We moved to Nairobi today and let me tell you, if you think traffic in Calgary is bad you REALLLLLLLLY need to come to Nairobi for the day. Twenty minutes of sitting in traffic here will cure you of any ill will you feel towards the City of Calgary and their 'traffic calming measures'!!! The most interesting part of sitting in traffic was the men and women walking up and down the lanes selling Kenyan Passports and Greencards. I knew they were a hot commodity here but that was unbelievable to me.
When we finally made it past the worst of the traffic we stopped at a Curio store for a little more shopping. The store had no set prices and you had to see what you could get done on your own. I think in general we really outdid ourselves in the bargaining department. Quite a few of us walked away from ridiculous deals and the rest of us managed to talk them down to some more manageable prices. The guy Eric and I talked to tried to sell us two goblets for 7000 shillings. We knew from the trip to the carvers that they shouldn't be anywhere near that price and low balled him at 1000. His eye's nearly popped out of his head and he wouldn't budge from 6000 so we walked away. After some time we walked back in the store to look around again and the man approached us four more times before finally coming down to 2500 shillings. Personally, I still think we paid too much but I was more than happy that I won the battle.
The highlight of the day was a trip to the Java House for lunch. They are kind of like a Starbucks but with a full menu and after being on Kenyan food only for so many days we were all ecstatic about the prospect of some 'normal' food and some real coffee (they only serve instant in the hotels here). I had an indian curry and Eric had a burger. Our expectations were not high by any means but they sure exceeded them, what a joy.
Tonight we are in a new guest house which sits beside a huge Baptist church which typically sees 3000 per service. Thankfully this house has internet and we are able to catch up on our blogging. We will be here until Sunday morning and then we move to Tim's ranch. We're all very much looking forward to that as we expect to see many animals there.
Lisa
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Baptism in Canoe Cove
4 years ago
1 comment:
Great to be filled in about all the days that we looked at your blog and were met with a blank page. We did get word that you were OK though What a great time it sounds like you are having! I feel real envious when I hear you talking about the singing and dancing. I was so looking forward to experiencing that! Time is moving quickly. I'm sure you'll be packing lots into your last few days. God bless!
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