Discovering Nairobi, Kenya – Churches, Markets, Slums and More

The First Visit to Nairobi

Our first visit to Nairobi started at midnight in a hot, stuffy airport. Getting through customs was long and not fun. The only fun part was when I made my passport photo face at the person checking our passports.  

For those of you who don’t know, when I got my last passport and when they took my photo, I smiled a sweet smile, but to my astonishment, they said I was not allowed to smile. Now my passport photo looks like I am a hiker trying to stare down a mama bear. In other words, I don’t look happy.  

The outside air was not hot, thankfully. Hot outside air is the last thing anyone needs when coming off a late-night flight. It took us so long to get our sim cards, long enough for Bardez to fall asleep by mom, on the floor, outside. He was pretty cute. 

When we finally got our sim cards, we got into the hotel taxi. There was nobody at the hotel except the security guard. They had to find someone to check us in. It took a while to get room keys, but it eventually happened.

The hotel was excellent. But not somewhere that I would want to go back to. The food was delicious and the staff was friendly, but it was not a stunning experience. I would rate the Double Tree Hilton four stars.  

Second Stay in Nairobi

Our second stay in Nairobi after being in the Masai Mara was much better. We stayed at a different hotel called the Movenpick. The rooms were more beautiful, and the food was so much better! At breakfast, there were always gluten-free cupcakes and bread. They would also label everything saying if it was gluten-free or not. On Sunday, we went to the same church we attended the previous Sunday. After Church, we had an afternoon at the hotel.

To our delight and surprise, there was a beautiful lunch buffet and a kid’s play area with bracelet making. I made about five bracelets, one of which was completely gold, and I wore it to dinner that night. The restaurant was a revolving restaurant at the top of the hotel where we could see most of the city while we ate our dinner. I would rate this hotel five stars and add that the staff was excellent and friendly. I would also visit again and explore Nairobi more extensively.