I absolutely loved the train ride from Mombasa to Nairobi last week. It was a charming and relaxing alternative to the bus. It takes longer—12 hours instead of 8—but since I spent most of that time sleeping in a bed, I could find no reason for complaint.
Here’s the station prior to departure:
Here’s my room. This is second class, meaning that there are four beds in a room. In first class, there are two. Because so few people take the train, though, there is really no difference, as I had the entire room (all four beds) to myself and I used one of the beds for my luggage. This picture was taken before dinner. After dinner, one of the beds had been made and even had a pillow!
Here’s a table in the dining car just before dinner. It was nice to sit with strangers and enjoy a nice meal. All the food is made right there on the train.
In the morning I skipped breakfast, since I’m doing my best to observe Ramadan, but from my room I got an interesting view of the Nairobi slums, in stark contrast to my pampered train experience:
The train was only a few minutes late, and far less hectic than arriving by bus, since the train station is a more mellow (and secure) location, which allowed me to look at a Nairobi map without painting a target on my backpack.
This was the first time I’ve been in Nairobi on my own. I stayed at the 680 Hotel, which was a pretty nice business hotel walking distance from the office where I spent my days. I walked around this area quite a bit—it’s a government-dominated landscape, with the Primer Minister’s office, the President’s office, parliament, etc, all around. It’s a pretty secure area, at least from petty crimes. On the other hand, it’s close is the old location of US Embassy building, which was moved after because it was bombed. Surrounded by tall office buildings, people in a hurry, and clean sidewalks, I would occasionally forget where I was, only to be reminded by something distinctly non-urban American: a man carrying a slab of beef on his back, a one-legged man in tattered clothes, or a red light completely disregarded by all vehicles.
But not all my time was spent wandering around. My work in Nairobi was very exciting. I enjoyed being able to assist a very well-meaning, enthusiastic, and intelligent team of people. I’m still new to the project, so I’m not sure which things are more secretive than others, so for now I’ll leave it at that, but I’m sure that I’ll have more to say later. It was weird having to sign an NDA—something that was so common at my job in the US but I never expected to be a part of the Peace Corps experience!
Lastly, I found a bar/club/restaurant called “Tacos,” that has, believe it or not, tacos! And they were quite good. I highly recommend it to any travelers suffering from Mexican food deprivation, although if that describes you, and you are trying to observe Ramadan, don’t let it tempt you into eating lunch!