Kenya – Nairobi

I was in Kenya last circa 2006 when I worked in South Sudan. Now I’m back as a tourist! About a week before our flight, Don and I purchased e-visas. When we landed, this line was much longer than those buying visas on the spot, and also took longer – go figure.

We stayed at the Panafric – where I stayed for my first month before I found my apartment. I remembered a large parking lot and huge buildings in a U shape with a grand entrance. Yeah no. Although parts were being renovated, it was very small and the entrance was off a gas station…hmmmm.

Our first morning I found back the YMCA where I stayed my first two nights in November 1997. And my old apartment or at least the gate – I’m fairly sure that was it. We walked into town and wandered around and I tried very hard to remember what I could. Don laughed a few times when I energetically saw a word or place I knew only to find no images came to mind and I had a blank when I tried to recall being there. Clearly memory is more of a feeling 🙂

We went to the top of KICC where my office used to be. Back in the day, I could walk there in about 20 minutes. I remember being able to call up for chai to be delivered – precursor to Uber Eats.

The next day we took a local bus to Karen and then hiked along the roadway for 45 minutes to Karen Blixen’s house. I seem to remember going there before, but then none of it was familiar. The house was in a large clearing, bought and then donated by the Danish government. Our guide recounted how involved she’d been with the local community (kijiji in Swahili) and her staff. Also found out both her mother and brother visited her there. In addition to being a writer, Karen Blixen also also painted and listened to interesting music when she wasn’t doing 10,000 things to run her coffee farm. Both evenings we ate out at restaurants that I used to go. Couldn’t really remember either. Yikes. Not sure how keen Don will be to revisit my days of youth again. Or I’ll have to downplay what I used to know.