Luxury (Sept 15, 2012)

So my return to East Africa has started off with a bit of luxurious living. I’m starting off the trip at the New Safari Hotel in Nairobi, a fancy conference center with an exquisite network of swimming pools, beautiful landscaping, fancy rooms, yummy food, etc. (Please note I’m staying here for a conference, not just for kicks.) One night we had waiters dance around the tables with giant spits of meat that they shaved onto our sizzling cast iron plates – at least 20 different types of meat were sliced onto my plate with enormous kitchen knives right in front of me! Then a group of at least 20 dancers bounced on stage to give a wild performance that combined some impressive acrobatics/dancing with sexy leopard print outfits that invoked thoughts of Victoria Secret and a stereotypical ‘western’ image of wild African peoples.  (Hmmm… not sure how to feel about that performance.)

After the conference, we went to Sopa Lodge at Lake Naivasha and experienced even more luxury. At the lodge, antelope, impala, dik dik, hartbeast, even giraffes gently grazed in the ‘backyard’, literally 10-20 yards away from where we walked. A dozen hippos took over the lawn at night and we were instructed not to walk from our rooms to the dining room without an armed escort. The restaurant was filled with ridiculous amounts of amazing food and desserts. I suppose this is what many people experience when they visit East Africa. It’s just so different than what I think of when I think of East Africa. I have to admit I enjoyed it – how could you not enjoy a fancy hotel room in a beautiful place, with delicious food and exotic animals? But it’s difficult to fully enjoy this kind of luxury when you know that the people who live in this country will never have the opportunity to experience what I as a visitor can. It will be good to get to Suba and get down to work.