Counting My Blessings one by one!

"In this bright future you can't forget your past"

Each year when we get to this part of the year, it is only natural to reminisce about the year that has been and day dream about the year that will be.

I think of moments that made me laugh,cry, sad, happy and all that emotion. I even get to have highlights in my mind, almost like what would make the trailer if this were a movie! LOL!! However, this year has been one of the most dramatic, most thrilling, most adventurous and one that has left me in a very mature space where I almost feel as though I am wiser than King Solomon. 

cheers to 2014

And even though I had a couple of lows, I had many highs, with the most thrilling ones if not created by my daughter, then created by my blog readers! With precious moments such as when my daughter first called me "mum" to when you voted for the other blog that I write for (Let's Go Travel Kenya) in the Best Corporate Blog category, for the 2013 BAKE awards. This would count as my 2nd BAKE award in two years with two different blogs. To be honest, I was and still is, more than humbled.

The truth is that I feel I may not have blogged as much as I would have wanted to however, that is why we have 2014 ahead of us. It not only give's me a chance to blog as much as I possibly can but also gives me hope to continue working on my dreams, and just as Bob Marley sung "In this bright future you can't forget your past",Well I promise to stay loyal to blogging and hope to give you all a much better perspective, greater advice, more experiences on and about the travel sphere!

I wish you all a Happy New Year and my God bless us all abundantly!

Happy New Year!!

Happy Holidays & a Happy Birthday to me!

 When we get to this time of the month I get pretty excited. I know....you must be thinking but you are a grown up, you should not get excited about Christmas?! Hahahaha...

Truth is, besides the festive season, today I also celebrate my birthday! And this means I begin the 3 year countdown to the big 3-0!!! Well , I would like to think of it as though I am only getting wiser....and just like wine, I get better!

The second thing to be excited about is that my homeland Kenya is celebrating her 50 years anniversary of independence! If that is not something to party about then I am not sure what is! 

 
The third thing that makes me get excited is the obvious, the Christmas season. Though not the first Christmas celebrating with my daughter, it is the first that she is conscious  of the holiday, with Christmas carols and decorations, and she really loves the Christmas tree! So yes...I am very excited!

All in all, I wanted to wish you all a lovely festive period and to extend my gratitude and Asante (Thank you) for all the support you have given me this year! I look forward to making the blog even better and hopefully keep you locked to it!

Lot's of Love, Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2014!

Cheers!
xoxo

Twestival Nairobi As It Was!

On 22^nd and 23^rd of November, Nairobi experienced a new kind of new when Twestival Global made its debut led by Evans Muriu, who was selected as the national co-ordinator.

For those of you who up till now do not know of Twestival; It is a global movement that uses social media for social good, empowering communities around the world to organize one-of-a-kind offline events in support of causes.The theme for Nairobi was Afforestation with Nairobi Green Line being the recipient of 750 seedlings.

On the evening of 22^nd November the team put up a fundraiser at Pawa 254 which would later be followed by a walk the next day 23^rd November to the Nairobi National Park and a 2 hour tree planting ceremony would commence. 

In the end, the dream of Nairobi Greenline to have a 30 km long and 50 meter wide forest of indigenous trees soon became reality. This was a great and exceptional event that echoed the same message and sentiment, we should all stand together to protect our park!

Congratulations to Evans and the team for a job well done! 

The Wildebeest Migration is back or are the beeste here for the Kenya at 50 Party?!

Last week, rumors of the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara taking place surfaced!Today, we can now confirm, that they really are back!

In a rare and dramatic shift, the wildebeest and zebra herds are reported to be back from northern Serengeti where they had moved to following some mid-season rains in October. The herds had presumed the time to relocate to the Serengeti had come, but local rains in the Mara ecosystem have changed that. The plains are now greened with fresh grass and luscious shots and it is our assumption that if the weather continues like this, there is a likelihood of wildebeest giving birth in the Mara like it was the case in 1998.

Reports coming from the Mara indicate that the wildebeest are moving north of Mara Intrepids Camp through the Olare Orok Conservancy and across Posse Plain down to Sand River. The wildebeest and zebras are said to be everywhere, with crocodiles and other predators already enjoying their early Christmas feast! 

So...if you had planned to see the migration but somehow you got caught and never got to witness it, nature might just be giving you a second chance this year or perhaps the animals heard Kenya were celebrating their golden jubilee since independence and decided to stay over for the party?! Hahahaha.....

For Masai Mara bookings, contact Uniglobe Let's Go Travel. 

Original post - Uniglobe Let's Go Travel  

HER LIFESTYLE: Meet Emmie Kio

Meet Emmie Kio, an agricultural writer and an urban farmer, one who is interested in social media, food security and agriculture. Her addictions are swimming,nature,motorbikes, litchis  and a good laugh. Well, lets hear more from this bright, fun loving Agribusiness Management graduate!

1. Tell us more about you and why you decided to have a blog? A more elaborate explanation is in the about page of my blog.

2. Which is the best destination you have ever visited? South America, Uruguay to be specific.  I would love to go back there and never return again :-)  I love the friendly nature of the people there which makes you feel at home even when you don't know a thing of what they are saying to you in Spanish. We went on a field trip and there was this cup i was seeing with everyone called Mate (Pronounced as Mah-teeh). One guy let me and my friend Bridgit taste its contents and in the end he souvenir-d me the Yerba Mate cup :-) Plus you live life there like there is no tomorrow.

3. Which is your favourite restaurant in Kenya? That's a tricky question. Can i actually name three?
a) Fairmount The Norfolk. This is one of the hotels where you get treated like a queen literally.The hotel staff have good public relations with the residents. It shocks me that you meet a staff on the hallway and knows your name, meet another one some blocks away and they know you too.It feels kinda great. Plus the food is great too.
b) Turtle Bay Watamu: Here is where a dream holiday gets fulfilled. Good food, good service, turtle conservation in play....and much more fun plus relaxation
c) Although they are now closed Indian Ocean Beach Resort. Actually at times their food wasn’t great but two people made me like coming back to the place. Some lady at the reception called Lucy; she has a big heart of gold and very excellent at public relations and Nassoro; one of the food attendants. This guy serves you like a queen which is quite rare to see in some coastal hotels, where the attendant’s service is biased towards the resident people.

4. Which / where is your dream holiday destination? Any country I have not been to works best as a holiday destination.  I like to discover new things every now and then.

5. What do you like most about traveling? The communing with nature. Put religion aside, nature is one thing that convinces me that indeed there is a supreme being. Interacting with new people, sharing new thoughts seeing new places just expands my mind. Fixing stuff, you get to learn to do things on your own at times especially in the wild travel scenarios. What do you dislike most about traveling? Definitely packing my bags. I do a week prior but still forget to carry some stuff. Didn’t nobody discover an app for this? Also your bags getting lost. It disorients you totally!

6. What / which gadgets do you NEVER miss to pack in your travel bag? A toothbrush/toothpaste, Clean pairs of undies, Binoculars, A book, Music, A map, Rosary, comfortable pair of boots and a field guide for birds in the area in question.

7. What is more of a romantic getaway for you, Beach or Safari? Having lived a better portion of my life in the coastal area, the beach does it for me. There are endless romantic things can do there compared to the safari.

8. Tell us 3 things about you that we do not know? I find love and happiness in things that people despise/take for granted like farming and bird watching, am a soon to be lifeguard, am head on heels with motorbikes and i have no favourite meal. Anything palatable does it for me!

9. What travel tips do you have for "Her World" as she trots around Kenya and the globe? Travel! Travel! Travel both in the country and out of the country. And just like Aldous Huxley once said, to travel is to discover that one is wrong about other countries.

HER GADGETS: The Upright Sleeper

Once in a while I post on travel gadgets out there that I think would be useful to any traveller.

Image by Skymall

Now, if there is anything that really gets me mad besides making me stand up every time you want to go to the washroom (that’s why you request for an aisle seat!) is those people who dose and their heads keep bopping to your side, sometimes you even find they (the annoying passage next to you) lay their head on you!

Well, here is something that may help you to not be that annoying passenger. It may look like a choking device, but this ferocious contraption isn’t aimed at spinal injury patients. It’s actually intended to keep your head steady when you doze off.

Unfortunately, I do not think they are available to us in the Kenyan market, but you can get it online from Uprightsleeper.com for approximately $39

Original article by Brooke Porter

 

Open Letter To Our Tourists

 Dear Tourist,



Usually I am not one to go blogging about terrorism or political affairs, but after watching what happened at the Westgate attack, I feel I should have to say something. First and foremost, my condolences to those who lost lives and huge heartfelt apology for those who were caught up in it either first hand or second. Not only did we loose our brothers and sisters, parents and children, not only did we watch our businesses collapse, leaving us with massive economic recollection and rebuild, we, the tourism  sector have to almost watch and predict what could happen, scratch that...what is happening. 

I feel frustrated that every time terrorists hit us or we have some sort of political indifference, the economic sector that suffers the most is tourism, bearing in mind that this sector accounts for approximately 12.5 percent of economic output, 7.4 percent of investment and 11 percent of jobs! I feel aggravated that however much these "economy analysts" keep on telling us what they think and know will happen as an aftermath of terror attacks and political indifference, yet no-one seems to listen. I feel depressed living with the threat that I could once again watch my friends or myself go jobless and without a means to provide for our families as hotels and resorts close down due to lack of business as was the case in 2007 due to the post-election violence; therefore this is what I have to tell my tourists.

The Truth
Kenya is one of the best touristic destinations in the world, with an all-in-one experience. We are blessed with white clean sandy beaches and sanctified with a wide range of wildlife! The Kenyan people are warm and friendly, with a rich culture that you just have to experience.

Yes, the enemy hit us, but you need to think fair and critical, he has hit even the countries you come from, but that did not stop us coming to your country, so please do not stop visiting us. Kindly, ignore the negative press, and remember bad news sells fast, that’s why the attack seems to be on every news channel you switch to, bearing in mind this is what the enemy wanted!

We have built luxurious resorts, astounding safari lodges just so that you can come and enjoy, the African culture, see that Africa and especially we, Kenya are not a dying nation, as those images used to raise funds for “the less fortunate” in Africa. We, Kenya, want you to see the beautiful faces that fill our country; we want you to see the positive side of our nation, we want you to experience the truth about what Kenya’s got to give.

The plea
To those who are writing that email of cancellation, or opting for a different destination as a choice of holiday, please re-think your decisions, the whole reason for a terrorist attack is so that we can suffer. The truth is, you cancelling gives the enemy a reason to celebrate. As a nation, we have beefed up security and are more alert, we can ascertain that you will be safe to have game drives in the Masai Mara a world wonder or enjoy a sun tan in Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage recognised town.

Kenya should and will remain a top on the list travel destination; however, we the Kenyan people need you the tourist to make that a reality. Visit us and help us spread the good instead of the bad.

Thank You,
xoxo
Murugi Njehia