Intro to UNHCR, Africa

Part 3. Nairobi UNHCR, Lion Place
Saturday, April 28th


The UNHCR regional office in Nairobi is in a building called Lion Place. Everyone knows where it is. Just ask. But that doesn't mean you'll necessarily get the right directions to get there. The two are totally different things - or maybe it was just my second day in Nairobi. Anyhow, launching from a partially-slowed-down matatu blaring messages from Jesus, i landed on the other side of the highway from where lion place was. Then in the most composed manner that anyone could, I scurried across the highway, and throught the ditch in the divider to the other side. Don't ask me, I'm Bangladeshi - I never use an overpass if there is an opening at road-level!

I had two things to do - get my Nairobi-Juba flight ticket and the sacred Sudan travel permit (essentially a cordless visa - a blue form unattached to my passport, where my photo is just stapled).

I'd been warned that the 1.5 hour flight would cost $360. (YES, I did a double-take over that price also, but accepted that the demand and supply curves cross at the $360 point in a way that the equilibrium has remained unchanged for over a year!) But I hadn't been warned that the permit also cost mula ...
Anyhow, the pleasant, ever-smiling Sarah the UNHCR in-house travel agent informed me that I could leave tomorrow for $371, or day after for $345. Now I've had a few difficult decisions to make in this lifetime, and I didn't exactly put this one in that category. But not to sound too unprofessional, I ventured "well I should really get there tomorrow, but I can check with Juba ...". (I'm so good.)
Then she proceeded to add that the cheaper airline might allow me to take extra luggage for a fee. All the lightbulbs in my head went off. Allow me to explain.

I traveled from Boston to Nairobi with two suitcases, fully expecting to leave one there, and traveling onwards with only one. I was going to pick up the other on my next visit to Nairobi (which was a remote possibility at $700 roundtrip). But this meant that I could take both suitcases this time ... oh joy & celebration! This is divine intervention ... it was because I listed to the sermon in the matatu so attentively ... or something ... who cares?

How much was it? - $3.5/kg ... means about $55 ... so the leaves in the decision-tree were - $700 and $55! ... shouldn't have bought that many things at heathrow, but whatever! wheeee ... I'm taking ALL MY LUGGAGE with me! I left the agency with an air of utter achievement. In another hour the permit was ready - detachable photo and all - and after pre-paying for the taxi to the airport I set off into vast Nairobi. Now I'm a fast learner, but I've not figured out why I paid the fares I paid for my taxi rides in Nairobi... from airport to house - FREE! (driver messed up & didn't collect. hah!); airport to wrong office - 600 shillings; wrong office to right office - 200sh; office to city - 600sh; house to airport - 1000 sh; figuring out that ride to airport was longer than all the other rides put together ... priceless!