Top 10 of the World's Deserts

It has been a couple of days since i blogged and i am feeling more than guilty. However , i now know that i have no option but to blog frequently considering i have taken up the April A-Z challange meaning i have to blog daily!!

As mentioned in some of my recent past blogs,Nairobi has been quite dry and as usual, my brain did some meandering, thinking of yet another aspect of this world. Deserts! I think of myself as religious, so everytime i think of a desert or hear of a desert i remember the image that often acompanies the message from the Bible about Jesus' footsteps!I know...quite an active brain.So nature is amazing and so are these top 10 deserts according to me and guides.org.

1. Salar de Uyuni,Bolivia

2. Sahara desert - said to be the world's largest desert, no specific country can take credit but to name a few, Egypt,Tunisia,Algeria,Sudan,Morroco

 

3. Gobi desert,Mongolia - It is also known as the Flaming Cliffs

4. Wadi Rum,Jordan

5. Thar desert,India

6. Patagonian desert,Argentina

7. Atacama desert,Chile

8. Antarctic desert,Antarctica

9. Kalahari desert,Botswana

10. Mojave desert,USA

Picture of the day: Another reason why i need to visit Italy!

The Hotel Caruso Belvedere's infinity pool, Ravello, Italy

Worlds Top five most amazing pools

There is nothing more relaxing than going for a swim in my opinion. Though i am not a very good swimmer, i believe one day i will be. I also believe that after checking out this list of top pools in the world, you will agree with me that, we need to tour these countries to experience these pools!

1. Crown Towers in Taipa Island Macau

2. Burj Al Arab in Dubai

3. Golden Nugget, Las Vegas

4. Blue Lagoon Geothermal Resort in Grindavik, Iceland

5.Begavan Giri Hotel in ubud, Bali 

For more amazing pools check out: http://www.bootsnall.com/

Mount Kilimanjaro: Africa's highest Mountain

I love hiking, mountain climbing is awesome. It means keeping fit, eating health and fantastic adventure! If you are in Kenya,chances of having a great view of Africa's highest mountain and world's number 4 in prominence would mean a visit to Kenya's Amboseli park. Amboseli is rich in wildlife, nature and also has the most exquisite lodges such as Tortilis, Tawi Lodge and Satao Elerai camp. However, if you are in Tanzania, home of Mount Kilimanjaro you do not need to search for a view....you need to go climb the mountain and experience it.

Arctic Animals;Another of nature's wonder

Surely nature is one big wonder. In Kenya we usually have our cold season in July and during that time the cold is usually too much to handle. As i was walking in the busy streets early this morning, i could not help but shed a tear as i passed a group of homeless people who were sleeping by the road sides.This got me to think of the cold and as my thoughts progressed, i  found my inner voices settle to the fact that the world is one strange place and to think that they are animals that live in the arctic and do not die of the cold?!!

This is something that i have tried to understand but still remains a mystery to me. So i gathered beautiful images of animals in the arctic which are pure incredible.

Arctic Fox

Arctic Hare

Arctic Skua

Walrus

Harp Seal Pup - Arctic

Penguin

Polar bears

Snowy Owl

Images courtesy of Google

Japan: All the good things!

This past few days we have all watched nature turn against Japan, with a tsunami happening leaving thousands injured and dead. It is hard to imagine that one minute you could be smiling at your loved one and the next minute they are gone. Today i felt that it would be great if we spoke of some of the great attraction points in Japan other than discussing all the pain and heartache they are going through.

I have always dreamt of visiting Japan and no tsunami will ruin my imagination. Japan is rich in historical site and ancient survival stories and i believe this will be just another one of those stories.

Historic monuments of ancient Nara

Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji temple area

Historic peace memorial (Genabaku Dome)

Himeji-jo castle

 

Shrines and temples of Nikko

Shirakami - Sanchi 

Yakushima Island

 These are just but a few of what Japan holds, the list is endless..!

Images courtesy of Google 

Nairobi City: The green city in the Sun

It just occurred to me that i have written about almost every city in the world but humbly forgot to tell you of the place that i was born and have been raised, Nairobi city. As you may not or not know, the word Nairobi was taken from the Maasai word Nyrobi meaning place of cool waters. The city is know to many as the Safari city and has a population of about 2.7 - 3 million. It came into existence in  May 1899 as an artificial settlement crated by the European East African railway builders. Although it is the youngest city in East Africa, Nairobi is the largest city of the region.

The Tribe hotel, one of the 5 star hotels in Nairobi

So thats all the boring story about Nairobi, here is some stuff that is interesting about the city. Believe it or not you could spend as high as US$ 600 on accommodation per night or as low as US$10 per night!This definitely translates that if you are looking for first class accommodation you can get it whereas if you are on a budget this is still the place or you.Nairobi is quite versatile when it comes to dinning and you can get all sorts of cuisine restaurants with a majority being African oriented.

Sarit Center shopping mall...

Nairobi has great shopping malls that have a wide range of items to buy and curio shops that  have great african items that make sure your memories of Nairobi are lived forever! The city also has a vibrant nightlife with many disco clubs and sports bars, with hotels having golf  and lawn tennis courses available! Having that Kenya is not a religious state, people have the freedom of worship, meaning there are a number churches,mosques and temples.

Night at Nairobi.....

Nairobi is among the few cities in the world that have a National park in the Capital, plus it is the only place you can feed Giraffes while having breakfast at a great house stay know as the Giraffe Manor.

 

Giraffe Manor, where the animals literally stick their heads in the windows.....

These are just but a few things about Nairobi, it is said to be the diamond in Africa and i tend to agree with them!!

Celebrating the female spirit....

Today is international woman's day. Women are great people and i say this not only because i am a woman, but because i believe that we are strong, clever, wise, unique,beautiful and much more!! I believe as  women we should help build each other and know that God created us with a great purpose. We need to awaken to the ability that we have and make sure that we do not waste ourselves.

The images below somehow in my travel mind, depict a bit of sense of what a woman is all about. Happy Wome

Strong and Courageous ...

Tough & Clever...

Wise and Determined....

Last but not least Beautiful and Outstanding...!

Kenya's cleanest beach?

A few days ago Watamu beach in Kenya's Malindi town made headline in one of the local news papers and immediately it hit the buzz. Watamu is said to be one of Kenya's cleanest beache. True to that word , watamu not only has the cleanest beaches but some of the best hotels on the Kenyan coast, with approximately  90% of the hotels being rates as Eco-friendly and among these, two in particular making an impression that lasts forever!

Watamu beach

Turtle bay beach hotel,2010 Tripadvisor's winner of Travellers Choice awards in the category of Best Family Hotel and Hemingways beach resort are on my list of favorites in Watamu.

Turtle Bay beach hotel pool side ....

Hemingways beach resort pool side...