Nairobi - Day 1

Our first day in Nairobi was a slow start. We didn't want to plan too much and wait for Michelle's arrival to pet the baby elephants. After lounging around for several hours in Kat's apartment we headed out to exchange some money at the Yaya shopping Centre one block away. We were warned not to take our fancy SLR camera, so we are not targeted as tourists that just arrived in town. The unpaved street was hopping with young man selling roasted corn, car mechanics banging away on an old Honda and ladies selling bananas, pineapples and other unidentifiable vegetation.

We then wandered around the neighbourhood which were full of consulate houses and nice apartments with very tight security before deciding to head back to the shopping centre for some lunch. Although Kenya is a poor country, Nairobi is not cheap! Our smoked ham and Gouda baguette sandwich set us back 12USD. It was delicious though. We forgot to check the tipping etiquette before leaving the apartment and sat around debated amongst ourselves how much we should give. After getting back, we checked the guidebook right away: 10% tip is welcomed since wage is very low (as expected). Kat later informed us, rounding up the bill is good enough.

We were still very much feeling the jet lag and took a 5 hour nap in the afternoon. Later in the evening, we went out to Westland area Italian restaurant for Kat's friend's going away party. Westland is an upscale expat neighbourhood with posh restaurants and bars. After dinner, we headed for a drink and tune in to the England vs Algeria World Cup game at Havana's, a Cuban restaurant and Bar.

The night ended for us at around 11PM. We went back to sleep and waited for Michelle's arrival.