Deep Thoughts, by Alex Robinson

I'm back at Heathrow now, site of my very first blog posting. Actually, I'm literally sitting at the same computer. Odd how depending on the circumstance it can either feel like a ton of time has passed, or no time at all, since I started this trip. Right now it feels like no time at all.

The afternoon in Nairobi yesterday turned out to be better than expected. I met two Kenyan attorneys who sort of took me under their wing and showed me the city. Had a nice lunch, a lazy afternoon coffee, and went for a bit of a walk. All of the while talking politics, mostly about what an asshole the former Dictator, er, President, of Kenya, Daniel arap Moi, was. How these people could blow off an afternoon of work I don't quite understand, but I really appreciated the hospitality. They wanted to know all kinds of things, like when I got my first car, how many cars I have in my family, and what kind of car I drive now. As I tried to explain both the nuances around my decision to drive a station wagon, and the fact that there are about as many cars as people in the U.S., I could see it going right over the top of their head.

My flight up from Nairobi was uneventful, and arrived early this morning so I had enough time to go into London for the day. I decided that it would be appropriate to go visit the African section of the British Museum since I've spent the last two months in the living museum of British colonial history that is Africa. I was disappointed by the collection, which came mostly from Nigeria and DRC and was dated from the 19th century onward. I did enjoy finally seeing the Elgin Marbles though, which I've read about Greece and Britain bickering over for quite some time. I had a really nice time at the museum until 500 Boy Scouts, here for the 21st World Scout Jamboree, descended upon the museum. I had heard about this jamboree because four Ugandan scouts had gone missing while here in London, which was front page news in Kampala for a few days. I didn't realize what an impact hundreds of scouts can have on a place though. I quickly ran for the door, and spent the rest of the day lazing in the sun in Russell Square in Camden.

The past 12 hours have been a study in contrast. From cramped bus seats to a comfortable airliner. From unscheduled departures and arrivals to arriving and departing exactly on time. From crowded, smelly, unsigned streets to the serenity of London early on a summer morning. All in about 12 hours time. It's been a real shock to the system and is messing with my head. It's nice being in London though. I love London. Especially now with so many good looking girls roaming about, dressed smartly in revealing summer outfits. I'm sure Seattle will be the same.

Now, with that preamble out of the way, I thought on my last day here I'd provide you with some miscellaneous thoughts/random observations/musings/wastes of space that have been floating around my head while in Africa. In no way are they deep thoughts, though I do reserve the right to write a perhaps more reflective post once I'm back and settled in Seattle. So here they are, in no particular order:

• Toyota is taking over the world. Their cars are everywhere here in Africa, and any car that can survive longer than a year on African roads deserves signing praise in my humble opinion. Their vans get packed with 25 people and are known as matatus, their Hilux trucks (like a full size Tacoma) get flashy logos thrown on the side, painted white, and are driven around at high speeds in random directions by NGOs and gov't ministries, and their sedans (Corollas) form the taxi fleet. Toyota drives Africa.
• Whoever makes Crocs is also taking over the world. I thought these sandal-like shoes had reached the zenith of popularity in the States when REI started carrying them, but they are practically a national shoe amongst the car-camping South Africans. The Kiwis, Australians, Africans, and just about everyone else wears them too. If the guys at Toyota and the guys at Crocs were somehow to team up in a "buy one, get one free" deal, I think their respective quests for world domination would be complete.
• The Chinese are taking over Africa. The Chinese are swapping infrastructure and aid for rights to Africa's energy and natural resources, and by this point they've pretty much got the continent all locked up. After the Cold War ended, all of the corrupt, dictatorial regimes that we used to prop up were all of the sudden under pressure from us to reform and, gasp, hold real elections, else their aid might stop flowing. The Chinese make no such demands and show no such scruples. They'll do business with any regime, no matter how oppressive or corrupt. Example #1: the Chinese just recently inked a 460m Euro deal with the Sudanese to build a railway so they could get phosphate out to Mauritania's coast and on to China. Example #2: The Tazara rail line, which I took up through Tanzania, was built by the Chinese in the 70s as an independence 'gift' to President Nyere and his Tanzanian comrades (Nyere wasn't a communist, but he was damn close). Conveniently, they ran this railway right into the Copperbelt in Zambia so they could get the copper out to the coast at Dar es Salaam, but not far enough to actually get to the capitol of Zambia, which might have made it useful to someone other than the Chinese. Example #3: Chinese stonewalling at the U.N. Security Council over action on the genocide at Darfur to protect their oil interests in the Sudan. The list goes on and on.
• Cell phone companies are taking over African villages. The major carriers--MTN, CelTel, plus whatever state-run company exists in each country--have taken to providing free paint to any small business that is in need of it and is located on a thoroughfare in town. While some young marketing genius was probably given a promotion for this super-efficient way to generate awareness, it absolutely kills the character of a town. Buildings are bright yellow for MTN, bright red for CelTel, and bright blue for Uganda Telecom. All have their logos splashed all over the buildings, in a jumbled mess with whatever local business's logo also needs promoting. So every town is starting to look the same.
• Sleeping under mosquito nets is lame. While initially fun and in a claustrophobic way reminiscent of the sleeping forts I used to build as a kid out of couch cushions and blankets, eventually mosquito nets get old.
• Prices mean nothing here. Never, ever pay the initial price you are quoted for anything. Buses and restaurants are exceptions to this rule. But other than that, even if you pause for just a moment, the price will inevitably be cut in half, then likely cut in half again.
• Schedules also mean nothing here. I actually kind of like this concept. Rather than having scheduled transportation departures, they just wait until the bus fills up, and then you go. Similarly, it doesn't matter how many people are in the bus. If someone is on the side of the road, has money, and needs a ride into town, they will find a way to cram them and their luggage into the bus. It's very inclusive, which is cool, but it's also incredibly frustrating at times.
• Traveler's Cheques, along with credit cards, are useless. Don't even bother with the former--no one will cash them--but do bring the latter for the occasional big purchase.
• U.S. Dollar is still king. Despite the Arabs' attempt to get their oil repriced in Euros, the Dollar is still rules Africa. It's the virtual currency of every country I've visited. I remember reading some study a while ago that said something on the order of 70% of all U.S. currency was overseas, and here in Africa it shows.
• Everyone here thinks I'm in my 30s. Perhaps it's a function of my size (shockingly, I've been called "muscle man" quite a few times), or the low life expectancy here, or perhaps because I actually now look like I'm in my 30s. Let's all hope it's not the latter.
• Give your old clothes away, frequently, and while they are still in decent shape. They really do make it here to Africa.
• Nigerian television is undoubtedly, unquestionably, unequivocally the worst television ever made. And it's all that's available here.

That's all folks. Time to get on my last flight. I hope you've enjoyed reading this; I've certainly enjoyed writing it. Look for maybe one more post on my general impressions of Africa, and a note soon with a link to pictures & video. If you get a chance, please leave a comment. I'd love to know who's been reading.

Alex