5 OCTOBER 2011

NYERI

The last home of Scouting

Now I feel safe

An incident today on the matatu on the way to Nyeri – I had purchased two daily papers, reading one with the other in my basket. The girl next to me, without batting an eyelid asks “Will you assist me? Give me your newspaper.” I am amazed and reckon that about sums up a lot of peoples’ attitudes in many countries here – help me before I help myself.I wonder if this is a side effect of so much irrelevant aid.

The founder of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell was quoted as saying “The nearer to Nyeri, the nearer to bliss.” I’m not too sure about that but checking into the Sharbeen Hotel at Nyeri, their motto is “best the first time, every time!”

What the?? Oven fresh candles?

There is a large bar downstairs but after they assured me that it closes at 10pm each night I pay my money to check in and head out to walk around town. Finding the Guide and Scout shops next to each other, I get all excited when I see the Guides have postcards of BP’s grave and Paxtu. I pick out six to send to everyone but adding it up, the girl quotes me an outlandish amount – over $20? After recounting and itemising, I understand that the shop wants Ksh300 a postcard – that is $3 a card – what a rip off! I ask if they are also available in Nairobi at the Girl Guides HQ? “No.” Oooh someone has stumbled onto a goldmine here and they are mining it for all that it’s worth because many mzungus would pay that price not realising the true value and not understanding that this money is going directly into someone’s pocket and not to the Association!

The Scout shop has a range of items at more reasonable prices so I get a couple of things before walking down Baden Powell Rd to arrive at Outspan Hotel. The hotel tastefully maintains the Baden Powell Museum – Paxtu Cottage where Lord Baden Powell spent the last three years of his life. The usual guide is away today but the bloke showing me around thinks it’s all very nice anyway. And so it is with loads of Baden Powell photos and paraphernalia along with many countries offerings of scarves and badges left by visitors that now includes a Bentleigh District Girl Guide badge!  Walking back into town I find the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery where Lord and Lady Baden Powell are buried.

On entry, I ignore the beckoning and head straight out to the lovely view of Mt Kenya and the well maintained grave. After taking a few pics to try and replicate the postcards that were so outlandishly priced, I exit to be asked $3 entry! Now this is the first time I have ever paid admission to a cemetery and by Kenyan standards it is a very steep price too.  This is all a little dispiriting with Guiding and Scouting here turning a quick profit on their own international members. Still a lovely day though and as Nyeri is very close to Abedare NP I am very tempted to spend a night out there to checkout more animals. But on further enquiry one camp, Treetops is closed for renovation and at Ark there are no other tourists about so not really feasible (read economical) for a single traveller to visit!

FACT: In response to several tourist kidnappings from Northern coastal resorts into Somalia last month, Kenya retaliated by sending in between 2000 and 3000 troops across its border with Somalia to hunt al-Shabaab insurgents, whom it blames for the kidnappings. The radical Islamist al-Shabaab controls a lot of Somalia in the absence of a stable and effective transitional government there. But they deny kidnapping foreigners and are repeatedly warning of bloody retaliations within Kenya. This has prompted the US Embassy in Nairobi to cite ‘credible information of an imminent attack on key facilities including where foreigners stay’.  Most governments are warning their citizens to defer travel to Nairobi at this time. Within a few days of the incursion, several grenades were thrown into crowds in Nairobi resulting in some deaths and injuries. As I am almost there I think I will stay with the Girl Guides in Nairobi who have assured me that they are far away from any threatened Nairobi suburbs!!

mmmmmmm