My Nairobi – A Luxurious Journey Weblog

Luxurious, for me, isn’t nearly opulent motels or high quality eating. It’s additionally about genuine experiences, native immersion, and cultural understanding. It’s the possibility to attach with individuals and locations on a deeper stage. It’s about exploring native cultures, understanding how individuals stay, and gaining insights into other ways of life. It’s about connecting with the world, not simply indulging in it. It’s about touring with a curious thoughts and an open coronary heart, discovering hidden gems, assembly fascinating individuals, creating unforgettable recollections, and gaining private progress. My MBA journey to Nairobi, Kenya, earlier this 12 months, was one such journey.

Instructional experiences

Regardless of my age, I’m extremely grateful to have been accepted right into a prestigious MBA program at Bayes Enterprise Faculty. This journey has been really exceptional and transformative. A part of this expertise and this course was the Worldwide Enterprise Week in Nairobi, the place we needed to journey to the Kenyan capital, divided into teams, assigned firms, and labored on a mission. It was my first time in Kenya and Africa, and the expertise has opened my eyes to new cultures and views.

You may marvel how spending numerous hours working alongside worldwide college students and native companies could possibly be thought of luxurious. Nonetheless, the privilege of experiencing Nairobi first-hand, past the standard vacationer points of interest, the chance to find out about and from completely different cultures, work in real-world settings in a very completely different surroundings, being uncovered and out of our secure field, and constructing lasting relationships has been an incredible expertise.

Fly, land, examine, repeat

The second I landed in Nairobi, I knew this was going to be a novel expertise, regardless of having travelled extensively through the years. The countless queues at passport management, customs, and baggage declare have been a stark distinction to my traditional travels. It took over an hour and a half to navigate by way of the method. Whereas the whole lot finally labored out, the tempo was undeniably slower.

I typically ponder… is luxurious about avoiding these queues and detaching oneself from actuality, or is it about immersing oneself within the genuine experiences of a spot and its individuals? The wait wasn’t disagreeable, merely time-consuming. Happily, the airport supplied free and dependable Wi-Fi, permitting me to remain related in the course of the downtime.

After navigating the airport and formally coming into Kenya, we have been greeted by a ready automotive able to whisk us to our resort. Arriving late at night time, drained and hungry, the welcoming sight of our driver was a much-needed reduction. We opted for the expressway, a extra environment friendly option to traverse the town, and made a late-night pit cease for pizza earlier than checking into our resort effectively previous midnight. The native help proved invaluable throughout this time, and from the very starting, I discovered the Kenyan individuals to be type and useful.

The Golden Tulip Westlands Nairobi, a premium 4-star resort conveniently positioned in Westlands, was our chosen lodging. Regardless of our late arrival, the resort employees was extremely useful and environment friendly, rapidly checking us in and getting us settled into our comfy rooms. One in all my favorite late-night and early-morning pastimes was having fun with a drink or a recent Kenyan espresso on the rooftop, taking within the stunning metropolis views and the huge African sky.

Getting acquainted

Our first day in Nairobi was a tour of a few of the metropolis’s landmarks and cultural experiences. We kicked off the morning on the KICC, a towering skyscraper that gives panoramic views of the town. As we ascended to the rooftop, we have been handled to a breath-taking 360-degree vista, stretching from the town centre to the Nairobi Nationwide Park.

From the heights of the KICC, we descended to the Giraffe Centre, a novel sanctuary devoted to the endangered Rothschild giraffe. We had the privilege of getting up shut and private with these light giants, feeding them from a raised platform and studying in regards to the centre’s conservation efforts. Following our encounter with the giraffes, we indulged in a fast lunch on the Galleria Mall and a small memento procuring expertise.

We continued our cultural journey to the Bomas of Kenya. This vibrant cultural centre showcases the wealthy range of Kenya’s ethnic teams by way of charming dances and music performances. The energetic performances transported us to completely different areas of the nation, proper within the coronary heart of Kenyan tradition.

Consulting initiatives

On Monday morning, after a full of life breakfast, we commenced our firm visits, every group venturing to a unique suburb of Nairobi. This supplied us with a glimpse into the day by day lives of the town’s inhabitants and the various industries that drive its financial system.

Whereas the teams had the chance to work with quite a lot of promising firms, together with Knights & Apps, Afristec, Mdundo, Fort Faculty, My Shamba Digital, and Timao, I used to be significantly lucky to be positioned with Pazurina Vacation Houses. This firm is concentrated on growing vacation properties within the burgeoning coastal vacation spot of Diani Seaside, close to Mombasa. The mission aimed to develop a complete technique to advertise the vacation properties to each Kenyans residing overseas and worldwide consumers. Given the worldwide reputation of vacation properties in varied locations, the purpose was to place Diani Seaside as a pretty funding alternative and a sought-after trip spot. By working carefully with native professionals, I gained invaluable insights into the challenges and aspirations of the Kenyan actual property and vacation trade. Furthermore, drawing on my years of expertise within the journey trade and witnessing the unfavorable impacts of poorly deliberate tourism growth in lots of locations world wide, this mission reignited my curiosity in sustainable growth. It strengthened my perception that solely by way of environmentally pleasant and socially accountable practices can we guarantee a optimistic impression on each the area people and the pure surroundings.

Not simply enterprise, additionally pleasure!

Whereas the journey’s main focus was training, Nairobi’s vibrant nightlife supplied ample alternatives for rest and enjoyable. We visited the full of life Alchemist Bar, a novel mix of meals vehicles, eating places, and leisure. It’s a must-visit for its stay music, native ambiance, and late-night camaraderie. For a extra intimate expertise, attempt the Hero Bar on the ninth Flooring of Trademark Lodge, famend for its modern cocktails, scrumptious finger meals, and beautiful metropolis views. This hidden gem, ranked #62 on The World’s 50 Greatest Bars, was chosen for a Bayes Alumni night time in Nairobi.

For a style of native luxurious, About Thyme supplied a serene backyard setting and delectable delicacies. The luxurious, multi-level backyard, adorned with fairy lights and candles, created a very magical ambiance. It’s an absolute must-visit! Final however not least, the Carnivore is an iconic open-air restaurant providing quite a lot of meats. The restaurant specialises in an all-you-can-eat meat buffet, that includes basic cuts and unique choices like ostrich and crocodile. The meal started with a welcome Dawa drink, a refreshing alcoholic native beverage.

Somebody mentioned “safari”?

And also you thought we have been executed? Not fairly! No go to to Nairobi is full with no safari journey in Nairobi Nationwide Park. This distinctive park is the one one on the earth positioned inside a metropolis’s boundaries.

Image this: a day spent in a 4×4 automobile, chasing lions and different wildlife. The whole expertise is designed to seize the right shot, particularly of lions, the undisputed stars of any African safari. The joys of a detailed encounter with a lion, lazing round within the park, is an unforgettable expertise. Whereas they could not pay a lot consideration to you, maybe it’s greatest that means!

Nairobi Nationwide Park presents unimaginable wildlife viewing alternatives, together with lions, zebras, hippos, ostriches, and varied different animals, but it surely doesn’t have all of the Large 5 (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and African buffalo). Regardless of this, the Park stays a significant wildlife sanctuary, a continuing problem in balancing city life with nature, as proven by the imposing Chinese language-constructed Mombasa Railway that crosses the park on a bridge to facilitate the motion of enormous animals.

Nairobi: Wrapped up

Time flies, and it was already time to move again dwelling. I used to be glad to return to London, as soon as once more with a broader perspective, having been uncovered to fully completely different experiences. I attempted to benefit from each second, as I imagine experiences alone don’t maintain a lot worth except we be taught from them and apply them to our lives.

I nonetheless replicate on the busy streets of Nairobi, the huge African sky, late nights engaged on the rooftop of the resort as the town fell asleep, the flavours of the meals, the nice and cozy and welcoming individuals, the crowded Sunday morning church buildings we drove by, the African bush and the enjoyment of the safari, the colourful colors of the normal costumes, and the charming rhythms of the music.

As I look ahead to future adventures, whether or not as a pupil, skilled, or just a traveller, I notice as soon as once more how fortunate and grateful I’m for the privilege of immersing myself in new cultures and environments. It’s an unimaginable alternative to develop, be taught, and admire the world’s range and sweetness.

Dimitrios Athanasopoulos

Dimitrios Athanasopoulos is Director of Nice Illustration. Nice Illustration is a London-based boutique and unbiased illustration and consulting company for beautiful journey and travel-related manufacturers. If you want to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog in an effort to increase your profile, please contact us.