Nairobi, June 25 -- I've never been one to sit in the VIP section of anything. It draws too much attention to one. People gawk. So it felt oddly surreal to find myself seated in the VIP booth at Ciel Lounge in Nairobi's Westlands last Friday night. My friend - who also happens to be my dentist - and I were there at the invitation of Antony Owich, the proprietor. My first time at Ciel, French for heaven.

There was already a full-blown party in motion. Ciel feels like the kind of place where a party is always in progress. It was bigger than it looked in photos, grander than I had imagined. A couple of brightly lit bars kept the crowd well lubricated. The place was packed, and people kept streaming in.

"This isn't even a busy night," Owich...