Wednesday, December 5, 2012

London : One cold Mzungu

The Thorn Tree Cafe in Nairobi, famous for......see below 

Well it is certainly cold in the UK arrival in London could not be more of a shock to the system. From heat and a very long flight back to London the flight due to a slight cock up in the booking system on my part arrived in a light snow flurry in London which was certainly a shock to the system. The weather here looks as though the winter has begun in earnest with some pretty good looking conditions. More on that to follow when I get out in it soon.
Stanley 
The above image just as a point of interest was taken at the Thorn Tree Cafe in the city centre of Nairobi. Many of us in fact millions use the Lonely Planet guides for info when we are travelling which often gives good up to date info. Lonely Planet have a set of forums which are used by again millions I would think, they have a huge array of subject headings and its only in the last few months that I became aware of it and have used it, it offers some great info and a place to meet people. Its called the Thorn Tree Forum which was inspired by this cafe. It sits in the city centre of Nairobi under the Stanley Hotel. Stanley was of course one of the great African explorers. It served as a place where many who where travelling through Africa could head and had notice boards where people could meet others. A coffee in there before heading to Mombasa didn't really have the feel it once had I should think as it now feels very much a part of the posh Stanley Hotel. It has a good range of old images in the Hotel lobby and stair wells of those old colonial who where there many years ago and exploring the continent. Certainly worth ticking the box although it does not have the feel of that spirit which perhaps it once had. It would be more a place to head to if you are looking to escape the crowds and wanted a Costa Coffee experience, something I have seen people do in Africa which essentially is a way of avoiding being in the thick of it and experiencing Africa which happens not in posh hotels or parks but in the markets and bus stops where the people are.