OK, I know I have it better than some of my colleagues in the field, but I have the need to vent about the hotel in Mwingi - just so if anyone ever ends up there, they're forewarned. My driver said that because it has no other competition, they may not necessarily be as motivated to improve things.
The 2nd time I had to stay at the Mwingi Cottage Hotel, I had to take a smaller room (that was fine) that lacked an A/C – very bad thing, although I didn't know it then. Why? Although the “A/C” in those units that have one doesn’t do too much to cool the room and is amazingly, offensively loud, it does provide air. Without it, the unit is like a closed oven despite trying to open windows – picture gasping, overheated, dried out, oppressed feeling when trying to sleep. I went through a whole liter of water during the night and was still dehydrated.
In addition, think bugs. Lots of them and all kinds and some in bed with you. Yeah. Not pleasant. I’m not sure why this time around this unit seemed so much worse than the one I’d been in during my previous stay, but I’ve never seen so many…and lots of ants to boot. Ugh. And yes, another cockroach sitting right by the shower drain when I returned from dinner. Nasty. Thank goodness for the bug spray.
Oh, that’s not all. The toilet didn’t seem to flush thoroughly…ever. And emitted an unpleasant smell. Wonderful. Not to mention the water that flushed into it was brown. Bad enough I was recovering from my bout with whatever GI malady; don’t want to think about if I’d been really sick while staying here. Blegh.
The shower? Ha. More like a trickle. And if I wanted hot water, I got it and only it when I hit the hot water heater switch. Taking a shower was comical. I’d hit the switch on and off and alternate between a hot and chilly trickle.
Regarding the meals, well, see my blog about Kenyan cuisine for a comment on one of my meals here.
I’ve never been so happy to leave a place and never felt such dread at the thought of ever having to go back there. There really are no other options in Mwingi, although I’m debating one. The only saving graces about the place were the friendly staff (they started warming up to me given that I’ve been around so much) and the land area for some decent morning runs. But I’m still ecstatic that I’m at the Meru County Hotel tonight rather than back in Mwingi. And soon, I’ll be at the Fairview in Nairobi.
Field work can be fun, but some aspects are not something one likes to have to endure long term.
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