Hey folks - Karalyn here, and I am so excited to tell you about my favorite stop so far, Kenya!
Tuesday, July 5th - Nairobi Day 1
Our flight landed around 7:30am in Nairobi. Once we were through passport control, we hopped into a van to head to our lodging. We stayed in 2 apartments about a 10 minute walk from each other. Upon arrival, most of us passed out in our new beds for an afternoon nap after a long night of travel. Others took the opportunity to walk around the city and get to know the area. Perhaps the most exciting feature of our apartment was the *drumroll please* washing machine!! The apartment that I stayed in was on the 13th floor, so we had a great view of the city!
Around 2pm, we headed to a performance at the US Embassy. We had the opportunity to hear about what its like to be in the foreign service from our host, Chris. And we got to collect another embassy pin to add to our collection!
After our performance, we headed off to our second performance of the day at a local jazz club called the Geco Café. It was a unique and personality-filled space. The seating was a combination of outdoor booths, indoor tables, and cars/vans/multi-person bikes turned into dining seating. The walls were covered in musical instruments and colorful art. We were graciously hosted for a delicious dinner and had the pleasure of listening to the band play some of the best jazz music I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. It was SO much fun!
Wednesday, July 6th - Nakuru Day 2
Much of today was spent acquiring visas for our upcoming trip to Japan. Once we (Jay Hong) got everything squared away with the Japanese embassy in Kenya, we hopped into 2 vans to head to Nakuru. The drive was one of the bumpiest, most ~lively~ drives I have ever been on. For those of you familiar with the Disney Parks, the drive is best described as “Test Track combined with Kilimanjaro Safaris, but with a 3 hour duration.” When we hit a bit of traffic, our driver veered off the road and drove along the side until we passed the slow down. From the back seat, I couldn’t help but giggle at the roller-coaster like ride.
We arrived to our accommodation, Ziwa Bush Lodge, around 10pm. It was already dark, so we didn’t get to see much of the area. The lodge served a dinner buffet, featuring Kenyan classics, including roasted goat and delicious fried potatoes. We stayed in pairs in individual villas, featuring thatched roofs and mosquito net-draped beds. Mattheus and my room had an additional guest, a slug lurking on the ceiling, which we kept a close eye on throughout the evening. Alarms set for bright and early, we drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the surrounding nature.
Thursday, July 7th - Nakuru / Nairobi Day 3
Today was such an exciting day!! We woke up around 6:30am for breakfast and then hopped into vans to head out on our game drive (aka safari) through Lake Nakuru National Park. The roofs of our vans opened up, and we stood to see the wildlife as we drove. We saw SO many animals - hundreds of zebras, thousands of flamingoes (so many that the shoreline looked pink!), buffalo, white rhinos, baboons, monkeys, a giraffe, and even a lion couple! It was truly an unforgettable experience. We then drove back to Nairobi, stopping by way of a local artisan market with a gorgeous view over fields and mountains.
When we got back, we showered and prepared for our evening performance with the Harvard Club of Kenya. The event was graced by a Harvard professor of African language, who spoke at length about the importance of language study of all of the hundreds of African languages and dialects. It was fascinating and informative. We enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner (especially the desserts!) before heading back for the night.
Friday, July 8th - Nairobi Day 4
Today we had a performance for teachers and principals of Nairobi schools, complete with a delicious buffet lunch. In the evening, we headed to Nairobi Street Kitchen, an eclectic collection of food stands, bars, live music and a dance floor, for dinner and drinks with some new friends from the Harvard Club of Kenya.
Saturday, July 9th - Nairobi Day 5
This morning, the Dins enjoyed breakfast at a nearby cafe before heading off to the Giraffe Center, which quickly became one of my favorite places we have visited over all of tour! The giraffes were all incredibly friendly (probably because we had yummy treats to feed them!) and walked up to the bridge we were standing on, tongues stretched out for treats. Then we headed to the Nairobi National Museum, which housed lots of fantastic exhibits about the native wildlife of Kenya and the historical tribal life of the region. The museum complex also had a reptile and snake center where we got to hold snakes and chameleons (!!).
We then headed off to Lava Latte with some Harvard Club of Kenya folks for a delicious lunch and fabulous conversation. The evening was spent relaxing. Noah and I decided to build a pillow fort and binge season 3 of Stranger Things.
Sunday, July 10th - Nairobi Day 6
Today was our last day in Kenya! :( We had brunch at CJ’s Restaurant with Harvard Club of Kenya friends. Afterwards, we headed back to our apartments to change for our afternoon performance at Bomb Blast Memorial Park. Upon arrival, we were shown into the transept of the memorial museum, walls covered in photos and descriptions of the explosion. The concert was a joint performance with us and a women’s choir, which we had the pleasure of watching (and they were fabulous!).
After our performance, Noah, Mattheus and I headed to the Maasai Market, an open air market packed with vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, clothing, art, and souvenirs. While the sheer number of stands and products being sold was a bit overwhelming, we had a fabulous time getting to know the folks there and even bought some items to bring back home! We found a restaurant the specialized in local dishes from southern Kenya which was delicious! Then, it was time to head back to finish packing for our travels to India tomorrow!
Monday, July 11th - Travel to India
Around 10am, we hopped into a van that took us to the airport. We had a bit of an adventure checking our bags, but eventually everything got worked out and we headed through immigration and security. Thankfully the flight wasn’t too full, so we were able to spread out. And the inflight meal was some of the best airplane food I’ve ever had! The first flight was 7 hours long, arriving at 10:30pm. We stayed on the plane while the staff cleaned and counted passengers, and a little while later, we took off to Delhi, a short flight of 1.5 hours. The Delhi airport was HUGE! It was a long walk until we got to immigration. We got our bags and headed off to our hotel, arriving around 2:30am and finally crashing into bed after a looooong day of travel.
