Destination Kenya

-
Some opportunities open up when you least expect them. My trip to Kenya can be considered as one of those opportunities. With the Ebola virus being in the news, not everyone was thrilled about my official trip.But with a shot of yellow fever vaccination and polio drops, I was all set to land at Nairobi. The unimpressive air Arabia had a stop over at Sharjah before we continued onwards to Nairobi. An interesting flight nevertheless!

Wake up call early morning

Over Dubai

The desert

Gulf of Aden/ Red sea

The first sight of the continent of Africa


Ethopia?

Nairobi is a city of contrasts. And we got to explore both the affluent  and underprivileged side. We were constantly warned by our cab driver to keep our windows up , to hold onto our cell phones, cameras and bags. The homeless were in and around all the time. The shanties unkept and needed cleaning. It was a contrast to the tall towers with immaculately dressed men and women in their expensive second hand cars from Japan going about their day in the CBD. An Indian would feel at home here. The only striking difference would be the traffic manners of the Kenyan. The grid locked city during peak hours behaves like a gentleman without honking or breaking any rules. Such a refreshing change.

We called the Sarova Panafric as our home at Nairobi. This hotel seem like one of the hotels /motels straight out of the 60's movies. A comfortable centrally located hotel with very few options for the vegetarians. But they more than made it up with their elaborate breakfast. Their buffet included Indian breakfast like uttappam, vada, sambar, poha, puri and believe it or not amazing breakfast.Of course I did try their local vegetarian cuisine which mostly comprised of steamed roots,plantain, greens, beans and vegetables.

Indians drive the business out there and one can come across quite a few of them. They also have exclusive Indian malls like any other place where one can purchase everything Indian.  The locals are friendly and nice.
 If I ever return to this country , it would be to experience Masai Mara.

Date : November 2014
Place : Nairobi, Kenya

Tip : Visit Kenya
First : African continent
The travel connection : There are no foreign lands. Its the traveler only who is foreign - Robert Louis Stevenson
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson - See more at: http://africageographic.com/blog/21-top-travel-quotes/#sthash.eFbH9zbF.dpuf
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson - See more at: http://africageographic.com/blog/21-top-travel-quotes/#sthash.eFbH9zbF.dpuf
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson - See more at: http://africageographic.com/blog/21-top-travel-quotes/#sthash.eFbH9zbF.dpuf

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Destination Great Rift Valley

-
Image
The one Sunday we had during the visit did not allow us to visit Masai Mara but the trip to Lake Nakuru more than made up for it. I have always associated Africa with a lone tree standing majestically in never ending expanse of openness. My excitement on the possibility of seeing such a tree was limitless.We started the drive from Nairobi early morning and slowly started leaving the buildings behind. The buildings were slowly and steadily replaced with species of trees I was seeing for the first time. Maybe it was that lonesome tree in my dreams, but the changing landscape was something I had never experience before. Yes! I was in Africa! We were told by our driver cum guide that we had to drive through the Great Rift Valley to reach Lake Nakuru National park. I was clueless what it was till the plains showed itself through Acacia trees. The breath taking expanse of nothingness is broken only by the escarpments. We were told it contains multitude lakes, active and dormant  vol
Read more

Destination Aihole

-
Image
The cradle of Hindu temple architecture, Aihole or Aryapura was the destination to learn and experiment on the temple architecture. Under the patronage of early Chalukyan kings, the Chalukyan style of temple architecture was refined here between  the 5th and 8th century.  The preview of Aihole given to us by the guide at Pattadakal was enough to excite me about visiting the ancient school of architecture, You wonder if you have arrived at Aihole as the narrow lanes leads you into the chaos of a village life but the complex of ancient structures in various states of disintegration  make you think you have time traveled. The proximity of the timeworn stone monuments and the present day village dwellings raised a lot of questions. The encroachment of these temples was even more intriguing. Be it the cattle housed in these structures, smoke bellowing out or the colorful clothes drying on a line between intricate carved column, all of it just amazed me. When we arrived at one of the b
Read more

Destination Punakha Dzong

-
Image
If I had to choose my favorite structure, It would be the bridges without any hesitation. Bhutan renewed my fascination for bridges with their traditional cantilever bridge called the Bazam. Tintin's knowledge about architecture was limited. My questions on the location of  the toilets, kitchens inside the Dzong  or how the water supply/ drainage worked  and other queries must have driven him mad or made him think that the mountain air had made me go bonkers. So my hopes of understanding the bridge through Tintin was futile. Punakha Dzong is undoubtedly one of the most elegant structures in Bhutan.  To get to the main building , one has to cross Mo chhu through one of the most beautiful bridges I have come across so far. Most buildings in Bhutan are a replica of their ancient self. Due to natural calamities or fire, almost all the prominent sites in Bhutan have been rebuilt in the recent years. The Punakha bridge is no different. You can read more about it here. http:/
Read more