Tourism Tip: Cultural Dancing in Nairobi

When will well-heeled tourists learn ?
Dances conducted in hotels and on tours are dull, watered-down versions of the real deal. The advance of technology and influence of foreign cultures has introduced new elements to traditional Kenyan dance.

One of the recent forms of dance is the intriguingly named : “Gari-Ballet”. This ballet involves pirouetting in and out of moving vehicles in an orchestrated fashion — this can sometimes involve death-defying somersaults.

In keeping with prevalent fashion the dancers usually perform in three-piece suits and ties. One of the great champions for this elaborate dance form is the president himself, who has made it mandatory by law for all his staff to attain proficiency in what used to be a dying art-form.

below: gari-ballet performers in action.

Note: the performer pictured on the left Mr.Theo Landonhed is one of the greatest exponents of this unique dance form. Unfortunately he is recuperating in hospital after a recent performance went awry, when he attempted, for the first time in history, to land on his head from a moving vehicle, thus highlighting the great perils of this high precision ballet.

Using a motorcycle in Nairobi

Danger

Its not as dangerous as its made out to be. I have used motorcycles in similar urban scenarios in Pakistan and South-East Asia (where everyone and his dog uses a motorcycle), and didn’t find it any more dangerous than those countries.  Having  a life-insurance policy is still a good idea.

Watch out for

• Big articulated trucks – they can never see you.
• Pedestrians – In Kenya people either blindly run across the road, or tend to notice only larger vehicles like cars. Almost ran over a couple of people, and had to take evasive action from an irate woman with a hand-bag who failed to see me coming.
• Matatus – generally OK, better behaved than the big buses encountered in Pakistan.
• Women – with large bottoms, can be quite a handful to accommodate on a small motorcycle pillion seat.
• Busy highways – like Thika road.

Type of Motorcycle

You don’t need a high-end, powerful motorcycle. What matters within the city is acceleration and agility. At the very least a 100cc motorcycle is good for city use. I have also seen automatically geared scooters being used in Nairobi by messengers and pizza-delivery guys. These are very convenient as there is no switching of gears, or fiddling with a clutch involved (very nice for cutting through stop-and-go traffic). A helmet, well padded jacket, and a reflective gilet are recommended.
Buying a model that is commonly used also means easily available and cheaper spare parts. Avoid those Chinese motorcycles with funny names.

Cops

The police rarely hassle a motorcyclist.

Tourism Tip: Nairobi Wildlife

Kenya is a country endowed with a rich variety of wildlife, and the capital city Nairobi is no exception.
What has been hailed by scientists as an evolutionary marvel, and by the church as the spawn of satan, is a creature that stalks this great city’s roads, and is the newest addition to the Big Five (now the Big Six).
Shiver, tremble, run for your lives, hide your children, sell your grandmother – at the sight of: “Truckus-man-eatus”, or simply “Man-eating truck” :

This particular specimen (pictured above) was hunted down by a brave police officer just as it was consuming its innocent denim-trouser wearing victim (heroic policeman seen posing below with rifle)

(Note: the mark of an astute tourist is in noticing the finer details. Observe how the police force in Kenya uses a unique ranking system. Rank is determined by the size of the policeman’s hat. The size of the hat of the above officer indicates a lower-medium rank (“brown-hat”). ).