The time in Africa was simply incredible and varied. I traveled through Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania with my friend Uwe. Now we are getting on the bus from Arusha to Nairobi in Kenya, the last stop on our East Africa backpacking trip. It’s unbelievable to think that yesterday we were on safari in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Our luggage is hoisted onto the roof of the bus. We watch skeptically to see whether the bags are sturdy and rainproof and safe from theft. Then I buy a football jersey for Leon with my last shillings.

Goodbye Tansania!

We drive for about two hours without stopping until we reach the border. There, everyone has to get out and line up next to their luggage while a border guard with a dog walks past the bags.

We then have to go through a scanner and show our yellow fever vaccination before we are allowed through to the Tanzanian exit office and the Kenyan entry office. It takes a long time, but it is hassle-free.

On the Kenyan side, we are attacked by a group of Maasai women. The ladies try to sell us something by force and emphasize that they are happy with any kind of currency.

Danish kroner, Polish zloty, they wave all kinds of currencies in front of our noses. Uwe is extremely annoyed, while I take it with humor and joke around with the women.

We leave the border behind us and drive straight into Nairobi. I feel overwhelmed by suddenly arriving in a bustling city after a week of solitude in the savannah. Arusha is no comparison to Nairobi either.

We actually wanted to do some couchsurfing in Nairobi again, but we realized how old we were and that a real bed, a real shower and some privacy would be good after the safari. Nevertheless, I asked people on Couchsurfing if they wanted to meet up with us.

We also feel safe in Nairobi

I chose a hotel right in the city center. Fortunately, it is a few hundred meters from the bus stop.

However, I had no idea that we had ended up in a Muslim neighborhood, right next to the large Jamia Mosque.

We immediately explore the city. Of course, as Muzungus we immediately stand out and are spoken to by many people. Women look at us, men try to persuade us to buy something.

I thought we would see more white people in Nairobi, but we are pretty much on our own. But the people are friendly and we have lots of funny conversations with waiters and security guards.

We visit the Jamia Mosque and immediately attract attention. A visitor offers to show us the mosque. A few older gentlemen insist on convincing us of all the advantages of Islam.

We also visit the Maasai craft market in the city center. Many vendors sell souvenirs here. We literally have to fight our way out of the market.

Since we have settled in the Muslim quarter, it is difficult for us to find a bar that serves beer. During our search, a special café catches my eye: the “Black Forest Cake House“. I have to see the shop. We enter the café and I want to meet the manager.

She wants to take my cake order, but I want to talk to her about the Black Forest. How come there is a Black Forest cake shop in Nairobi?

The woman has no idea what I’m talking about. First I have to explain to her that there is a place called the Black Forest where this cake comes from, and that it also contains cherries and kirsch. The woman is fascinated by it and is happy when I show her photos of the area and the original cake. I’m curious to see if I’ll be able to get Black Forest cake with schnapps and cherries on my next visit to Nairobi.

On Couchsurfing, Fauzia offers to show us a bit of her hometown. The young woman is a student and apparently doesn’t have any lectures these days.

The young woman shows us her favorite cafes and takes us to the roof of the Kenya Conference Center. From there we have a fantastic view of the city.

Fauzia also shows me where the American embassy used to be. In 1998, an al-Qaeda attack killed 220 people, including my great aunt and grandmother Kamran’s, whom I had just visited in Kigali.

Kamran himself was born in Nairobi, my grandparents, my father and my aunt were also often here. The city is very important to my family, so I have a particularly emotional connection to the city.

The people of the city are incredibly warm. We almost feel like we are on our backpacking trip through Iran in 2018. Many people on the street want to take photos with us.

Women look at us. I even have a baby pressed into my arms for a photo. We quickly start talking to the people.

We have a few great days in Nairobi and meet lots of nice people. In the evening Fauzia takes us to a nightclub where we now see a few people from the West. The atmosphere is good. Some women flirt with us – but I don’t know whether they just think we’re great or whether they’re prostitutes.

Finally, it’s time for us to pack our bags. Walk through the streets of Nairobi one last time, feel the feeling of East Africa one last time. The food, the people. It was a fantastic time here and I will always remember it.