Sunset Cruises, Black Cotton Soil and A Broken Prop Shaft…

Being a travel agent I usually like to go and randomly visit areas and hotels to see if there are any changes or improvements to a place or even just the products they offer so that I can be sure that my guests will be happy.

This November took me to the beaches of Watamu and the bushes of Taita Hills.

In Watamu, we stayed at Turtle Bay Beach Resort, where despite the rain we actually did have a lot of fun.

They offer a variety of food on their all inclusive package and there was always something new on the menu, I especially enjoyed their banana chips that they had one night and the fried coconut that was present at the salad bar.

The room size is actually perfect for 2 people although the bathrooms were a bit disappointing-they did however mention that they are planning to refurbish the bathrooms which for the hotel I feel will be a plus point.

Before going there however, please enquire whether there is a conference going on-this is simply because the conference people can cause havoc at the quiet pool (which is supposed to be an adult pool). The property does have 3 pools, a baby pool and a larger pool that children can swim in and the quiet adult pool which is secluded and has a no children policy. Due to the conference we found that the children’s pool was actually more peaceful than the quiet pool.

One of the highlights of this trip was the sunset dhow cruise which was well worth every penny honestly.

it was a beautiful sunset with prawns, beef skewers, chicken skewers, samosas, bruchettas unlimited Dawas ( a famous Kenyan cocktail) and people eventually jumping off the dhow (I wasn’t one of them obviously) and we actually ended up not able to eat dinner that night because we were so stuffed with what we got on the cruise.

The next time we would actually want to try their dinner cruise; based on the sunset cruise I don’t think it can disappoint.

As it was a road trip, after 4 days on the beach we headed to the bush- because what’s a holiday with out both right?

We made our way to Voi after a lovely lunch at Nautilus Kilifi

(Can you believe they gave free oysters as bitings??? – how awesome is that???) and from there to Sarova Salt Lick. A beautiful property with lots of plains game.

I however found the rooms bit small compared to other lodges that we have been to, but then I’m also guessing it may not have been the easiest to build on stilts and to make sure it was rock steady. That architect definitely had his head on the right way.

One thing I don’t think any one can ever fault any Sarova property on is their food and especially their dessert. Anup, went mad over all of their mousse and I went mad over all of their pastries and we met a lady who would eat heaps of watermelon and pineapple only and drink tusker..I don’t know if I am actually ever going to try that combination to be honest and no I didn’t take a picture coz that would be rude.

we went looking for the honeymoon. lions that evening and of course knowing my luck- we just drove around in circles and GOT LOST despite having a map..LOL

The next day we woke up late, ofcourse the weather was beautiful and raining and well that’s awesome sleeping weather right and after breakfast where we had a visitor

armed with our map we set out going to look for the lions once again.

Here’s what we found

OF COURSE NO LION…….because it had rained and they APPARENTLY went in the bush somewhere…

We didn’t even manage to find the 300 or so buffaloes that were apparently around, but we did find ourselves in black cotton soil which with water isn’t the best idea right??? Well we are known for our bright ideas and we ended up with………

To sum it up, we were rescued by the sarova team, broke the prop shaft, walked in the mud but ate good food and drove back to Nairobi with a speed of 60KPH –  it was OMG not funny especially for Anup who was driving.

All in all it was a memorable trip and not one we will forget easily.

Stay tuned for the South African Adventure that we had in June of this year.

Kenya-A Snap Shot

Kenya-A Snap Shot Of Things You Probably Didn’t Know

Kenya is one of the most known countries in Africa both for good and bad reasons. However, there are a few facts you may not know about this East African state.

1. Kenya has one of the highest literacy levels in Africa with 85% of those above 15 able to read and write.

2. Kenya has six recognized UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• Mount Kenya Forest
• The Sacred Kaya Forest in South Coast
• Lamu Old Town
• Lake Turkana
• Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
• Fort Jesus, Mombasa

3. 42% of the Kenyan population is below 14 years.

4. The National anthem, adopted in 1963 is based on a traditional Kenyan (Pokomo) folk song.

5. You can join the army while under the age of 18 but only with parental consent.

6. The Maumau was an illegal association in Kenya from 1950 and was only legitimized in August 2003.

7. Machakos was the first administrative centre for the British colony, but they moved the capital of Kenya to Nairobi in 1899 since Machakos by-passed the Uganda Railway that was under construction.

8. Many classic adventure films were shot on location in Kenya, including The Snows of Kilimanjaro starring Gregory Peck, King Solomon™s Mines with Stewart Granger and Mogambo featuring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.

9. Treetops Hotel is where the then Princess Elizabeth of England was staying with her husband (then Philip Mount batten, but now Prince Philip) when her father, the then King, died. So she technically became queen while in Kenya.

10. Kenya has the second most active Twitter community in Africa.

11. Paleontologists believe people may first have inhabited Kenya about 2 million years ago.

12. The Majority of the people in Kenya are Protestants with Christians making for almost 85% of the population.

13. Kenya has the sixth highest population in sub-Saharan Africa, behind Tanzania, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

14. Kenya hosts one of the “7 wonders of the world” – the annual wildebeest migration in Masai Mara.

15. That Homo Erectus, also called “Turkana boy”, predecessor of man, was discovered in the Koobi Fora national park, close to lake Turkana, by Richard Leakey.

16. Kenya has 65 National parks and reserves specifically allocated as protected areas for wildlife conservation. These comprise of 23 terrestrial National Parks, 28 terrestrial National Reserves, 4 marine National Parks, 6 marine National Reserves and 4 national sanctuaries.

17. Giant crocodile fossils have been discovered in Kenya dating from the Mesozoic Era, over 200 million years ago. The fossils were found in July–August 2004, during an excavation conducted by a team from the University of Utah and the National Museums of Kenya at Lokitaung Gorge, near Lake Turkana.

18. The first inhabitants of present-day Kenya were hunter-gatherer groups, akin to the modern Khoisan speakers.

19. Kenya signed a defense pact with Ethiopia in 1969, which is still in effect.

20. Kenya has had 10 vice presidents but only 4 presidents.

Travel Agents-Better Than A Therapist

Travel Agents-Better Than A Therapist

That’s right folks, we are in the service of helping people book holidays and going on holiday is an effective form of therapy that has scientifically proven positive effects =)

Here are some reasons why travel agents are better than therapists:

1. TRAVEL CAN DEFEND AGAINST DEPRESSION

According to various studies, going on holiday has been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of developing depression, and in fact can help promote greater brain health. Travelling has also been found to make us happier than actually getting married!

Interestingly, and great news for travel agents, travelling’s therapeutic effects don’t just start once the client has set foot on a plane or landed in a new country, but actually start as soon as the person has booked their holiday.

Pretty cool huh?!

2. TRAVEL BRINGS PEOPLE CLOSER TOGETHER

Sharing new travel experiences together, and solving problems on the fly strengthens all types of relationships and generally brings people closer together – so well done to us, oh travel agent!

Couples that travel together were found to report higher levels of intimacy than those that stayed home, and had healthier and happier relationships overall.

3. TRAVEL CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE STRESS =)

Travelling has been found to be one of the most immediate ways of relieving stress.

Studies have found that stress levels dropped by as much as 89 percent just a day or two into a holiday – that’s much faster than even the most effective anti-depressants and so much more fun!

Freed up from the commitments and complexities of everyday life, travelers can ditch the old in search of the new and actually feel alive again instead of feeling imprisoned by the mundane.

And we’re the ones who help free them……

4. TRAVEL MAKES PEOPLE MORE OPEN MINDED

Exploring new cultures and meeting new people that hail from all walks of life has been proven to make travelers way more open minded and creative.

This is due to the brain’s neuroplasticity and the ability of travel to shape and mould the brain in new ways as we experience new things.

5. TRAVEL MAKES YOU MORE STABLE (EMOTIONALLY)

The constant change that comes with travelling can make people better able to cope with anxiety back at home.

That’s because a traveler will get used to things not going their way on their travels, and then won’t be so flustered when the same happens back home.

This ability to make people more emotionally stable is more pronounced over long-term travel, so we advise our clients to turn that two-week holiday into a three month journey!!