• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result

Kenya: An Ageless And Diverse Landscape

Kathleen Peddicord by Kathleen Peddicord
Aug 13, 2013
in Retirement/Living
0
Travel to Nairobi Kenya and discover the best of Africa, we recommend the safaris!
209
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“Tell Me About Kenya…”

“So…how was your trip to Africa?” our friend wondered as he sat down to join us for drinks last night.

“How was Kenya?” he continued. “Tell me everything. I want to hear about the people…the government…the economy…the climate…”

I’ve been struggling to find a place to start in relaying our recent Kenyan adventures. There are many layers to Kenya. Where to begin?

Perhaps with the British. In Nairobi, where we were based, signs of the British influence here over the past century are everywhere. Arriving at the Nairobi international airport, I was reminded of my first visit, nearly 30 years ago, to another former British colony on the other side of the world. On one level, Kenya, like Belize, feels very British. Folks drive on the left, Her Majesty’s English is one of the lingua francas, tea is served with milk, and cocktail hour is strictly observed.

In Karen, the suburb outside Nairobi named for the non-British expat Karen Blixen who famously grew coffee and fell in love here, descendants of the former colonizers come together each evening for gossip over gin and tonics. It’s an eclectic group comprised of a number of subgroups, including the thrill-seeking Kenyan Cowboys, some well-tested entrepreneurs, and a small number of retirees.

As in Belize, these expat “tribes” make for stark and interesting contrasts against the local population. Depending on who’s counting, Kenya is home to more than 50 tribal groups, some of which trace their origins back to earliest human history. The number and diversity of indigenous groups living within Kenya’s borders has helped to make Kenya the unique African nation it is. In other African countries, two majority tribes fight relentlessly and violently for control. While the many tribes of Kenya do sometimes do battle with each other, none is big enough or strong enough to cause real trouble.

“Are we stable?” one of the expats I met in Nairobi echoed after I’d put the question to him. “Yes, I’d say we’re stable. Stable for Africa.”

“What were they like?” our friend wondered last night. “The tribespeople you met. Were they friendly?”

“Yes,” I told our friend. The locals we met, no matter the tribe, were friendly, happy, welcoming, helpful, open, and interested. They wanted to know about us, about where we’d come from, what our lives are like, what we do for a living, what we thought of Africa, of them…

We also had a chance during our visit to meet with some people involved with government, including one gentleman expected to make a run for president in the next several years. This was a smart, sophisticated, articulate man who spoke earnestly of his hopes for the future peace and prosperity of his country. If this guy were running the show, I thought after spending time with him one evening…well, the people of Kenya could do much worse.

The country’s economy, based largely on agriculture (especially tea and flowers), is relatively strong. As in Panama, the current government in Kenya is re-investing proceeds to improve its infrastructure of the capital city. And, as in Panama, I’m sure the next generation will appreciate the effort. The current one, meantime, suffers through epic traffic jams.

Our friend last night wondered, too, about the climate. Nairobi’s weather is one of its greatest attributes.

“I may never have mentioned this to you, Kathleen,” Correspondent Lee Harrison said when I told him of our plans to visit Kenya this summer, “but that was one of the countries I considered retiring to originally, when I first left the States.

“At the time, I looked at the world map and identified countries of interest on or very near the Equator. I wanted temperate weather year-round. Kenya made the list. I’m eager to hear your impressions of the place. I’ve wondered all these years how different my experience as a retiree overseas would have been to this point had I started out in Kenya rather than Ecuador!”

I’d say Kenya could make for a great retirement option…for the right person. What would you do here? Safaris are a primary pastime (I’ll share some of our safari adventure highlights separately). Me? I’d garden. Everything grows well here (Ms. Blixen’s coffee-growing misadventures notwithstanding). And I’d write. The agelessness of the landscapes, the diversity of the people, the wildness of life in the bush, the lunacy of even day-to-day life, the kind of lunacy you find in the world’s hottest zones…these things sure would help, I’d imagine, to keep the creative juices flowing.

Kathleen Peddicord

Continue Reading: How To Open A Bank Account In Panama

Comments

Tags: 'retirement'AfricakarennairobiTravelWildlife
Share84Tweet52
Previous Post

British Expats Getting Braver

Next Post

The First Step In “Offshore”

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

Related Posts

Cascais, Lisbon Area, Portugal
Lifestyle

Finding Our Dream Life Overseas In Cascais, Portugal

by Terry O’Halloran
February 26, 2021
0

About two-and-a-half years ago, my wife and I made the leap. We moved halfway around the world, to Portugal. Maybe...

Read more
Azenhas do Mar, Portugal coastal town.

Portugal: The Best Place To Live Is Also One Of The Safest

February 25, 2021
Riverside in Tavira on a summer morning, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.

Why Tavira Is The Best Place To Retire In Portugal

February 24, 2021
Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

February 24, 2021
Dordogne, France.

The Challenges Of Living Abroad And How To Overcome Them

February 22, 2021
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker island, Belize.

10 Reasons To Reinvent Your Life In Beautiful Belize

February 17, 2021
View overlooking Corozal township in Belize.

Different Places To Live Well In Northern Belize

February 16, 2021
Next Post
Sometimes you can feel as inexperienced as a little boy if it's your first time, but Panama makes things a little easier.

The First Step In “Offshore”

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

how to retire overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2021

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.