Nairobi!

We've safely arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. We're only here in the capital city for one night, as we leave for the safari tomorrow morning. We'll be staying in a different place each night, I think, and we're supposed to be "camping," but it remains to be seen how rugged this situation will be. Are we sleeping in tents? Will there be showers? We have not received these answers yet. But that's OK! Part of travel is being able to be flexible, something I have become increasingly able to do due to the excellent travel opportunities BVU has provided.

We were met at the airport by a man who drove us to the hotel. We checked in, then immediately decided to walk around the local area, as this will be our only chance to see Nairobi. Our hotel is sort of out of the way, so there were only two options for us to check out. The first option we encountered was the Fairmont Hotel, which (according to the sign) is Kenya's oldest hotel, and which (according to our eyeballs) was super swanky. Actually, this is the hotel our agent first recommended, until I told her it was way too expensive. Still, it was beautiful, with security guards, a gorgeous courtyard and porch bar, etc. But, when we checked the menu and saw that a single beer was about $10, we moved on.

That choice was lucky, as we then followed the sound of music to the "Kenya Cultural Center," which looked to be some kind of theatre by day and a sports bar by night. We're near several universities, and this place had about 3 dozen local people watching soccer and dancing. We stayed to chat with them -- they were extremely friendly and happy to meet us. An entire round of drinks at this place was only $7, and seeing the local experience was so much more valuable than staying in a swanky, touristy place.

Here's a photo of the group, having our first African drinks. The beers are brewed here in Nairobi. I got a juice blend of several local fruits. The second photo is from when some of the locals decided to get in our pictures, and the man here is trying to teach us how to say their version of "cheese" for the camera, which was lots and lots of syllables.

It was a great night! I probably won't be able to post for a few days -- but check back!