Transportation Trials and Cell Phone Secrets!

Whew, made it through my first week none worse for the wear! As I said in the last entry, at this point it is still going pretty quickly. We'll see how long that lasts.

By far, the most trying part of living here is simply getting from Point A to Point B. Traffic in this city is out of control. I spoke with a cab driver the other day and mentioned that I didn't remember the city being quite this choked with cars when I visited in 2005. He said that during the "Kibaki Years" (the time since President Mwai Kibaki came into power in December 2002) more and more and more people have been able to purchase cars and have done just that. However even in the face of an explosion in the number of cars on the roads, the infrastructure and roads have not grown to accommodate the much larger numbers. 

Another problem, which this BBC article about the worst traffic in the world mentions, is the roundabouts, or traffic circles. THEY ARE AWFUL. Roundabouts are fine when there is mild to moderate traffic, but as soon as you put a million cars on the road they are horrific. Each roundabout has traffic lights, which are timed to last an excruciatingly long time, and are often ignored. During rush hour (and honestly, rush hour lasts about 5 hours every morning and afternoon here) there are police officers posted at each roundabout "directing" traffic. I have yet to see a great deal of worth in what they are doing. Mostly it appears that they're standing around, talking to friends, and - at times - napping. 

Accurate on an given day. (Photo credit to From Countdown To Kenya, an awesome blog. Check it out.)

Whenever anyone asks where I live in relation to where I work, they always sigh exasperatedly (wow, I didn't think that was actually going to be a word) and shake their heads, saying "AH, Gitanga Road. The traffic is terrible there." BUT the truth of the matter is that by the time I get to Gitanga Road I've already been in traffic for about TWO HOURS, and it is much worse elsewhere. Let's talk a little about my commute.

Last week, I was spoiled. I was driven to and from work every day by the lovely Paul, who got me there in about a half an hour in the mornings and home (generally) in about an hour and a half. If main roads got too backed up, we went off-roading on little dirt side streets. We were almost always MOVING, even it was super slowly as we navigated huge mud puddles and potholes the size of my Scion. Plus I also got to see a bunch of different parts of the city and get to know my way around, all from the comfort of a shiny red car. I could also ask tons of questions about everything from elections to soccer. It was great! It was also costly. Our deal was costing me about $27 a day, and that was adding up QUICKLY. I knew I had to bite the bullet and jump aboard public transportation eventually. I just couldn't keep up with the costs of taxis, no matter how nice they were.

SO, what were my options? First, and most prevalent, are the dreaded matatus (dun dun DUN). I do distinctly remember being warned against riding on them when we were here with SAS, and doing it anyway with my host sister. C'est la vie. I remember them being intimidating when with someone who knew them like the back of her hand, though. 

Makes me think of the "Massachubatts" shirts in Seoul. (Photo credit: One Computer at a Time)

No...yeah....that's PROBABLY safe.... (Photo credit: Association for Safe International Road Travel)

Awesome and colorful. Too bad most are plain white! (Photo credit to Sweet Fresh Love)

Matatus are (often tricked out) mini-buses that zip all over Nairobi and beyond. Many have names emblazoned across them in big letters, music thumping, and colorful decorations and/or lights. They are known for being a tad reckless...as Jared said "matatus can usually get there faster than I can in a car...mostly because I never drive on sidewalks." Sad but true. Matatus often jump curbs and switch lanes to get there faster. They get a fairly bad wrap....but the truth of the matter is that with the sheer number of matatus out there on the road, the accidents that do occur are only a small percentage. Add that to the fact that we can barely get up to 40mph during rush hour when I'm in them, so chances of a bad crash are even lower. Each matatu is staffed by two people: the driver and the tout. The tout is in charge of soliciting customers and collecting money. They sometimes sit, but often hang out of the side of the matatu, yelling prices and destinations. Once you are on your way, they will take your money. All public transporation costs differ greatly depending on time of day, traffic, number of customers, and myriad other factors I don't yet fully understand. ANYWAY, matatus are the most prevalent form of public transportation here.

I don't always ride Kenyan buses, but when I do, I ride KBS....usually. (Photo credit: ExpatAds)

The other choice is buses. Buses are bigger and a little more commanding, however they are also a lot more restricted to "real" paved roads and more consistent routes. Matatus can go off route to avoid traffic (and often do) as long as they end up at the correct final destination. Buses have to stick it out. Buses come in all shapes and sizes, but for me, the most convenient ones to and from work happen to be big, blue, KBS (Kenya Bus Services) buses, or red, white, and blue checked Embassava buses. My journey has two legs: home to town, and town to work (or vice versa at the end of the day). 

I took my first stab at public transportation on Monday afternoon. Sam, one of my many very cool Kenyan co-workers, laid out the route for me and bolstered my confidence. Mostly. I was ready to do this. I think. Thankfully, Jared spoke to Peris, one of the other new girls to the Curriculum Department who had to go downtown as well. She (literally) held my hand as we crossed the six lanes of terrifying traffic on Mombasa Road ("Only three at a time" as Nuru, another great co-worker, says). That remains one of the worst parts of my commute. There are no crosswalks (that are used) here, so you just kind of take a deep breath, wait for a break in the highway traffic, and book it. There's often one person going just a little too fast, and one person going just a little too slow, which mess up the best windows to cross. But I guess its something you get used to?

Once we crossed, we boarded a big blue bus, which cost 30KSH (about 35cents) and headed into town. The trip downtown isn't that far distance wise, but takes FOREVER. When you get to the aforementioned roundabouts traffic completely ceases to move. At one roundabout, we sat, engine off, for 20 minutes. There are a lot of scents happening on a Nairobi bus, most unpleasant, and not a lot of air moving when you're completely stopped in traffic. Once I got downtown, Peris showed me where my bus would pick up to go home, and as importantly where I would get off in the morning and connect to the bus going towards work. It was absolutely invaluable, as I would have been really overwhelmed. She put me on my second bus (about 75cents) and sent me on my way. All told, it took me TWO HOURS AND TWENTY MINUTES to get home. I was crammed into an awful middle seat and it was just atrocious. I came home and basically went straight to bed. After changing, of course, because my clothes smelled like a stranger's body odour.

Tuesday morning I took public transport both ways. As most bus stops are basically non-existent, I am able to go right across the street outside my gate and flag down a bus going towards town. Yesterday it was super fast and easy, the first one stopped, I grabbed a seat, and we were on our way. I transferred without a problem, and got to work exactly 40 minutes after I left my house. Not half bad. Yesterday afternoon Peris came with me again and this time we took a matatu for the first half. Reggaeton blasting, we cruised towards town without incident, and I learned a new route for transferring (matatus and buses drop off in different locations in town so its helpful to know how to get between each option). I hopped on the second bus, got a great seat by an open window, and had an overall quite pleasant ride home. It only took an hour and fifty minutes, AND I got home before dark. I'm going to call that a win.

This morning we went a little back downhill. The KBS buses originate at Kawangware, which is quite close to our apartment, so usually finding a seat is not too tricky. But today it rained, and then all bets are off. EIGHT full buses passed me by on the street, a few spraying wet mud on me as they went by. THANKS GUYS. Eventually one stopped, and even though they are only supposed to pick up the number of people equal to free seats, they took pity on me and let me on even though they were full. I stood the first half, which was only slightly terrifying as my back was to the steps and completely open door. BUT I HELD ON TIGHT AND SURVIVED! Transferring to the second bus was fine again, but I ended up getting off too early and having to walk a bit to work (don't know what I was thinking). This afternoon I cheated a little as I shared a taxi with my great new co-worker Andrea, who was coming this way to look at an apartment. It was a nice little taste of luxury again. 

SO, that's transportation. Now on to useful tidbit about mobile phones here.

In Kenya, you buy airtime or "data bundles" to keep your phone loaded and able to access the internet, etc. You buy them according to the company that provides your cellphone service, so for me, that's Safaricom. You can check your balance by dialing *144#.

My mobile.

Not a lot of credit remaining. And I was totally out of data.

Today on the way home we realized we were low, and Paul literally pulled over on a street and called over a random dude who sells airtime. You buy these little scratch-offs, which come in all denominations.

Front of the scratch off cards. 2 cards at 100KSH each.

You have the option of putting it in as airtime or data. I did one of each. Teensie tiny on the bottom there you can read the instructions. You basically just send the code under the scratch off part to a specific number and you're done!

It really couldn't be easier. I'll let you know how long the 80MB lasts. I never use my phone to surf the web, but I do occasionally check emails with it, so its good to have.

On that note, I am going to CRAAAAASH. Why am I up this late?! (It is 10pm, no judgement.) I am super excited because I get to spend the entire day tomorrow at one of our schools and I am really really pumped. More to come soon!