Day 14: Kiambethu Tea Farm and Village

Today we visited the Kiambethu Tea Farm out near Brackenhurst. Nine of us ladies from the A/G missions went together for a fun day of tea. Once we arrived, we were shown around the gardens and then congregated with many other visitors to hear the history of the tea farm and fun facts about how the tea is grown, processed, and purchased. I learned so much about tea today - I must confess I didn't know even the basics so there was plenty of room for improvement in my knowledge on the subject.

After the presentation about the tea plant, we were shown on a forest walk. The land around the British home contained many medicinal plants, which our guide pointed out and discussed with us. We saw a grand total of about 6 slugs on the walk too :) Most were bright green but one was purple. The owners also had a small farm surrounding their house - geese, cows, chickens. We were also taken out to the tea fields where all the bushes grew. They were planted closely together, and in order to walk among the plants, we had to push our way through them.

When we returned to the house, we were served a delicious lunch on the lawn. There were tables set up with umbrellas for shade - quite cute. I honestly felt like I was back in the 1940s Britain. I also had a Stoney for the first time. It's a must for anyone visiting Kenya. The drink is similar to ginger ale only with a much stronger ginger flavor.

Once we were finished with lunch, we headed out to shop at the gift store at Brackenhurst. It was a small place, but it was kind of nice because the prices were set. It's not always an advantage to not be able to barter, but in the case, it was nice not to have to have that additional stress. When you're trying to convert dollars to shillings to know the cost of something and then to have to haggle with someone, it can be exhausting. You're constantly trying to know if it's a good deal or not, but in order to do so, you have to convert back to dollars. Aagh! So all that say, it was quite wonderful to have a set price on the items. And now I know what is average so that I can barter at the market when we go on Friday.

Ruthie was meeting some Rosslyn friends at Village at 4 pm, so we headed back to Nairobi fairly quickly after we went to Brackenhurst. Village is their equivalent of our mall back in the States. However, I've noticed both here and in India that the malls have at least one grocery store inside. While Ruthie's mom shopped in the grocery store, Julia and I headed to Dorman's for coffee.

Now, before I came, I was told that Dorman's is the best coffee in the world. Since I'm not a huge coffee fan, nor a huge consumer of said substance, I really couldn't tell you if this statement is true or not, but it was good. I tried a new flavor since I'm here and may never have the opportunity to have it again - Marsala Mocha. Marsala seems to be an extremely popular flavor here (you can find it with tea as well), but I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. It's kind of spicy like chai only not as sweet.

So, that's been the day so far. It's been wonderful being here with the Lowenbergs. They have been so thoughtful and accepted me as if I were their third daughter. It's funny, actually, because many of the people I meet at first think I'm Ruthie - her friends, her parents' friends. In fact, her mom has mistook me several times for Ruthie. So, basically I feel like part of the family. Mama and Papa Lowenberg have given up so much of their time to chauffeur us around Nairobi and the surrounding area. I am truly thankful for their sacrifice to make my visit as enjoyable as possible. It's great to see how welcoming they have been (as well as other missionary families who are hosting guests), so that one day I can follow their example with my own guests.