NAIROBI STAYCATION DAY TWO WITH A MAASAI AND A VIEW

So this was the last day I had to showcase Nairobi.  With so much to do we decided to visit the Maasai Market at Village Market so that some souvenir and gift shopping could be done, have lunch at Village Market and then head into town to do the tour of the KICC aka Kenyan International Conference Center where you get a bird’s eye view of the city, and the bonus is Eric and I had not been there before. 

I used to go the the Maasai Market once a week when I first moved here.  I haven’t been there in over 12 months, so it will be good to go back and see what they are selling there these days.  Besides its vibrant hospitality, wildlife parks, white-sandy beaches and exotic lodges there is something else synonymous to Kenya’s tourism– the Maasai Market. The market goes back to the 1970s when women under self-help groups sold their handicrafts to tourists visiting the country. Eventually, these women were joined by their male counterparts and together, they have sustained the souvenir bazaar in spite of the challenges the market has encountered over the years.

I am a haggler from way back.  I can barter with the best of them, but I do believe in a few simple rules.

·         If you start to haggle, you must be 100% interested in the item.

·         I want a fair price.  The seller has a family to feed as well as myself wanting to get a bargain

·         If they do let you walk away from a sale, then you know your price really is too low.

·         It makes no difference what some-else pays for an item, as long as you were happy with your price, that’s all that counts.

How did the Maasai Markets start at Village Market?
Among the challenges for sellers was a constant lack of space to do business. While pursuing different expansion projects, the Kenyan government has relocated the traders to various locations within the city. However, this struggle between traders and government would diminish in 1995, when The Village Market shopping complex adopted the Maasai Market as part of its business model.  While still a small shopping mall then, the complex could only accommodate a handful of merchants once a week. But as The Village Market grew, so did the number of traders. 19 years on the Maasai Market at the shopping complex in the heart of Gigiri boasts over 350 traders. Every Friday, as early as 7am, The Village Market’s Back Road parking is transformed to a lively and colourful market. It is a sight to behold as traders trickle in to lay their wares on their allocated spaces. 

On its part, The Village Market management provides adequate space for each trader, a trader’s identification badge and a branded stall number that allows for easy identification by visitors. While accommodating over 350 innovative traders, the management encourages every trader to sell unique items that do not resemble any other in the market. This ensures that each one of the traders has their own niche and price range. The management also provides a reserved parking bay and loading zones for the traders, a lunch area and accessible sanitary facilities. There’s a minimal control fee of Kes.2500 per month charged by the management, which is used to advertise and promote the market on behalf of the traders more so to the tourist markets.  So with all that said we ran the gauntlet and spent over 1.5 hours walking around the stalls of the Maasai Market.  Whenever the girls or Shelly wanted to buy something, my bargaining prowess came into action and after throwing a few Swahili words in for good measure I do believe that we walked away with some great items at some great prices. 

After lunch we proceeded to town.  Shane wanted to get a feel for the city and the crazy traffic before getting to the KICC.  I would never have thought I would want to see bad and crazy traffic in Nairobi, but I wanted the Elkins to see what we are up against when we talk about crazy traffic here and know that it was a reality and not something exaggerated.  So Eric took us down River Road, Vio Road and Kirinyaga Roads in a part of the city that has many matatus, of the big and small variety, traffic, bodas and loads of people.  It was the perfect crazy drive we had hoped for and at one point on the Globe roundabout we were boxed in on all four sides by the massive busses, where even the pedestrians didn’t have room to pass by and had to back track to go around the front on the first bus.  Yes it was an ‘experience’ for all of us and even I closed my eyes at one point as Eric drove like a Kenyan.

Our next stop was The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).  We actually found a great parking lot right next door to the KICC, so we didn’t have far to walk and we also got to see and walk via the The Judiciary building and the Courtyard which is a paved 75 square meter courtyard surrounding the Jomo Kenyatta statue. It was designed as a respite for those attending conferences. The courtyard includes gardens, pools and geyser fountains. Numerous flag poles and balconies in the courtyard are fashioned to host promotional identities.  When we arrived, there was a small desk at the entrance where Eric was required to show his ID, which must of covered everybody and we were allowed to pass through a security screen to enter the building.  We located the reception desk and enquired about a tour, which takes you to the roof top of the building that gives you an amazing view of the city.  As luck would have it, a guide (I think the only guide) was available, Peter.  So we paid our monies which are Citizens 150KSH, Residents 200KSH, Foreigners 400KSH, we were given a receipt and we were on our way.  The KICC management allows visitors to access the rooftop every day from 9:00am till 8.00pm on weekdays, and till 6.00pm on weekends.

The Kenyatta International Conference Centre, colloquially known as the "KICC", now known as the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, was commissioned by Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the 1st President of the Republic of Kenya, in 1967. It was designed by the Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik and the construction was carried out by contractors Solel Boneh & Factah. This was done in three phases. Phase I was the construction of the podium, Phase II consisted of the main tower and Phase III involved the Plenary.  Construction was completed in 1973, with the opening ceremony occurring in September 1973 presided over by President Kenyatta. The KICC was returned to the state in 2003, when KANU was voted out of the government.  The KICC currently stands as the third tallest building in Kenya, reaching a height of 105 meters.  It succeeded the Hilton Nairobi as the tallest building in Kenya, a position it held for 26 years before being surpassed by Teleposta Tower. The tower consists of 28 floors, including a revolving restaurant (currently being renovated when we were there) which offers panoramic views of the city, rotating 360° in 76 minutes.  The building's light terracotta façade reflects traditional African architecture, as does the use of simple solid shapes.  

We were taken by lift to the 25th floor where we had to get out.  This is also the floor that the revolving restaurant is located, but it was under renovation.  There was a security check where they checked our receipt before the stairs and then we climbed the last 3 floors to get to roof level.  There were massive information boards around the wall of the building, fun facts and figures that were worth a read and then we had one last spiral staircase to climb and we were on the total roof where you could see for miles and t=then an option to climb one more set of steps, which we did that got us to the helicopter pad.  It’s the highest you could go, and this is where Peter took us and then pointed out all the landmarks of the city.  It was interesting to get my bearings all the way up there.  From seeing where we were at Karen yesterday to seeing where we live and then downtown and the buildings and a brief history of the main buildings.  Peter was amazing and he certainly knows his stuff.  He is the only guide there full time and he can take 20-50 people up a day!  Imagine.  He seemed to love his job and after taking a few photos for us, there were some new arrivals (tourists) and he excused himself (after we tipped him) and went ‘guide’ them. 

Nairobi has numerous vantage points from which to view the city’s skyline. None matches the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) rooftop in the outstanding views of the city it affords you. This 30-story, 105 meter high building constructed between 1966 and 1973 by the Government of Kenya is the premier conference facility in the East and Central African region.  From the KICC rooftop that also doubles as a helipad, not only do you have a 360 degree view of the central business district, you can see the city limits in all directions. The contrast between building styles and greenery in different suburbs of the city is very evident as you scan the horizon in all directions. You can make out some of the large green spaces like Uhuru Park, Central Park, City Park, Railways Golf Course and Nairobi National Park. You can also see planes landing and taking off from JKIA and Wilson airports. This panoramic view has become a favorite with photographers and film makers who frequently use this location for shooting documentaries commonly aired on local and International television.  We were lucky we had a great day, so the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and we spent a good 45 minutes up there soaking in Nairobi City in all her glory.

So that was pretty much all we did on day two.  By the time we got back home it was after 4pm, so we chilled with a few drinks till 6pm and then we headed back to Village Market for dinner and to also do a small shop of necessities for our safari that was starting tomorrow.  You know, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of Jim Beam, enough mixers to last a week and snacks. The important stuff. 

I still can’t believe that the Elkins are here.  I need someone to pinch me.