involvement in their neighbor, Somalia's, civil war)

As a result, one gets the impression that there is a high security alert everywhere. So, at the numerous exclusive shopping centers and malls, security is ultra tight. One therefore cannot enter, without vehicles being thoroughly searched and people having to go through metal detectors.

A section of the Commercial district downtown

On the other hand, the fact that one sees virtually all unused land on the roadsides being fully cultivated by persons who set up stalls right there to sell their produce, but leave everything untended in the nights, gives the impression that  theft in that city is minimal!

The city seems to be very well laid out, with numerous attractive, architecturally-designed high-rise buildings and an ample amount of well-tended green spaces. Even on Ndong Road. This takes you to the very upscale, mainly white area known as Karen. But  all along that road where you can find almost every manufactured product, from metal works to flower pots for sale on the sidewalks, everything looks beautiful, safe and orderly.

In terms of service, my experience is that in Nairobi, there are no goods or services that are available in any major first-world city. that you cannot find there.

Outlying towns are not as orderly-looking

In fact, I was very impressed that while when I was travelling to Kenya and needed a covid PCR test no older than 96 hours, I couldn't find a place in New York that could guarantee me the results in less than 24-48 hours. However, for the return journey, I was able to get an internationally recognized test result in Nairobi in 12 hours!

I was also impressed with their sophistication in doing business, as it is almost a cashless society. 

A colorfully panted minibus

Very few places outside of tourism entities, accept United States dollars as they use the Kenyan Shilling. Also, many business establishments have signs saying "no cash accepted." 

Making payments for anything, from a pound of flour to high priced products, is easy though. All it requires is to transfer the funds to the phone number of the seller. That takes seconds!

 Of course, debit and credit cards are also accepted. 

On the fringes

The roads are generally in excellent condition. They have installed lots of speed bumps on every road, and it seems to have greatly decreased the level of accidents. (I didn't see one accident in the city in two weeks!)

I was a bit disappointed though, with the lack of sidewalks in the upscale neighborhoods where workers generally must walk to their jobs. They therefore must trudge on muddy tracks to get to their places of employment. 

Also, in the low-income sections of the city starting near Two Rivers Mall, the largest shopping center in East Africa, the main roads are excellent, but side roads are unpaved and all appeared muddy during this the rainy season.

With reference to third world in the title therefore, it seemed clear that on the fringes of the city, the same attention to building regulations and good infrastructure was lacking.

A boda boda with an umbrella!

There was a marked difference in the transportation system in the two Nairobi's too.

This city does not appear to have a central transportation system. Apart from private vehicles terefore, commuting is via foot; minibuses; dray carts; big buses (mainly for long distance travel); scooters (called piki piki); bike taxis called boda boda and tuk tuks. 

Tuk tuk is a vehicle converted from a humble three-wheeled scooter. 

A 3-wheeled  scooter converted into a commercial vehicle

They play a major role in the transportation system. Metal bodies are welded on the scooter to transform them into passenger vehicles carrying up to five people, or to carry commercial goods.  

Regardless of the obvious differences in the appearance in the various sectors of this enormous metropolis, Nairobi is a modern, developed, bustling, city with services and technology as advanced as any in the first world.

This is so contrary to the impression given by the western press, when it portrays life everywhere in Africa!

OTHER PICS OF METROPOLITAN NAIROBI BY DENIS BOUILLION

(169) Joan Williams, author - YouTube

KARURA FOREST, A VERY SPECIAL PLACE

I think my special attachment to the Karura forest, stems from the fact that on a recent visit to Kenya, that was my first exposure to their great outdoors.

This 1063 hectare (2627 acres) open space, is right in the middle of a residential area in Nairobi and is a dream location for residents.

A section of the forest

Luckily, I became a 'resident' for a while and this healthy, open, green space was virtually next door to where I was staying with my hosts Kelly and Denis. So on my very first day, we went on a 7 km hike.

Nothing could beat the welcome we received from a family of friendly Sykes monkeys that my 'guide' Denis had never seen before, despite his many visits to the area.

I don't know why this family was so welcoming, since we did see others when we continued the trek and they fled immediately at the sound of our footsteps.

Apart from the natural beauty of the area, this forest is a place for all sorts of activities and on the very day we were leaving, we returned there for a yoga session.

Our hosts at lunch

As it was also Mothers day and there were three mothers in our group, we headed to their lovely restaurant for a delicious mothers day lunch followed by a muddy hike to the  Karuru waterfall. 

I am happy that I was loaned a pair of water boots, though heavy, to do that trek through the mud, as it had rained all night.

Apart from the waterfall we saw some of the caves in which Mau Mau rebels (the resistance lasted from 1952-1960) hid out from the British in their struggle to liberate their country from those oppressive colonialists. 

With friends in front of one of the caves

For the benefit of those not familiar with that struggle, it occurred, because under British rule, the invaders grabbed the best lands, took away the rights of the Kenyan people who they used their superior arms to dominate in their quest for cheap labor. 

(Visitors to Kenya should visit the Nairobi National Museum where through photographs and paintings, they graphically display the murder of civilians and the brutal slaughter of the Kenyan freedom fighters during that period.)

The savagery of the British  (including at the Chuka and Hola massacres) however, only motivated more Kenyan people to put their lives on the line to gain their freedom. 

This determination to die for liberty and the condemnation the murderers received from the international community, so ratted the well armed British, that in 1963 they had to agree to give independence to the Kenyan people.

Walking through this scenic gorge, brought back memories of a hike I did along our own Cuna Cuna trail in Jamaica, where National Hero, Nanny, and her freedom fighters, hid out in the caves as they waged their own guerilla war for freedom against the same savage colonizers.                                         

They too, as home grown strategists, caused the well-armed bullies to give them the concessions they fought for.  

It was therefore a personal pleasure for me to take in the natural beauty of this side of the Karura forest while recalling the struggle of the Kenyan people for freedom. 

However, while in Jamaica, we are accustomed to waterfalls and rivers in which we can swim and frolic, as the mighty Nairobi River raged through the area, there was no swimming allowed. For although the water is 'clean,' the recent heavy rains had caused it to take on the red color of the soil. 

Anyway,  that raging river did look a tad too dangerous for me to to frolic in, even during the dry season.

KENYA: THE MOST AMAZING OUTDOORS

In my many decades on this earth and years of traveling, I have never seen more outstanding natural beauty than in Kenya, in East Africa. 

Majestic snow-covered Mount Kilimanjaro in the background (a Denis Bouillon photo)

Our Maasai guide and driver

In this featured photo, not only is the elegance of a giraffe in the wild captured, but in the background shines Mount Kilimanjaro (killi to local folk.) The irony is, according to our Maasai guide, if Tanzanians, in whose country this scenic mountain is located, want to get a  really outstanding view, they have to come to into Kenya.

 For while geographically, it is located in Tanzania, they claim this only happened because of British Royal politics. For when that empire was carving up Africa, the queen dropped that mountain into Tanzania as a favor to a cousin of hers, since Kenya already had Mt. Kenya the second highest on the continent. This may just be interesting folklore but the fact that the Kenyans have a much more graphic view, makes it believable.

Kilimanjaro at 5985 meters above sea level, (almost 20,000 feet) is the tallest free standing mountain in the world and Africa's highest. It is described as a dormant volcano, although the last eruption is recorded at 150,000 to 200,00 years ago! 

Anyway, back to the natural beauty of Kenya.

Thankfully, the government there is doing everything in its power to preserve its wildlife and environment for generations to come. This is a never-ending task, as poachers from all over the world are constantly trying to frustrate their efforts.

So now, all the parks which fall under Kenya Wildlife Service,  are patrolled by heavily armed rangers who are not afraid to shoot to kill. 

My host Denis, stands atop one of the piles of ashes

They also seize their illegal booty, which includes ivory from elephants and rhinos. 

These are then burnt to take the profit out of poaching. 

We actually visited one of these sites in Nairobi National Park. Here the tons of ivory are reduced to mere ashes. 

Also, no one is allowed to feed the wild animals or take any dead or alive from the parks. To ensure that human carnivores are not deprived, livestock farming in quite vast there, but these farms can only operate if licensed.

A lion relaxes in Nairobi National Park

Admirably, it is not only their wildlife that they are concerned about, but indeed the entire environment. So, for example, plastic bags are no longer used and one-use plastic bottles are not allowed in any of their parks or conservancies.

They also do a lot to encourage their own citizens to enjoy the natural beauty of their country, by establishing numerous parks and forests all over and while outsiders pay large entrance fees, residents normally pay no more than about 1/10th of what the visitors do, to enter those establishments. 

Wildebeests at Amboseli National Park

Kenya is a huge country of 580,367 square kilometers (224,081 square miles) with a population of 50-60 million. 

To tell the truth, it was never on my bucket list to visit immediately, for as a Jamaican who descended from slaves brought from Africa, my first choice had been countries in West Africa, from whence our forefathers were kidnapped and forcefully brought to my island, Jamaica and the west in general. 

However, when my Canadian friends Kelly and Denis, who are as enthralled as I am about natural beauty, started posting the breath-taking photos of Kenya and invited me to visit, wild horses couldn't stop me,

And its probably one of the best decisions I have ever made, for the parks and conservatories I visited during an all too short two week stay, defied my imagination totally.

Local Kenyans on a trek up the steep Ngong mountain 

The special wildlife areas visited were; Nairobi National Park and Orphanage in the middle of the capital city; Lake Nakuru National Park which borders the city of Nakuru, the third largest city in the country; Amboseli National Park near the Maasai conversancy of Selenkay; (I have to do an entire blog on this!) Lake Elementia and Soysambu conservancy.

Incidentally, Kenyans so love our own Usain Bolt, that they actually named a cheetah in the Nairobi National  Park Usain Bolt! 

A bus clearly owned by a Bolt admirer

I was really fascinated that they had such a large wildlife park so close to the city, although some power now seems determined to mar the vista of that park by constructing a huge concrete rail system right through the center. 

This rail system is being designed to straight through to Uganda.

Nakuru, Lake Elementia and Soysambu are all located in the famous Rift Valley, a fascinating place that I had only read about but never dreamt of being able to visit.

The huge concrete train line being constructed through Nairobi National Park

The scenery along the road to get there is lush with well laid out tea plantations, vendors' ware, forests and lots of animals roaming on the sides of the roads.

We also passed through a number of small towns which reminded me very much of scenes in Jamaica. For up front, there were huge open-air markets where vendors laid out large batches of familiar-looking fruits, vegetables and ground provisions.

Sheep and cow skins also displayed in a stall on the roadside

Once we got to the sanctuaries and parks, watching, buffalo, zebras, baboons, monkeys, rhinos, giraffes hippos, every type of antelope etc. in their own natural environment, was to die for.

To get there was a bit challenging though, for while the roads are excellent, for part of the journey,  we had to maneuver between the hundreds of trucks that use a section of the that route to transport goods from Port Mombasa to Uganda and Rwanda, which are landlocked.

This looks like a scene from any Jamaican village

Kenya also has 1300 different species of birds and at the Natural History museum in Nairobi, they have stuffed displays of every single one. 

We also saw quite a number of these colorful creatures in the wild, one memorable scene was seeing a daring kite bird trying to chase a juvenile eagle out of it nest!

Video of some of the scenery along the way to Nakuru.

On this trip too, I gleaned a number of fun facts about animals in the wild. A summary is below.

Some of the 1300 bird species on display at the museum

      

Link;   https://youtu.be/W13GpOB4v9E

FUN FACTS

The white rhino is the 2nd largest land animal in the world (average 4.5 tons). It is not actually white in color but was misnamed by a South African who mispronounced 'wide' in describing how it's mouth is different from the black rhino. Despite this, the black and white rhinos do not get along! 

The white rhino also performs the lengthiest sex act, much longer than zebras which are as well endowed as donkeys, but operates on the basis, slam, bam thank you maam.😂

A Denis Bullion photo

Male buffalo horns start in the center of the head while the females horns start  close to the ears.

Most antelopes operate in harems with numerous females being serviced by one dominant male. However the little Dik Dik is so monogamous that it stays with its partner for life. When its mate dies, it stops eating and mopes to the point where it becomes easy prey for predators. 

Many animal watering holes are made by the huge elephants wallowing in the mud during the rainy season. An elephant is also so adept at using its large trunk that it can easily pick up something as small as a blade of grass, to huge objects with it.

An elephant at a watering hole

Also, elephants walk on tiptoes hence, despite their huge size, they move around silently.

Lions rarely attack humans unless provoked.

The giraffe's tongue appears to be blue as its pink tongue and the green leaves it feed on, gives it that color.

And lastly, many acacia trees are shaped according to how the giraffes feed on them. 

This acacia tree is tall in the middle as the giraffes feed around the edges

Link; https://youtu.be/W13GpOB4v9E

SOME GREAT OUTDOOR PHOTOS TAKEN BY DENIS BOUILLON

Flamingos partially cover Lake Nakuru

Vervet  aka blue balls monkey

A monogamous Dik Dik

Link; https://youtu.be/W13GpOB4v9E

Our extinct volcano

This latest eruption of Soufriere is really hard on the people in St. Vincent, where the economic fallout of Covid 19 has already been taking such a toll. For just days before the eruption, Prime Minister Gonzales warned that the country was in such dire straits that they may not be able to pay civil servants this month.

Aerial view of La Soufriere

The only good news out of St. Vincent so far therefore, is that there are no deaths. It was also encouraging how quickly Caricom countries have responded. I only hope that those who had to leave their island won’t end up like some of their Montserratian neighbors who have never been able to return home since their volcano erupted in 2012.

This event reminded of how surprised I was when I learnt some years that even Jamaica has an extinct volcano. Yes, I think most of us know that all our islands were formed many millions of years ago from underwater eruptions, but those of us in islands that do not have active volcanos, never give any more thought to this normal destructive force.

The first time I ever heard of our extinct volcano at Black hill in Portland, was some time in 2012, on a ride with friends from Kingston to the parish. We had stopped to rest at the top of the hill just beyond Orange Bay, for rest and refreshments. A young man, mistaking us for tourists came up and offered to take us for a tour to the volcano at Black hill where he said you could see evidence of the lava and the denuded hills.

Since I had never heard of it before, I asked him when it erupted, he said; "About 50 years ago." That kept me laughing for the day, for as I told him, if it had erupted 50 years ago, I would have heard about it!

Poor kid, to him 50 years was a lifetime away. Anyway, I decided to research volcanoes in Jamaica and when I could not find anything besides when the island was formed by underwater volcanoes erupting millions of years ago, I forgot about it. Then coincidentally, in 2014, I got an email from the Natural History Society advising of a field trip to the Orange Bay area in Portland. It would be led by Dr. Simon Mitchell, Professor of Sedimentary Geology and Head of the Dept. of Geology and Geography (UWI, Mona). When I saw that we would be climbing the extinct Black Hill volcano, I naturally jumped at the opportunity. This was by far the most informative field trip I had been on for years. We were introduced firsthand, to things like basalt rocks which were formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava which had broken down over the years to give places like Orange Bay the black sands. We learned too that Black hill actually got its name because of the color of the rocks there, black because of the high content of iron oxide.  Savanna point below the volcano has adequate evidence of an eruption This extinct volcano, according to Prof Mitchell, was quite "young:" having erupted around 12 million years ago, young because Jamaica was first formed by eruptions some 40 - 50 million years ago. million years ago.  We also learnt that Black Hill was 'discovered" around 1860 when the colonial masters, having lost out their cheap labour after the abolition of slavery, decided to do geological surveys in the colonies to search for precious minerals.  Despite the wealth of information, I gathered from the knowledgeable professor that day, my most interesting lecture that day was on folk lore. This came from a young man named Adrian, who had only recently graduated from Annotto Bay high school. He had come to see what our strange group was doing in the area and joined me under a tree.  His version of the extinct volcano was that it last erupted just as Columbus was approaching the island in 1492 and when he saw the smoke coming out of the mountain, he did not stop in Portland but went to Discovery Bay instead. He said he knew that was the true version as his grandmother had told him so! Anyway, with all the strange things happening in the world because of climate change and all that, I just hope our extinct volcano does not have a rebirth, for hurricanes, earthquakes and viruses are proving to be quite enough for us to handle! (169) Joan Williams, author - YouTube