The Ferris wheel and giraffes

When the word holiday or trip is mentioned, one seems to get restless. Yes, I suffered that feeling in December last year when our family was planning for a holiday in Nairobi. This time, it was for us to travel by road to the neighbouring  country Kenya.

It had neen  a long year and somehow we needed to kick off our shoes far away.
On December 26, 2023, I took the bold step of travelling with my family to Nairobi. I was not sure if this trip would happen but here I was preparing for departure.

Our departure from Kampala was delayed but I was excited to start the journey. We left the city by 1pm and spent the night in our hometown district of Tororo.

After a short night’s sleep and a cup of hot tea, we continued via Malaba border post due to the immigration checks at the border.

The officers at the border were polite, quick and effective. Twenty minutes later we were all set to continue. What I did not know, the journey was just getting started. 

When we finally arrived in Nairobi on December 28, 2023 at  2am, we were exhausted but relieved that the journey had come to an end.

We were welcomed by the brightly lit streets, amazing architecture and a handful of cars.

Accommodation
The apartments that had been booked were at the Westpoint Suites. Despite our late arrival, we were thrilled by the lovely architecture and warm staff.

Since we were a big group of approximately 30 people, each family had one to two apartments that had been booked prior to the trip. There was a limit on the number of people that each apartment could accommodate.

As soon as we settled into ours we had our meal and dived into our beds for a cosy, and much needed sleep.

WestPoint Suites was unique in its accommodation design, the apartments in the building had different owners that showed in the different interior design and taste.

Two Rivers Ferris wheel 
The Two Rivers Mall that is estimated to be the largest mall in Sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa and has 67,000 square metres. Apart from the various shopping and fast-food franchises, the mall has an amusement park that has the largest Ferris wheel in Africa. 

The excitement I had of riding the Ferris wheel was so surreal. The beauty in the Ferris wheel was the slow, calm and soothing effect that it had on me. It was a sight for sore eyes because of the enriching night landscape of the city. 

I enjoyed the ride and if I could stay there longer I definitely would. The company I had was worthwhile.

The wheel had the capacity of having four to six people with safety precautions and trained staff.

The ride took 15 minutes with two rounds of enjoying the aerial view. The Ferris wheel costs Kshs500 (approximately Shs12,000) per head.

The Giraffe Centre 
The Giraffe Centre founded by the late Jock Leslie Melville, a Kenyan citizen of British descent and his American born wife Betty Leslie Melville in 1979 has grown to house several giraffes.

The centre was established to protect the vulnerable giraffes in Kenya.The centre had many visitors who were highly anticipating the opportunity of seeing the giraffes and feeding them.

All visitors were given small portions of food to feed the giraffes. We were advised not to only feed one giraffe but to try to feed the other giraffes.

It was an amazing, mind-blowing experience of seeing and feeding the beloved creatures.

Quick notes
Driving through the night felt like the journey would last a thousand years. 

When we closed in to Nairobi and the well-lit city streets welcomed us, we took a sigh and looked forward to enjoying the views.