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NAIROBI |
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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.
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