Safari salama - travelling around in Kenya

Safari in Suaheli means travelling, and going from one place to an other in Kenya can be an unforgettable experience moreover you get to know a lot of local people. There are several means of transport, lets start with the small ones:

MOTORBIKE
Those little vehicles are finding its way trough any jungle and to the fares house behing the mountains. If it's dark you better know the way by heart, but hakuna matata you are two passengers and the driver on the bike.

TAXI
Of course before deciding with which one you want to go, you have to bargain the price. Sometimes you have to speak to a lot of people, get out all you charm, good arguments and your best smile, to find the right driver, but it's worth it. Once decided you should take care, dors not always close and in any
bend it may open. Or it is so closed that you can't get out.

MATATU
The big brother of the normal taxi. There are the "normal cars" and there are the mini vans. In both are fitting the same number of people up to 13 pax (including the driver and his assistent somewhere), although not with the same space and comfort. Though cars have only 2 seats in front, suposly one for the driver and one for passenger, in Kenya they may sit up to 5 people, the driver only needs one leg to drive, the rest can be hold outside the window and sitting on a passegers lap is always fun. In the back of a normal car in Kenya is made for 4 people, and Kenyans are not smaller than others, sometimes you even sit there with 5 or 6. But what do we do with all the space the trunk has? it is realy useful and in it fit a lot of things with a human topping of more or less 5 more people, baskets, bikes etc. if you leave the door open, you only have to put a foot in, and hold yourself and the ride may begin. Often these trips stop quite fast and a new puzzle begins. In a mini van you get your very own seat, but the ride most like seems a Disco-Tour with very loud music, sometimes even with video. Just don't get in to a Matatu to drive 6 hours from Kuria to Nairobi if Mikael Jackson just died, you will know his entire live, allll his songs and everything you did not know about him so far and more.

BUS
Lets first talk about the so called bus station. It seems quite intimating on the first view, no signs, caos, a lot of black men with huge bales, and police men with big guns, people with paper trays full of lollypops, biscuits, bananas and other useful things for the journey. Once found the right bus, you only have to wait until it's full, and the ride begins, lets say only 1 or 2 hours. But we weren't in Kenya if Good woul'd bless the trip, so we pick up a priest on our way, if you don't understand Suaheli don't get afraid, he is not angry nor drunk, just listen until the end and you will hear the "amen". Loosing a weel on the way neither is a problem, buses have enough to go on and no time is waisted in repairing it, and letting us wait for hours.

Going from one place to an other in Kenya can be an unforgettable experience which you may enjoy if you take it "hakuna matata" with a smile on your face and a lot of time and good company. Have a safe journey - Safari Salama!