Today was my lightest scheduled day and I think I needed it. I got the best night of sleep yet. In two days I start doing the abridged version of the trip the students will take and it is going to be a whirlwind: one day in each location, so I am grateful to catch up on sleep. The doctor (and others) warned me that the anti-malarial medications cause some pretty vivid dreams. While I have not experienced this, I don’t tend to remember dreams normally these days and last night I seemed to remember more than usual, so perhaps that is my version of that side-effect. I hope so!

One of the things about being a pickleball enthusiast is that whenever you travel, you google places to play and bring your paddle with you. I had found the Nairobi Pickleball Club online and made contact with one of the owners to arrange to play this morning. My first experience with Uber in Nairobi was not a good one as my driver saw my obvious touristness and tried to scam me. But I held my ground and got there and had a great morning playing. They built the club on the roof of a mall and it is growing, as is pickleball in Kenya. I played with two young Nigerians who work there and an employee of the U.S. Embassy. Between playing at altitude and playing with much younger folks, I got a great workout.

I then took another Uber (this time a great experience) to an outdoor Indian Barbecue restaurant to meet me host and share a meal with him and his extended family. I knew there was a large Indian influence in Kenya, but it is especially noticeable in the food, which is fantastic! We started with some Bhajai, which were made of potato eaten with a lovely tomato/carrot sauce. We sat in a round pavilion and the chef cooked at a charcoal grill behind us. The meal consisted of some raw carrots, onions, and cucumbers, several types of naan and roti, and then chicken, with one batch made with extra chilies for the three of us who wanted a little more heat. It was fantastic! Paul’s family couldn’t have been more lovely and we ate and talked for a LONG time like what you would expect from a cultural meal experience.

They were gracious enough to drop me at a grocery store and I got a few things for breakfast and by the time I walked back to the apartment I was done for the night, caught up with family at home, and went to bed. No exciting wildlife, but an outstanding day nonetheless.