Hi all,
Sorry about the launch video on the space post - I tested it before and it did not play like that. I'll work on it some more to get it up to speed.
In my post "Another tangent ...", I mentioned this form of travel - very popular in Africa!! Although not the subject of this post, I thought it may liven up things by showing your an image of an Islamabad, #Pakistan, taxi, colourful to say the least :-)
On one of my many visits to Nairobi, I stayed at the Safari Park Hotel and Casino situated some 8km from the city centre on Thika Road.
Now wherever I traveled, the first priority was to stay as close to squash courts as possible and, in this hotel,
there were two well-maintained squash courts on the premises! Squash heaven!!
Something I learnt from a previous visit to the Kenyan highlands is that, if you come from a sea-level abode, play as much #squash as you can within the first two days - thereafter the altitude makes you breath like a fish on dry land! My first encounter with this phenomenon was when I postponed the first squash game to the end of a week. The result? I, relatively young and fit, was beaten to blithering pulp by an ancient (I swear he was in his early 70s!) Kenyan gentleman. To call someone that handed you your proverbial backside a 'gentleman' is something I wrestled with at length but eventually the gentleman in me won - so there!
Like I said, I learnt from my early experiences and shared with you the squash wisdom - for free!
During my stay at the #Safari Park Hotel, I used car taxis to attend to my duties. We drove into the city a few times and adventurous me started wondering what it would be like to ride in one of the Kenyan minibus taxis.
Would it be like taking a #Stellenbosch minibus taxi and be bored to death? Or would it be like taking a #Durban minibus taxi to Wentworth and be driven to deaf by their sound systems? Or would it be like a #Soweto taxi and be scared to death?
Luckily for me the working week came to an end and I went to sleep with the firm resolve to try out a Nairobi minibus taxi the next morning. Worst come to worst at least I'll save some money, right?
The delicious breakfast did nothing to dampen my spirits, if anything it strengthened my resolve. To Thika road then I waddled on my full stomach.
A word of warning: If you intend going on a serious jaunt, DO NOT DO IT on a full stomach. A man does not think straight on a full stomach - that is why most engagements happen AFTER a good meal and most break-ups on empty stomachs!
I managed to cross the rather busy road and flagged down the first minibus taxi on its way to the city! Now in South Africa, whether it is the first day of the weekend or not, taxis STOP for passengers. On this particular morning, this particular minibus taxi taxied along slowly while I ran alongside it to get on. As my one foot firmly established itself on the landing, the driver's patience with my slow entry came to an abrupt end! Somehow, I dragged my other foot into the vehicle and not a moment too soon as the door slammed shut where my other foot was a millisecond before.
Luckily I could not understand #Swahili because a sudden upsurge in the general hubbub of conversation could only have been caused by my inelegant.entry. I made it to my seat with all the dignity I could muster. Please understand that my dignity was ever so slightly out of place at this point but keeping my pose was important.
I was securely seated having learnt another lesson with Nairobi minibus taxis: If they do not stop dead, wave them on! Even if it takes you the whole day, be patient, as losing limbs or digits in a foreign country is not to be recommended.
On the morning of the first day of the weekend it seemed that everyone needed to get into town in a hurry. The inbound carriageway had two lanes but at times as many as four vehicles competed for this space at around the legal limit.
As if this was not terrifying enough, the driver of a sedan next to our exalted taxi dared to push his bumper into a minimal space that our driver was convinced belonged to our taxi's bumper. Our driver, while driving at around 100km per hour (I peeked at the speedometer through all this), leaned out of his window and berated the front seat passenger in the sedan. This less than civil conversation was punctuated with wild gestures from both parties. Now moi had one eye on the road ahead while this pantomine played itself out.
I NOTICED THAT THE BUS SOME DISTANCE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF US, HAD STOPPED IN ITS TRACKS.
I also noticed, with my acute squash-sharpened peripheral vision that we were boxed in on both sides and ... Still the argument between our two protagonists raged full-blown.
In an instant my mind developed an image of my outline against the back of a Kenyan bus, tinged with a reddish splatter.At this time I was glad I had a fresh pair of underpants back at the hotel (in case of emergency, you know)
I could already hear my good wife's voice in my mind's eye: He died where? In a minibus in Nairobi? What was he doing in a minibus in Nairobi? and so on and on and on ...
In the next instant, our driver reluctantly disengaged from his shouting match and managed to bring our minibus to a halt literally millimeters from the bus.
Yes, the skills of some Kenyan minibus taxi drivers outdoes my imagination. So it is a great mystery why Kenya does not yet have a Formula 1 word champion. Soweto minibus drivers need to upskill
Oh yes ... and guys, do not scare the tourists ... they write blogs that other tourists read and you lose money.
In contrast the trip back to the hotel, by minibus again (have I told you I'm a slow learner?), was so uneventful I felt like I was in a Stellenbosch taxi :-) And I did not need the change of underpants after all!
I will travel in a minibus taxi anytime in Nairobi when I'm alone.
Next time, dudes and dudettes!
Sorry about the launch video on the space post - I tested it before and it did not play like that. I'll work on it some more to get it up to speed.
In my post "Another tangent ...", I mentioned this form of travel - very popular in Africa!! Although not the subject of this post, I thought it may liven up things by showing your an image of an Islamabad, #Pakistan, taxi, colourful to say the least :-)
On one of my many visits to Nairobi, I stayed at the Safari Park Hotel and Casino situated some 8km from the city centre on Thika Road.
Now wherever I traveled, the first priority was to stay as close to squash courts as possible and, in this hotel,
there were two well-maintained squash courts on the premises! Squash heaven!!
Something I learnt from a previous visit to the Kenyan highlands is that, if you come from a sea-level abode, play as much #squash as you can within the first two days - thereafter the altitude makes you breath like a fish on dry land! My first encounter with this phenomenon was when I postponed the first squash game to the end of a week. The result? I, relatively young and fit, was beaten to blithering pulp by an ancient (I swear he was in his early 70s!) Kenyan gentleman. To call someone that handed you your proverbial backside a 'gentleman' is something I wrestled with at length but eventually the gentleman in me won - so there!
Like I said, I learnt from my early experiences and shared with you the squash wisdom - for free!
During my stay at the #Safari Park Hotel, I used car taxis to attend to my duties. We drove into the city a few times and adventurous me started wondering what it would be like to ride in one of the Kenyan minibus taxis.
Would it be like taking a #Stellenbosch minibus taxi and be bored to death? Or would it be like taking a #Durban minibus taxi to Wentworth and be driven to deaf by their sound systems? Or would it be like a #Soweto taxi and be scared to death?
Luckily for me the working week came to an end and I went to sleep with the firm resolve to try out a Nairobi minibus taxi the next morning. Worst come to worst at least I'll save some money, right?
The delicious breakfast did nothing to dampen my spirits, if anything it strengthened my resolve. To Thika road then I waddled on my full stomach.
A word of warning: If you intend going on a serious jaunt, DO NOT DO IT on a full stomach. A man does not think straight on a full stomach - that is why most engagements happen AFTER a good meal and most break-ups on empty stomachs!
I managed to cross the rather busy road and flagged down the first minibus taxi on its way to the city! Now in South Africa, whether it is the first day of the weekend or not, taxis STOP for passengers. On this particular morning, this particular minibus taxi taxied along slowly while I ran alongside it to get on. As my one foot firmly established itself on the landing, the driver's patience with my slow entry came to an abrupt end! Somehow, I dragged my other foot into the vehicle and not a moment too soon as the door slammed shut where my other foot was a millisecond before.
Luckily I could not understand #Swahili because a sudden upsurge in the general hubbub of conversation could only have been caused by my inelegant.entry. I made it to my seat with all the dignity I could muster. Please understand that my dignity was ever so slightly out of place at this point but keeping my pose was important.
I was securely seated having learnt another lesson with Nairobi minibus taxis: If they do not stop dead, wave them on! Even if it takes you the whole day, be patient, as losing limbs or digits in a foreign country is not to be recommended.
On the morning of the first day of the weekend it seemed that everyone needed to get into town in a hurry. The inbound carriageway had two lanes but at times as many as four vehicles competed for this space at around the legal limit.
As if this was not terrifying enough, the driver of a sedan next to our exalted taxi dared to push his bumper into a minimal space that our driver was convinced belonged to our taxi's bumper. Our driver, while driving at around 100km per hour (I peeked at the speedometer through all this), leaned out of his window and berated the front seat passenger in the sedan. This less than civil conversation was punctuated with wild gestures from both parties. Now moi had one eye on the road ahead while this pantomine played itself out.
I NOTICED THAT THE BUS SOME DISTANCE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF US, HAD STOPPED IN ITS TRACKS.
I also noticed, with my acute squash-sharpened peripheral vision that we were boxed in on both sides and ... Still the argument between our two protagonists raged full-blown.
In an instant my mind developed an image of my outline against the back of a Kenyan bus, tinged with a reddish splatter.At this time I was glad I had a fresh pair of underpants back at the hotel (in case of emergency, you know)
I could already hear my good wife's voice in my mind's eye: He died where? In a minibus in Nairobi? What was he doing in a minibus in Nairobi? and so on and on and on ...
In the next instant, our driver reluctantly disengaged from his shouting match and managed to bring our minibus to a halt literally millimeters from the bus.
Yes, the skills of some Kenyan minibus taxi drivers outdoes my imagination. So it is a great mystery why Kenya does not yet have a Formula 1 word champion. Soweto minibus drivers need to upskill
Oh yes ... and guys, do not scare the tourists ... they write blogs that other tourists read and you lose money.
In contrast the trip back to the hotel, by minibus again (have I told you I'm a slow learner?), was so uneventful I felt like I was in a Stellenbosch taxi :-) And I did not need the change of underpants after all!
I will travel in a minibus taxi anytime in Nairobi when I'm alone.
Next time, dudes and dudettes!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Moi? Never! You were brave...
ReplyDeleteBordering on stupidity if you ask me ;-)
ReplyDelete