Jules, the cheerful, melanin-rich ‘girl’ with a smile and a fine diastema, called. "Hey mate, we’re outside. Would you like to come over?" She asked. "You and who? I replied.
You see, I have known Jules for a while now, she has that friendly demeanor she says she got from her mother. I hope to meet her one day.
Jules works hard, but she parties even harder. Throw in her close friends and the party becomes a bloodbath.
When her call came, I had just finished my gym session. My third in three days. My soul was more than ready to get out, but my limbs were out of gas. So I said no, but thank you. I needed to sleep.
"Come on, stop being boring. Let’s go outside," she insisted. Jules she can be nagging and persuasive.
That’s how I ended up at the Geco Tribe Café on Mbaazi Avenue in Nairobi for this Irvine Partners hangout. It was all about chilling and nibbling. Nothing technical.
I had never been to Geco, but I had heard so much about it. There was someone who bashed it, someone who praised it and someone who seemed unsure about this nest.
That I wouldn’t be spending any of my hard-earned money this time was enough to convince me. Jules would.
There were a few familiar faces and others I didn’t know when I arrived.
The sky had threatened to do what it does best again, but in the end treated the evening to some drizzle. This set the mood for conversation and a bit of a bender.
The thing that immediately struck me about Geco is how simple, yet colourful and artistic the nest is decorated. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy, not too much aesthetic that you can hardly find in most places in town, but captivating.
I still don’t understand why there’s a bookshelf with 10 books next to the bar.
Nevertheless, it makes the interior look cool. And have I told you about the numerous guitars hanging freely on the wooden walls, the Vespas that have been turned into tables and the scooters that have been turned into seats?
The impression I got of the place matched the description given by its founder, Mateus Finato, the Brazilian creative, adventurer and chef who first came to Kenya on holiday in 2009 and decided to stay.
When he set up the café, he simply looked around and picked the name from the adjacent launderette. The place is said to be home to geckos - although I didn’t see any.
Or was I tipsy on my single malt? I have no recollection. What I do remember though is my voice and my frown at the stewardess, who I felt was too sluggish in helping me out drain my fatigue with a good drink.
"Maam. Can I have two more double shots of this single malt, please?
