Day in Nairobi with Gill

After shaking our booties in Nairobi until 4am at Gypsys (expat bar – a bit like the Big Apple in HK, not my favourite place- though apparently the only Gay friendly bar in Nairobi) and more local Kenyan Clubs (Changes/Rezerous/Black Diamond) with Carly, Justine and their Kenyan friends I decided to have a nice girlie mooching day in town with Gill.

Met for Milkshakes in the CBD and headed over to the KICC to check out its view from the rooftop helipad (and pretend to be a helicopter). Got sidetracked by the Maasii Market where you have your own personal shopper who puts everything in the ‘maybe bag’. This part, once you got the hang of it, and had told them to keep quiet whilst you shop, was great. Don’t have to bend over to look at anything, just vaguely point or muse… and get to feel how the other half live, for all of 30 minutes. Of course being a wee bit drunk/hungover probably helped. After almost wanting to walk out with nothing after the first minute of bargaining I started to enjoy myself. God knows if I got ripped off or a decent deal, but I seemed to get a lot, for a decent (not super cheap) amount. My Personal Shopper also told me I was a female Kofi Annan strongwoman, which made me laugh.. and happy! Not sure Kofi would agree with my ramblings on how some of his prices would have got me a plane almost home to England and I think he realised my ‘maybe bag’ was in fact a ‘yes bag’ and I wanted it all which perhaps weakened my position

Headed to the Thorn Tree Café which is in a hotel built in early 1900s due to the Kenya/Uganda railway and where the Lonely Planet online forum is named after as travellers used to leave notes for each other on a board by the Thorn Tree. A little posher than we expected, but really good. Next stop was the National Archives to look at photos of the struggle for independence (sadly mainly head shots of those involved) and art from all around Africa.
Passed by the roller bladers in we think, City Park, and went up the KICC to the 30^th floor/the top. Not so high in terms of Hong Kong standards, but you could see all of Nairobi, including the national park. It was an incredible view and I’d really recommend doing this to any visitors (or citizens, or even Aliens as Mzungos are officially called).

Beers in Zanze and Tacos to end the weekend (even got bought a beer by the man on the other side of the bar… who then thankfully spotted  a woman he liked more). My theory is he is a rich player who likes to freak out white women by buying them drinks. It worked. Dinner in Panda Chinese Restaurant. Tofu. Good stuff. Incredibly friendly staff (the guidebooks did not lie)

Not sure whether my favourite quote of the day was Gill telling a boy selling A4 laminated bible quotes ‘no thanks I’m not hungry’ thinking it was a menu, or on us refusing to buy a woman on the street medication being told ‘don’t come back to Kenya.’