Blankets and Wine

This is a monthly live music event held in Nairobi.

It is an outdoor event, held in a field, where you sit on the aforementioned blankets, and drink a good deal of the aforementioned wine.

But don't become confused and feel that you should wear something apropriate to sitting on the ground, such as say, jeans and T-shirt. Oh no. Blankets and Wine is about more than Blankets and Wine: it's about seeing and being seen. You need to look good. I saw a lot of ladies showing us the way forward, in terms of strapless dresses and long skirts, and a couple of gentlemen also showing us the future of modern African chic.

I am afraid I am not entirely sure who all the musicians were. The clue is in the title: it is blankets and wine. This is the main point. And it is a very strong point indeed.

Lots of sun, lots of fun people, lots of happy children getting jiggy with it. Here's the website, which is excellent, though I suggest that maybe they shouldn't, on the about page, tell customers right to their faces that the event exists to "provide numbers for key lifestyle brands."


(Image courtesy Blankets and Wine website)

WALKING THE NGONG FOREST RESERVE

The Ngong Forest Reserve does not have an especially topnotch reputation for safety. Thus, while it is open to the public, public with brains only go with a guide. On the first and third Saturday of every month there are guided walks (more here, and super hardcore version here)and we went on one on April 3.

We were early, so had to wait for our guide, and saw several strangely unafraid hardedars, a large Vervet monkey, and a troop of twenty racehorses, one of whom got away from his guide, greatly to the amusement of the other guides.

Boggling our minds by arriving early, our guide Nicholas proved to be in full uniform and impressively fully informed about the forest. We saw pied kingfishers, divebombing for fish repeatedly, black winged stilts, rednecked widowbirds, cinammon chested bee eaters, and a huge number of plants, harder to identify and harder to remember.

Nicholas was very interesting on the subject of the social uses of the trees. He pointed out a tree called mutanga, known for the medicinal uses of its bark, and told us that where the forest got down to the large slum Kibera the mutanga was dying out. Apparently this is because old men used to take the bark, and knew to use only a small amount, and cover the hole that was left with cow dung, but now young guys apparently just rip entire trees bare, and thus kill them.

Nicholas was accompanied by a man in civies, who carried a thick stick. I asked him if this was in case of theives, and he replied, No, just for walking. This was really very sweet of him, as it was evidently far too short to be a walking stick, and he never used it for walking; but I appreciate the attempt to put the new girl in Nairobi at ease.

NAIROBI WALK: NGARA TO JUNCTION

Ngara is to the east of the city centre, and Junction, where I live, is to the far west. I was in Ngara, and decided to start walking it, figuring I would call a taxi when I got tired.

Ngara has no pavements, and lots of tiny shops. I suspect it may not have a wonderful reputation. I was heading to the great Globe roundabout, one of the biggest in Nairobi. I asked a safe looking man if I was going the right way, and he confirmed I was, and then called after me: "But take the long way! The shortcut is dangerous."

I passed the shortcut, and concluded that I must really look like I got off the plane yesterday. The shortcut was clearly dangerous. I took the very long way round the roundabout, and already hot was seriously tempted by some very ripe pineapple being served from a very dirty wheelbarrow. It looked juicy, but I recalled a similarly juicy experience in Mexico, that lasted for months afterwards, and decided I better just stay hot.

Cold Fanta downtown, at the Nairobi Safari Club, and onwards down University Way, turning onto Arboretum Drive. A couple of university students walking in front of me, with some very valiant flirting on the gentleman's part, that was frostily received by the lady.

Onto to State House Drive, past the Kilaleshwa Circle Road, then to Mandera Drive. Which never ends. I concluded that what had been a walk would now be more in the nature of a royal progress. Also, I thought I might be getting sun stroke. I sat in the shade by the side of the road. A big man went past wheeling a small girl's pink bicycle. I passed the Egyptian embassy, outside of which stood a portly young diplomat, and I practically wanted to embrace him weeping, I am so proud of all of North Africa. Clearly, I had had a lot of sun. Finally I passed a hairdressers with a pale purple front and jaunty paintings of happy customers, which seemed to do a sideline in food, so I stopped for a Coke. I read my Naipaul book and chatted to the owner, who was most satisfyingly horrified when he heard where I had walked from.

Onwards and sadly very much upwards to Nyeri Road, and then to Othayo Road, where I saw a sunbird so small he did not even bend the grass stalk he was perched on.

Finally, Githongo Road and thank god for Creamy Inn. Three little girls came up after me, and I said, Go ahead, and one said, Oh no, you first! And I said, I don't know what I want, then they all laughed and said Neither do we! And we spent a good five minutes pondering the not very huge variety of choices. Oh, I had forgotten about the generally good manners of children in Africa.

Korosho, Hendred, and Mbaazi Ave, and then at last: our flat.

I had a cold shower.