Mzungu who fell in love with chaotic Nairobi matatu

Renowned travel blogger Drew Binsky has added Kenya to the list of the 129 countries he has visited since 2012. Binsky has made his urge to speak positivity and peace through travel not just a hobby but an amazing online presence with a huge following.

During his visit, he found Nairobi’s traffic to be horrific. He says it is among the worst he has ever seen but riding a matatu had made being stuck in traffic a lot better and fascinating than he thought.

He tells the world that Matatus are pimped-out mini-buses that take people around Nairobi’s busy streets while blasting rap music. He cites LED lights and flat screen TVs as some of the many awesome features he noted inside Matatus. This finds this to make everything a little more enjoyable.

In his video, Binsky says the shared mini-buses are more of disco parties on wheels that snake through Nairobi than would be a means of transport. This city’s culture he makes each matatu’s music louder than that playing in the next one with amazing customized graffiti.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog business where divers try to out beat other drivers to make more money. But if there’s one thing that all matatus share in common, they are always packed tight and the drivers are reckless,” he states in his video.

READ: Six types of matatu types you should watch out for

Together with a friend, he chooses to ride in one matatu that plies Ongata Rongai route. It is the Mad Max..a crazy one.  When getting on board, they find dondas trying the hustle of getting it fully occupied before moving. Once they get moving, it looks like a roller coaster and ‘it’s definitely not safe nor for the claustrophobic.’

“Whoah! It’s damn! Sh*t’s crazy!” exclaims Bisky as he alights Mad Max. His friend Ken follows in aversion from what appears to have been too much of the loud music.

“Holy crap, my ears are bleeding,” shrieks Ken as he jumps out of the matatu.

Despite the chaotic manner in which matatus operate, they remain the number one means of transport for city dwellers but visitors such as Binsky, they are adrenaline raising adventures.

Blogger Drew Binsky.

“If you come here and don’t ride a matatu, you are simply missing out,” says Binsky.

During his tour, he also visited Kibera slums and produced a short video on Nairobi as a city of contrasts.

Drew Binsky was born in Dallas, Texas but raised in Arizona. He had lots of love for athletics playing baseball and hockey as a kid. Family trips and tourneys had seen him visit 20 states before his 15th birthday. He, however, had failed to travel abroad then. He used to, in his room, rotate the globe and could strive to memorise all countries’ capital cities.

READ: From scrap metal dealer to matatu owner

He is a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a double major in Economics and Entrepreneurship but after college, he moved to Korea to work as an English teacher. This was his first time on such a job. He instead of the job, fell in love with the culture, food and lifestyle of the people around him and this became the basis of a blog (The hungry partier) he founded from his day one in Korea 

He intends to travel to all countries before he turns 30 in the next three years as a way of inspiring people

Latest

Madatally Manji: The First Man to Manufacture Biscuits in Kenya

House of Manji has become a household name in Kenya and the East Africa region in the biscuits, pasta and confectionery industry.

Mumias Sugar Return Ignites a Price War in Cane Harvesting

Mumias Sugar Company opened its doors on Friday, 1st December, 2023 to receive cane from farmers as operations resumed at the giant sugar miller after years of silence.

Upskilling: 5 Ways to Remain Competitive in Your Career

It is not surprising that HR professionals are constantly upskilling either to remain competitive in their current roles or to pursue new opportunities.

Odibets Gives Out 100 Goats Daily in Betting Promotion

Each goat from Odibets will be worth Ksh5,000 and will be rewarded to the lucky customers via M-Pesa.

Follow Us

Newsletter

Don't miss

Lupita’s Little Brother Junior Nyong’o Charting His Own Path in Acting

Junior Nyongó, who is also a musician and a DJ and now a graduate of UC San Diego with an MFA in Acting, is crafting his own solid path in the world of acting with roles in major theatre productions.

Safaricom To Power Tusker OktobaFest Beer Festival

Safaricom’s involvement in OktobaFest as a technology and payments partner will focus on fostering seamless in-festival connectivity, empowering the youth and Gen Z community through Safaricom Hook, and powering digital payments through M-PESA.

Music Producers Launch Organization To Streamline Recording Industry

Recording Industry of Kenya (RIKE) was launched on 9th October 2023. Registered in 2022 as a not-for-profit organization, RIKE aims to promote the collective interests of producers of sound recordings in the country.

Nairobi’s Hero Bar Listed Among World’s 50 Best Bars

World Best Bars: Hero Bar in Nairobi continues to climb the list, moving up six places to No.62 and Johannesburg’s Sin + Tax comes in at No.94. Dubai new entry Ergo is at No.69 and Melbourne’s Byrdi has re-entered the list at No.61.

Kenyan DJs Face Off In Smirnoff Battle Of The Beats Season 3

The Smirnoff Battle of the Beats Season 3, a DJ competition, is poised to unleash an unprecedented musical frenzy countrywide.

The Highs And Lows Of Betty Kyallo, Sisters Show As Season 2 Ends

Kyallo Kulture has always been, above all, about sisterhood, and in Season 2 we have witnessed the charm of it - the ups that gave us wholesome moments as the sisters led by Betty Kyallo spent time together.

DStv Beats CNN, BBC To Become Most Admired Media Outlet In Africa

DStv, MultiChoice Group’s leading broadcast service, has been named...

MultiChoice Revises Subscription Fees For DStv, GOtv

MultiChoice has announced price adjustments on some of their...

Octopizzo: How I Make My Money

"I've been doing this for 12, 13 years. It reaches a point where you no longer need to prove that you can make a hit record," he stated.

New Spotify EQUAL Artist Qing Madi Talks Music and Dreams

Heavily influenced by her cultural background and the lyrical arrangements of Kendrick Lamar, the versatile Nigerian prodigy is shaping the future of music with her unique genre-bending fusion of Afrobeats, Pop, Soul and R&B.
JOSEPH SOSI
JOSEPH SOSI
Joseph Sosi is a reporter with Business Today. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Media Technology) degree from Maseno University. Previously, he was a sub-editor of Ureport and social media administrator at The Standard Group. He is passionate about politics, education and technology.

Madatally Manji: The First Man to Manufacture Biscuits in Kenya

House of Manji has become a household name in Kenya and the East Africa region in the biscuits, pasta and confectionery industry.

Mumias Sugar Return Ignites a Price War in Cane Harvesting

Mumias Sugar Company opened its doors on Friday, 1st December, 2023 to receive cane from farmers as operations resumed at the giant sugar miller after years of silence.

Upskilling: 5 Ways to Remain Competitive in Your Career

It is not surprising that HR professionals are constantly upskilling either to remain competitive in their current roles or to pursue new opportunities.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here