A COUPLE of weeks ago, I had to phone our insurance company in the UK to make a report about a stolen laptop computer and a damaged camera lens. I was put through to the lady in the claims department. “Hello,” she said, “can I help you?” “Yes,” I replied, “I am phoning to ask for a claim form because yesterday I had my laptop stolen and I have also damaged a camera lens.” “Oh,” said the friendly lady at the other end of the line, “How did all this happen?” Well, it's a bit of a long story. We had gone to Nairobi for four days to visit my father-in-law. He is staying with his daughter in a place called Green Park in the Eburru Hills which overlook a town called Naivasha. It is just over two hours' drive from Nairobi. Green Park is a golfing and residential development and when we arrived at the main entrance, the African security guard came to our car looking very excited. “Would you like to see a big snake?” he asked, his eyes sparkling. “Is it alive or dead?” my husband asked. “It is alive!” he replied, “Come and see!'” We got out of our car and followed the guard around to the front of the Security Office. He pointed at the rockery garden at our feet. “See, there!” he pointed. We peered in among the rocks, and sure enough, there was a python coiled around the rocks and plants, escaping the heat of the day. It was a beautiful snake – if you like that kind of thing. After admiring it for a while, we gave the security guard strict instructions not to let anyone kill it, for by now there were several interested by-standers. When we arrived at my sister-in-law's small farm, she immediately decided that we must return to the Security Gate and catch the python. “Otherwise they will kill it,” she said firmly. She found a sack, and off we all went back to the gate. She seemed to know exactly what to do, and by now a naturalist (called Daniel) from the Golf Club Hotel had arrived to help. “You grab its tail and then someone grab its head,” she instructed, “and then we'll put it in the sack.” By now quite a large crowd had arrived to watch the proceedings. Someone helped to move one of the large rocks and Daniel managed to heave the python out of its hiding place. With it slung around his neck like a living scarf, he then amused himself by chasing the crowd with it, who fled in all directions, screaming and laughing, while I took photos. Smiling broadly and obviously proud to have a chance to demonstrate his fearlessness, he then took the python – which was a good 9 feet long – over to the sack being held at arms length by my husband. They managed to get the python into the sack and that was when the fun really started. Within seconds, the python had found a hole in the corner of the sack and it emerged, hissing and angry, with its mouth wide open, and came racing across the ground towards me and a group of Africans, lounging at anyone near it. They turned in blind panic and ran – and sent me flying! I can only walk with the aid of a walking stick, and couldn't move out of the way. The lens and camera hit the ground first, closely followed by me. “And that is how the lens got damaged,” I said. “What happened to the snake?” asked the incredulous insurance lady. “They managed to catch it again, but before they put it back in the sack, they tied a knot in it – the sack, I mean. Then they took it to a nearby farm and set it free.” “It sounds like something from Indiana Jones,” the insurance lady said laughing. “Now tell me how the laptop got stolen?” Well, we were on our way to the airport in Nairobi at about 3 in the afternoon to catch our flight back to Jeddah. We took a route that goes past what we call the Globe Roundabout. It is rather a dodgy part of Nairobi but it is usually a quicker route. Just before the roundabout, we got caught in a traffic jam because of a minor accident ahead blocking the way. I was driving, and my husband immediately told me to lock all the doors. The windows were already shut. A few moments later, someone ran past his side of the car and knocked the wing mirror squiff. My husband opened the window just enough to get his arm out to straighten the mirror. Immediately, an African thrust his arm through the window, pulled up the lock button and opened the door. He reached in to the rear door and pulled up that lock button. I swung around to look behind as another African pulled open that door, reached in to the foot-well where my laptop was lying, snatched it up and took off. It all happened in about 30 seconds or less. My husband ran after them, but they had disappeared in the crowds. “What a horrible experience, I am so sorry,” said the insurance lady. “Did you report it to the police?” “Yes we did and I have a police report. We told them we were surprised that no one tried to stop the thief running away because in the past, when that kind of thing happened in Nairobi, bystanders would immediately chase after the thief and catch him. The police told us that people are afraid to do that now in case the thieves are armed. They also said that if they hadn't managed to unlock the doors, they would probably have smashed the windows to get what they wanted.” “Kenya is supposed to be a wonderful place for a holiday,” said the insurance lady, “but I don't think I'll ask you if you had a good time!” __
