Greetins & Salutations from NAIROBI!

[bundubasher]

Hi
Sorry not to have posted for a while - been busy settling in - anyway we made it. 5000km from Jo'burg to Nairobi and only two punctures!

Kenya has the most atrocious roads I have driven in Africa. Massive potholes in the tar roads that burst tubes and !!!!-up your suspension. And the driving is 100 times worse than in Jo'burg! The "matatu" (combi-type taxis) drivers here, never seem to have ever heard of "rules of the road". If there is a space, they will squeeze through it; if there is a long queue they will mount the pavement and drive hundreds of yards, on the !!!!!! pavement!, to go around it and you've never seen some one cut a corner u8ntil you've seen a Nairobi driver do it: they'll actually take the corner, on the other side of the road, and even into oncomimg traffic! Basicaly, they just don't give a damn!

And if you like Surfs then come to Kenya, there are a span of them here! They used to be "the" 4x4 to steal, in Nairobi's famous car-jackings, but now the crims have moved on to Toyota Cygnus's and the like.

Anyway, just pulled in to say we made it and will be available for bookings soon!

Stay well.

enzo

[slydog]

god stuff

jambo mate and yes ive been to kenya a few times and i know wot you mean about the roads and the drivers . it was worse when they never had the new mombasa to niarobi road . but wot a lovly country it is so laid back . i remeber being on a taxi bus there and it ran out of fuel in the middle of nowhere lol no one moaned just got off and walked away . we didnt know wot the hell had happened lol good luck to you

[kitesurf_phil]

Your updates are always welcome Enzo. There was," Letter From America." and now we have letter from Bundubasher. Enjoy your roaming and keep on up dating for us armchair travellers.

PS. Did you go for the hand painted Zebra stripe colour scheme?

[bundubasher]

Thanks

Thanks guys - sorta miss talking to people who actually care about the machines they drive! It's both ends of the spectrum out here: either too poor to give a damn (Matatu drivers) or too damn rich (UN staffers or frikkin Diplomats), either way they don't give a !!!!!

It's rainy season at the moment and it literally buckets down. It may rain, hard!, for twelve hours straight overnight and the next day the puddle that you drove through yesterday has suddenly become a metre deep abyss that either breaks your back or your suspension!

Car maintenance is so expensive out here that most people don't bother but when they do they use the "Jua Kali's". These people set up by the road and will make or fix anything! From making teak beds, to fixing punctures and reconditioning your engine. They are cheap, cheerfull and usually crap but there are exceptions - those are the ones you have too look out for.

Had another puncture yesterday and got a JK to fix it for Kenyan shilling 150 - about one pound (GBP1:Ksh145 is the going rate) Diesel is about 65 shillings a litre but OE Toyota parts are expensive - so is dealer labour.

Anyway, money's running out so I'll say cheers for now.

PS: Haven't got round to the paint job yet, but soon, very soon!

[surfin]

Noted...

Hi
Sorry not to have posted for a while - been busy settling in - anyway we made it. 5000km from Jo'burg to Nairobi and only two punctures!

Kenya has the most atrocious roads I have driven in Africa. Massive potholes in the tar roads that burst tubes and !!!!-up your suspension. And the driving is 100 times worse than in Jo'burg! The "matatu" (combi-type taxis) drivers here, never seem to have ever heard of "rules of the road". If there is a space, they will squeeze through it; if there is a long queue they will mount the pavement and drive hundreds of yards, on the !!!!!! pavement!, to go around it and you've never seen some one cut a corner u8ntil you've seen a Nairobi driver do it: they'll actually take the corner, on the other side of the road, and even into oncomimg traffic! Basicaly, they just don't give a damn!

And if you like Surfs then come to Kenya, there are a span of them here! They used to be "the" 4x4 to steal, in Nairobi's famous car-jackings, but now the crims have moved on to Toyota Cygnus's and the like.

Anyway, just pulled in to say we made it and will be available for bookings soon!

Stay well.

enzo

OK Bwana ..

[truckarms]

Yeah Kenya is one of the best places to be I love it out there (so much I got married there). My dad has a surf out there and has started complaining as they have started welding the chasis now, after 5 years of doing the nairobi to kisumu road there are a few cracks appearing, which is amazing as hitting potholes at 120km/h would have destroyed most cars in 6 months not 5 years!!!

[slydog]

married

yea i got married there as well mombasa

[bundubasher]

Where does your father live? I ask as I might run into him one day!

[truckarms]

My Dad lives in a little place called Koru.
Its about an hour from Lake Victoria.
Dennis Burnett is his name.
You will find him in the bar at Mathaiga (sp?) club most of the time when he is in Nairobi. He has a burgandy surf with an A bar (not that there is not loads of them in kenya)
What you going to do in Kanya job wise just out of interest?