DoinDubai Magazine

An Honest Guide to Life in Dubai

Home | Kenya Ideas | Page 2

Kenya Ideas

by 6 Comments

NAIROBI WESTGATE – MALL CARNAGE

Westgate Masaai Market Nairobi

NAIROBI WESTGATE – MALL CARNAGE – Yesterday, Saturday 21st September,  a vicious and wanton attack was carried out by Al Shabab, a Somali terrorist group, on a shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

The terrorists targeted some of society’s most vulnerable people, children and mums doing their Saturday shopping and other children who were taking part in a cookery competition as part of Junior Masterchef.

59 people of  various nationalities have lost their lives and over 175 are injured. At the time of writing, the siege is still on with Kenyan security forces trying to bring the carnage to an end.

DoinDubai has visited the Westgate centre on many occasions, it’s one of Nairobi smarter and more international type malls built over 3 stories with a large supermarket, a cinema complex and a popular restaurant, Art Café. It also hosts the long-established arts and crafts sale The Masaai Market on it’s open air top floor once a week. I wanted to take photographs of the mall for a post but was denied permission due to security reasons earlier in the year. There is some security at the centre, cars are checked with mirrors and boots are looked at.

But what hope would a couple of security guys have against a bunch of hardened terrorists in combat gear brandishing AK 47s? Not much.

Nairobi is a lovely place with a vibrant arts and culture scene

It is home to a huge international community who live with security issues but up to now have taken them in their stride, it certainly didn’t feel unsafe or restrict us from getting involved in everyday activities. I always felt completely safe in the Westgate Centre enjoying cappuccinos with fancy salads with friends and families in a New York style café.

I  would never have believed an attack on this scale could have taken place.

23rd September 2013

9.13 am Dubai time

The death toll now stands at 68 people, the siege is on going.

by 4 Comments

HEMINGWAYS WATAMU KENYA COAST

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2015

HEMINGWAYS is now closed and will re open in December 2015.  DoinDubai will keep you posted about What’s New! But if you still want to visit Kenya then check out these links:

Visiting Nairobi

Glamping In the Nairobi Tented Camp

30% off safari packages to Kenya from Gamewatchers 

Hemingways is hip – in a laidback kind of way !

Our family went Deep Sea Fishing at Hemingways at 6.30 am as part of a beach holiday in Watamu. Sea sickness pills, snacks, fishing equipment and local knowledge of where the big fish live – all supplied courtesy of Hemingways fine and experienced crew. Five hours later and a triumphant team returned with a 6kg Dorado Falusi fish the colour of iridescent quicklime and 3 yellow fin tunas with piercingly bright eyes dripping with blood. Order your sashimi here on the gantry and look forward to eating it at lunch or with evening drinks at the bar. Whoever said beach holidays are boring was wrong.

Hemingways Kenya Beach Holiday

We visited Hemingways in Malindi during the recent Easter break but it is from November to March that’s best for Billfish, that’s Black Marlin and Sailfish to the unitiated! Despite being there in April, plenty of Dorado Falusi, Yellow fin tuna and Wahoo were evident throughout our stay. The African Billfish Foundation works to promote and protect the species and Hemingways follows it’s guidelines.

The Dhow Cruise

The older members of our party (grandparents) accompanied us on a Dhow Cruise through the mangroves in the evening in the Mida Creek area of Watamu, a much more gentle boat ride this time with a feast of expertly prepared seafood cooked fresh to order. Drinks of all kinds are included; the local Dawa cocktail made from a Kenyan liqueur, lime juice and brown sugar seemed the most popular.

Malindi Town

We also took a morning out to explore the fascinating old town of Malindi which still retains some of it’s Islamic influence and reminded me a bit of Zanzibar. Buy exotic vanilla pods, colourful kikois and Malindi Mozzarella while you’re there..Hemingways has a free shuttle service from the hotel.

Back at the hotel

Watamu is based on the edge of a marine park and boats go out to Snorkel everyday from Hemingways jetty (a 30 second walk from our room) Guests only pay the $15.00 marine park fee (kids are $10.00) to take the boat. Snorkels and masks are on board so you don’t have to buy or bring your own. Be amazed at the variety of life in an underwater world called the Coral Gardens about 15 to 20 minutes out to sea from your door.  We saw striped sergeant fish, translucent angel fish and a myriad of other species. Apparently the predatory lion fish was lurking low but I didn’t see him ! The corals themselves spread out like loose meringue mixture that seems to be overflowing from an ocean bowl!

The hotel has a small herb garden which is regularly raided by the head chef who can spice up salads with mini pili pili chillies full of fiery heat or temper pasta sauces and salads with sweet marjoram and bulbous fennel. A beguiling number of plants with exotic blooms are also grown in a mini forest like area next to the herb garden.  Ask at reception for a behind the scenes garden tour.

Hemingways was opened in 1988 and we have visited many times over the last 15 years or so and still haven’t tired of the place. It seems a couple of employees can’t bear to leave either, both George and Benson have been there since the hotel opened ! While all the staff are exemplary and do everything to help make your holiday special, Hudson really does live up to his namesake (from Upstairs Downstairs), with no request seemingly too awkward to deal with. Go to Hemingways for some peace, nature and fresh fish served by caring staff in delightfully charming surroundings. It’s not 5 star luxury as we know it but you can expect a hugely relaxing holiday in a gorgeously natural setting.

Click here for what you NEED TO KNOW about  holidaying at Hemingways and do mention Monica from DoinDubai when you book !

Click here for Kenya covered in Travel Arabia May 2013 edition and if you fancy a Safari in the City then check out the 30% discount offered by Gamewatchers. 

by 7 Comments

CHEESE FACTORY-NAIROBI, KENYA

Kenya for Christmas maybe ? Only four and a half hours away from Dubai, but avoid the beaches at this time as it’s so hot, try a quick trip out to Browns Cheese Factory in Nairobi, Kenya. Organised days out at Brown’s Cheese Factory are quite new, the owners Delia and Andy opened their home for cheese tastings and factory tours in March 2011 and currently run a maximum of 4 tours per week.

We were a party of 8, accompanied by a group of 12 Singaporeans visiting Kenya and 3 resident Austrians, kids are welcomed, there were a couple of toddlers and we had our two teenage girls with us.

While the tours are relatively new, Browns Cheeses have been around for almost 30 years. Delia’s parents pioneered the cheese making process in Kenya when Delia’s father wanted to eat Brie, a few trials later, the Brown brand was born…

Currently the factory produces 17 different kinds of artisan cheese, many of which have won awards in South Africa and Europe. The factory now provides employment to 45 local people who help look after the 25 Fresian cows, 2 pigs (Bacon and Mildred) their 10 newborn piglets, 2 rabbits, numerous chickens and some roving guinea fowl !

The tours start with a Welcome Drink which can be whatever you fancy from wine to fresh coffee, herbal tea or a much needed honey and lemon for someone with a sore throat in our party. The welcome drinks are accompanied by the first cheese of many eaten that day, a plump halloumi delicately flavoured with thyme and shallow fried till golden brown on the outside and almost melty in the middle. The fireside setting (July and August, Kenya’s wintery months) in the almost Tuscan rustic farmhouse completes the picture.

A brief cheese making demonstration by Andy follows and we’re told the main ingredients of any cheese are milk, bacteria, enzymes and salt. Next we put on our lab coats and head off with non slip footware to the factory floor. The factory really comprises of one large room where all the scientific processes required for making cheese happen, we went on to linger for a while in 2 maturing rooms where racks of cheeses sit in chilly temperatures. Some cheeses sit for a couple of months while others like the Parmesans stay put for almost 2 years.  The Brie and other more mouldy cheeses are looked after by one person in an isolated area to minimize the risk of any contamination.

Returning to the main house for the cheese tasting is the highlight of the tour and places are already set out at the large farmhouse table. Guests are encouraged to sit anywhere they like to try their 10 types of cheese beautifully and professionally displayed from mild at one end to more mature at the other, going in an anticlockwise direction. Helpful information sheets explaining a little about each cheese and it’s main uses are laid out for guests who can also add their comments or favourites on the page as they taste. The cheeses ranged from plainish Provolone to full bodied Parmesans and creamy bries.

Homemade bread and an impressive selection of crackers accompanies the cheeses including an unusual (I found subsequently at Selfridges at £4.50 for a small packet)  black charcoal cracker, apparently helpful for digestion.

There is also a sophisticated range of homemade organic chutneys to try with the cheeses, I had grape, mountain papaya jam, honey and caramelised onion in front of me.

 The trick though is not to fill yourself up, as a sumptuous organic lunch follows after the cheese tasting, roasted duck salads, fresh tomato soup, fennel and cheddar cheese tart and spinach ravioli were just some of the things on the menu. Dessert was a fresh apple and mountain papaya pie with cream.

There is an obvious need to walk off all this food and Delia doesn’t disappoint with a fabulous walk around the organic farm and gardens next on the itinerary. This part of the tour is a delight and great hit with the children, I really think they forgot facebook, bbm etc for a short while at this point. The sheer variety of vegetables and fruits grown on the farm is very impressive and unusual, I particularly liked the cherry guava which we tasted as we went along learning about tomatillos, green beans, flowering courgette, sweet potato, cabbage and fennel.

While we traipsed around Hugh Fernley Whittingstall style, Andy was busy packaging up and invoicing guests for whatever cheeses they decided to take home with them. All in all this was a fabulous day out and although it’s not something you’d usually associate with Kenya, I’d say it was a must do activity for anyone visiting Nairobi.

About an hour’s drive outside Nairobi city past Village Market. You need to book before hand and it helps if it’s a nice day so you can enjoy the walk around the organic farm.

Prices are Kenya Shillings 2500 (AED 100) per adult and Kenya Shillings Dhs 1000  for children, toddlers are free of charge but welcomed.

Delia and Andy are very low key people who don’t aggressively promote the tours, you need to call them to book a tour or it may be easier to do via a travel agent who knows them.

https://www.brownscheese.com

Try Rahul at merlin@africaonline.co.ke or www.merlin-travel.com

He can organise all your Kenyan trip requirements.

Let me know if you’re inspired to go to Brown’s Cheese Factory by leaving a comment in the box below….and be sure to leave your email address in the subscription box to get the next post from DoinDubai.com and if you want to read about another great day out in Nairobi, this time a visit to the Sheldrik Elephant Orphanage, click here

by 3 Comments

NAIROBI SHELDRICK ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE

A visit to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage makes a great half day out in Nairobi, a super short break destination from Dubai.  The orphanage is located in the scenic and very green Karen area of Nairobi and the best time to visit is between 11 and 12 in the morning to catch feeding time and the organized talks. The purpose of the orphanage is to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants and eventually return them to their natural habitat in the wild. Rescued from what you may wonder, one baby elephant became separated from it’s mother and wandered into a settlement where it was hacked on the head with a machete, another fell down a well and cried till it was heard and so on.

When they first arrive in a traumatized state they are wrapped in blankets to keep them warm as they are susceptible to pneumonia as they don’t get the natural heat from other elephants if they were in a herd.  On the day we visited we saw two groups of elephants, 14 in total, aged between 2 months and 18 months. All the orphans are kept in the centre until they are at least 2 years old, then they are taken into Tsavo East forest (the largest reserve in Kenya)where they are carefully and closely monitored by their keepers for up to 5 years until they are fully accepted and integrated into their herd.

Daphne Sheldrick, the founder and owner of the orphanage researched long and hard into what would comprise the best food for the baby elephants and eventually found that a vegetable based, low fat baby formula milk similar to SMA Gold for human babies made the optimal mix. This is what the elephants are currently fed on! We witnessed the older elephants quickly guzzle down 12 pints of milk in just a few seconds!

The spectacle of watching the elephants frolic in the mud, play with each other and their keepers and hearing the talks is a fascinating and special experience completely off the beaten track despite it being an extremely popular outing.

error: Content is protected !!