A Thank You from Mathare

Cycling the Tour D'Afrique, days 30 to 40, Nairobi to the Ugandan border (Via Mombasa).

Distance Cycled: 3,420km

Metres Climbed: 10,804m

Time on Bike: 123:34:53

Time in Truck: 0:00:00

Race Position: 2nd

As I mentioned in the previous post, we have unfortunately had to avoid Ethiopia due to civil unrest and an increased risk of danger to us and our support vehicles. As such, we took a flight from Khartoum to Nairobi. As recompense for missing Ethiopia, the tour will now take the 'long way round' lake Victoria and take in two additional countries of Uganda and Rwanda - not a bad alternative at all! What this change in schedule also meant is that we had an extended period off the bike in Kenya. A few of us used this time off to venture to the coastal city of Mombasa.

Entrance, Nairobi Railway Station

For a bit of added adventure we decided to take the overnight train from Nairobi, a journey described in the Lonely Planet as one that "can take up to 3 days". Thankfully for us it 'only' took 20 hours. The station and train were like being transported back to 1950's London, with furniture and buildings seemingly untouched since the colonial power deserted. A faded glory? Romantic? Or a discomforting reminder of Britain's exploitation of the the continent?

Nontheless, the train ride was spectacular and, somewhat, luxurious. With private cabins and a first class dining car (serving beer, the first in 18 days!) it gently wound its way through the Kenyan countryside, and even waking up to see Elephants at the side of the tracks.

Departure Board, Nairobi Railway Station

Platform Bar, Nairobi Train Station

First Class Cabin, Nairobi to Mombasa

Mombasa itself was an wonderful mix of cultures. A Muslim majority in a Christian country with a large Hindu Indian population and with a mix of British and Portuguese architecture. After a month of cycling through the desert, relatively, we had a couple of days of luxury. Eating exquisite Indian cuisine, walking along white sand beaches and frequenting in the air conditioned "Java House" - a Starbucks-like western coffee shop.

Culture Mix, Mombasa

Streets, Mombasa

Fishing Boats, Mombasa

Beach, Mombasa

After flying back to Nairobi I had the fortunate opportunity to visit the projects run by the wonderful charity I have been fundraising for, Maji Mazuri. I have been completely overwhelmed by the generous donations we have received, at the time of writing, raising over £1,300. And visiting the projects I can say it really is going to an amazing cause. Your money is going to a great organisation that is truly of the community, for the community. The first project we visited was primary school in Mathare, the second largest slum in the city. On entering the corrugated steel 'building' we were completely mobbed by smiling kids, shaking our hands and even starting a deafening chant of "how. are. you?! how. are. you?!" there were literally kids everywhere you looked. Despite this initial chaos, a single quiet command from the teacher and they immediately settled down, something I couldn't imagine back in the UK! Next was a community centre that they run for alder kids and young adults in the same slum, and finally another school specialising in kids with disability. In each case, the ethos of the projects is to provide life chances to those that would otherwise never have the opportunity. So from all the staff, the kids and the parents of Mathare and Maji Mazuri, we thank you!

Kids of Maji Mazuri School, Mathare Nairobi

School Inspirational Quotes, Mathare Nairobi

Kids of Maji Mazuri School, Mathare Nairobi

After a week off, it was finally time to get back on the bike. After crossing the dusty, barren and flat terrain of the Sahara, riding in Kenya could not be more different. Immediately the richness of colour of the landscapes, the people and the clothes was a stark contrast to the dusty shading of brown that everything appeared to have in the desert. We then, finally, after a month of riding, had some changes in elevation! And with that came an awesome view and equally awesome decent into the great Rift Valley. The next few days cycling saw us head west from Nairobi and over the lush and densely populated Kenyan highlands towards the Ugandan border. We also crossed the equator, a first for many of us by land. We were greeted by some interesting characters to celebrate this with us....