Run Horse Run, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

We went to check out the Ngong Racecourse horse races today. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the laid-back races were a great way to spend the day after a late night at a going-away party for friends. The line-ups for bets went extremely slowly due to old, misfunctioning betting machines. There were no television screens to see the race as it progressed. You had to, GASP, watch using just your own eyes! It was a kind of step back in time as well to the old colonial times. The majority of the people attending were black Kenyans but there were a few die hard "Kenya Cowboys" or white Kenyans. The Kenya Cowboy title confused me a bit when I heard friends referring to them, but many of them actually do wear cowboy hats (with their top of the line designer clothes). This obviously doesn't refer to all white Kenyans, but there is a very distinct group who tend to stick out quite a bit and kind of gives them all a certain stereotypical image. I find it all a bit strange.

We did very well, all of us winning at one point in the day, excited despite the low payouts. A lovely, fun day.