World Kenya Nairobi

5 African Hornes

Day 50 to 53 - Nairobi...Upgrade from 1 star tank shed to 5 star Panafric Mar 10, 2012

Checking out of the one star tank shed we farewelled Chris and Nadiera and headed for Nairobi and the epicurean pleasures of the Panafric. Breezing pass the doorman in livery with my plastic carrier bags as luggage, the kids and I settled ourselves in the lounge area of the lobby while geezer checked in. While we were waiting, a glass of fresh guava juice accompanied by hot towels were served up by smiling hostesses. After one shower in five days (recap...no power at tank shed = no hot water = grubby Hornes) I wanted to give myself a head to toe scrub with the delicious hot towel. Refraining, I handed back the now brown towel, gathered up the plastic shopping bags before the porter could get hold of them and followed geezer and the bell hop up to our room, What is it about a king size bed at a five star hotel that makes me what to do a big starfish on it's luxurious, Egyptian cotton adorned splendor? After starfish maneuver performed, I surveyed the bathroom with mild disappointment at the absence of a bath then knocked on the kids room to find three children jumping in unison on three king single beds. The size of our dirty laundry bag burst my bubble of languishing by the swimming pool for the afternoon so geezer escorted swimsuit clad children to the pool while I hand washed in the basin. Washing complete and hanging discreetly on the balcony, I joined the tribe at the pool for beers on the terrace, catching the last rays of the sinking sun. The reason for our foray to the Panafric would be arriving at the airport at 7.15 that evening. The much anticipated visit of Nanny and Poppy. We showered, put on clean clothes and drove Fatboy out to the airport to greet mum and dad. On the way, the usual Nairobi traffic hindered our progress but we had a good laugh at some of the wares the street hawkers pressed against the glass of Fatboy. A Disney Princess version of the game twister. A 7ft tall metal hat stand. A man carrying twenty lampshades, 10 on each arm. Mini plastic flags of twenty five different nations. A chest of drawers. Tea towels in a vast array of colours and prints. I tried hard not to let my eyes wander sideways to whatever was being held up for my inspection. The tiniest flicker of interest solicits hawker mobbing of epic proportions. I love the anticipation of the arrivals hall and the wait for Nanny and Poppy seemed endless, such was our excitement at the prospect of seeing them. Finally they walked through the doors into the waiting arms of Saba, Harry and Olie. All the way back to the hotel, the kids taught Nanny Swahili words, convinced her the only thing worth seeing in Nairobi was Planet Yogurt and quizzed her about how many presents for them she had in her luggage. Nanny did not disappoint when it came to present time late that night in her hotel room. Chocolate to last us into the next decade, activity packs, birthday presents and care packages from our dear friends the Foggies. How loved did we feel! Plus birthday presents from both Kirst and Sam - thanks dudes love youse all. Breakfast the next morning at the Panafric materialized into a stupendous display of excess. Doughnuts in three flavors, waffles to order, a chocolate flower carved out of white and dark chocolate as the towering centerpiece of the pastry buffet. Eggs anyway you like, bacon, sausages, French toast and fresh fruit to soak up the grease. Annoyingly my appetite had deserted me having come down with the same virus as the kids. After breakfast we met Mum, Dad and their friends Sue and Horst, Gary and Kathy in the lobby, at which point Jason morphed into tour guide extrordinaire. Cabs organized for the day to take our party of eleven to the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage followed by lunch at the Galleria and a visit to the giraffe centre. The highlight of the elephant orphanage was of course watching Olie's adopted elephant Tano drinking from her bottle. After lunch at the Galleria, Poppy shouted all three kids to a bungee trampolining session. Grandparents have a license to spoil their grandkids and Poppy has a gold license. Not only was he putting us up at the Panafric for two nights so we could all be together, but bungee trampolines and then a visit to Planet Yogurt...that's got to be a platinum license.

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