Having spent my first day settling in, and strolling to the closest place with an atm (about a half-hour walk to a little mall), I decided to face my fears of this city that has such a bad rep, convert it to a sense of adventure, and head in to explore Nairobi. I took a cab to the national museum (very adventurous, I know!), as good a starting point as any. The entrance sign outlined the 3 different rates: citizen (200KSH), resident (600KSH) and non-resident - i.e. me - 1200KSH. I only had 1100 left and so asked to pay by card, but the machine was down. Again, the closest ATM was at least a half-hour walk and didn't work, so I ended up heading into the town centre. Several people said "hi" - seeing as I was the only white person walking around - and I politely said "hi" back and then ignored the rest of the questions ("where are you going?" "what is your name?" "where are you from?") and kept walking. Having finally found a bank and got some cash, I couldn't be bothered to trek all the way back to the museum and as I was in town, I would now explore. At one set of lights a guy came up to me and again started speaking. He had a friendly way about him, and as I felt a tad lost I asked him if he knew where I could find a place selling sun cream. (I'd stupidly left mine behind and it was turning into a hot day.) He offered to come with me, and then said he would show me about a bit. Having shown me to the pharmacy and chatted along to me about his home and family, etc I decided to allow him to guide me around the city. His name was Jared and we grabbed a matatu to the city park where I bought peanuts and fed monkeys, persuading them to climb onto my shoulder for some photo opportunities. They were so cute, grabbing their little fistfuls of nuts and shoving them in their mouths (TWSS). Then, grabbing a matatu back into town, we went to Big Time Safaris' offices where Jared worked and they gave me an amazing deal of just $300 for a 3-day Masai Mara trip - sadly still not an expense I could justify or afford. Then we wandered around for a bit and headed to the conference center which was in a nice area surrounded by government ministry buildings. From the roof, we could look out over the whole city, and Jared showed me where he lived in the slum of Kibera (the second-largest slum in Africa after Soweto in SA). He also pointed out some other buildings, although having looked at my photos I can't identify a single one!

After hanging out on the roof there for a bit, I realised it was already afternoon, it was getting late and I should probably head to the museum. I asked Jared to point me in the direction of the museum, insisting that he didn't have to walk me. I thanked him for his tour of the city and paid him for the day, and wandered towards the museum reflecting on how nice the day had been and how glad I was to have met and trusted Jared. As I was passing a University campus on the way to the museum, a man approached me, asking where I was from, and whether he could ask me some questions about universities in the UK as he wanted to study in Reading. I said I could, and he started walking us to somewhere we could talk. I started to feel a bit uneasy as I didn't know where we were going, and pointed out various places to sit. I didn't want to be rude (though now I wish I had been) so went along, and felt relief when we stepped into a cafe and had a seat. Then he started explaining to me that he was from Zimbabwe, he was only allowed to be in Kenya for one more day, and he needed to get into Uganda. Could I help him with anything. Ah, this explained it. I said no, as I didn't have money to give him, and after much insisting gave him KSH200 (which is about GBP1.50). Then I walked away feeling annoyed that I'd been lead off-course and continued on my way to the museum. However, before I could cross the road, I was stopped by a man who flashed a badge and said he was an undercover policeman. He said that the man I had just been sitting with was a criminal and a terrorist and had just been arrested. The blood rushed to my head so quickly I thought the ringing in my ears would be audible to passers-by - I explained that I had only just met the man and knew nothing about him, when he angrily interrupted me to tell me to stop telling stories as he could make things very difficult for me. I wasn't sure what he implied, but instead said, "Of course, but I'm not telling stories". By this time we were walking and a friend of his joined us. After they spoke for a while, his friend said that we would go somewhere quiet to sit down and he would explain the situation to me. While he was explaining, another man joined us. The man who I had been speaking to was apparently here illegally and had been found with lots of cash and some cocaine on him. They asked what I had given him and told me that the cafe-owner had called the police because he had recognised the criminal and seen us together. With all the walking, my mind had been racing, thinking I was about to be thrown in to prison, or kidnapped, or raped and killed - my imagination really isn't helpful in these situations. So, while they told me how they were working to protect people like me and wanted me to be able to enjoy Kenya safely, and that I would be unable to prove what I had given him seeing as they had a witness, etc. I just thought "please let this stop". By the time they got to the point, and actually asked me for money, the sum they wanted made me choke: KSH30 000! I insisted that I didn't have that kind of money, and they said they really wouldn't want to arrest me, and the headlines would be everywhere: "Danish girl arrested for helping a terrorist" or something. I managed to get it down to KSH20 000 (the equivalent of ca. GBP140 - not as bad as it could have been) and while I was escorted to the closest ATM, the man I was with tried to make small-talk. My mouth was so dry though, I couldn't say anything and I just wanted to get everything over and done with. Having handed over the cash, it was so weird - he said he hoped I would enjoy my time in Kenya and showed me where to get my matatu home. All the way back on the bus my mind was reeling - I knew I had just been conned, and was angry at myself for falling for it. I was angry at everyone; the guys involved, myself, the people next to me on the bus, even Jared for making me lower my guard. I was also pretty ashamed at being part of the corrupt system, as by now I wasn't sure whether the guys were really policemen and just really corrupt or - more likely - just a bunch of conmen, with the Zimbabwean "terrorist" in on the trick, and a guy with a fake badge.

As soon as I got back to the camp, I couldn't wait to get into the shower and curl up in bed. My new "roomie" Hayley was lucky enough to be in the dorm when I returned and I spurted the whole story to her struggling to hold back tears: of regret, shame, anger, but also relief - of not being arrested, raped, or killed - winner! After my shower, I felt much better and headed to the bar, where my dorm-buddy from the previous night Chris, was having a beer with some new arrivals. He had been worried when I wasn't back (ended up only returning at 6:30ish!) and I rehashed the story to him and the rest of the table, giving a brilliant first impression of myself (naive blonde) as well as Nairobi (Nairobbery). I got a much-needed beer and relaxed to hear the stories of Chris' day and the others around the table. It turned out Hayley had just arrived in Nairobi along with Will, Michael, and Amelia, after doing an overland tour from South Africa through the continent. They were a lovely bunch and the stories they had were entertaining to say the least! They involved a pervy driver, an un-business-minded prostitute - sorry MODEL - and eating mice and cockroaches (at which Amelia said, "I didn't eat that, I get my protein elsewhere" - TWSS - prompting a refreshing bout of sniggering all round). It was such a blessing to have them there, the light-heartedness and banter were just what I needed, and the beers helped too!

-And that, peeps, was my day in Nairobi - a mixed bag to say the least!