Zanzibar Diamonds La Gemma Dell'est

Today is the final day for the April A-Z challenge.This means that i have conquered the challenge!! I am currently feeling very happy with this thus felt what better way to end the challenge other than writing about one of my favourite resorts in Zanzibar!Yes Einstein, Z is for Zanzibar Diamonds La Gemma Dell'est Resort.

In all the posts i have written on beach resorts, i have always gone on and on about my love for the beach. When i look at the beach i know that God is the greatest artist! In the morning when the sun rises at the beach and you breath the warm crisp salty air, there is a sense of relaxation and peace that calms you whole body and spirit that you simply cannot get anywhere else on earth.

Zanzibar is a historic Swahili Island found in Tanzania. It is not only rich in it's history and fabulous 5 star resorts but it is also home to some of the worlds best spices!

Zanzibar Diamonds La Gemma Dell'est is a 5 star resort set uniquely in exotic tropical gardens and waterfall on the north west shores of Zanzibar. It is modern set with distinctive decor that truly invites guests to the pristine views of the Indian Ocean. The resort is very luxurious, having a total of 138 rooms. What stands out about this resort is the fact that it is very environmentally friendly.

Yellow Oriole;and i am not talking about Oriole cookies!

If someone mentioned orioles, i guess the first thing that would pop up in your head would probably be the cookies or the team that attributed to the cookies existence, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. However, i am talking about the Yellow Oriole bird. 

It is a passerine bird mostly found in South America, countries such as  Colombia, Trinidad, Venezuela and parts of northern Brazil.There are four sub species of which three are restricted to islands only.

With this post my letter Y topic is Yellow Oriole bird which means only one letter remains to be tackled in the April A-Z challenge! Wuhuuu!! is the feeling i have and i hope it is the same feeling that my fellow challenge bloggers have.

Xylophone Cat ; Have you ever seen one?

I start by admitting that with only two more days to the end of the April A - Z challenge, i must admit that i have had fun doing this and to day marks the highlight of this fun!

I was busy trying to figure out what to write about, that which is in line with my blog theme yet would match the "x" theme, so i decide to ask my cousin what she thought people would like to read about, that which starts with the letter x. She rubbed her hand in her hair, then gave me that cheeky, sheepish smile and said, "The Xylophone cat!"

The moment she answered me, i knew she was kidding. I had never had of the Xylophone cat!

I therefore decided to research on the so called "Xylophone cat".

You must be wondering what my findings were? The truth is, i still do not know what my findings were!Yes, that sounds impossible but all i  can tell you about the Xylophone cat is that it is widely considered to be a myth but some people claim to have seen it! Even though no-one has yet to produce a picture evidence of how it looks like!

I wonder if it's meows are melodic...just a thought!

So what do you think, do Xylophone cats exist?

Weaver Bird and the White Dove

With today's theme being W, i was confused with which bird i should write about. This is because this two birds should be a great inspiration to human beings!Take a look at the weaver bird, it is so hard working that even though it does not have hands, it uses it's beak to build nests. This to me signifies that even though time are hard and we do not have all we dream of, we should find a way to work with what God has given us and be grateful for it.

Then comes the white dove, ever wondered why it is a symbol of peace? According to "Google research " doves are incredibly loyal to each other and work together to build their nest and raise their young.They also tend to nest in areas that humans can watch, people picked up quickly on the idea that doves were dedicated, honorable and peaceful.Look at this three instances of the dove; 

Historically

The early Greeks and Romans, doves represented love and devotion, and care for a family. The dove was the sacred animal of Aphrodite and Venus, the goddesses of love. The dove also symbolized the peaceful soul for many cultures.

Religiously

The Bible continued this symbolism, often referring to the dove as an animal representing love, loyalty, fidelity and honesty. The dove is entrusted with the olive branch when Noah hopes to find a new home for himself and his flock. The dove often also represents the Holy Spirit.

Artistically

Picasso popularized doves again in the 1950s. When WW2 ended, he was asked to create an image for the Peace Conference and he chose the Dove of Peace. This became an instant hit and he continued to portray doves for many years.

Voi Wildlife Lodge

V is for Voi wildlife lodge which is a perfect getaway nestled in the heart of elephant country, Voi Wildlife Lodge is located in the Savannah grasslands of Tsavo East, Kenya, just 5km off the main highway connecting the Capital Nairobi to Mombasa.

The lodge was opened in 2003,situated on a 25-acre site on the boundary of Tsavo East National Park, one of Kenya's largest game parks with spectacular views of nearby volcanic outcrops, such as the Kasigau, Sagalla and Mwakingali Hills. Designed to blend unassumingly into the surrounding environment, the lodge boasts a natural waterhole often attracting big game, including elephant, lion, cheetah, buffalo as well as a rich variety of birdlife. 

V is also for very thankful to Sheila Siler, Sheilascribbles who awarded me the stylish blog award! Thank you so much, i must say it gives me the strength to continue writing. 

To accept the award, you have to do the following:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award

My 7 things:

1. I love blogging although time is becoming a big problem, but i will survive. 
2. I long for the day i will see my books published. 
3. I am a staunch christian. 
4. I work for a travel firm as an e-commerce specialist.
5. I write for our company blog    http://www.letsgotravelkenya.blogspot.com/ 
6. I have 2 sisters, a lovely mother and a caring and loving man. 
7. I love to dance and sing , although my singing can be a little bit out of tune....

  I am passing this on to the following bloggers :

1.  Karen Kyle @ http://hopefaithlife.blogspot.com/
2.  Nancie Mwai @ http://fashionablenotebook.blogspot.com/
3. Deirdra Eden @ http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/  
4. Julie Flanders @ http://julieflanders.blogspot.com/ 
5. Lisa @ http://inspiredbylisa.blogspot.com/ 
6. C. R Ward @ http://carolsrandomness.blogspot.com/ 
7. Misha @ http://sylmion.blogspot.com/ 
8. Sarah Allan @ http://sarahallanauthor.blogspot.com/ 
9. Jeffrey Pierce @ http://jeffreypiercebooks.blogspot.com/      
10. Amy wood @ http://ifbloggingburnedcalories.blogspot.com/  

Urraca - The noisy South American Bird

U is for Urraca Bird which is also spelt as Hurraca.

Tsavo National Park: A land of man eating lions and now a land of red elephants

Tsavo park is by far the largest national park in Kenya being divided into two; west and east. The national park is rich in game with elephants being the majority of animals present also a sanctuary for bird life with over 500 species being recorded. 

Lions of Tsavo

Tsavo park has a captivating history when it comes to lions. The park first gained fame in 1898 on account of the man eaters of Tsavo.These 2 maneless lions disrupted the construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway because they devoured about 135 of the workers. Their reign of terror only came to an end when they were shot by John Patterson. He subsequently sold their skins and skulls to the Chicago Field Museum where the reconstructed lions are now on display. But Kenya wants them back and has started negotiations to have these repatriated.

Today, the ferocious descendants of these infamous lions of Tsavo that rained terror on the railway workers for 9 months can be seen hunting, feeding and generally dominating the park!


Red Elephants 

I am pretty sure you are thinking...Kenya has red elephants?!! Although the statements suggests that indeed we do have red elephants, they are not born red.The elephants rub themselves on the fine red volcanic soil in the park which permanently coats their hides -Red! If you visit the park, you will encounter scores of these baffling creatures wandering by. Not just the odd one but upwards of 11,600 red elephants...

Lodges

Finch Hattons

Tsavo is home to some of the best lodges in Kenya, including Finch Hattons which i did a feature story for the theme letter- F in the A-Z challenge. Other lodges include; Severine camp, Ngulia lodge, Voyager Ziwani, Kilaguni Serena lodge etc.

Seals

S is for seals. This particular idea came from one of my readers, a fellow blogger who asked me if Otters

were in the same family as Seals, so from that i derived my theme for the A-Z challenge.

Interestingly, there are 33 known different species in the seal family, with the Southern Elephant being the largest followed by the Leopard seal. Other species in the seal family are Harp, Harbor, Gray, Northern Elephant, Weddell, Hawaiian, Mediterranean, Antarctic Fur, Galapagos Fur and Northern Fur to name a few.

Galapagos fur seal

Gray Seal

Harbor seal

Hawaiian Monk seal

Northern Elephant seal

Weddell seal

The question that many people may ask is if the seal is an endangered species? The truth is that, this has been quite conflicting because although some species are endangered the gray seal is continues to increase in numbers!

Rusinga Island Lodge

R is for Rusinga island lodge, located on one of the "small" islands around Lake Victoria in Kenya. The exotic lodge provides a great welcome break before, during or after a rigorous and exciting East African safari especially due to it's many trees on the grounds and is also a haven for a myriad of bird species.

The lodge has high-thatched roofs, spacious verandahs overlooking lush gardens and the sparkling waters of Lake Victoria beyond, Rusinga’s accommodation comprises six self-contained cottages plus a family cottage with twin room and double room with an interconnecting door.Bedrooms are either double (with a king size bed) or twin (with two queen size beds) with a living area and dressing area. Oversized, en-suite bathrooms have double basins and walk-in, ‘soup-plate’ showers.Combining intimate charm and privacy with the highest level of personal comfort, the cottages are crafted from local materials and in addition a great spa!

Rusinga Island lodge is a great place to kick back and enjoy luxury rejuvenation!

Quetzal - The threatened colorful bird

Today's theme on the A-Z challenge must be the toughest because of the alphabet Q. I feel that i am compelled to share something that is unique and that which will linger in our heads for the longest time, and this is why i choose to write about the Quetzal bird.

The Quetzal bird is an aptly named bird that many consider among the world's most beautiful. These vibrantly colored animals live in the mountainous, tropical forests of Central America where they eat fruit, insects, lizards, and other small creatures.Sadly, it is yet another of the species that is found on the endangered list. A fact that most may not know is that during mating season, male Quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an amazing train up to three feet (one meter) long.However, females do not have long trains, but they do share the brilliant blue, green, and red coloring of their mates. Unlike humans,male Quetzal colors tend to be more vibrant, whereas the human females tend to be associated more with the bright vibrant colours!

Pelican Birds

P is for Pelican birds. These are large water birds who have a large throat poach. They are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica. This is because the mostly in habit areas that are warm. It is a proven fact that there are eight different species of the pelican bird.

O is for Otter

O is for Otter. They are semi-aquatic mammals, whose subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family Mustelidae, which includes weasels,polecats,badgers and wolverines. The mostly feed on fish and shellfish, but also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals.

Naibor Camp; Maasai Mara's Heart!

N is for Naibor Camp,a luxury tented camp located right in the heart of  the Maasai Mara. This camp is not only stunning but is an Eco-rated camp which is a huge factor when it comes to conservation. Personally i make it my mandate that every time i go on safari, i have to visit a lodge or camp that is Eco friendly. This is because if you stay in a place where they e.g do not control their sewage, say it drains from the premises through open end pipes which then flows to the river, wild animals that drink from that river could end up being poisoned and eventually die!therefore it is very important to enquire if your stay at a lodge/camp will be beneficial or a hazard to the environment.

An exterior view of Naibor Camp at night..

Inside of the luxury tents at Naibor..

Naibor camp is one of my favourite among the many camps in the Mara and besides that heartwarming safari experience that you get, you also get to assist the community by e.g buying jewellery from the boutique at the camp which is owned and run by a group of Maasai women. The camp's staff are all from the local community which is yet another reason as to why you should stay at Naibor while on your visit to the Mara.

King size bed in the luxury tent

Enjoy a massage in the bush!

Enjoy a romantic bush breakfast!