At one point we decided we needed a car. Not because we were fed up with transport by matatu or foot. No, the decision was purely based on future projection. My love was still waiting for the return of the tourists, resulting in him resuming his work and thus acquiring an income once again.
But being idle is not his style. Furthermore surviving on little money for months in a row is quite eye opening: an extra income generating source would be welcome, as an alternative to tourism that following the recent chaos in Kenya proved to be very unpredictable. This insight led to many brainstorm sessions, which in turn led to a plan. And that plan was called CAR. To be used for safaris, transfers and other (taxi) rides. Completely multi-purpose.
Not just a car, but a real four wheel drive. Just like in Europe that type of car is quite fancy here in Nairobi. The only difference is that in Kenya you really need such a car once out of town, especially during the rainy season, owing to the disastrous condition of the roads.
Thus the search for a four wheel drive started. But where on earth do you find that second hand car with low mileage held by an old lady, who happens to be the first owner and has always maintained her wheels through the dealer?
Nowhere, as that lady does not exist. Neither does that dealer.
So the first challenge was how to proceed. We used all our contacts, and got the most obscure cars offered. Then we started leafing through the newspaper and visited traders in multiple hand cars. We examined typical expat-hangouts, like the big shopping malls, where there is always a bulletin board full of ‘Quick sales’. Expats leaving the country are often in a hurry to sell their vehicle, which should lower the price. However, this theory was not sustained by the practice. We encountered many dream-cars, only to discover that they all were alarmingly above budget.
Not to worry, we were still in the phase of orientation. A sunny Sunday brought us to the Jamhuri Car Bazar, a huge field with second-hand cars, offered by both traders and private sellers. Like we told ourselves, we were there to take a good look only, solely for orientation purposes. Two hours later we had bought a car.
Plenty of cars on offer with that sturdy outdoor look. Real 4WD’s, but also numerous fashion models, only suitable for use within the city. Unfortunately prices proved to be as sturdy as elsewhere. So soon enough we were done looking around. Or so we thought.
So we thought… as parked at an unobtrusive spot there it was, the Japanese Moran. Its location so well hidden, that we searched for it more than half an hour in despair once we decided to give this car a second glance. A critical second look turned into a critical test drive. Followed by critical bargaining. And then the deal was done. We became the proud owners of a Suzuki Samurai. A Japanese warrior, right from the start fondly dubbed by us as Japanese moran – ‘moran’ means warrior in both the Masai and Samburu language.
Buy a car in Africa and life gets really hectic. Drawing the sales agreement, starting an official investigation into the vehicle’s background (to guarantee that it was not stolen) and arranging the insurance almost took a whole day. In the process I came in possession of a Kenyan PIN number – an administrative code used for taxes, an essential condition to become the owner of a car. From a personal point of view, this felt as a small triumph – now I had official proof of my existence in Kenyan society (though my residence status is still pending, I am still admitted on a temporary visa).
The PIN only took a couple of days to be released. The investigation by the authorities into the car’s history lasted considerably longer. But in the end they gave us the go-ahead: the Moran was clean. Not that this consent ended the long wait for final ownership. We were still in search for the log book – the ultimate proof of ownership. Four weeks, many phone calls and even more text messages later it finally came through – from that moment on, the Moran really was ours. And this time the authorities kept their promise, within the indicated two weeks we received the log book in our name by registered mail.
Meanwhile the car plan had turned into a serious project. As obviously some things had to be changed, replaced, adjusted and improved. Leading to a Moran our style, in perfect condition.
My love took the lead in the project enthusiastically. His expertise in mechanics and his numerous contacts with endless skilled men came in handy. And I eagerly supplemented my English vocabulary – with names for spare parts of which I did not suspect their existence until recently.
The concept of a garage is multi-interpretable in Kenya. Concrete halls smeared with oil containing a bridge do exist, at most petrol stations. But all too often a ‘garage’ is an indefinable plot in the open air, with possibly a tiny shack made of corrugated iron somewhere in a far corner. From a Western point of view this might seem to be very vague, but as it turns out it is ultimately wallet-friendly. And the mechanics are real professionals that can do wonders with a minimum of tools like spanners.
Anyone expecting a story with a hilarious end since after all this is Africa will get disappointed. On the contrary, all our efforts were rewarded, our intuition and especially the Moran did not let us down. Except for some grumble when the petrol is almost finished (gas prices have risen to alarming heights in Kenya as well) the Moran is still driving smoothly.
The big test came in June, when we took the Moran for a visit to his Samburu and Masai brothers. A safari of ten days, the Moran heavily loaded with its brand new roof rack filled with camping equipment and other luggage. Dirt roads, rain, dust, heat, potholes, mud tracks, the indeterminate state of the ‘roads’ in the national parks - to the Moran all these challenges did not pose any problem. Nowhere did the ride become awkward, even in the worst mud pools the four wheel drive did not have to be turned on. Real morans, Samburu and Masai warriors, lovingly caressed their namesake while cleaning it after each game drive.
But the true acknowledgment came from a young male lion. In Masai Mara he walked straight to the Moran, sniffed at the spare wheel on the back approvingly, marked it as his territory with his head and stared inside through the rear window for a long time.
With the blessing from this lion-king-to-be nothing can go wrong. So as from now we are in business. For rent: compact, reliable 4WD, in perfect condition, with or without driver, suitable for any safari!
But being idle is not his style. Furthermore surviving on little money for months in a row is quite eye opening: an extra income generating source would be welcome, as an alternative to tourism that following the recent chaos in Kenya proved to be very unpredictable. This insight led to many brainstorm sessions, which in turn led to a plan. And that plan was called CAR. To be used for safaris, transfers and other (taxi) rides. Completely multi-purpose.
Not just a car, but a real four wheel drive. Just like in Europe that type of car is quite fancy here in Nairobi. The only difference is that in Kenya you really need such a car once out of town, especially during the rainy season, owing to the disastrous condition of the roads.
Thus the search for a four wheel drive started. But where on earth do you find that second hand car with low mileage held by an old lady, who happens to be the first owner and has always maintained her wheels through the dealer?
Nowhere, as that lady does not exist. Neither does that dealer.
So the first challenge was how to proceed. We used all our contacts, and got the most obscure cars offered. Then we started leafing through the newspaper and visited traders in multiple hand cars. We examined typical expat-hangouts, like the big shopping malls, where there is always a bulletin board full of ‘Quick sales’. Expats leaving the country are often in a hurry to sell their vehicle, which should lower the price. However, this theory was not sustained by the practice. We encountered many dream-cars, only to discover that they all were alarmingly above budget.
Not to worry, we were still in the phase of orientation. A sunny Sunday brought us to the Jamhuri Car Bazar, a huge field with second-hand cars, offered by both traders and private sellers. Like we told ourselves, we were there to take a good look only, solely for orientation purposes. Two hours later we had bought a car.
Plenty of cars on offer with that sturdy outdoor look. Real 4WD’s, but also numerous fashion models, only suitable for use within the city. Unfortunately prices proved to be as sturdy as elsewhere. So soon enough we were done looking around. Or so we thought.
So we thought… as parked at an unobtrusive spot there it was, the Japanese Moran. Its location so well hidden, that we searched for it more than half an hour in despair once we decided to give this car a second glance. A critical second look turned into a critical test drive. Followed by critical bargaining. And then the deal was done. We became the proud owners of a Suzuki Samurai. A Japanese warrior, right from the start fondly dubbed by us as Japanese moran – ‘moran’ means warrior in both the Masai and Samburu language.
Buy a car in Africa and life gets really hectic. Drawing the sales agreement, starting an official investigation into the vehicle’s background (to guarantee that it was not stolen) and arranging the insurance almost took a whole day. In the process I came in possession of a Kenyan PIN number – an administrative code used for taxes, an essential condition to become the owner of a car. From a personal point of view, this felt as a small triumph – now I had official proof of my existence in Kenyan society (though my residence status is still pending, I am still admitted on a temporary visa).
The PIN only took a couple of days to be released. The investigation by the authorities into the car’s history lasted considerably longer. But in the end they gave us the go-ahead: the Moran was clean. Not that this consent ended the long wait for final ownership. We were still in search for the log book – the ultimate proof of ownership. Four weeks, many phone calls and even more text messages later it finally came through – from that moment on, the Moran really was ours. And this time the authorities kept their promise, within the indicated two weeks we received the log book in our name by registered mail.
Meanwhile the car plan had turned into a serious project. As obviously some things had to be changed, replaced, adjusted and improved. Leading to a Moran our style, in perfect condition.
My love took the lead in the project enthusiastically. His expertise in mechanics and his numerous contacts with endless skilled men came in handy. And I eagerly supplemented my English vocabulary – with names for spare parts of which I did not suspect their existence until recently.
The concept of a garage is multi-interpretable in Kenya. Concrete halls smeared with oil containing a bridge do exist, at most petrol stations. But all too often a ‘garage’ is an indefinable plot in the open air, with possibly a tiny shack made of corrugated iron somewhere in a far corner. From a Western point of view this might seem to be very vague, but as it turns out it is ultimately wallet-friendly. And the mechanics are real professionals that can do wonders with a minimum of tools like spanners.
Anyone expecting a story with a hilarious end since after all this is Africa will get disappointed. On the contrary, all our efforts were rewarded, our intuition and especially the Moran did not let us down. Except for some grumble when the petrol is almost finished (gas prices have risen to alarming heights in Kenya as well) the Moran is still driving smoothly.
The big test came in June, when we took the Moran for a visit to his Samburu and Masai brothers. A safari of ten days, the Moran heavily loaded with its brand new roof rack filled with camping equipment and other luggage. Dirt roads, rain, dust, heat, potholes, mud tracks, the indeterminate state of the ‘roads’ in the national parks - to the Moran all these challenges did not pose any problem. Nowhere did the ride become awkward, even in the worst mud pools the four wheel drive did not have to be turned on. Real morans, Samburu and Masai warriors, lovingly caressed their namesake while cleaning it after each game drive.
But the true acknowledgment came from a young male lion. In Masai Mara he walked straight to the Moran, sniffed at the spare wheel on the back approvingly, marked it as his territory with his head and stared inside through the rear window for a long time.
With the blessing from this lion-king-to-be nothing can go wrong. So as from now we are in business. For rent: compact, reliable 4WD, in perfect condition, with or without driver, suitable for any safari!
