The Bus Ride: Nairobi to Isibania

We arrived at the Nairobi bus depot at about 5:55am for a 6am bus to Isibania (the city near the Kuria district, where Nuru is working). The depot is this crazy mess of buses, cars, people, and bags - with no apparent signage or directions. Our translator left to get us tickets (*note: unclear if they were ever actually purchased or given to the bus driver*) and then we took off at as fast a sprint as our large bags and packs would allow - through a tight maze of buses. We found one that - to me - looked exactly like all others in the mess, and were told to push our way on board. Steph and Gaby threw their bags up and climbed the precarious steps into the bus (you wouldn't think of getting into a bus as an ascension ... but really, this one was. Then it was my turn. I got one foot and one bag into the bus as the driver - apparently running on a tight schedule - decided that it was time to go though, and the bus started moving. Crystal was still outside. Our "helpers" started yelling and pounding on the bus. We finally got in, only to find a totally packed bus that basically couldn't fit more than half of us.... therefore, we found ourselves and our bags stacked precariously in the aisle ways as the bus bounced its way down the Nairobi streets.

I eventually squeezed in besides a Tanzanian woman who was in the animal feed business. Namely, she sold Tanzanian animal feed in Nairobi. Upon finding out that I was American, she wanted ot know what products she could go buy in NYC that she could resell in Kenya. Having been to HBS, this little intuition told me that, well, her Kenyan/Tanzanian purchasing power wouldn't exactly go too far on the streets of Manhattan. I hope I talked her out of that idea. She still wants to come visit me in New York though. She was a rather large woman, which basically meant that I had about half the seat, and ours was conveniently the seat closest to the exit. Good side: fresh air (mixed with road dust, but still. Not bus air). Bad side: every time someone needed to exit, they would basically toss their suitcase onto my feet, grab my shoulder or hair or jacket for balance, and stumble off the bus (sometimes while it was still moving).

Crystal and Julius sat amidst many small children. Crystal held, like, three babies or something. Julius held one ... who proceeded to yack all over him. Sign of true character -- he kept holding the baby the whole trip.

It was a rough 6 hours... on 2 hours of sleep... welcome to Kenya, muzungus!