NAIROBI is one of Africa's
major cities: the UN's fourth
"World Centre", East
Africa's commercial and aid hub, and
a significant capital in its own
right, with a population of between
a million and a half and three
million, depending on how big an
area you include. As a traveller,
your first impressions are likely to
depend on how - and where - you
arrive. Coming here overland, some
time resting up among the fleshpots
can seem a pleasant proposition.
Newly arrived by air from Europe,
though, you may wonder - amid the
rash of signs for
California
Cookies, Wimpy and
Oriental
Massage - just how far you've
travelled. Nairobi, just a century
old in 1999, has real claims to
Western-style sophistication but, as
you'll soon find, it lacks a
convincing heart. Apart from some
lively musical attractions - some of
East Africa's busiest
clubs
and best
bands - there's
little here of magnetic appeal, and
most travellers stay long enough
only to take stock, make some travel
arrangements and maybe visit the
National
Museum , before moving on.
If you're interested in getting
to know the real Kenya, though,
Nairobi is as compelling a place as
any and displays enormous vitality
and buzz. The controlling ethos is
commerce rather than community, and
there's an almost wilful
superficiality in the free-for-all
of commuters, shoppers, police,
hustlers and tourists. It's hard to
imagine a city with a more
fascinating variety of people, and
almost all of them newcomers. Most
are immigrants from rural areas,
drawn to the presence and
opportunities of money, and Nairobi,
on the surface at least, seems to
accept everyone with complete
tolerance. On any downtown pavement
you can see a complete cross-section
of Kenyans, plus every variety of
tourist and refugees from many
African countries.
Nairobi's rapid growth inevitably
has a downside however (read any
newspaper or talk to any resident
and you'll hear some jaw-dropping
stories of crime and police
shootings), and you should certainly
be aware of its reputation for bag-snatching
and robbery , frequently
directed at new tourist arrivals. If
you plan to stay for any length of
time, learn the art of survival;
with the right attitude, you're
unlikely to have problems. For the
few days that most people spend in
Nairobi - if initial misgivings can
be overcome - it's a stimulating
city.
