Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya, one of the fastest growing economies in East and Central Africa. I must say that I always enjoy a weekend in the town, what with the sunny weather always around and the lovely people that one gets to interact with. Nairobi was so named because of the sunny weather it harbours. The name was actually picked from one of the 42 tribes of people the country holds and means ‘City under the Sun’.
I live and work in Uganda and as such usually visit my hometown once every several months. The best things I love to do when in my hometown include visiting local restaurants while socializing with other Kenyans, shopping (as well as window shopping) at The Village Market (a popular tourist destination in the middle of the city) and partying in one of the major nightclubs. I was recently in Nairobi and really enjoyed a weekend in my hometown. The morning began with a visit to The Village Market.
This is a big shopping complex which usually has people of all walks of life since the neighbourhood in which the complex lies houses most of the international embassies in the country. I started by viewing traditionally hand-made ornaments from the ‘Maasai market’ which sets up shop at the parking lot of the ultra-modern shopping mall every second Saturday of the month. I was able to pick a few Maasai belts made of pure lion skin at an amazingly low price. Most of the vendors in the market sell women ornaments and as such, I was also obliged to pick something for my dear mum and sister. Two pairs of plain round earrings made of dried cow skin and attached to what appeared to be a silver-coated pinning did the trick.
Once, I left The Village Market, I was accompanied by a friend to one of the local restaurants. The good thing about bars and restaurants in Nairobi is that they are set up as ‘vibandas’, a local name that refers to semi-permanent structures. Many people, who are of means, meet with their friends in such local bars and restaurants and chat the afternoon away while having a social drink.
On that particular day, I started by ordering for ‘nyama choma’. This is a local delicacy which is basically roasted beef. The meat was roasted as my friend and I enjoyed our favourite brew, Tusker. Every now and then, we would walk over and have the person roasting our meat cut us a few pieces to taste, not withholding the fact that the meat is somewhat more delicious when consumed rare. The cost of living in Nairobi is relatively cheap and we therefore did not end up spending a pretty penny. The equivalent of $15 is what we spent in terms of Kenyan shillings for a hefty meal and drinks on the side.
We spent the whole afternoon at the restaurant awaiting the skies to introduce us to the night when a local DJ was expected to liven party-goers at a renowned pub in the city. The pub is called Skylux. We were able to secure ourselves a good spot early enough and start socializing with some of the girls who had also arrived early. With the cost of things being fairly affordable, we started off the night gradually with a few drinks before the DJ checked in.
Things went on well until around 11pm when the DJ checked in and brought the whole house on fire. The night ended with my friend and I heading home at around 2pm and waking up the next morning to nurse massive hangovers. I however have to agree that I really enjoyed it and hope I shall have another chance to spend a weekend in Nairobi soon.
