We landed one by one at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, our flights weaving together like the start of a beautiful story. Nairobi’s airport is smaller than we expected, but there was no mistaking where we were, the air was different. Cool, earthy, unfamiliar in all the best ways. It was July, the heart of summer back home in Texas, but here on the equator, it was winter, crisp, brisk, and surprisingly refreshing.
We loaded into a modest van, not the one we’d use for the rest of the journey and drove north on Thika Road, toward our home base on Kenyatta Road. This wasn’t a drive through wilderness. Instead, the roadside was a sprawl of life: shops, bustling kiosks, bars, pubs, even the occasional KFC or Pizza Inn, standing in contrast to the endless small markets and fresh produce stalls. Thika Road was lined with brand-new malls, modern infrastructure, and street lights in some sections, a Nairobi we didn’t expect.
Our First Kenyan Home
We arrived late in the night to our Airbnb, greeted by Nimo, the gracious and elegant woman who owned the property. She welcomed us like family and led us into an old stone farmhouse nestled in the middle of a coffee estate. The house had five bedrooms, a large rustic living room, and a fire roaring gently in the hearth. We felt like we had stepped onto the set of All Creatures Great and Small everything slow, warm, and thoughtful.
Despite the long travel, none of us wanted to go to sleep just yet. The air was filled with the scent of smoke, wood, and dew. We whispered about our excitement, then finally slipped into deep sleep under the heavy blankets, surrounded by a silence you only get when you're far, far away from city noise.
The Morning That Changed Everything
We woke to the smell of fresh coffee not the kind we brew from a pod, but coffee that had been grown, picked, processed, and roasted right there on the land. The cook had prepared a farm-fresh breakfast: eggs with golden yolks, hand-cut potatoes, thick bread, and sausages, all served warm with local fruit and honey. It tasted a little different than we are used to! A window into truly fresh, natural, organic food!
After breakfast, we walked from our Airbnb to the farm’s central house, winding through paths bordered by lush green plants, deep red soil, and wide-open skies. The coffee pickers, almost all women, waved and smiled as we passed. Some had picked coffee for 50 years, others were young and just starting but they all shared something sacred: a life lived close to the land.
A Glimpse of Another Way to Live
The Karunguru Coffee Farm is a living system. There’s a school on site for workers’ children. There are fish ponds (rumored to have hippos!) and self-sustaining waste cycles. It’s a model of regenerative and sustainable living, where nothing is wasted and everything has purpose.
Walking here, we started to feel a shift. There was something about this land, the generosity of the people, the richness of the soil, the clarity of the air that stirred us. The pace was slower, but never stagnant. Everything had breath, movement, and story.
We found ourselves filled with gratitude for the things we take for granted: what we consider important in the States wasn't a thought here. We enjoyed and appreciated the clean air, fresh food, open land, labor behind every bean. These weren’t luxuries here, they were simply life. The silence on the air only interrupted by singing of the birds in the trees. It was surreal. We are here, in Africa and the trip hasn't started yet but we have felt and shed so much already!
A Day to Reset
That first day was gentle by design, a time to settle, slow down, and shed the noise of home. We laughed around the fire that night, shared what we noticed, and watched the stars through the giant trees.
It was just the beginning, but already, something inside us had started to change. We could feel it in our skin, our breath, our pace.
Tomorrow, we would head to Nanyuki. But tonight, we were in Kenya. Present, awake, and ready.
Next Week on the Blog:
We travel to the foothills of Mount Kenya to meet women artisans, visit conservation centers, and experience what it means to live at the crossroads of ancient craftsmanship and endangered wildlife.