Karibu Kenya #8: Diamond Plaza, Deceptive Dinners and Yellow Fever Shots

Yesterday morning came early as Aimee and I braced the elements to go on a 2 kilometer run. At 6:15 the temperature was perfect—cool and crisp with a light drizzle. Considering I have been the worst at exercising this year, I was surprised to make it as far as I did before having to stop and walk. When we first left the house, hardly anyone was out other than the security guards standing watch at their gates. By the time the sun came up, the road was filled with children dressed in uniforms, heading to school.  Several of them stared as I passed- I think it had something to do with me breathing like a hippo. Nevertheless, I smiled, waved and continued on.

After Timothy and Dennis’ Spanish lesson, we headed to Nyayo House so Aimee could renew her work permit. Less than an hour later, her passport was stamped and we were on our way to Diamond Plaza, a small shopping center.  Before visiting some of the shops we decided to go to the food court and order some Bhagias (Indian-style fried potatoes). Apparently I didn’t hear when Aimee warned me, “Prepare to be attacked”—that would have been useful information. Seconds later, we were swimming in a sea of waiters who were shoving menus from each of their restaurants in our faces—everything from Chinese food to Barbeque. Let’s just say, if you’re the indecisive type, don’t eat at Diamond Plaza.

We meandered around the shops and found one run by an older Indian woman who sold everything from traditional to contemporary Indian-style clothing. After trying on several tops, I finally decided on a green and blue floral one that reached my knees. At first the woman wanted 1,500 shillings but she ended settling for 1,000 which is the equivalent of $11.50 US dollars. She also attempted to sell me a pair of matching green Peter Pan tights to go along with the top. I had to turn her down after seeing that they were about 5 feet too long. Thank you, come again!

A few hours after getting back from Diamond Plaza, we were visited by a family of Silvery Cheek Hornbills in the backyard. Mim and I rushed outside to watch this live-streaming episode of the circle of life. Staring up at the trees, we could see that the baby hornbill had grabbed something in its beak. The next sound we heard wasn’t the flutter of wings, but rather the crunching of a helpless chameleon that had been chosen as the a la carte special. Tragic fate for the poor reptile but c’est la vie. Birds gotta eat!

Once the bird excitement was over, Aimee and Mim decided to take Sammy out to eat at Oak Place (our old house) for his 14^th birthday. Kennedy (another one of the boys) and I tagged along as well. We specifically chose this restaurant because of the “all you can eat” steak special they were having that night. Not being meat eaters, the three of us girls ordered coffee and watched as the boys quickly put away 4 plates each. Sometime later, the waiter came with the bill. To our astonishment we had been charged double for the two specials we had ordered.  The waiter then explained that “all you can eat” stops after 2 plates. Mind you, none of this information was advertised so that the customer was aware. We asked to speak to the manager and 30 minutes later he presented himself. By this time, 3 other stories had evolved. First the manager accused us, saying that there was no possible way these two boys could have eaten a total of 8 plates. Once that was denied, he then said we were eating off the boys’ plates. Finally, seeing that we were not going to back down, he accused the waiter of misinforming him about the situationand writing separate tickets. But let’s get to the truth of the matter –false advertisement and shady service. After fighting hard, we made it out paying what was actually due. Teamwork!

We were more than ready for bed by the time we made it home around 10pm. I slept hard that night and woke up around 8:30 the next morning, an hour later than usual. I scarfed down some cold pancakes from the kitchen and poured a cup of kahawa (coffee). Grandma told me I was going with her to Sarit Centre to get her hair cut. I jumped in the car and we were on our way. Of course the morning wasn’t off to its usual start until I spilled my coffee down the front of my sweater.  I noticed grandma had done the same thing. What can I say? The apples don’t fall far from the trees. Once we arrived, we made the four story hike up to Nargas’ salon. The lights cut off the minute we entered the salon, but not to worry, a pretty typical occurrence. We waited for Nargas to finish with another customer before she came over to greet us. I decided to get my hair washed and dried since our water would more than likely be off for the rest of the week. I enjoyed a cup of tea in between the wash and dry and a couple hours later, grandma and I walked out prettier than when we had entered.

Once we had eaten lunch, our second outing was to Agha Khan Hospital. Grandpa was getting his routine checkup while I decided to wait in line for a yellow fever shot. A small stick in my left arm and 3,250 shillings later, I was finished. Not bad considering the $200 stateside cost for this same vaccination.

The cold air is rushing into the dining room, prompting me to hurry up and finish this post. Mim’s friend Miriam just walked in the door and we are all planning to go to dinner once they get back from walking Sweetie. I’m hoping the decision is Indian food—samosas here I come!