Happy Easter

I suppose I could have taken off for the coast (like Mombasa or Lamu) or gone to Maasai Mara to see more animals, but after constantly traveling and living out of a suitcase for the past 2-1/2 months and sleeping in so many different places in so many different and sometimes trying conditions, I just wanted to be able to stay put in comfortable, familiar surroundings. Diane agreed. So, we both decided to return from the field to Nairobi for the long weekend (it’s a 4-day weekend here). We both just need some downtime, and staying at the Fairview is perfect for that. Besides, despite the fact that we’ve probably seen and experienced more of Kenya than even many Kenyans, we haven’t really had the opportunity to explore Nairobi. So, we’re back. The best part, for me, is that I can go on my early morning runs again – yeah, I know, I’m a running nut.

Yesterday, we did a little shopping at the Maasai Market. Actually, it’s held on different days in different parts of the city, and it’s the best place to shop for gifts and souvenirs. It’s a scene, and you definitely have to be in the mood to bargain and be firm with sometimes aggressive vendors, usually the male ones. Still, it’s colorful and fun, and Diane and I agreed we probably bought way too many scarves, but we love all our purchases so they’re worth every schilling. Diane’s a pretty shrewd bargainer, and I had just as much fun watching her than actually shopping for anything myself. The trick is that you get them to name a price and then only offer at most half what they ask and work from there. Then, you have to be ready to walk away. The last is easy to do, at least for us; there isn’t anything that we really need or can do without anyway.

Diane read about a Kenyan traditional dance show at a place called Bomas, so we decided to check it out. Although it was a bit on the touristy side, there were plenty of Kenyans, including families and school groups, that attended the show, which was actually pretty entertaining. The troupe performed a number of dances and songs that are performed for various celebrations and/or events (e.g., weddings or ritual male circumcisions) by different tribes across Kenya. According to our driver, the performances were actually true to real life. He himself is a Kikuyu, and I think he got a kick out of watching the dance and music representing his tribe. Turns out he’s perfomed that dance himself at one time. Interestingly, some of the dance movements of some of the tribes especially seemed similar to the Hawaiian hula and other Polynesian/Micronesian dances. Also, in many ways, Bomas is very similar to a less done-up version of the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu; there are even examples of various tribal villages through which you can walk and visit. I took a picture of Diane by one of the “first wife’s” huts of one of the tribes.

This morning, we enjoyed a nice walk in the area of the city around our hotel. Given that it’s Easter Sunday, thankfully, there wasn’t the usual crowd of people on the streets and sidewalks, and traffic was infrequent, although there were still plenty of matatus and buses letting out there ugly spurts of blue-black clouds of smog – blegh. We explored the nearby Panafric Hotel, which would have been our alternative if the Fairview had been booked. Nice place, but we prefer the tranquility and environs of the Fairview. We saw people walking and driving to churches and could hear the blasts of some exuberant sermons through open windows as we passed by a couple of the very large churches. We made our way to Uhuru Park and enjoyed watching all the families enjoying the day, just like they might in the U.S. or Canada.

Happy Easter everyone!