General Reports

[Bajuni]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources...he_sugar_daddy

[Zimzam]

I do fully agree with the remarks about the different phone companies as mentioned below. So Telkom is much cheaper than Safaricom, but is sometimes less reliable.

But the main problem with Safaricom is indeed that the data are disappearing in a mysterious way like snow in the sunshine. Especially when you are watching or downloading Youtube videos.

There is a third company, Airtel, offering the same rates as Telkom, but I have no experience with that company.

[Member #4563]

In Mombasa area there are Cartel of prices in hotels especially in tourist area. Two ways to overcome it.

1. To stay out of the prostitute areas such as Miritini, Mikindani or even in Town. Then you look at google maps and find hotels and read the reviews. In this area no Agoda, Booking.com etc. Its only good for anyone who wants to stay out of the tourist circle and Monger some real girls. For example Cingaki Hotel, Miritini Guest House or Airport Link Inn. Airport Link Inn for example charge 1000 KES per night. You can see some exotic arab girls around.

2. Go for Mtwapa from a week up to a month. For a week the israelies charge 100 USD non A/C and 150 USD A/C. I am talking about the building of Uziel in the aly next to catholic church. Next to it there is another israely owned building.

3. for Mtwapa lovers better to rent for a month from 100 USD to 200 USD apartments without furnitures or partial furnitures. Buy what you need and find a way to store it for next time for a small fee. Many caretakers will be happy. The trick is to avoid 100 percent any web publications. If this apartment is on the internet your are fucked. Just walk and ask if you see a building without even a sign you can smile. One other method is to take a girl or a boda boda driver and tell him you look for a monthly apartment not for tourists. The disadvantage of this method is security. However some apartments are more expensive with less residence and excellent security. I know every dog house inside and out and good places do exist.

4. just get rich. Life is easy.

Now. Mobile networks Safaricom is the most expensive one as far as Data bundle goes and give very poor value for GB to KSH. However they have significant advantage over Tellecom former orange as follow.

1. True 4 G speed.

2. Strong signal reception almost everywhere particularly inside buildings.

3. Very good value for SMS as long as the recipient also a member of safaricom.

4. Its the most popular operator by far and its means that there is no delay when sending text. So if you buy a Telcom and text to a Safaricom member then the Text can.

Get there up to an hour. I test it my self to a girl sitting next to me.

5. Stability- the network most of the time operational as Tellcom has long period of downtime.

One thing I don't like about Safaricom is that beside the price of a data bundle they seems to measure badly your usage. So sooner then expected you have zero credit. Tellcom don't steal like that.

[Amadeuss]

By the way, Telkom gives much more Mb or Gb daily for the same money as Safaricom (like 2 Gb daily for 99 ksh, compared to Safaricom, that gives a meager 1 Gb for the same 99 ksh.).

For one week's stay, which Network you suggest to get a Sim card from? I may do perhaps 100 SMS text and need 2 GB? On data for Watsapp and Uber.

[XXL]

It seems to be a German only website. Eg for Mombasa they lists 9 hotels they "certify" as girl-friendly.

https://www.girlfriendly-hotels.com/...mtwapa-bamburi

[Zimzam]

If you visit Kenya with long intervals in between you might find out that your credit on your sim card has disappeared, or even that your sim card doesn't work anymore.

As far as I know on Safaricom if you buy airtime it will be valid for 3 months only. On Telkom (formerly Orange) it lasts for 6 months.

Now if you have a Mpesa account, it seems that if you have even a small amount on that account they cannot let your sim card expire, (or at least that is what I think they cannot do) as you have some of your money stored there.

Recently also Telkom have started their own money service, called T-Kash.

By the way, Telkom gives much more Mb or Gb daily for the same money as Safaricom (like 2 Gb daily for 99 ksh, compared to Safaricom, that gives a meager 1 Gb for the same 99 ksh.).

[BobBlack]

To all East African regulars I want to ask you all a question that hurts me tremendously and it's about the pricing of hotels / Apartments, and what we can do to make these owners change their attitudes about pricing and tourism. I specifically refer to Msa as a destination and in not only mine but many others opinions that they are going crazy with their prices. I am going to Msa in October (which is supposedly low season for visitors) but you would never think that with the prices they quote for that time of year. I have searched online through airbnb, hotels and apartments and find that they are now getting more and more expensive, possibly higher prices than in Europe or USA for second rate furnishings, water supplies that are sometimes non existent and power cuts that are normally in the higher end places taken over by generator sets when these cuts occur. One of my biggest gripes is a place called Cowrie Beach which has two lifts to climb four floors and one of the lifts has been out of order for at least two years and now it has been reported that the second lift is also now out of order yet the prices for the accommodation remains the same. How the hell do they get that right and on asking them about this they say the lifts will be working on my arrival dates which I find very hard to believe. The manager told me personally that as the lifts were installed by Hyundai they are under warranty and they are waiting for a technician to come and fix them from South Korea. Does it take almost three years for this to happen. Or is it because the owners won't pay the price for the technician to come to Kenya to fix them. I wonder what owners of certain apartments make of this as some of them are privately owned and offered for rent in their absence.

I checked Tamarind Village and was also shocked at their pricing of £140/ day for what has been described by reviewers as being seriously in need of refurbish and poor furnishings and fitments that their management say is in hand and is a work in progress. So is my dick as I have a wank.

Honestly what can we do to tell these people that they're driving away custom by having these run down places and do nothing about fixing the problems to be able to attract customers. Another one is Jumeriah Beach apartments which are 3 bedroom and bathroom en-suite. I don't need three bedrooms as I can only sleep in one bed at any given time but they ask for £200/ day which is OK if you have three guys willing to share a place like that. I also see that being a Kenyan resident lowers the price for such places. They're driving people away by offering 2 star accommodation at 5 star prices. The airlines also love this place and the variance in flight prices for a few months difference is extreme to say the least.

[Zimzam]

Forgot to mention this:

Last time I arrived at Mombasa airport they had a new policy concerning arriving suitcases that were wrapped in plastic foil.

They had instructions to single out these wrapped suitcases and everyone had to remove the plastic wrap on the spot, after which everyone had to open their suitcases for inspection.

So it's better not to have your suitcase wrapped on departure, or remove the plastic before you reach customs, in which case you would need something sharp to cut the plastic wrap.

[Zimzam]

Did anyone lately had problems when passing Nairobi airport with plasic bags in the luggage?

No, not at all. They warned in the plane not to walk outside with a plastic bag in your hand, but they did not check any of my luggage. They target more locals who return with a lot of luggage.

[Naked Gunz]

Since a year a ban on all plastic bags does exist in Kenya with heavy fines (means opens the doors for corruption). This ban includes bags brought in from travelers. Did anyone lately had problems when passing Nairobi airport with plasic bags in the luggage?

My last few times through customs resulted in no inspection. I have been waved through often. I would imagine I would have a problem because I wrap spillable items in plastic sometimes. There are too many eyes around to demand a payoff right there in the airport. Maybe after a move to a private room. Biodegradable bags are sold in Kenya, so a biodegradable bag being brought in might be okay.

[Amadeuss]

Since a year a ban on all plastic bags does exist in Kenya with heavy fines (means opens the doors for corruption). This ban inlcudes bags brought in from travellers.

Did anyone lately had problems when passing Nairobi airport with plasic bags in the luggage?

[Triple Darknes]

Thanks for that Leblon, I've never flown Ethiopian and doubt I will but good to know. Hope your Nigerian visit will be enjoyable, nice looking women there. I totally agree with your statement regards traffic in Nairobi and Mombasa. Last time I visited Msa was the first time I had seen a roadblock from the airport, granted it was a Saturday at one in the morning but no problem. Traffic congestion is so common in East Africa as it probably is in the whole of Africa but it won't put me off. Good luck in Nigeria.

I Flew Ethiopian and the upsides were it was cheapest in fact it's the cheapest on the east coast to east Africa. They were on time, but their planes had no wi-fi and no premium movies for such a long flight that was unacceptable to me. And the airport sucked, They had one overpriced restaurant that took US dollars, even their duty free sucked. The attendants were absolutely gorgeous all of them could've been models, but I wouldn't fly Ethiopian unless I had a long layover where I could get a hotel. I can't do 13 hours on a plane especially with those smalls ass seats.

[BobBlack]

Ethiopia Airlines is flying everywhere, including Mombasa. From where I am flying from, it is cheaper and faster make connecting flight in Addis Abeba Ethiopia, and continue with Ethiopia airlines again to Mombasa.

Often I have done flight to Nairobi, spend a night there, go clubs, and then continue to Mombasa. But those traffic jams between airport and Nairobi, in both directions, are very boring.

Actually I am going to visit Nigeria for week (let's see if that is a good idea) and then come back. So this East African visa don't help for that I guess. I am not arriving from any EA country when I am arriving second time.

Thanks for that Leblon, I've never flown Ethiopian and doubt I will but good to know. Hope your Nigerian visit will be enjoyable, nice looking women there. I totally agree with your statement regards traffic in Nairobi and Mombasa. Last time I visited Msa was the first time I had seen a roadblock from the airport, granted it was a Saturday at one in the morning but no problem. Traffic congestion is so common in East Africa as it probably is in the whole of Africa but it won't put me off. Good luck in Nigeria.

[Leblon]

Leblon,

I only mention this because it's unusual for your arrival airport to be Mombasa. The majority of flights to Kenya land at JKI where you retrieve your luggage and move from International Arrivals where you get the visa. You then you go across to the terminal building where you fly to Mombasa. You ask them in Nairobi for an East African visa which allows you to travel between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and it costs $100 for that visa which they issue to you which is valid for three months.

Ethiopia Airlines is flying everywhere, including Mombasa. From where I am flying from, it is cheaper and faster make connecting flight in Addis Abeba Ethiopia, and continue with Ethiopia airlines again to Mombasa.

Often I have done flight to Nairobi, spend a night there, go clubs, and then continue to Mombasa. But those traffic jams between airport and Nairobi, in both directions, are very boring.

Actually I am going to visit Nigeria for week (let's see if that is a good idea) and then come back. So this East African visa don't help for that I guess. I am not arriving from any EA country when I am arriving second time.

[NetNu]

A nairobi chick would wake me up most mornings on video with a massive smile and butt naked getting herself ready for work, rubbing cream into that big !@#$%^&* and asking me what clothes she should wear. And then one day she needed money for her phone bundles. I said I never send money. Period!

Lets just say I do not get morning wake up calls anymore!

That seems a bit cheap to me. I don't think her request was that unreasonable. Internet is expensive in Kenya, especially if you're using phone bundles! And you were the one getting the naked wake-up calls!