Nairobi Favorites

Favorite thing: keep safe dont go in unknow places unless u r with a local guy, dont pick ur mobile on the street , remove watches, any gold and keep ur camera not exposed. If u want to know anything about nairobi just send me an email I know everything I have been leaving there for 10years !

Favorite thing: If you are tired of washing your own udnerwear in your own sink for the 20th time and don't want to spend a fortune on getting your laundry done at your hotel, there is a laundry service located at the entrance of the parking garage for the Intercontinental hotel that was 1/3 to 1/2 cheaper than the Intercontinental's prices for doing laundry. And in fact, it is the same place the Intercontinental uses. They also have dry cleaning service as well.

Favorite thing: I think everyone generally knows about Tusker beer. Right? But did you know there is another Tusker as well? There is a Tusker Malt Lager (it comes in a green bottle) that I thought was WAY better than the standard Tusker. Just order "Tusker Malt" and try it. It's worth it (and sits at 5% as well) :-).

Fondest memory: the first moment I sipped the "Tusker Malt"

Favorite thing: There are 3 major banks in Nairobi: KCB, Standard Charter, and Barclay's. Of the three, I prefer using Barclays or Standard Charter because their ATM's are relatively private and they are usually working. I have had some issues with KCB's ATM's not working alot of the time, so I don't use them. Standard Charter and KCB are throughout the downtown,and you can find the main Barclay's hub off of Mama Ngina street on Simba St.

Favorite thing: Situated just off Haile Selassie Avenue the Nairobi Train station is where suburban and the train to Mombasa train station is caught. At times it becomes hectic with both fellow travellers and touts. I do however recommend a ride on a train, even if a local suburban one. Prices where very cheap.

Favorite thing: When you first enter a safari park in Kenya, and you spot your first impala, you get very excited and shoot away dozens of pictures. By day three you become so blasé to them that you barely glance up: "oh, there's another impala". They really are evrywhere!

Favorite thing: A little further along we came across a tea plantation. Again this was a first for us, and we found it very interesting, hearing all about how the plant is grown, when and how it is picked and how it is processed to become the little bags we put into a mug of hot water in the mornings.

Fondest memory: Although it can reach a height of ten metres if left uncultivated, tea shrubs are usually kept to a manageable height for the pickers to reach over the canopy to harvest the young shoots. Every five days the three most recent shoots are picked as they are considered the youngest and most tender for commercial processing. Tea has been used for medicinal purposes in China since 2737 BC, but did not become popular as a drink in Europe until 1610 AD

Favorite thing: Just outside Nairobi we came across a coffee plantation. Being my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, I was very excited about seen this plant. You take such items for granted back home, coffee comes fully ground in jars from the supermarket, you don't very often stop and think about its origin.

Fondest memory: The coffee plant grows to the height of 7-8 meters but most of the time the cultivated plants are cut to the height of 2-4 meters to get more width. The leaves of the coffee plant are 10-15 cm long, and the flowers emerge from the branches together with the leaves. The white coffee flower has five petals and a scent resembling that of jasmine. The flowers last only 2-3 days, followed by the berries. Initially they are cherry-sized and green, turning dark red later on. This process takes eight months. The coffee tree can produce flowers and berries at the same time. Harvesting takes place at any time of year, sometimes several times.