Panari Hotel

Last night I stayed at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi since my flight from Kigali arrived just after 4:00 in the afternoon and my flight to Lusaka didn't leave until 8:30 the next morning. There are only two words to describe this hotel:

1. Tacky: This must be the tackiest hotel in the world. I’m not exaggerating. There’s no other way to say it. Gold, glitter, mirrors, fake flowers, gold, glitter, mirrors, furniture that was modern in 1980, gold, glitter, mirrors, flower petals in the tables, gold, glitter, mirrors, ridiculous light fixtures, gold, glitter, mirrors...you get the idea. I actually laughed out loud when I arrived in my room. The pictures don't nearly do it justice.
2. Incredible: This description may be best understood by my friends in Kigali, but despite the decor, the hotel was simply incredible. I arrived and was checked in within less than 10 minutes. I then arrived in my room where I found a real bed with a real mattress (plus a down comforter and four pillows that actually had some substance to them!), a television (with CNN!), a bathroom with tile and hot water (and nice towels!) and even an air conditioner (that I could control!). It was amazing. When I found finally tear myself away from CNN, I went downstairs to dinner, which was a buffet that was absolutely delicious (cucumber soup, salad, numerous entrees, dessert with real chocolate syrup and whipped cream!) and accompanied by incredible service. After dinner and a hot shower, I crawled in bed for the night, managed to find a good movie that I'd never seen before on the television and fell asleep feeling like I was in a totally different world. (Note: If none of this makes any sense, it's probably because you've never spent an extended period of time in Rwanda.)