Tembea Kenya : Escape to Naivasha
In terms of proximity to Nairobi, Naivasha is so close yet just far enough away that it takes a bit of effort and planning to head out there.
The first Digital Camp Kenya(#DCKenya) gathering hosted by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) was the perfect excuse to get out of town with the family (thankfully it’s no biggie for my toddler to skip a day of play school) with all the planning already done (thanks guys!)
The Download on Digital Camp Kenya #DCKenya
DC Kenya was billed as the ‘convergence of everyone who has a stake in the online space.’ I was invited to speak at a fireside chat (and for the record, it was not next to a fire despite the chilly night) about the business side of content alongside Mikul Shah, CEO of Eatout and Manoj Changarampatt a key mentor in the tech space. The intimate gathering was very useful for the participants who ranged from hobbyist writers to the blockbuster bloggers like our very own MumsVillage partner Biko Zulu and Silvia Njoki among others.
Hot Emerging Tech Trends #Bebrief #Longreads #DigitalUbuntu
Caroline Mutoko set the stage with the megatrends affecting digital content creators and I fully agree with her that local video content creation is on the cusp of massive growth but remember to be mindful of data bundles and #bebrief.
The participants were so engaged that they lobbied the organizers to change the program to ensure that Biko Zulu’s masterclass (he’s declared that his blogposts will be getting longer #bewarned) did not overlap with the equally exciting masterclass on the new frontier of crowdsourced fundraising #digitalubuntu led by Zawadi Nyong’o. It was refreshing to see how passionate this crowd was about learning as most conferences I attend are marked by bored corporates checking email and beelining for the coffee breaks.
The True Digital Natives
I think I was the only person who brought my kids with me – Two under-2 year olds so they are the true digital natives. They had a blast wandering the luscious grounds of Crayfish lodge which makes for fun walks to the lake, swimming pools splashes, a decent playground with minimal rusty bits and the best ever converted boats and buses. My daughter had endless fun peeking inside them.
Skiving Kidogo
Being kidogo old school, I still use the word ‘skive’ which means ‘playing hooky’ to the uninitiated. As much as I wanted to stay for the final sessions, I was itching to see what Sanctuary Farm down the road was like for kids and, as luck would have it, they were having a horse hurdling event (yes, I did just make that term up) which was the perfect child-friendly capstone to the weekend.
We ate super yummy food, browsed some lovely locally #madeinkenya Africana bags and dishware while our kids got to touch and watch horses in action with wildebeest frolicking in the background (yes, they really were frolicking and have a video for evidence). I mean, where else in the world can you see that? #thisiskenya 
Making Time to Smell the Roses…Next Time High on my bucket list is doing a tour of one of the flower farms in Naivasha. I’ve never quite gotten my act together but as I start my #MadeinKenya #MumsMeetup, it’ll certainly be on our not to miss list. But for now I say asante Naivasha and tuonane. 
Related: Tembea Kenya-No Place Like Home for the Holidays
