During the Easter weekend we decided at the last minute (4:00pm) to drive up to Naivasha. I have been quite fascinated by Naivasha in the past couple of months because every time we have gone there we have tried something new.
We still speak of The Ranch House Bistro till today, and I understand yet another cool pub/restaurant has just opened in Naivasha called The Hungry Hippo (sometimes they have baby hippos wandering around in their car park… We will definitely stop by next time!)
Anyway, we arrive in Naivasha, check into our home for the night and proceed to grab some grub. After dinner, we weighed the options and decided that even though we were massive fans of Fisherman’s Camp, the heavy downpour would best be enjoyed at an indoor location.
I then remembered that a friend mentioned a nightclub located within the luxurious Enashipai Resort. We chugged our drinks, hopped into the car raced to Enashipai.
The gentlemen at the gate directed us to the location of the club (the resort is spread out over five acres of land by lake Naivasha) We eventually stood in front of these interesting doors…
I apologize for the picture quality. It was an unexpected surprise so I did not have my Canon on me. Now, allow me to justify why I think The Wave is the best nightclub in Kenya. The club is nine months old.
1. Parking Space.
This is an issue most people who venture out in Nairobi complain about a lot. There is usually lack of parking space at most of the popular venues. Well, at The Wave, it will take a lot to fully occupy all the parking spots on the five acres. 🙂
2. Club Entrance
With the exception of the newly reopened Florida Nightclub, no other club in Nairobi has a designated reception are where the guests are received. The Wave has one.
3. Space
There are some venues you will go to in Nairobi where you are seated and practically participating in your neighbours conversation because of how close you are to each other. The Wave has plenty of room for everyone. They also have “booths” where a couple of friends can easily gather around and sit.
Still on the space issue… They have high ceilings (which we like a lot) especially on the dancefloor and in the bathrooms.
4. The Bar
There is a long bar from one end of the club to the other. Again, plenty of space. The other great thing about the bar area are the bar stools (especially for someone who has fallen off a bar stool sober before.) They are so comfortable!
5. The Sound System/Dancefloor
The resident Dj was kind enough to let me hang out in his uber-cool Dj booth. The first thing you notice is that the speakers are hung pretty high near the ceiling, but at the same time they are strategically placed so that the maximum sound impact is on the dancefloor. This is extremely important because as soon as you step off the dancefloor you can comfortably have a conversation in any part of the club without screaming at the top of your lungs over music.
6. The VIP Room
The VIP Room is located upstairs. You can actually walk into the venue and then proceed into the VIP section without going through the club. From here you can view the activities happening downstairs from the comfort of the lounge chairs.
7. The Prices
We had plenty of drinks. Upon asking for the bill, it was a third of what we would normally pay at some venues in Nairobi, which was a welcome surprise.
I have always loved Brian’s Irish accent.. 🙂 So when he got back to Nairobi and mentioned that he, Shane and other cool Irish friends were planning on hosting Kenya’s (and possibly Africa’s) first Irish Film Festival, I was quite keen on checking it out.
The night before the festival Sarah and I headed out to Karen (aka the other world for those of us who live on the Westlands side :-)) for Lulu and Graham’s engagement party which was a lot of fun. As a result of our overindulgence, I only made it for the last movie at 5:00pm and missed all the others 😦
That said, here are five things that I think you would have enjoyed had you joined us yesterday for the film festival..
5. Green Beer
Brew Bistro was present with Green beer which is obviously fitting seeing as tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day 🙂
4. Really good food thanks to Moniko’s Restaurant.
Moniko’s Restaurant is located in Lavington, Nairobi. They have delicious food and are open all day. They also provide catering services, as was evident at the festival. There was a raffle at the end of the festival and the winning ticket won dinner for two at Moniko’s… Fazaal won! Now, he happened to have two dates to the movies, Anne-Marie and I.. For sure this will be a fun dinner 🙂
3. A lovely crowd..
There is nothing more refreshing than attending an event which is composed of a warm, interactive crowd. Everyone who turned up was fun, friendly and excited about the film festival. I made new friends which is a win!
2. Traditional Irish Folk Music
This was a first for me and I loved it! We walked out of the last movie only to find three delightful human beings waiting for us ready to play some Irish music. The Embassy of Ireland in Nairobi facilitated the presence of the group which consisted of a harp player, a flute player and a Uilleann pipe player (Irish elbow bagpipes)
Here they are performing….
1. Beautiful Irish Films…
The festival had three delightful Irish movies. Here are the details:
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley”
Irish drama directed by Ken Loach set during the Irish War of Independence (1919- 1922) and the Irish Civil War (1922- 1923). Winner of the PALME D’OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
“The Secret of Kells” – Oscar nominated children’s animated film telling the story of a young monk Brendan who is learning to be a scribe and how he got the inspiration to complete the world famous Book of Kells. Perfect for children.
“Once”
Irish Musical film (Oscar winner for Best Original Song) tells the story of the musical collaboration of a Dublin busker and a young Czech immigrant flower seller.
There you go! Hopefully we will catch up at the Irish Kenyan Film Festival in 2016, because I am already first in line to purchase my ticket to the festival!
For more details on the festival, send an email to: irishkenyafilmfestival @ gmail . com
So I eventually gave in to peer pressure and set up my Facebook page, let me know what you all think about it! Oh, and there is a bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne to be won while we are at it.. 🙂
As of late 2014, a couple of venue owners to be had spoken to me about their upcoming bars and restaurants. Every time I met friends they would ask me what is new in Nairobi and I would run through the list again and again.. And then I remembered that I had a blog I could send them to with a list of places to check out in 2015. Here is the list, party people!
1. The Wet Lounge & Grill
This venue is set to open in a couple of months. The owners are a lovely couple who invited me for a private viewing yesterday.. I liked what I saw.
The Wet lounge will be for the grown up crowd, with food available too within the premises. I will add further details the closer they are to opening.
Caramel Lounge opened its doors in 2014 to a great reception in Nairobi. They are now have special offers which include the Happy Hours from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. There is also a ladies night every Wednesday evening with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine for ladies followed by half off on all signature cocktails all night…
I am really looking forward to the opening of Gossip Lounge. The dynamic pair behind this lounge are Barry and Samia. You may have seen them cruising around Nairobi in their Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce or Hummer… This couple is keen in turning up the heat in the Nairobi nightlife 🙂
Avi invited me to check out Budhaa Bar way before it opened. I liked the concept. Little did I know Dom Pérignon Champagne would be keen on getting involved too. Now Nairobi has its own exclusive Dom Pérignon affiliated Bar in the heart of Westlands. Check it out guys!
I am yet to set foot in Juniper Kitchen. The main reason it made it to this list is because of the raving reviews I have heard from my friends who have been there so far. They love it! Stop by and let us know what you think of the place!
Ok, so this is not a “new” venue in Nairobi. Florida is Nairobi’s oldest nightclub. They reopened earlier this year at a new venue one street away from the older venue. The management is keen on giving Nairobi a fantastic nightclub experience seven nights a week…. Here are pictures of the new venue..
7. Marina Bay Lounge
My boy Amor Thige is in the process of setting up the Marina Bay Lounge in Mombasa. It is located within the luxurious English Point Marina. This will be the place to be in Mombasa when it opens…
8. Unnamed Club/Lounge (Coming Soon!)
A dear friend is finalising on yet another lounge in Westlands. The project is about four months away. I will definitely let you know about the club once they are almost open.
There you go! Let me know if I left out any new places in Nairobi and Mombasa….
2015 will be an interesting year for Nairobi’s nightlife. With quite a number of new places opening, we have an exciting array of options to choose from. I begin this nightlife journey with the first place to open in 2015, Budhaa Bar.
Just to be clear, this Budhaa Bar is a stand alone venture, not affiliated to other Budha Bars worldwide, well, for now.
Budhaa Bar is located in Westlands, within the Delta Corner complex right at the main Westlands roundabout. It seems there are other venues coming up within the complex, including a new Mercury Lounge.
Delta Corner Towers
Once you step into the Delta Corner Towers compound, walk around until you spot this smaller building on the side. This is where Budhaa Bar is located…
Stroll in through the glass doors and make your way up the flight of stairs until you see the light at the top of the staircase 🙂
True to its name, there is a “Budha”theme in the bar…
The colours are neutral and the place quite neat. There is an island bar style which means that you can order for a drink from any corner. Here are more pictures of the interior…
Dom Pérignon Champagne have a heavy presence at the venue. Now you know where to go for that special occasion which requires you to pop bottles 🙂 🙂
2015 is a breathe away and there are a couple of reasons I cannot wait for it. Top on the list is the epic movie experiences that await us. Here is a list of movies that will rock my world in 2015 – 2016 🙂
The Revenant
Hugh Glass is a 19th century fur trapper who is mauled by a grizzly bear, left for dead and then robbed. When he survives against all odds, he sets out on a treacherous journey to exact revenge on his betrayers.
Stars: Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio
Jurassic World
I would give anything to watch this movie with Margot, the coolest French girl from Lyon. We were roommates for a little while and this period was enough to establish that she is a Jurrasic Park addict. She is in West Africa now, this is definitely a good reason to visit her 🙂
Star Wars Episode VII
Small confession, I have one year to watch the other six for the first time. Yes, you are allowed to judge me!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
The Lost City of Z
In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned.
Director: James Gray
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Pattinson
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Sounds very sweet to me after the first Avengers. I am curious about the storyline and continuity with such a vast range of strong characters..
Terminator: Genisys
The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John’s fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal a new plot by SkyNet that will attack him from both fronts; past and future, and will ultimately change warfare forever.
Mission: Impossible 5
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
After being symbolized as the ‘Mockingjay’ Katniss Everdeen and District 13 engage in an all-out revolution against the autocratic Capitol.
Spectre (James Bond)
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.
Hotel Transylvania 2
When the old-old-old-fashioned vampire Vlad arrives at the hotel for an impromptu family get-together, Hotel Transylvania is in for a collision of supernatural old-school and modern day cool.
Kung Fu Panda 3
Continuing his “legendary adventures of awesomeness”, Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home.
Annihilator
A Chinese expatriate and practicer of Qijong and martial arts receives additional training in a secret U.S. program. Now armed with remarkable powers, he looks to take down a villain bent on destroying everything he knows and loves.
Pitch Perfect 2
Collegiate a cappella group the Barden Bellas enter into an international competition that no American team has ever won.
Annihilation: The Last Man
After Earth’s destruction, a lone wanderer finds himself facing the alien bounty hunters bent on his extermination as he attempts to protect the final records of mankind’s existence.
Ted 2
Furious 7
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his crew for the death of his brother.
Chappie
After being kidnapped by two criminals during birth, Chappie becomes the adopted son in a strange and dysfunctional family. Chappie is preternaturally gifted, one of a kind, a prodigy. He also happens to be a robot.
Mad Max: Fury Road
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken…
Pan
The story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny — to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
Minions
Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world.
Taken 3
Bryan Mills, an Ex-government operative is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed or witnessed as he is tracked and pursued, Bryan Mills brings out his particular set of skills to find the true killer and clear his name.
Strange Magic
A fairy tale of goblins, fairies and imps meeting for the first time and the consequent confusions and conflicts the culture clash causes.
Insurgent
Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
A veteran secret agent takes a young upstart under his wing.
Jupiter Ascending
In the future, a young destitute human woman gets targeted for assassination by the Queen of the Universe, and begins her destiny to finish the Queen’s reign.
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials
The Gladers have escaped the Maze, but now they face a new set of challenges on the open roads of a world ravaged by solar flares and disease.
The Hateful Eight
In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception.
Ex Machina
A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Henry Cavill, Alicia Vikander, Hugh Grant
Focus
A veteran grifter takes a young, attractive woman under his wing, but things get complicated when they become romantically involved.
Magic Mike XXL
The continuing story of male stripper, Magic Mike.
Hitman: Agent 47
An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry.
Eh, where is the divine Timothy Olyphant!
Child 44
Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders — a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.
Stars: Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman
Rambo: Last Blood
Rambo goes up against a Mexican cartel in what’s reported to be his last adventure.
Kickboxer
A remake of the 1989 film, ‘Kickboxer’, starring Jean Claud Van Damme as a kickboxer out to avenge his brother’s death.
Stars: Dave Bautista, Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Last Witch Hunter
The last remaining witch hunter battles against an uprising of witches in modern day New York.
Stars: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood
The Gunman
An international spy must clear his name in order to save himself from the organization that he used to work for.
Stars: Idris Elba, Sean Penn, Javier Bardem
Crimson Peak
Young author Edith Cushing discovers that her charming new husband is not who he appears to be.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
The Martian
An astronaut, stranded on Mars, struggles to survive.
Director: Ridley Scott
2016
While we are at it, here are the movies which definitely have my interest in 2016 🙂 At the very top of the list is Deadpool 🙂
Deadpool
This is probably the one movie I cannot wait to watch out of the entire list!
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Words fail me when I think of this movie… I shiver in anticipation…
Suicide Squad
A secret government agency run by Amanda Waller, named the Suicide Squad, is comprised of highly skilled super villains. They are assigned to execute dangerous tasks in exchange for shorter prison sentences.
Stars: Margot Robbie, Tom Hardy, Jai Courtney
Captain America: Civil War
Following the events of the Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers cause two factions that side with Iron Man (pro registration) or side with Captain America (anti registration) which causes an epic conflict between former allies.
Warcraft
An epic fantasy/adventure based on the popular video game series.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Channing Tatum
Avatar 2
Stars: Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington
Tarzan
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
Stars: Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Alexander Skarsgård
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Alice, Jill, Claire, Chris, Leon, Ada, and Wesker rush to The Hive, where The Red Queen plots total destruction over the human race.
The Sinister Six
Six of mankind’s greatest enemies form an alliance to destroy New York City and Spider-Man.
Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur
Feature film version of the classic Sir Lancelot story.
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey
The Huntsman
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Mechanic: Resurrection
Arthur Bishop thought he had put his murderous past behind him when his most formidable foe kidnaps the love of his life. Now he is forced to travel the globe to complete three impossible assassinations, and do what he does best, make them look like accidents.
Stars: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones
Allegiant: Part 1
Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Naomi Watts
Ben-Hur
A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.
Stars: Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Morgan Freeman
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
Eustace Scrubb, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum set off on a journey to the land north of Narnia in order to rescue King Caspian’s stolen son, Rilian.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2
After killing the dark evil witch, the brother and sister Hansel and Gretel think that they are safe. But what they don’t know is, there is another dark force striking them soon.
Ice Age 5
Stars: John Leguizamo, Martin Short, Keke Palmer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
The Turtles return to save the city from a dangerous threat.
The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun
Untitled Planet of the Apes Sequel
Transformers 5
Star Trek 3
Let me know if I have missed any of your favourite upcoming titles….
A couple of weeks ago, a couple of us piled up in a car and sped off to Naivasha for a pleasant weekend away from Nairobi.
Upon arrival, Chris was kind enough to host us for the weekend. We then proceeded to cause chaos in his beautiful house by the lake. In order to have some peace of mind, he suggested that we check out the latest addition to the restaurant line up in Naivasha, the Ranch House Bistro for lunch.
This sounded like a solid plan. We hopped into the car and headed down Moi South Lake Road. Of course we raced right past the sign, screeched to a halt, reversed and then turned right into the gate. Apologies for the poor quality pictures, I did not have my Canon on me… 😦
Upon driving in through the gate we thought, for a split second, that we were lost…..
We passed this interesting scenario and came across a staircase..
There it was, The Ranch House Bistro….
As my crew settled down an a table on the well tended grass, I walked around the restaurant, appreciating everything I saw…
I found my way back to the table and had a look at the menu which is seasonal…
We each ordered something different so that we could try out as much as we could in one seating….
Everything was delicious! I must say that the banana and Nutella crepes were exceptional. We ordered two more of them just because we could not have enough. Here are more pictures of the bistro and its surroundings.
It is customary to judge a restaurant by it’s bathrooms.. And I give the bathrooms at Ranch House Bistro two thumbs…. up!
The next time you find yourself in Naivasha, make a point of stopping by the Ranch House 🙂
Ahh.. where to begin! Last year’s Halloween party was probably the most fun party I hosted in 2013 for a couple of reasons.
1. Everyone dressed up! Literally everyone who attended the party put some serious effort with their costume 🙂
2. We teamed up with Veuve Clicquot who were outstanding in their support! The Champagne was flowing at the party all throughout the night… Yes please!
3. The guests were phenomenal! Such a fun, lively, cheeky crowd! We left Seven Restaurant, the venue at 7:30am the next morning after dancing the whole night 🙂 I wonder how it will go this year…. 🙂
Behold, here are my favourite moments from last year’s Veuve Clicquot Yelloween Halloween Party at Seven Restaurant Village Market.
It hit me earlier this year that I have been hosting parties in Nairobi for five years now. It feels like it was just a day ago I was chatting with the lovely Susan Deiters as she attempted to convince me to host my first party ever at her restaurant, Cafe des Arts (now Mediterraneo Gigiri) Ahh.. Those were epic parties!
Toga Party At Cafe Des Arts, 2010
Halloween Party, October 31st 2013
Fast forward to early May this year. I am sitting down looking at the coming year to see which dates I could host which themed parties. September 22nd stood out particularly because it is Elephant Appreciation Day. Now if you live in Kenya only one thing pops to mind when you think of elephants, and this happens to be Tusker beer.
The patriot in me could not resist thinking that any Elephant Appreciation Day should go hand in hand with Tusker Beer Appreciation Day, hence the reason Tusker Day falls on 22nd September.
And then tragedy hit. On June 13th 2014, Tsavo Trust announced the death of Satao, Kenya’s largest African male elephant. He was slaughtered by poachers for ivory. Satao’s tusks were so huge they almost reached the ground. Sometimes he would lean the tusks on the ground in order to rest his head and get some sleep.
Satao The Great Kenyan Tusker
Satao belongs to an elite group of elephants who have the necessary genetics to grow tusks this big. These elephants are called Tuskers. They are on the brink of extinction. As you read this, there are only 11 tuskers left in Tsavo, the late Satao’s home, out of a herd of 11,000 elephants.
There are other Tuskers in Africa, but my guess is they are less that 50 in total. We are looking at a species dying right in front of our eyes. Therefore, it is only fair that we pay homage to Satao,and the remaining Tuskers on Tusker Day (Elephant Appreciation Day)
Isilo the Great South African Tusker
That said, I propose we celebrate Tusker Day annually on September 22nd for the following amazing reasons:
1. To honor, protect and fight for Tuskers (+elephants) worldwide which will be extinct in 15 years if poaching continues at such an alarming rate. Find out how you can join the cause by having a look at our campaign, Satao’s Herd.
2. To celebrate Africa’s first annual drinking holiday ever. Tusker beer has been the highlight of many who have fond memories of Africa. The Dutch have King’s Day, the Irish have St. Patrick’s Day, the Germans have Octoberfest and now Africa has Tusker Day.
I now leave you with the amazing elephant and Tusker beer pictures which friends have sent me from all corners of the world. I cannot wait to hear what your plans are for Tusker Day this year! Do send me an email with your thoughts on akinyiadongo (@) tuskerday (.) com
So there we were minding our own business when our Vanilla Essence stepped in and grandly informed us that we were invited to the Australian Ball. Having never attended an Australian Ball before, Stef and I were obviously keen 🙂
And so began the rigorous preparations… First on the agenda was a critical part of any ball… The ball gowns. Now if you live in Nairobi you know that these are extremely hard to come by, especially for a lady with ample curves like me. As we were at lunch lamenting about this lack of variety, in comes Satie the most resourceful man I know in Nairobi. It turns out that his mother does the most fantastic dresses and gowns.
We wolfed down our lunch and rushed off to Mrs. Channa’s house to see if she could rescue us from our predicament. She was fantastic! She sent us to Diamond Plaza for the fabric we needed. After which we came back with our ideal gown suggestions.
She had a look at them, and proceeded to measure us and initiate the dress making process. We went for a couple of fittings prior to collecting the dresses on the day of the ball.
Then we did our nails, fixed our hair, exfoliated, hydrated, meditated.. all that was expected ahead of the anticipated evening…
Before we knew it, we were strolling down the red carpet on a pleasant Nairobi night… As we walked into the venue, we knew that we did the right thing dressing up. Everyone looked amazing!
The first stop after walking in was the photo session at The Outback Inn which was really cool…
After the photo shoot we mingled with other guests….
Later on we sat at our respective tables for dinner…
The MC was entertaining, witty and quite pleasant to listen to. There is nothing worse than being stuck at an event with a dreadful MC.
Maia Von Lekow and her band entertained us with her beautiful voice as we enjoyed our dinner…
Once the food and the formalities were done, the dancing commenced, thanks to DJ Amar B aka the Arkitekt
What made this ball fun was the fact that everyone was up for a great time, irrespective of their background, embassy or rank. We learnt a couple of Aussie moves from some new friends. I must admit the best dancer of the evening was the Korean Ambassador.. The man held it down on the floor all night after officially opening the evening’s dance session.
There are a couple of more interesting parties coming up in the next months. I doubt anyone can outshine the Aussies though… We shall wait and see 🙂 On this note ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with some of my favourite moments of the evening…
The Chronicles of an African Girl 