I had a quick ten day visit to Kenya, and didn’t leave Nairobi that whole time. While that leaves me itching to go back, I am very lucky to have been able to explore the city, from the nicest neighbourhoods and poshest restaurants, to the heart of a couple of the slums. The first slum I went into was Mukuru kwa Njenga, and I just spent a short while in a closed construction area at the edge of the slum. The next day started with a short trip to the Majengo slum, which seemed as rough a place I had ever seen. That is until I spend the remainder of the day in Kibera, the giant slum of legend.

It’s impossible to convey the sense of the place through screen you see this on because the poverty surrounds and suffocates you so completely. Here is a major city within a city – a community built on the dream of escaping rural poverty, and walled in by type of wealth that will always be out of reach for most. The paths through the town are winding and uneven, paved in plastic bags and other waste, often with a stagnant little creek of waste running right through the middle. The building materials vary a little, but looked to mainly be raw wood, corrugated iron, and mud. And yet, if you look on the map below you’ll see the golf course and nice houses that form the border of Kibera, ringed in high-security fences to keep out their neighbours.

It may be naive of me, but I couldn’t overcome the feeling that this sort of urban poverty wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the neighbouring opulence. For several generations, people have poured into the slums and scramble for work. Their kids receive a better education and proceed to compete with hundreds of thousands of others for jobs. Kenya’s economy may grow at a staggering 6% per anum, but with population growing at close to 3% per year and an estimated urbanisation rate of 3.7% it seems like a losing battle – there will be ever more people competing in a jobs market that just can’t grow fast enough.

But that’s just the surface. As I met and chatted with some of the folks in the community the dark exterior gave way to some reasons for hope. More on that in part two…

There are a couple more pictures after the jump.

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So I had a week-long conference in Mombasa, Kenya, which was simultaneously wonderful (It’s warm! even at night!) and tortuous (We were inside all day.  I felt like I was back in 5th grade, staring out of the classroom window, praying for the teacher to call recess).  Suspecting that I would regret it if I didn’t take some “me” time at the end of the trip, I gave myself Saturday to frolick.

Now, it may be tempting to do nothing but vegetate on the beach with a Tusker while in paradise.  Frankly, some fellow conference goers did just that, and part of me certainly understood the desire.  That said, for those of us who like to be able to differentiate one beach town from the next, here are some must-dos if you only have a day in Mombasa:

1. Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Center –  This compound is a rehabilitation center that provides employment, education, housing, etc. for adults who are blind or physically disabled and who would otherwise have virtually no chance of employment in Kenya.  It looks a bit dilapidated, and you certainly feel pressure to buy at least one artisanal product, but luckily, it will be easy to give in as the crafts are quite good.  There are also a few cheesy aspects of it, but if you make it clear that you’d really just rather hang out and chat with the artisans rather than go through the official tour, which includes a  ”cultural show” – a very awkward dance lesson where you are forced to watch elderly European men try to keep up with the 20-something Kenyan counterparts dressed as Masaai warriors – then it can be an educational and moving time.  As my friend Jorge says, you walk away feeling like you’ve participated in “ethical tourism.”

2. Old Town - I love markets.  Even touristy ones.  The colors, the noises, the crowds.  As long as I have a zipper on my purse, I’m as happy as a clam.  Old Town market is much less rowdy than your average scene, as it’s mixed in with a residential area.  It is quite a labyrinth of dusty, winding streets lined with meticulously carved wooden doors that open into homes and shops.  This, of course, makes for great photos if you’re discreet about it.  An added bonus for Americans visiting Kenya is the “Obama Price” being offered by every vendor that learns of your citizenship.  Instead of the terse and occasional combatitive responses I got for claiming the US of A as my own for the past 8 years, I was greeted with an outpouring of excitement and congratulations.  For once, my Canadian co-workers were jealous! Ha!  Even more exciting, you can get kangas and other wares with Obama plastered all over it.  I am optimistic that this will be a fun keepsake to display when I’m old and recounting all of my travel stories to anyone who will listen.

3.  Fort Jesus - If you like history, then you should go to Fort Jesus.   If you like specatcular views of water and nature, you should go to Fort Jesus.  If you like lots of attention from men, you should go to Fort Jesus (sorry guys, the above statement does apply to you…as far as I can tell).  For just a small upkeep fee, you can go see this Portuguese built fort that was captured by the Turks, turned into a slave fort, then a prison, then eventually a museum.  If history is the reason for your story, investing in a guide isn’t a bad idea, but you should make sure to get an official one.  That said, remember, official does not mean you can’t bargain on the tour price.  You’ll just get more bang for your buck.  If you’re there for the ambience, save the cash and just roam around.  Once you’ve actually gotten into the fort, no one really bothers you so it is quite easy to linger, soak in the views, and snap photos like a paparazzo.

4. Juma Tea Shop - This shop is actually in Old Town, but it deserved its own comment.  We stumbled upon the tea shop when walking from Fort Jesus to the market.  It specializes in Somali and Kenyan tea and coffee.  They also make a mean potato puff and samosa.  The environment is extremely relaxed (maybe too relaxed for this admittedly impatient American).  The best part, however, is hands down the homemade tea concoctions.  The spices are added to tea leaves and coffee on the spot, which adds a freshness to the flavor in a way I’ve never tasted before.  I bought enough tea to brew for a year.  It takes time for them to prepare it, but it is well worth the wait. 

Of course, as my beach bumming colleagues would recommend, don’t forget to get some time in for lounging oceanside with that Tusker.  If you really want the sea experience, you can even go scuba diving with sharks.  As for me, I’ll take the Tusker.

Famous Tusk Arches of Mombasa

Unlike Weldon, these holidays have been pretty low key for me as far as adventure goes. I haven’t spent much time with family over the past couple years, so I needed to devote some time bouncing around Illinois and Iowa catching up. Christmas was spent up in the Iowa side of the Quad Cities, then Christmas weekend in central Iowa, a few days back in my hometown in Illinois, and then up to Chicago for New Years.

All of this is in strict contrast to the holidays I had last year. At this time last year, I was busy lying low on the Kenyan coast, trying to avoid any confrontations with loose machetes. I was spending my holidays bouncing around the various Kenyan beaches on the Indian Ocean and had just met up with a friend in the region’s main port city, Mombasa, when the rigged presidential election on December 27 sent the country tailspinning into near-civil-war.

The tension built up over a couple days after the election as the national election commission stalled announcing the tainted tallies. The election was always too close to call; we’ll never know who really won. But what did become apparent was that the incumbent president decided it wasn’t worth the risk to find out. When the illegitimate election results were announced, tribal-based violence sprang up all over the nation.

Leading up to the election, I, like most Kenyans and outside observers, had confidence that election would go relatively smooth and fair. I was not expecting to have to scramble back to my cheap hotel room in Mombasa town (actually an island just off the mainland). My friend and I spent the next few days suffering under the equatorial sun and coastal humidity in the non-air-conditioned hotel, never wandering more than a twenty yards outside the hotel for safety reasons. Luckily, there was a small local restaurant in that radius—however, after a few days, cabbage was the only ingredient left on the menu. The country was on lock down.

For New Years, a group of four of us decided we had earned a little change of scenery. Venturing out for the first time in a few days, we ended up on the empty rooftop of some downtown building. I was bringing in the New Year with a packet of miraa (or khat), the mild stimulant plant popular in East Africa that one chews slowly over the period of a few hours. The four of us just sitting and talking quietly, appreciating our cling on life–it was an eerie beginning to 2008.

Despite the eerie beginning, 2008 ended up all right after all, and we all got out of that mess safe and sound. This 2009 is starting much differently; it will be interesting to see what adventures are in store for this year. Happy New Year all!