Nairobi, Jan. 22 -- Maybe it's me, but there's a certain lethargy with which wait staff in some bars in Diani, Watamu, or Malindi regard you. Maybe they can tell you're an outsider-Nairobian at worst, with their supposed ill manners and snooty attitudes. (I say their because I'm not from here. I just work here.)

Take my recent visit to Apero Bar in Diani. I hate to be that guy who notices these things, but I was the only Black male client. The others who looked like me were the typical svelte girls with intense eye contact you find in Diani bars. Everyone else was Caucasian. Most were dining, talking softly, sipping wine.

I had finished a triathlon the day before. My friends had gone back to Nairobi, leaving me with a few days to burn b...