In exactly two weeks I will have woken up in my OWN bed at home! Even if I almost have one foot out the door already, making plans to see friends when I'm back in Helsinki, I'm also getting sadder and sadder about leaving. June and July have been a lot of fun! I made a few weekend trips and here's a quick run-through of the highlights (includes info on prices and tips for those of you out there who are thinking about doing similar trips):
Birthday bash
For my birthday I invited pretty much everyone I've met in Nairobi for a birthday bash on June 6th. It was a group of around 20 people at a movie-themed party, with some Finnish food on the menu.
People took selfies with the selfie-stick at the VIP-wall.
Lettu, cinnamon buns, mandazis and hummus. Almost like the rule was "only serve brown food"!
Around 20 guests playing a movie trivia game with Kahoot - the question with multiple answers is shown on the TV and people answer with their mobile phone.
The party was a success and I was really touched by so many people showing up!
Kitengela Glass House
For Midsummer, a bunch of my Finnish lady friends + my Swiss roomie gathered together and went to a glass art studio, where they rent out some quirky cottages. The place is situated next to Nairobi National Park just outside the city and you can find more info on the place here: www.kitengelaglass.com.
The place is quite lovely: the area is covered with trees between the pretty cottages and there's glass art everywhere.
The style of the Kitengela is similar to Gaudi's, and the owner is an artist in her 60s. She holds glass art workshops and sells her art at a shop.
They had a sauna there! Apparently a Finn had built it using recycled wine bottles and cement. The temperature went only up to around 50 degrees, and left us Finns quite underwhelmed.
There were a bunch of birds, dogs, and other animals running around, like this 40-year-old vulture.
The following pictures are from our cottage, the Pool house, which we rented together with its basement. The price was around 12,000, or 120€. Unfortunately I can't recommend the place for its lack of good service, but it is certainly a lovely cottage!
Close to where we were staying there is a very narrow bridge going over a gorge. It was scary!
All in all, I think if you're a glass art enthusiast, this is a nice place to visit. The cottages are weird and wonderful, but the service is a mess and the owner a weirdo, but see it for yourself.
Lake Naivasha
The weekend after Midsummer I headed out to Lake Naivasha with my roomie Kammi and her friends. Naivasha is situated a couple of hours' drive north of Nairobi. It's easy to get there by matatu from town, and it only costs around 3€ one-way.
While the others went for a hike on Mount Longonot, I went for a horseback safari at the Sanctuary farm! It cost 3,000 ksh (30€) and took 1,5 h. I warmly recommend it!
Zebras!
These trees made the place look magical!
On our way to our lodge, a giraffe calmly crossed the street!
We stayed at Wileli house, which turned out to be 50 km away from Naivasha town. The cottage for 4 people was 15,000/night. The service was good, as well as the food.
While I was waiting for the others to get back from the hike, I took a walking safari. Zebras!
Colobus monkey outside our cottage in the morning sun.
Breakfast by the pool with Geoff, Erina, Emily & Kammi. Lovely people!
The third kind of safari I went on was the famous hippo boat ride on Lake Naivasha - a must if you're in the area. The taxi driver took us to a boat ride organizer who the locals use, so we got a good price - 1,000/each (the more touristy places charge 2,000-3,000-person!).
This weekend was absolutely wonderful and I understand now why so many expats go back to Naivasha so often. There are many lodges to choose from and it's close enough for a calming weekend get-away from the hustle of the city.
Nanyuki
A friend of mine moved to Nanyuki a while ago, so the first week of July I went to visit her and her husband there. The 3-hour matatu ride to this small town north of Nairobi and next to Mount Kenya was nice - I've always liked sitting in a bus and looking at the scenery while listening to music.
Their place was about 10 km from Nanyuki town. The only sounds you could hear are the birds chirping. Their home had a proper cottage feel!
One of the neighbours. Wouldn't mind staying at a house like this in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I could write... *dreaming*
Evening walk with the dogs.
I saw the full moon rise here for the first time in my life. Very poetic.
We cooked Indian veggie-skewers and naan on a
jiko. It was quite cold outside - note the woolen socks!
Maasai Mara
On July 6th my darling friend Katarina FINALLY came to visit me - something I had been waiting for for a looooong time! It was like getting a piece of home to me...
We booked our safari through Bonfire adventures and opted for a (more expensive) private safari, that included our own private safari van, pick-up and drop-off at our place in Nairobi, 2 nights' stay at the Luxury tented camps at Sentrim Camp (which is in the better area of the Maasai Mara National Park). It also included all meals, but excluded park fees ($80/day for a non-resident, 1,200ksh/day for a resident - a price I luckily got with my internship visa, phew!). For a non-resident the safari package was 415€, while I paid ~360€.
You can definitely get a package a lot cheaper if you save on lodging type and travel with a group. Check out also Explorer Kenya for deals.
Going to Maasai Mara for the second time, I managed to recreate a moment from 2006. Back then, I would never have guessed I would get to see this place TWICE.
We saw the elusive cheetas!
Lion is simba in swahili :)
My favorite was the elephants!
During a 3-day safari we went on 3 game drives, so there was a lot of scenery like this, in between of stopping every once in a while to admire the wild animals and take photos.
I had wonderful time at Mara and everything went as planned. We didn't get to see the great migration, but it was definitely worth it and I warmly suggest going!
Kiambethu Tea farm
After the safari, my tea-loving friend and I headed out to the Kiambethu Tea farm in Nairobi. We booked through them directly and the $80 price included pick-up and drop-off from our place, a lecture about tea processing, a walk around the farm and an indigenous forest + a lovely home-made lunch with drinks. A bit over-priced in my opinion, but a nice afternoon nonetheless.
A fun weekend with the girls
After the tea farm visit on Friday, we had dinner at Brew Bistro...
... and went to a rooftop club, Pawa254, to listen to Ugandan live music.
In the evening had a pre-party at our place before we went clubbing.
We went to Tree House, Havana and Gypsy. It was a fun night!
On Sunday we recuperated at Clarence House's rooftop pool, on School Lane in Westlands. The entry 1,000 ksh includes entry to the pool, steam room and sauna, as well as the gym. The weather was surprisingly good - around 25 degrees and sunny!
The week with Katarina was unforgettable. It was special to share this experience with an old friend. Thanks Katarina for coming!
Farewell dinner
Since my contract ends on July 31st and my boss's summer vacation started on July 17th, he organized a farewell dinner for me last Wednesday. Other people who used to work for the same company here in Nairobi came as well. We got drinks at Budhaa Lounge and a very, very nice Indian dinner at Haandi in Westlands. My boss thanked me for a good job by getting me this...
... and I thanked him by giving him these:
My boss sent me an e-mail, which hehad sent to someone and where he had recommended me for a job. I have never gotten such heart-felt feedback for my job. It made everything feel worth while. I feel thankful to have someone like that in my corner when I try to pursue these jobs in the future.
...... aaaaand that brings us up to this weekend. :)
On Friday we just hung out at home and chilled with my roomies. Oona had a friend visiting, so we went out yesterday for dinner at Mediterraneo in Westlands and some drinks at Havana. A quality group of Finns joined us. :)
Sarah, Marie, Oona, I and Kammi at Mediterraneo.
These past weeks have been amazing because of the weekend trips and Katarina's visit, but the normal, uneventful evenings after work have been made very special by my dear, darling roomies, who I absolutely adore. Gosh, I'll miss you Sarah, Oona and Kammi!
