POSTCARDS from TRAVELBLOGGER'S ***** vaca-SEAN / SABA-tical *****: 01/2006

20060123

KENYA

POSTCARDS FROM KENYA
(November 2005)

"KENYA go to a WILDLIFE SAFARI in AFRICA with me?"...

"YA sure, you betcha I KEN!"

FOREWARNING: Due to an allergic reaction to the malaria medication we were required to take on this trip, my face may appear more puffy than it really is in these pictures...LOL.

Room with a view of a Full Moon on the Masai Mara in Kenya

"Guess Who?"

the children of a Masai Village in the Masai Mara

The Masais teaching me how to dance

a baby goat to feed the community

marking my territory in a Lion's den

Mara Serena Air Strip

Saying good-bye to our fearless tour director

"The plane...the plane!"

boarding Safari Link

"OK Captain, everything checked and ready for take-off!"

waving good-bye to our guides/drivers/friends

"Farewell Masai Man!"

take off!

view from plane of Mara Serena Safari Lodge

view from the plane of a Masai Village on the Masai Mara

approaching Nairobi

Live Large in Nairobi

Bill with wild woman in front of the Carnivore

Carnivore Menu

"Please don"t cut my head off and feed me to the lions!"

text and more pics to follow...

POSTCARDS FROM KENYA

As far as I can remember, I always dreamed of Africa. On my 4^th & 5^th birthday parties, while my peers had superhero figurines on their cake, I had wildlife safari animals on mine. I eventually grew up to be a lover of animals, travel, adventure, and photography. What better place to visit, to combine all those interests, but Africa!

I initially felt a bit guilty that, unlike some of my friends who go to Africa for missionary/charity/tsunami relief/HIV-AIDS related work, I was simply going there for a Wildlife Safari. I finally learned that the word “Safari” is Swahili for “Journey”. And boy what a journey it surely was. Although we were not totally immersed in the poverty stricken areas of the region, and were lucky enough to be situated comfortably in luxury safari lodges, we did witness some of it just by simply looking at the side of the road, across the plains, and during a visit to a Masai Village. The Kenyans are a beautiful friendly people. Tourism plays a vital role in the economy of this nation. The more I spread the good word, hopefully, the more people will come to Africa. The more visitors come, the more job opportunities will be available to them. So in essence, at the end of the day, my visit here was not completely without any altruistic purpose.

POSTCARD FROM NAIROBI AIRPORT

After enduring an 8 and a half hour flight on coach from London, we are finally on African soil. I must say that Kenya Airways wasn’t as bad as it was described by some friends in the industry. Thank God, since we didn’t purchase any travel insurance. The flight fortunately was not that full, so we had vacant seats between us. They surprisingly had video on demand, which some other airlines don’t carry on their economy class cabins. Immigration went smoothly for me this time. The Kenyan officer didn’t care what passport I had and just said, “Jambo!”, which is “Welcome” in Swahili. As we waited for our bags, I watched “Sex in the City” on the video monitor. So Africans do like watching skinny white women copulate. As soon as we got all our bags and were ready to exit, someone immediately asked me if I was going on a wildlife safari. Jeesh…was I that obvious? I knew I should have remove the camera, camcorder, and binoculars around my neck!...LOL

POSTCARD FROM NAIROBI

We are a group of 20 divided into 2 Minivans and 2 Land Cruisers. After we met our tour director and drivers/guides and exchanged pleasantries, I noticed that once again I am a minority. I’m the youngest, non-white, non-breeding person in our group. We are from different parts of the U.S, mainly the West Coast and the State of Florida. We were transported from the airport to our hotel on the vehicles that we were actually going on for the safari. We arrived very early in the morning so by the time we hit the road, it was full of Kenyans walking on the side of the streets and fields. I asked why were there so many people on the road. Our guide simply said, “Rush Hour”. Unlike the freeways of L.A., the roads of Nairobi are congested with more people than cars. They do have public transportation where it seems they jam-pack 20 people in a 12-seater van. I gather that it is too costly for most of the common folk to afford. I guess that’s why Kenyans do well in long distance/endurance sports. We spent our first day just meeting our tour director/drivers/guides and fellow tour mates. We rested our jet-lagged bodies at the Naroibi Serena Hotel, one of the Leading Hotels of the World.

POSTCARDS FROM TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK

POSTCARDS FROM AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

POSTCARDS FROM LAKE NAKURU & LAKE NAIVASHA

POSTCARDS FROM THE MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE

20060122

ENGLAND, U.K.

POSTCARDS FROM ENGLAND, U.K.
(November 2005)

POSTCARDS FROM LONDON

Our wildlife safari trip in Kenya was commencing with a flight from London. It has been 10 years since we last visited this great city, so we welcomed the idea that it would be good to break our trip here on the way to Africa and on our return to the U.S. I mainly wanted to see what was new/changed/added in the past decade, such as the London Eye, Tate Modern, new restaurants, new shows, etc. I also wanted to meet up with some old friends and allow some of the luxury hotels that I sell to my clients to spoil us.

POSTCARD FROM A LONDON HOTEL

Several of the luxury hotels in town, were kind enough to offer us complimentary stays. If we wouldn’t have minded hotel hopping, we could have slept in expensive London for free for a good two weeks. Alas, we only had time to stay for a few days. We decided to stay at the Royal Garden Hotel for our first stop. We were given a nice suite with a view of the Kensington Gardens/ Kensington Palace/Hyde Park. The Australian Rugby Team was in the hotel and I happen to get squashed in the middle of all of them inside the small elevator. Imagine that!…LOL. The Baglioni Hotel London entertained us for lunch, then later cocktails prior to the West End show, and at the end of the night as VIP guests at Elton John and Kyle Minogue’s club. On our way back from Africa, we rested our safari-worn bodies at the Four Seasons London before heading back for the States.

view of Kensington Park from the Royal Garden Hotel

POSTCARD FROM AN ENGLISH RESTAURANT IN LONDON

London really didn’t have a great food scene to speak of more than a decade ago. Fortunately, the English have allowed chefs from all over the world to revamp their taste buds. Bill and I were planning to visit a friend of ours, who is a world renowned costume designer in Hollywood, at the movie location of his latest project, the much anticipated film, “The Da Vinci Code”. We wanted to see part of the shoot, but unfortunately, our first day in London was also the wrap-up day. So no Tom Hanks or Ron Howard meeting for us. In spite of the fact that he was exhausted and ready to go back home to the U.S. after several months of dressing and undressing actors, he invited us to join him and another friend for dinner at one of his favorite finds, “Maggie Jones”. We had a very good time, good company, and good food. I started looking forward to other great finds for my palate.

Little John with Big Ben at twilight

Little John with Big Ben at dusk

failed nightshot of London Eye & Big Ben

@ National Gallery Museum w/ Trafalgar Square in the background

Hugh Grant's Bookstore in Notting Hill, the movie?

Bill after running across the entire Hyde Park

"This is a job for....!"

POSTCARD FROM WEST END LONDON

I wanted to catch a West End show. The last time we were here, the only show I wanted to see was “Miss Saigon”. The main star, Lea Salonga, was one of my mother’s pool of entertainers at the hotel, back when she was just a child star in the Philippines. This production is very special to my homeland and countrymen, since most of the original talent pool came from our country.

Prior to leaving the U.S., I inquired as to which was the current “must see” show in the West End. Everyone I asked gave a resounding, “Billy Elliott – The Musical”!. It was hard to find tickets to this sold out show, but fortunately my contacts were able to score us a pair of good seats. I really liked the movie, so I was sure I was going to like this. I was informed that it’s going to take two years for it to get to Broadway. A friend of mine even decided to join us at the last minute. It was a great show! I highly recommend it, even if it is often tough to understand that northern English accent…LOL.

Billy Elliott - The Musical @ Victoria Palace West End

with my old friend, Dr. Vic Salas

POSTCARD FROM THE LONDON EYE

One of our concerns about this trip was that we would have to pack two sets of clothes for the cold of London and for the heat of Africa. We were lucky to have cool clear days. On our first day, I wanted to immediately ride the British Airways London Eye and time it for sunset. After figuring out the London Underground transport system, it was already dark by the time we reached the Eye. Sunset was at 4:30PM! So, we planned to go back earlier the next day. This behemothic Ferris wheel that was built for the millennium was indeed a great way to see all of London. I’m glad they decided to keep it.