Mother City : Cape Town

This is by far my most exciting trip (In Africa). When I was planning to take a couple weeks in South Africa I knew I would like it but my experience there was much more than just mere like... it was fun, relaxing, thrilling and loved every minute of it. Coming from a country where free ranging wild game can be viewed within the city I knew I would skip Kruger and directly go explore the Mother City. 

As soon as I landed at Cape Town  I knew I would love it... it was summer and there sky was blue with clear views of Table Mountain. It was quite windy and had an interesting experience with my chiffon dress been blown up as I walked (funny now but not as funny then :). 

As I drove from the airport to my hostel I could feel that this would be a trip like no other. It had an appeal like one I have not heard before. As soon as I saw my cozy nice room with a perfect view of Table Mountain, I knew it was a good choice cutting my Johannesburg trip short :). I stayed at the the The Backpack. You get the whole package, convenient to walking to Long street for a drink, V & A waterfront and perfect views :)

My norm on a trip is to go to the bar and find new people to hang out with and know what places I need to add or scratch from my to do list. This time it was different, I took my day bag and started walking to V& A Waterfront. Cape Town is very walking friendly city which makes it so easy to explore the beauty of the Mother Land. 

As soon as I got to the top of the table mountain and was viewing the city on a nice summer morning, I knew this was perfection for a short vacay..I remember waking up and so keen to hike up the mountain to get some exercises and good hiking pictures.. so am having my ham and cheese bagel and I decide to loose the hiking gear, get my shorts and go for the cable car.. hahaha very typical of me :)

So in the few weeks I was there I got to meet some of the coolest friends from around the world. My favorite day during my entire visit, we rented a car and drove down the scenic route to cape point, passing by Boulders beach for our penguin encounter and having Snoekies at Snoekies, Hout Bay.

Other highlights were the wine tasting at Stellenbosch, brandy tasting at Stellenbosch, Kirstenbosch gardens, camps bay, Chapmans peak and Noordhoek Beach. 

Capetown surprised me and I loved the surprise. I am now talking to my boss to let me move to the CT office.

Happy Travels
- L-

University Reminisce

So I have great friends who if it were not for the 4 years spend in Malaysia together we would never have met and become such great friends. A couple years ago I packed and decided to move to Malaysia where I knew no one and no one knew me :) .. Ohh here we are before life really kicked in. 

I made the most amazing long life friends through the years the. So on this September Saturday evening i decide to call all the Kenyan good girlfriends who I met there for a nice soiree and sleep over. 

In the years we lived together, I was the princess I didn't cook, clean or do anything; my work was to ensure we got invites and got our names on guest’s lists of the coolest parties. So here we are all working and trying to be mature (as much as we can).

I decided to go all out and cook to repay for all the cool meals they made for me over the years.Ohh and a soiree can’t be complete without Sangria and this time I added my own version of blue Curacao   

Ohh I can’t believe we all wanted to be in my bed and we all fit in there hahahaha..

Friends Forever

- L-

Aerial view of Maasai Mara

The worst thing that can happen is to not get a chance to leave the city.. the next worst thing is to be on a great trip and be sick. So last weekend I got another chance to not only go to Maasai Mara staying at Ilkeliani Tented Camp but to do a hot air safari. So the evening before my exciting safari, I came down with a very bad flu but knowing my resilient body I choose to go on safari as the excitement would definitely cure me..

Ohh poor me that did not happen. for the whole 2 nights I was on safari I only enjoyed a maximum of 3 hours.... 1 hour lying a the beautiful basking deck at the camp and the 1 hour on the hot air balloon. It was such a shame as my friends tried to cheer me but was asleep and drowsy all the time

Well there is always a next time :)

Healthy Travels
 -L- 

Samburu Experience

There are places where you only know what you learned in elementary school or what you hear from the media. Growing up my perception of Samburu was a very dry place where women and children die so often due to starvation and famine. I had never wanted to even visit there as it would remind me of all the little things I take for granted in life.

The day when I booked the trip to Sasaab Camp, Samburu all that changed. I took a flight from Wilson Airport that took 1 hour and landed on a very rough and dry airstrip. We were met by 4WD open safari land cruisers and were driven for about 30 minutes to the camp. En route to camp we saw a few animals and a few dead ones, the driver/ guide pointed out that they starved as it had been very dry. At that point I was not sure how my stay in Samburu would be. I closed my eyes and decided safaris can never be awful…on getting to camp the view and interior of the camp was not only mind blowing but also the most exclusive and luxurious place I have ever been in the bush. The hosts Doug and Tanya were so welcoming and the little puppy too:)

The porter took me to my room and for sure that cannot be a room not even a suite J for one who travels pretty budget I felt like a KING, even a queen did not feel grand enough. So the porter is explaining the room details.. plunge pool for cooling down, painting stand to explore you creative side, open concept bathroom to let you connect with nature… 

So lets start with my room/house/palace....my room, had the very well known California king size bed that you can roll 7-8 time to get your phone on the other end. I had 2 bathrooms, one indoor and another outdoor, I swear I saw a Morani Samburu giving me  the eye from across the river. 

 

My plunge pool was such a delightful addition to the experience. As I had opted for only 1 game drive I did spend a good amount of time in the plunge pool reading, day dreaming and painting:)

 

 

The lounge area was quite exciting and great views. The massage palour made me feel like I was in Lamu even without ever having been there.

 

The game viewing in Samburu was very different from what I have experienced at different parks.. I got to see a pack of wild dogs which is especially really difficult to spot:).. one evening i opted for camel game viewing over the usual game drive.. it was a rough and bumpy ride which was different but I am definitely not booking the 7 day camel safari :)

Samburu has is still my number one place in Kenya.. I am however not sure if its the luxury provided at Sasaab or juts the magical views i had from my plunge pool or my bed... taking a shower in an open setting defnitely put a cherry on the pie..

Happy Travels
- L-