One does not think while enjoying a cup of tea in Pakistan about the place it comes from, who planted it and how and where is it grown. Most of Pakistan’s tea comes from an East African country called Kenya. Now don’t start imagining elephants running around on the roads when the name Africa is mentioned! It is an advanced country with beautiful climate and a vibrant tourism as well as tea/coffee industry. The tourism season starts around December when United States and Europe are freezing. It feels like everyone in  England and Germany and Scandinavian countries such as Denmark heads to Kenya in the months starting from October right until spring time to cheat the winter in their country.

 Animals only exist in miles and miles of game parks looked after by Park Rangers outside the cities & towns of Kenya. The Whites come to visit safari parks with animals in their natural habitat, not caged in a zoo as we are used to seeing them. Tourists usually buy souvenirs such as tea; an Africa map shaped gold pendent and a vase containing flamingo feathers. They also leave with a home video of their safari and footage of their stay in Mombassa’s world class beaches lined with luxury beach hotels.

 Local Kenyans have three groups.  White English settlers, Gujurati/ Katchi speaking Desis and Africans. Whites and Desis are affluent; Africans have some rich people such as government ministers etc. Desis in fact run the economy of Kenya and they all live like kings, their houses have swimming pools and tennis courts. Even desi photo shop owners or paan shop owners, are millionaires. The tea and coffee exporters of Kenya are all desis & so are the beach hotel owners. They are originally from India, and have been settled in Kenya for the last 200 years since British colonizers of Africa brought them there to build new towns and roads along the European model instead of the old Muslim style. Katchi is a wide term used for memons and other members of the katchi community, some of whom come from Nasr Pur Sindh. So don’t get surprised if you walk into a movie theatre in Mombassa to watch an Indian movie and before the movie begins you hear an audio tape by Sindh’s Fozia Soomro!

Most Kenyan desi Muslims keep ties with Pakistan via marriage and Hindu and Sikhs keep their ties with India because if they ever get told to leave, they will need a place to move to. They are afraid of another situation that occurred in Iddi Amin’s Uganda in the 70s. Since desis are affluent, their kids go to prestigious schools with British teachers specially flown in from England. The Aga Khan foundation is very strong there, the small but extremely rich Ismaili community of Kenya considers Pakistan its country. They have their own schools and Hospitals. All the desi & White children finish their ‘A’ levels and then go to university in England, some go to the United States. They all come back and run the family businesses. Every desi has a separate niche in which they operate; they don’t compete with each other by selling the same commodity or item. Each family has a monopoly in their own field.

 The local language is called Swahili which is 60% Arabic and 40% Bantu (a local African language). Everyone speaks English including the house maids so not knowing Swahili is not a problem.

 For Pakistanis the best time to visit is in summer because that is when its winter there. Kenya is on the other side of the equator. The equator in Kenya passes at 9000 feet above sea level (not far from Nairobi) hence the spot is cold instead of being hot. Around December half of Europe descends upon Kenya to enjoy a safari in the game parks around Nairobi and then move down to the luxury beach hotels, to bask in the sun on the beaches of Mombassa.       

 Going up the top of Mount Kenya is also worth it to see snow all year round. After seeing the lake Nakuru and its famous flamingos in the town of Nakuru near Eldoret, you might head to the Lipton tea gardens near Kericho. The tea grows on the hills, the place looks like a movie shot.

After visiting the up country, head to coast province and walk on the world class beaches of Indian Ocean in Mombassa. Nairobi is located in the Christian heartland whereas Mombassa is in the Coast Province which is Muslim. The landscape changes once you reach Coast, from the tall spruce trees and huge roses of Nairobi area, you start to see tall coconut palm trees once you reach Mombassa. Speaking of coconuts, everyone in the town of Mombassa drinks Madaafu (a Swahili word meaning coconut water), and you must do so as well on your visit to the light house.

Book yourself a luxurious five star beach hotel and get pampered & spoilt rotten! The beaches are very clean unlike Karachi ones, walking without slippers, the sand feels cool. The infrastructure of these hotels is world class. The luxury swimming pools are fabulous, taking a dip in the sea is highly recommended. There is no one in Kenya among desis and White settlers who can’t swim. White tourists of course can swim. The beach hotels do take tourists for scuba diving as well to see the wonderful wildlife inside the ocean. You may book a luxury cottage at the seaside for a few days with a private beach as well.

Buying an 18 karat gold pendent in the shape of Africa is a must have souvenir from Kenya, most people do so from a Mombassa jeweler. Jewelers are all Memons and live in small town houses in the middle of town. Don’t be fooled by appearances, they are keeping a low profile by not moving into a suburban house with a pool deliberately, it’s not that they are poor. All of them are well connected with families all over the world. Some are even related to Jeweler families of Karachi. Because of a large desi presence and world class facilities, Kenya is a favorite destination of Indian movie stars for concerts and for shooting of films. The Indian movie Vishwathma was shot in Kenya in a five star beach hotel called White Sands in Mombassa and shows beautiful shots of the pool. Sindhi intellectuals such as Mehtab Akbar Rashdi also visit from time to time.

You may enjoy the touristy places with the tour guide but unlike white tourists, desi tourists need to take precautions listed below because the locals feel resentment towards your skin color, since desis run the country and Africans are subservient to them.

As for which hotels to stay, you can search the net for beach hotels/resorts in Mombassa and lodges in Nairobi and Nakuru. I would recommend the White Sands hotel in Mombassa, although Nyali Beach Hotel is older and is more expensive. Do learn the numbers in Swahili and a few Swahili phrases usually given to you in a handbook or on websites about Kenya. They are useful for tourists.

As a desi person, it is not recommended to walk somewhere away from your hotel in the middle of town especially ladies, always go in the car. But around the hotel, the area is reserved for tourists hence it’s perfectly safe. If you have never experienced racism in a white country, chances are you are unprepared for racism in a black country as well. You might be attacked or mugged in crowded areas that are hangouts for local Africans only. The local Africans cannot tell that you are not a racist; so a word of warning:

 Nairobi:

 Do not drive anywhere or go out of your house after 5 pm.

Do not leave your window open at traffic signals, you will be robbed, your watch will be taken from your writs without you even noticing.

Drive your car while keeping a distance from the vehicle in front; don’t drive bumper to bumper to your place of stay in case you live at home and not hotel. This is done to avoid being robbed in case someone is following you and wishes to rob you at your own gate, if you leave space for yourself, you can turn around and run instead of going inside your house.

Mombassa:

It is ok to leave home until not too late at night. For ladies no walking during the day please, always take your car.  

Do not be scared by the above guidelines or precautions, they are necessary. But one thing is guaranteed, once you visit this country, you will feel like going again and again. If you are a businessman, it might be an opportunity to develop business ties as well.

Uploaded on June 30, 2008