First Full Day in Nairobi

Downtown Nairobi - when we got brave enough to take a photo
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So the first full day in Nairobi and ever so slightly scary.

Ok, more than a little scary really. It may just be down to our neurosis and the stuff we read on the internet before we came, but first impressions of the city are are of a tad uncomfortable.

Charming - with menace

We asked the concierge before we st out where we could go and he gave us a map of the city with two blocks marked as safe. As we set off out, there were security guards and / or armed police in front of most of the buildings. Coupled with the security guards in our own hotel on every floor and in every public space, it makes you wonder what is going on here.

Downtown Nairobi
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In fact everyone has been unbelievably courteous and charming. Even the people who want to try and push tours on us only try twice and then back off with a smile. We got braver as they day went on and pushed the boundaries beyond the blocks marked on the map before eventually running back to the hotel and hiding by the pool. All in all, a very peculiar place. If you imagine Camden Lock with security people everywhere and everyone being polite, you start to get the picture.