I didn’t really know what to expect riding Kenya Airway. I sure didn’t assume it to be one of the best flying experience in my life. First of all, upgrade. I was waiting at the lobby and suddenly my name was called in the announcement. The lady asked for my ticket so I gave it to her, then she crossed off 18D (my original seat), then rewrote “1A”. She noticed I looked confused, so she smiled and said “magic”. I felt cold eyes looking from behind, like “whose that asian kid getting upgraded”. Surprisingly, it didn’t bother me at all after receiving similar, if not much worse, attention on the streets. I happily accepted the upgrade.
Even during the flight, I couldn’t of been more satisfied. I know that sitting in first class costs money, thus, my satisfaction was purchased, not earned. Despite that, it felt nice to be “accepted” and treated with respect, which I learned can be sometimes asking for too much in foreign countries.
Brian, Martin, and Cyrille
Arriving at Nairobi Airport at 6:30am, I went down to the arrival gate and waited for Brian to come pick me up. Brian is a local Kenyan who I met through couchsurfing, and he was supposed to allow me to stay at his place while in Nairobi. I felt bad to make him wake up early to come, so our meeting time was 10am at the only coffee shop in the airport. There was a post office right next to the shop, so I sent some souveniuers and books that I no longer needed on my travel. Probably the most expensive thing I did on this trip yet…
At 10:15ish Brian came and he took me to his home. It was in a village a bit off from the core city center of Nairobi, which was nice because I get to see the normal village life. There were 2 other couchsurfers staying at Brian’s place, Martin and Suel, but they were leaving that day back to France. They were in Kenya for 2 months, so they gave me all kinds of advices and useful tips (for backpackers), which really helps when you’re almost clueless in a country. For example, unless I didn’t have legitimate information, I would have paid 1000 Sch for a bus when it only costs 30 Sch. So these kinds of things they were able to tell me. We got along well, and now I have a place to stay in France, Belgium, and Germany! (because they’re French but lives in Belgium and Germany).
I also made a small friend at Brian's house. She's a guest from next door.
Kenya after India
Needless to say, Kenya and India is very, very different. Brian told me that Kenya and India are both still developing and are thus often compared. This may be true to a degree (that there are similarities), but I noticed some general differences, especially amongst the people.
- India: People are always busy and they really don’t know how to take a breather. Kenya: More relaxed, everyone has their own pace.
- India: Felt like the people are being pressured by the economic development. Money is the most important. Kenya: People is the most important.
- インド：必死。人は周りが見えず、金の為ならプライドでも犠牲に出来そう。ケニア：一生懸命（必死とは違う）。着々と地道に努力している様子。インドと違って必死ではないかわりに、諦めてのんびり過ごしている人も。
Getting better at “negotiating”
One thing Martin and Seul advised me on (and I can’t thank them enough for it) is the Masai Mara safari park tour. The other is the about transportation to Mombasa. Being in Kenya for 2 months, they already experienced what I was planning to do. For the Masai Mara Tour, they told me that they paid 260USD for the 3-days 2 nights package. So with this information, I went to the tourism agency and asked for all packages they offer (my Negotiation class taught me that I should get all information first). And this is what they offered.
Option 1: 4 days & 3 nights, 485USD
Option 2: 5 days & 4 nights, 585USD
Damn..why do they do this.
After 60 minutes of ”negotiation”, I walked out with the deal I wanted: 3 days & 2 nights, 280USD.
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