We have one full day in Nairobi before our next stop, Masai Mara Nature Reserve in southwestern Kenya.

Our group takes full advantage of the Galleria Mall located within walking distance of our campsite. There’s a fabulous restaurant here called Artcaffe which serves yummy lattes, entrees, and dessert — let’s just say I’m a frequent visitor during my time in Nairobi.

Here’s Cat, Cheryl, and Kamani — we all get drinks, but Cheryl is the smart one because she orders this to-die-for Tricolad cake with three layers of chocolate mousse (white, milk, and dark) over a brownie base. We talk about cake slice for the rest of the trip.

I order a pizza and it’s outstanding.

Cheryl and I come back the next day for cake and milkshakes (yup, both) — this time I get the Tricolad and she goes with a passionfruit cheesecake. For the record, the coconut mango milkshakes are THE BEST.

During our day off, I spend a lot of time editing photos and writing blog posts, but I make sure to squeeze an hour in my tent with a good book.

This is one of the books from the truck library and I can’t put it down. It’s called Whatever You Do, Don’t Run by Peter Allison, an Australian who spent over a decade as a safari guide in Botswana. His stories of wildlife encounters and crazy guests are engaging and thrilling, plus he shares insightful info into the behavior of animals. I find myself referencing this book throughout the rest of my time in Africa. Even if you have no plans to go on safari, this book is still a great read.

Also, the title is the best piece of advice you’ll get if you ever find a wild animal charging towards you. Remember: food runs. So never run.

Here’s the bar at Indaba campsite:

And a mischievous baby monkey watches our every move…

I pose with our guides, Riaan and Juliana, outside of our overland truck.

Henk is our guide for the upcoming Masai Mara stretch of the trip. And that’s Immy (short for Imogen) who I think would make a great character in a movie — she has so much personality.

Juliana puts together a spread of tapas to tide us over until dinner. Gosh, she has spoiled us on this trip.

Technically tonight’s evening meal is not included in the tour, and we’re expected to get our own food (easy to do at the nearby mall or cheap dinner offered by the campsite). But Juliana and Riaan offer to cook up steaks for anyone who wants to throw in $7. Count me in!

Of course Juliana does way more than just steaks. She’s put together salad, veggies, generous slices of avocado, roasted squash, and a dish of potato, bacon, and cheese. (Can you believe she made a separate bowl just for me without any cheese? A+++ for Juliana!)

But that’s not all — she’s made one of her favorite dessert recipes that’s a take on apple crisp. And they’ve bought vanilla ice cream to go with it. This is how you can gain weight in Africa!

After two weeks exploring Uganda and Kenya in an overland truck, it feels good to have a full day to relax in a major city. And when you throw in getting spoiled by Juliana and Riaan (plus coffee and decadent cake) this is actually one of my favorite days of the trip. We may not have spotted much wildlife or jaw-dropping scenery today, but there’s something to be said for good food and good company.

Thanks to Acacia Africa for discounting the 18-day Mountain Gorillas to the Mara tour in exchange for blogging and photography. Opinions are my own.