Nairobi is Africa's second largest and one of the most interesting cities. It is a place of enormous energy, a tireless and thriving bustle of people, and a city of differences. Assorted races, tribes and origins are all a part of its make-up. Rural immigrants and refugees are drawn by the hope of wealth and opportunity, international businessmen are attracted by profitable business prospects, and tourists are promised the makings of the perfect safari. The city centre buzzes with the energy, aspirations and opportunism of moneymakers, safari tours, thieves, food vendors and drink sellers, prostitutes, shoppers, security guards, and lot of sharp-eyed shoe shiners assessing the footwear of the hurried streets. Among them are the disillusioned faces of the unemployed, the beggars and the destitute.
Nairobi is also best characterised by its variety of locally-given descriptive names, representative of the city's contrasting images - of wealthy spacious suburbs, charming flower-lined streets and a refreshing climate, alongside crime, corruption, filth and poverty. Names like 'Green City in the Sun' or 'City of Flowers' and the Masai name 'Place of Cool Waters' attempt to overshadow the all too real version of 'Nairobbery' that stands as a well-found warning to newly arrived tourists.
