Out and About in Nairobi

The past week in Nairobi has been quite hectic.  Security here is generally very tight, with security guards checking bags and using metal detecting wands throughout the city, but you notice them more at malls, restaurants and hotels now that everyone is on heightened alert after the terror attack.  My hotel is only a few miles from Westgate, thus we’ve seen many low flying helicopters and the smoke coming from the fire at the property.  Despite this chaos my time here has been good.  Since my blog posts are frequently very long-winded I thought I would just share some photos from Nairobi today.

Here is an outdoor market I visited last Saturday.  I was actually there when the Westgate attack took place. You can see the traditional Kenyan dresses, beaded sandals and jewelry which were being sold.  I was very popular as I was one of only a few foreigners; mostly locals visit this market:

Here is the University of Nairobi where I visited a tourism professor and was a guest speaker in a class:

Corruption and bribery is a serious problem throughout most of Africa, and Kenya is no different.  You see signs throughout the city which refer to “Don’t give bribes” and “Corruption is illegal.”  Even University of Nairobi has had some problems with this, as advertised on this sign:

As I mentioned in a previous posting, everyone in Kenya loves Obama.  Everyone in Africa loves Obama, but the Kenyans are particularly proud of him because they are convinced he was born here.  Thus, he is often used in advertisements, such as for this kiosk printing passport photos:

Here are some small shacks in a neighborhood which I visited.  As you can see here, there are shops selling groceries, there is a makeshift automotive repair shop, and there was even a doctor’s office: