I’ve just returned from the Mombasa Train Station, where I booked a ticket for the overnight train from Mombasa to Nairobi. It’s more expensive than a bus (over double) but the Peace Corps would fire me if I took a night bus, since it’s against policy due to the number of road accidents. Tomorrow I should arrive in Nairobi in time to visit the KSL standardized testing project and see what I can do to help. I’ll then get a hotel recommendation and settle in for (potentially) the rest of the week. Luckily the office is in a really nice part of town, sharing a building with the fancy Tamarind seafood restaurant that I’ve not yet tried.
The only problem might be train delays. Two of my friends took the train from Nairobi to Mombasa before we all went to Zanzibar, and it ended up taking almost 24 hours. Another volunteer apparently was held up just as long (if not longer) because the train hit an elephant, and the passengers all had to hack it into pieces with machetes to move it out of the train’s way! I’m not sure whether I’m hoping for an uneventful ride or an exciting one, but I’m bringing extra water and bread just in case.