I love to test watches wherever I go, so when the opportunity came up to visit Nairobi, Kenya for an African women’s entrepreneurship project, I knew that I needed a timepiece that would match the energy of the incredible ladies who would be at the event. I needed a timepiece that would be strong, powerful, and elegant all at the same time. I can assure you that it was no easy choice, but when I saw the ArtyA Dome Black Butterfly, I knew I had found my watch! With its 41mm stainless steel case with a black DLC treatment, real butterfly wings on the dial, and ArtyA automatic movement, the Dome Black Butterfly was the perfect timepiece to fly with me to Africa.
Cycling Safari and Hippo Excursion
Arriving in Nairobi a day before the conference, I decided to go exploring and found a trip that would take me on a cycling safari in the morning and hippo spotting in the afternoon. Thinking I would probably be part of a mixed tourist group, it was a joy to find out that I was all by myself. We started at Hell’s Gate National Park in the Great Rift Valley, which is named for its intense geothermal activity. The scenery was just spectacular and provided much of the inspiration for scenes in the Lion King, including the ledge when Rafiki raises the newborn Simba for all to see.
Taking my bicycle, which was slightly too small for me and had only two functioning gears – well at least I would get a good workout – we set off in search of wildlife. There were African buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, gazelles, antelope, giraffes, and numerous birds including vultures, buzzards, and eagles. As there aren’t any big cats or elephants it was safe to cycle through and it was an experience being so close to the wildlife.
After a three-hour round trip, I left the park for Lake Naivasha, which is at the highest elevation on the Kenyan Rift Valley at 1,884 metres high. The lake has a normal surface area of 139 square kilometres and is home to over 400 species of birds and a sizeable population of hippos. It is the hippos that we were hoping to see. As they spend most of the time under the water, they are a little elusive so we had to sail around for a bit before spotting any. This gave me a chance to take some pictures of the Black Butterfly that looked so at home on my wrist in this water wilderness. After around 10 minutes, we found the hippos that were bobbing up and down in the water with their young and enjoying the warm afternoon. I wished I could get into the water with them, but alas, hippos are actually twice as deadly as lions, killing around 500 people across Africa each year, a fact that I was glad to learn once our feet had returned to shore!
African Women’s Entrepreneurship Cooperative
The following couple of days were dedicated to the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Cooperative and a celebration of the 200+ women who had just graduated from the year-long business programme. I have been involved with the organisation as a mentor for over four years and enjoyed every minute of working with these incredible women. Their energy, dedication, knowledge, and support of each other are a constant source of inspiration for me. As they know that I’m a bit of a watch fanatic, they didn’t stop asking to see what I was wearing on my wrist, swooning over the Dome Black Butterfly and trying it on.
The Street Children
Following the conference, I joined some of the ladies for a new kind of walking city tour that was organised by street children. This group of young men took us on a tour of their city, showing us where they grew up, the churches that fed them, and where they slept at night. They even took us to one of their favourite cafés for a truly authentic Nairobi experience. It was the perfect end to a whirlwind trip with the ArtyA Dome Black Butterfly on my wrist.
All the Details
Watch:
ArtyA Dome Black Butterfly, 41mm stainless steel case with black DLC coating, real butterfly wings dial, automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve, hours, minutes, and seconds, domed hands, open sapphire caseback, triple anti-reflective treatment on the dome sapphire, handmade black leather strap and a price of CHF 9,900.
Trips:
Hell’s Gate National Park Private Bike Tour by African Beast Tours and Safaris.
Nairobi Storytelling Tour with Street Children by Nai Nami, Our Streets, Our Stories.
