The first day we are not on a plane
What day is it? Thursday I think. We arrived in Nairobi at 0450hrs and got into bed at 0600 up at 1100 (we have to save some sleep for tonight to be regular) this was after a 17 hour layover in Cairo starting at 0500. To say that our sleep patterns are severely disrupted would be an understatement.
Up and at ’em we walked to a large Mall. This Mall is not like any in North America. A seven storey building with an Atrium that extends to the roof and each floor only partially filled with small stores and offices. But before you even get in there is a security check. We found what we wanted – a missing phone cable and charger supplier.
Grabbing a snack we stopped off at a Cafe on the bottom floor. We ordered off the menu and listened to the waitress’s explanations. Well, the pancakes looked like crepes and were cold and the egg sandwiches turned up wrapped in a hot dog bun. But despite the looks of it it was tasty and worth the$10 for four for breakfast.
Back across the road 100 metres away we met the smiley security and reentered the hotel complex. One word about security – it is tight. All bags have to be scanned 
into the hotel and we were ‘wanded’ to get into the Mall. Nobody walks anywhere but the 100 mts to the Mall was OK. Time to check out the hotel The Eka Hotel. This four star hotel had it all, great gift shop, which more than one of the party certainly approved, lively off-lobby bar and a well appointed dining room. As this hotel is used as a staging point for many of the Safari groups plenty of tourists but the business class of Nairobi certainly used the facilities and the conference rooms. A great place to stay – AND certainly not four star prices. The food was outstanding and different. For example Doreen ordered Spaghetti Bolognese, the product certainly was not made by an Italian Grandmother. The sauce was definitely ‘herby’ with a touch of sweetness – enchanting! My fish stew was not that of the type described in Russian Gulag novels. Big chunks, where they got the big fish from I didn’t want to ask but the chowder and chunks were mighty tasty and filling.
At this point of the day we were ready to try to reestablish a good sleep pattern and we retired, well fed and certainly ‘touristed’ out.