After another hearty breakfast at Heron Portico, we met our local guide, Phillip, for a walk about town. We made arrangements for this tour prior to leaving home with Intrepid's Urban Adventures tour company. It was great to have a local person escort us, answer our questions, educate us about the city, and give his unique perspective.
First, we hiked up to a vantage point where we could overlook Uhuru (Freedom) Park. This park was built on the site from which prison inmates were released after serving their time. From there we had a nice view of Nairobi's cityscape, including many new high rise buildings.
We walked down and through the park, which was filled with all kinds of amusements for children and their families. Many people come here, especially on weekends, to enjoy kiddy carnival rides, paddle boats, picnicking, and relaxing outdoors.
Next, we walked past the National Parliament Buildings and the mausoleum of the first president of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. No photos allowed in this section. Anti-terrorist measures have been in place since the bombing of the US Embassy in 1998. In fact, we visited the August 7th Memorial Park located on the site of the obliterated embassy building. 213 people, mostly Kenyans, were killed in that attack. 5,000 were injured.
We visited the Kenya National Archives building, where we had a guided tour of many interesting and beautiful artifacts representing the different peoples of Kenya. Interesting to learn about the influence India has had on the culture and why.
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and there were many people out and about. Dancers and loud music attracted a crowd. We were told that soon the preaching would begin!
We took a brief walk through the colorful Maasai Market. Overwhelming attention here. Everyone was ready to make a sale!
Rouse was pleasantly surprised to find lots of birds living in the city, and our guide patiently waited out many bird stops. We ended our tour with lunch at a local restaurant... butternut squash soup, baked chicken, turnip greens, sweet potatoes (less sweet, more dry than ours at home), rice, chips (French fries). Very homey food. Tasted real!
We arrived back at our hotel at 2:00pm, hot and tired after our 5 hour urban adventure!
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