Convoy Into Nairobi

Circumnavigating big cities on major highways is no mean feat. One has to find a route that has relatively less traffic and pollution. Good luck finding such a path. In Nairobi, a city of millions, there are few options. We left a riverside camp this morning, hoping to navigate a painless way to arrive at Indaba camp, a green space on the periphery of Kenya's capital city. Below is an image of our idyllic spot last night.

From the Tana river, we rode 54 kms. to lunch at suburban Thika, through pineapple and mango groves. We congregated there to get our cycling orders for the convoy into Nairobi. The Blue Poles hotel was charming and gorgeous. We sipped coffee, ate sweet treats and enjoyed this vista.

After the delicious "lunch" stop, we pushed off to a rendez-vous on the ring road. The entry to Nairobi give one the impression that it is a massive sprawl. We passed the Moi Sports Centre and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology before the non-descript ramp where we were to ride, en masse, to our campsite. Here are some of our wee Kenyan observers.

This was early afternoon. We drank water, checked our tires and prepared for the slog into our beautiful campsite. Eventually, about twenty-five of us braved the diesel-spewing truck exhaust and the  glacial pace of traffic to creep closer to our destination. I queried whether the ride through toixic fumes and gridlock was worth the effort. I rode.