I'll try and paint a word picture of our return journey in the afternoons when there is marginally less traffic that at 8.
We leave the site; drive along a VERY rough and stony track between several houses; they are mostly built of poles, then plastered with clay lumps, with one window, and usually a wooden door. Corrugated iron roof. Most of daily life takes place outside … the children are washed there, and so are the clothes and the dishes. The houses next to the site are endlessly fascinating, and we watch what is going on … just as the owners watch us !
The track leads to the main Nairobi road, and we bump up over the edge of the tarmac opposite a Coptic church (Ethiopian). There is a rough dirt track each side of the tarmac road, along which is an endless stream of people walking or riding bicycles. After the Coptic church we pass several road side 'shops' … tiny shacks made of corrugated iron, selling tea bags (singly), sugar, soap, charcoal. Lorries roar past our tuk-tuk, and we in turn pass boda-boda's … bicycles out for hire where the passenger sits on a padded seat behind the pedaller. Some of the bikes have bright seats with fringes; others are more basic. The men who cycle passengers must have strong calf muscles, for some of the passengers are large, and often there are two on the back seat.
After the dukas (little shops) we pass the 'garden centre' … in reality trees and plants for sale by the road side, all planted in old plastic supermarket bags, and lovingly cared for and in good condition. Where the water comes from, I know not.
More tin shacks, more people, more shimmering dust, and a heat haze … the temperature is over 90 F …
Next we pass a stagnant pond, filled with children swimming, cows drinking, people washing their bikes and motor bikes in it … and people filling water carriers with the thick brown 'soup', probably to drink if not to cook with.
We are now getting nearer in to town, and on our right is Mega City ! Garages, and a massive Nakumatt … supermarket … 'If you want it, we have it' … well, they didn't have WD40 oil which we wanted for the dreadful squeaky doors in the apartment ! Boda-bodas and tuk-tuks wait outside to pick up fares.
Next on the left, various schools and churches (several of which we have passed on the way already), and then the football field … rough, and with a thin covering of semi-dead grass. Kids are running around, some bare-foot, kicking a ball.
On our right, saddest of all, is one of the town rubbish dumps. Its is surrounded by a tall corrugated iron fence, with big gates which are usually open. We can see the mounds of burning rubbish; the air is filled with the stench … and children are climbing all over the heaps, scavenging, presumably for food …
Then an open area where there are always several cars parked with men leaning against them … we have wondered if they are dealers, but it may just be a place to park and show off your car !
We turn off onto another rutted, bumpy, dusty dirt track, through several very poor houses and shacks, and turn off again by the Cyber Caff … yes, a modern three storey building with an internet cafe on the ground floor ! Dirt, dust, tin shacks, rubbish everywhere … and the internet ! Such are the contrasts of Africa.
And then back to this apartment block, which is one of several around here, and many more are being built. This area on the edge of town, 40 years ago when I was first here, was just dry bush and scrub country …
Erecting scaffolding - rough poles support even rougher planks
Every piece of wood on site has nails sticking out !
Workman at work on scaffolding, with wheelbarrow of cement plaster on the shakey scaffolding,
and note the plaster bag over-shoes !
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