Relaxing weekend in Nairobi

I haven't updated in a few days, because there hasn't been much going on for the last few days, which is a good thing :)  After the flight from Kisumu, we got into the Fairview Hotel in Nairobi around 10 on Friday morning, and then I took a nap (because I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before). Then it was lunch at the hotel before a whirlwind weekend of going out and meeting people. Well, not exactly whirlwind weekend... It was mostly just in the evenings. The rest of the time was my time, which I spent running on the treadmill, sitting by the pool, and reading fun books.

The people that we were meeting (well, I was meeting, COL Coldren was seeing again) were some of the officers at the lab here in Nairobi, including the executive officer and a logistics/safety/IT/jack-of-all-trades officer. We went out with them on Friday night to one of COL Coldren's favorite bars while he was living in Nairobi, and it just so happened we were there for karaoke night, so everyone had to get up and sing. Then back to the relaxation on Saturday morning, and last night we went to the XO's apartment and had dinner there, then went out to a club across the street.

The apartments are ridiculously nice, and I think going there was part of the "let's sell the idea of stationing her out here" plan. It was a three bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment with lots of floor space, inside a gated compound with their own security guards, gym, swimming pools, shops, etc. In other words, a nice place. And they call this a hardship tour (no, really--they do. Extra pay for it and everything). So I think I wouldn't mind getting stationed out here someday, but a lot of that depends on what else is going on in my life and what else the Army is offering. We shall see. There's still another two years before the Army is going to be stationing me anywhere anyway.

That was about it for the weekend. There was more lounging around today, a really nice lunch at an Italian restaurant followed by some souvenir shopping, and that's it. My flight tomorrow isn't until the afternoon, so I'll have the morning to do some more running and get all my stuff packed up again, and then it's back to Malindi.

So far, so good, and less than three weeks left.