Hilarious Origin of Names of Towns and Locations in Kenya

It is not often that you come across articles that give us a glimpse into history in such a fun way. This article by Kresearcher manages to do just that

Kenya is home to many trading centers and towns some with very interesting names, but have you ever thought of how the name of your town or village came about? Some of the names came about by what we can term as sheer coincidence and twists which are funny.

Dagoretti Corner: The place was originally known as “The Great Corner” and the Africans could not pronounce it correctly and the corrupted version became Dagoretti Corner which was directly from The Great Corner which has stuck to this day. The Great Corner was the site of the first airfield in Kenya; a patchy grass runway around the present Meteorological Department.

Enjoy reading the rest of the article here:

http://kenyanhistory.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/hilarious-origins-of-names-of-towns-and-locations-in-kenya/comment-page-1/#comment-78

Nairobi Nights

If you are photographer visiting Nairobi, the city offers wonderful views. Take for instance these wonderful pictures by professional photographer Steve Kitots on his blog: Confessions of a Fotographer.



Here is the link to Nairobi Nights
:http://stevekitots.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/nairobi-nights/

A day in the life of a hotel room steward

The room steward in any hotel is tasked with the most important job. That of ensuring that hotel rooms are in tip top condition after and during a guests stay. Here is what I learnt from Lucy, one of Nairobi Safari Club's best room stewards.

Lucy hard at work

1. How long is a normal work day for you?

8 hours. 7 am - 3 pm

2. How long does it take to clean one room well ?

30 minutes

3. How many rooms do you have to clean daily?

14

4. What are the characteristics of a good room steward?

They must be well groomed, trustworthy, cheerful, hard working and know how to communicate well with the guests, as they vary greatly from the tourist to the business traveller and to important government and religious officials. 

5. What famous guests have you catered to?

Mama Sara Obama. President Obama's grandmother and the Vice President of the Comoros Islands.

6. Who are more tidier men or women ?

Men tend to be more tidier and laid back, than women.

Thanks Lucy!

5 Popular Tourist Attractions in and around Nairobi

1. The Nairobi National Park
The only park in the world situated in a capital city. Best experienced through a game drive.
http://www.kws.org/parks/parks_reserves/NANP.html

2. The Nairobi Safari Walk
No game drive needed, guests enjoy a walk and at the same time get to see the animals. Its popular with the locals and tourists alike for dates and wedding photo shoots.
http://www.kws.org/parks/education/nairobi_safariwalk.html

3. The Nairobi National Museum
Only a ten minute drive from the hotel. Its an opportunity for one to experience Kenya's rich cultural heritage. If you are a bird watcher, the museum has a large display of birds and arranges bird viewing tours from time to time.
http://www.museums.or.ke/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

4.The Bomas of Kenya
This is also a venue where one can experience Kenya's cultural diversity. Be sure to visit the traditional villages and watch the traditional dancers.
http://www.bomasofkenya.co.ke/

5. The Banana Hill Art Gallery
This is for the art lovers. The gallery has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best art galleries in Kenya.
http://bananahillartgallery.com/

Nairobi Culture

If you are in Nairobi either for business or safari and are looking to for a fun filled weekend, here are a few events you can check out:

  Mindspeak

This is an open forum held twice a month at the Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi. The moderator and founder Aly Khan Satchu (www.rich.co.ke) interviews key players from the corporate, government, diplomatic and private sectors. The objective is to impart valuable knowledge to the next generation. Entry is free, breakfast is served at 9:00 am, and the forum officially commences at 10:00 am and ends at 12 noon on designated Saturdays.

 Blankets and Wine

 It is an open air concert featuring both local and international acts. It happens every first Sunday of the month. Gates open at 1:00 pm, and close at 7:pm. Music lovers are able to enjoy live music in a laid back setting. Additional information available at: www.blanketsandwine.com/about-us/ .

Tickets are available from http://www.ticketsasa.com.

  Storymoja Hay Festival

This is an annual four day festival of contemporary culture with an emphasis on books. There are discussions, workshops, live performances and even a children's area. This year’s festival will be held at the Nairobi National museum from the 19 - 22  September. Additional information: www.storymojafestival.com. Tickets can be obtained from www.ticketsasa.com.

 Kwani Open Mic

Kwani open mic is a spoken word event held monthly. Time: 7 – 9:30 pm. Entry fee: 250 shillings. Additional information:http://www.kwani.org/ 

Thursday Nite Live

This happens at the Choices and Tree House night clubs respectively. Every week features a band or artist performing live. Entry is free. Acts begin performing at 8:30 pm. Additional information: https://www.facebook.com/thursdaynitelive and 
http://www.treehousenairobi.co.ke 

Tips

The Guest Relations desk  and concierge will provide you with the location and taxi service once you decide on the event of your choice.

Entry fees are in Kenya shillings, should you need to change your money, the Front Desk Cashiers will be more than happy to assist.

Top 5 hotel considerations for business travellers

     1. Service

Great service should be the norm rather than the exception. Take a mental note of how they treat you right from the time you check in. Did they have your reservation? Was your room ready, clean and to your specifications? If you raise a complaint do they address it graciously, immediately or are they defensive. This should give you a pretty good indication of whether you are getting your money’s worth.

2. Traffic

This should determine the proximity of your work place to the hotel.  In Nairobi for instance traffic tends to peak at 7:30 am, 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm. An early morning 8:00 am meeting, may require you to leave the hotel at 7:00 am. If you happen to be right next to your office building, then walking to and from work would be the best option.

3. Internet Connection Speeds

These tend to vary from location to location. Knowing what to expect before hand will make organizing your work schedule much easier; especially if you desire to work in the evening from the comfort of your hotel room.

4. Frequent Guest Discounts

A majority of hotels have membership programmes which you can register for, and have access to numerous discounts from their various outlets. Like frequent flyer miles, these benefits come in handy later on.

5. Excursions

The thing about travelling is that you get to visit some pretty incredible places. It is easy to get caught up in work that you forget to take a break. Here is where the concierge desk comes in. They can recommend a safari, to popular tourist attractions based on how much free time you have.

How we fold shirts

Terry of our laundry department was kind enough to show us how.

1.  Once the shirt is well ironed, lay it on a flat smooth surface

2.   Button the collar first, skip the second button and proceed to the third button. Repeat the sequence until the end

3.   Hold the shirt by the shoulders, and turn it to the back.

4.   Place a shirt board at the base of the collar.

5.   Fold the sides of the shirt along the board.

6.   Next fold the sleeves in an overlay sequence

7.   Take the end to the shirt, fold and tuck behind the collar board

8.   Turn to other side, and place a collar board. Tuck it in gently.

9.   Place the shirt in a polythene bag 

10. The shirt is now ready to be delivered the room

Thanks Terry!

Navigating a Breakfast Buffet in a Hotel Restaurant

Buffets can often be overwhelming, following these five steps will simplify the process immensely.

1.     Inquire from the front desk reception the opening and closing times before you call it a night, especially if you are staying in a new hotel.

Breakfast: 6:00 am - 10:30 am

2.       If you are part of a large group that would like to eat breakfast together, a reservation can easily be made.

3.     Once in the restaurant, go round the buffet station to see what is on offer. Once you are satisfied, take a plate and serve your first course.

4.       A heavy breakfast is recommended if you will be having a late lunch, or no lunch at all. 

5.     Once you are through with your breakfast, always let your waiter / waitress know whether your expectations in terms of serve and quality were met.

5 Indoor Wedding Reception Tips

1. Once you have narrowed down the hotels of your choice, do a site visit to have a visual of their accommodation and ballroom facilities.

2. Inquire about the items and services the wedding package provides. The package is usually flexible and can be adjusted to suite various tastes and preferences.

3. Having  more than one buffet station is a great idea. It minimises queues and allows the guests to interact in an relaxed but formal setting.

4.When it comes to photography, do not be afraid to experiment with locations in and around the hotel for both day and evening shots. Photographer Ben Kiruthi's blog is a treasure trove of ideas.

 5. Ensure that the hotel has adequate and secure parking to cater for all your guests.

Happy Planning!

Pizza Review

Here us a great review of the Sundeck Pizzeria at Grill done by Annette Mumbi first posted on Hapa Kenya under their restaurant review section. 


Check it out here:
http://www.hapakenya.com/restaurant-review-sundeck-pizzeria-and-grill/

Nairobi City View

The great thing about staying at our city hotel is the birds eye view you get of Nairobi. 

Greetings from Italy

In today's guest spotlight we feature Mariachiara and Marco from the land of pasta and pizza

This was their first visit to Kenya. They were kind enough to teach us a few words in Italian.

Ciao! this means: Hello !
Arrivederci! this means: Goodbye !

Thank you Mariachiara & Marco. Have a safe trip back to Italy :)

Fresh Orange Juice

Today we will be learning how to make fresh orange juice, courtesy of chef Terry.You will need to invest in a juice extractor. The extractor or juicer, should be available in all leading supermarkets in your area. Ensure that the purchase includes warranty, should you need the extractor fixed at a later date.

You will need


A bowl of clean oranges. Tip: Select oranges from one  batch if possible, this ensure that the taste remains consistent



Peel the oranges, and if there are seeds present, remove them. Cut the oranges into cubes and proceed to juice them.

The juice is then ready to serve. Store in the refrigerator, and consume after three days. Juicing fruits and vegetables, is a simple process, and the health benefits far outweigh the financial investment it requires. Feel free to play around with different fruits and vegetables. Enjoy!

Next stop: China

Did you know that the main language in China is Mandarin? Today we will learn five basic terms that you can use

Ní hào  this means: Hello

Huānyíng this means: Welcome

Qǐng xiǎngyòng which means: Enjoy your meal

Xiè Xiè which means Thank you

Zàijiàn which means Goodbye

That is all for today class, hope you enjoyed the  lesson. Let us know where you would like us to go next 

Let's go to France shall we?

Here are a few basic French terms you can use if you are hosting French speaking guests. 

Bonjour! which means: Hello


Bienvenue!  which means: Welcome

Au revoir! which means: Goodbye

Bon Appetit! which means: Enjoy your meal

Merci! which means: Thank You

Hope you all enjoyed our mini French lesson. Next, we go to China

Flower Power II

In today's post we will show you how to create a flower stand.
You will need: 

A Clay Pot
Floral Foam
Binding Wire
Scisssors
Bird of Paradise Leaves
Lilies
Mini Monistera Leaves
Anthurium Stems

The floral foam is cut into a  square that adequately fits into the clay pot. 

It is then soaked in a lot of water to give it more density and weight. 

Once this is achieved, the binding wire is wrapped over the floral foam, and secured firmly to the clay pot.  

Only then will it be strong enough to hold the additional weight of the flowers.

Step 1
Ensure that the stems of the leaves and flowers are diagonally cut
Step 2
Begin with inserting bird of paradise leaves firmly into the floral form, in a triangular shape

Step 3
Insert the colour lilies into the form, in a circular manner

Step 4
Use the mini monistera leaves to fill in the gaps between the bird of paradise leaves and the lilies

Step 4 
Add the anthurium stems next, in our case they are green and red. They contrast beautifully with the lilies don you think? 

Step 5

The flower stand is now ready for presentation. It should be placed in an area away from the sun, more or less in a corner position. An arrangement like this can last for about one and a half weeks. Due to the thickness of the stems of the leaves and flowers, the plant can be watered once a week.

Insider Tip

Always ask florists for flowers in terms of quality. Different qualities tend to have different prices.

Tips for shopping in a hotel gift shop

The hotel gift shop is convenient if you need to get some last minute shopping done before you travel back home or if you are looking for something unique. 

 

Opening hours tend to be flexible, and one can always chose to pay cash in dollars, shillings ,euros,credit card, or charge goods bought to the their room. If you are embarking on a safari, take the time to look at the prices of items at the gift shop.

 

 This will give you a comparison base, for the prices of goods offered by other vendors, thus giving you an edge when bargaining.

 

Always let the shop assistant know what mode of transport you will be using for your next trip, so that they can wrap your goods accordingly. If you need to store the goods for sometime, the shop assistants can arrange that for you, through the hotel porters.

 Be on the look out for special offers and discounts being offered

Happy Shopping!

Greetings from Uganda!

On today's guest spotlight we feature Marjorie Nakalema from Uganda. Marjorie, is an accountant by profession.

She is not only beautiful, but smart too!

 Guess what? Today is her birthday!