Chicken In A Basket

 

There are moments you are long distance in a bus and there is an older lady with a chicken, cozily staged in a bag or basket by her legs, in front of her legs or by your legs. Normally the chicken is quiet. Normally the chicken is a gift. If none of this makes any visual sense – I’ll take a picture next time I’m in Kenya. If this totally makes sense you probably grew up in the motherland.

Well there is another way chicken’s land in baskets. As a meal.

This is a #TBT post before my kiddos came along.

A few years ago my family and I visited Ranger’s Restaurant that is by the Nairobi National Park. It’s like a restaurant in a mini rainforest – your taste buds floated in lush nature. If you are in the city and don’t have time for a safari or need a break from pure concrete, this is a great location to unwind and feast. The kids loved the Safari Walk so if you are looking for a family friendly, outdoors, burn a few calories, consume a few more calories…Ranger’s is a good spot. We got to see rhino’s, antelopes and baboons while walking on an elevated boardwalk. Super cool stuff.

Ranger’s Restaurant Entrance

Here are a few pictures. If my memory serves me right, I had the chicken in the basket.

Mom and Kukhu (Grandma)

 

 

Kids kicking it. The boardwalk is slightly visible in the background.

 

My BFF and I

 

Salad

 

Streak with some delicious pepper sauce.

 

 

Chicken in a basket.

 

 

A little dancing on our way out

Welcome!!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Karibuni!

I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to the US in 2000.
I currently live in Little Rock, Arkansas. How I got here – story for another day!

Liam and Ella. My reason.

My name is Shamim Okolloh. I’ve got two sweet kids, Liam and Ella.

When I became a mother, I became Mama Liam. That’s how many mothers are referred to in Kenya. You can have 15 children but you’ll still be Mama #1 child. My mom is Mama Ory. I didn’t know many women’s first name in our neighborhood because they were Mama so and so. I’m still Shamim. I’m now living my life with purpose, hopefully in His will, a big part of that is being a mom. So I’ll gladly take on Mama Liam.

This blog is a digital journey for my children, so they can know a Kenya (and hopefully we travel to other countries in Africa during this life journey) I know and love.  They can know a Kenya not always shown in the US media. They can see a Kenya most Kenyans see, experience, want to knock upside the head (nkt moments!) and love. As we go to Kenya, they’ll have the context to the pictures. They can read this in decades to come and share it with their children and my great grand babies. They can read this with their friends in school who have no clue that Africa is not a country. From the malls to street food, the village to city life, highways to non-existing roads, pedicures in a basin to 5-star spas, schools with no chalk board to world class educational facilities, home cooked meals to KFC (yes! there is KFC…aha, the American KFC) and everything in between.

It’s also for the countless people I meet and invite to Kenya and their response is “Oh, I don’t know – is it safe there?” We are more than turmoil and the Lion King.

11 month old Liam in Diani, Kenyan coast.

Welcome to my blog. Please subscribe with us. I’ll have backdated posts on our last trip to Kenya in 2011 when my son was 11 months and have an upcoming trip this Spring so you don’t want to miss out.

I’m an African mom raising American kids. This should be fun 🙂

 

Love and Light,
Mama Liam

Enjoy a few pictures below.

Nairobi

Floating restaurant – Crater Lake in Naivasha

Grocery store in Nairobi & $15 braids

 

 

Afternoon in Ole Polos