Outlust Magazine

The Outlust magazine takes you through a vivid comprehension of experiences from various travel enthusiasts around the world. On this issue of Outlust, a compiled set of travel diaries is delivered directly onto your eyes.

EXTRAORDINARY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

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Editor’s

Message

B E YO N D E X P E R I E N C E

REAT PIECES ARE SHARED BY GREAT PEOPLE. With special thanks to all the brave, smart, dedicated, adventurous, passionate and creative user-centered individuals who are making the world a better place by sharing their experiences and knowledge at Outlust, with one experience at a time. My e-mail inbox is besieged with requests to contribution, which is good news for you, our readers; it means people in the travel industry are interested in sharing their achievements, their experiences and their future plans with you. Most of them are born out of the fertile minds of PR, whose main purpose is to pop excitement for their company. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with the phrase “pop,” it means a people onto people with us, and it usually implies that there is substance that stands out behind all the attention within an article. Something that actually pops. Now, we may ask ourselves, where does the language pick up an expression? Okay, we rejected the possibility that ‘pop’ is in reference to the sound effect of a top opening of some alcoholic beverage. In this context “pop” was used to mean “effortless sharing of experiences to individuals by individuals.” We look for experiences worth sharing from our contributors. This is also my personal favorite because, a good experience can excite a travel at any time of the year. This is an advantage since prices boom up and travellers’ influx places of sceneries during holidays in most occasions. Most priceless experiences become rare and your travel adventure becomes predictable. Outlust is a magazine that gives travel experiences from people to people with a superior contribution on how to, not where to. We tell our readers how to have an experience worth their hard earned money and effort and where they choose to go is entirely not in our voice. More interesting is the group that says they know how to make the most out of life while traveling for business. “Work/life balance” has become a catch-phrase in the corporate world. It is often seen as something to be achieved. In fact, if an etymologist a century from now comes upon the scrolls of this magazine and tries to figure out its roots that form experiences worth sharing, it may not be as confusing and obscure as the phrase “pop” is for us today. The real meaning is not about balancing work and life. It’s about balancing life itself; work, travel, family and the rest should be just parts of the whole. Because whatever you do in life – on the road and off – means nothing if the experience is not worth sharing.

AMISI K. KEVIN Editor in Chief amisicaves

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Ideas N E W G E N

FROM

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Alfajiri Studio

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CHIEF EDITOR

Amisi Kevin COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Early Man Photography MAIN ADVERTISERS

Afros, Alfajiri Studio, Six Senses, MakeUp by Rose, Suave, Sheilandinda, S. Collections CONTRIBUTORS

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Marlie Vedas, Chao Wamyori, Laura Wairimu, Hilda Magudeli, Monica Kalunda L, Diana Chepkoech, Judith Wanuna Mbira, Faith Kanini Mwarua ,Ann Wangeci, Kezia Janet Nanzara, Clara Wagembi .

F E AT U R E D

Susan Wakeri, Nancy Tanui, Andira Hadley PHOTOGRAPHY

Jade Khalifa, Oman M.

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The Outlust Magazine is published by Alfajiri Studio 2nd floor, Backers square, Opp Naivas Mall, Nyali P.O. Box 204 - 80100 Mombasa M: +254(7) 0860 9057 / 254(7) 5116 8576 E: advertising@alfajiri.co.ke W: www.alfajiri.co.ke The use of our website and digital magazine are subject to the following: All rights reserved. No part of the Outlust Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or; transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the administration at Alfajiri Studio. While every effort has been made to check the information contained in this issue of the Outlust Magazine, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishing group. Unless otherwise stated, the copyright of the individual contribution is that of the contributors themselves.Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of images. We apologize in advance for any unintentional omissions and would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent publication. Š 2019 Outlust Magazine

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C O N T E N T S

E X P L O R E

E D U C A T E

E N L I G H T

28 WHY UNIVERSITY CLUBS ARE A GOOD INSTRUMENT FOR TRAVELLING.

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MASTERCLASS: TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

JOURNEY TO THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. Monica takes you through the most daring decision she made that was the best she has ever made. She tames your mind and takes you with her to Chale Island where the experience unfolds.

A remarkable photograph is not just what was photographed, it’s something else. It’s about transformation. Although we might expect it to reveal the world as we think we saw it, a photograph can give an entirely different impression. Discover more as explained by M. Vedas in her masterclass.

PALMWINE IS THE BEST YET THE MOST AVOID GETTING SICK WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR TRAVEL.

DANGEROUS DRINK Is it possible that the most valued drink in Mombasa by the Mijikenda is the most intoxicating? Faith Kanini takes us through the peaks and troughs of wine consumerism.

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A poetic submission of the state of existence in Watamu by Diana. She cuts through the theoretical revelation. She is unbelievably wealthy of world to get you diving.

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Keziah Nanzara explains how the clubs in the university and campus can help you cultivate your travelling hobby with more information on which clubs to join for this remarkable advantage.

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SIMPLE RULES THAT WILL MAKE YOU A NATURAL NAIROBIAN. In addition to the bustling urban cities of Kenya, the capital is filled with things to do and see that will inspire you to follow your passions. Annne Amisi shares some of the best places to relax, recharge, and find your moment of trust.

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7 E X E R P T

E M P O W E R

E M B A R K

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ONLY IF WE UNDERSTAND, CAN WE CARE. ONLY IF WE CARE, WILL WE HELP, AND WHEN WE HELP, WE CHANGE THE WORLD.

WHY BOTHER TRAVELLING TO THE VILLAGE WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THE OTHER HEAVENS AROUND ?

DIXCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND SOLO TRAVELLING Solo Traveling is the norm. Judith Wanuna tells you the benefits of solo traveling and why it should be on your preference this year.

YOU NEED ALL THE ANSWERS BEFORE DRIVING THROUGH CANYONS BECAUSE IT CAN BE TOUGH From rich, cultural traditions and authentic cuisine to beautiful landscapes and luxurious resorts, Mt Kenya has the best canyons. Chao embarks on a journey to the rift canyons of Mt. Kenya on her way to the Mt. Kenya bistro. She shares how to drive through with us

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Amisi Kevin tells of his journey to the village and why this is the best therapeutic place that humans in the city need to visit quite often. He tells of the amazing detailing of the cultures and life changing habits in the village.

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HAVING NO FRIENDS SEEMS WEIRD; IT CAN BE GOOD OR BAD. UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF NOT HAVING ANY. Enjoy a carefree experience with yourself by understanding the good you are missing by involving other people in your circles. Jennifer tells it all.

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LUXEMBOURG AND THE U.S. have average incomes per person about 70 times higher than some African countries. That’s a tragedy for poor countries. Until recently we were no threat to these rich guys. “They” didn’t know much about our lifestyle—and even if they did and became angry, they couldn’t do anything about it. But as at now, they are able to generate more problems for us poor guys, and the reasons can be summed up in a word: globalization. As a result of the increased connections among all parts of the world, people in developing countries now know about differences in living standards, and many of them can now travel to poor countries. Globalization has made it very untenable.

Ayanda Thabethe, a legendary conservationist from South Africa, identifies main problems that threaten the wildlife population by examining living standards in Africa and perhaps even the continued existence of civilization. Read about this and more in our next issue of Outlust Magazine.

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F E A T U R E S ON THE COVER

INSIDE STORY

SPECIAL STORY

MAGIC MOMENTS ARE AWAITING YOU IN THE HEART OF THE GIRAFFE MANOR.

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AN EXPERIENCE SO UNIQUELY REFINED THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.

This is possibly Nancy Tanui’s most beautiful place, with safe wild in calm conditions, plenty of interactions and hospitality amongst people. She sets us through the experience within which she Grabbed a deckchair and enjoyed breakfast with the wild tallest living creatures on land. Discover why this story is the main story and hence why you must visit Giraffe manor and have an experience to tell your entire generation.

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Introducing the real sense of wild appeal is Susan Wakeri by capturing the big 5 in a masterfully blended way. Upon arrival, the intuitive personalized service sets the tone for a unique experience, one of unrivaled quality and exploration. Combined with the unmatched knowledge of the wild, Joe who is her co-driver rolls her over the excellence of wonder. She sets to show us how Masai Mara is sure to embrace every desire of the savvy and leisure travelers alike.

Make your contribution and support the fight against illegal poaching in Kenya. She needs your support, she needs your attention. The choice for her survival is all in your hands. We are counting on you so that we can win and fell unthreatened..

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LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. Andira Hadley from Singapore travels down south to the Seychelles to seek peace and relaxation. She has been fortunate to travel all over the world, but she affirms to have never found a finer island.

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C O N T R I B U T O R S

MARLIE VEDAS

CHAO WAMYORI

ANDIRA HADLEY

I use a Canon 1 DX Mii with a 70-200 mm lens,

Wamyori departs on famous travels throughout

Andira chooses some of the most exotic destina-

a shutter speed of 1/2000, and an ISO of 400 in

Kenya. She plans to join an elite group of trav-

tions imaginable and her full experience com-

my travels. When it comes to travel photography,

elers who have retraced the routes of the great

bines the cultural and the indulgent, especially

there is no point in just taking a million photos

exploration all over the continent. She settles on

because the spa treatments use local ingredients

and hoping for the best. I look at your surround-

a brand of experience that appeals to travelers

and local treatments. She also finds strong envi-

ings and how I can use it to make your image

who are looking for a full indulgence. Majical

ronmental element that extends the “wellness� to

better.

Kenya

the destination.

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on demand

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DRESSED TO QUILL Feather-embellished accents take wing for fall.

Dries Van Noten earring, $365/single; littlejewellers.co.ke

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11 BREW BISTRO & LOUNGE WESTLANDS RECEPTION/SIGNAGE: I was at the Brew Bistro & Lounge in Westlands for a model shootout. A friend had told me to meet them there since it had planes viewable afar. When I got there, it took me thirty minutes to find my bearings. That included 15 minutes of driving up and down wetlands to find the restaurant since they did not have a sign indicating their location. Waste of gas and time. The compound where the restaurant is located in also had a few other businesses within, and of course, they had no visible signage indicating which one was the restaurant. I had to go the wrong way to be directed. By the time I got into the restaurant, I just wanted to sit down to a cup of cold water and lemon for a reset.

AMBIANCE: The indoor setting of the restaurant was nothing bistro cultured.

A pretty basic setup designed for a casual food hangout. A friend visited here about 4 years ago and from her Instagram images, indoor design seems the same. The place was a bit busy and seems popular amongst the laborers in the neighborhood, so I guess they have a “why fix it if it is not broken” mentality. I immediately whipped out my MacBook to continue checking out some principal model postures and new fashion.

About a minute into my research, a waiter approached me and told me that use of computers id forbidden. I legit thought he was playing a prank on me and had to look around to see if there was a poster indicating this and there wasn’t. This was hell. The only available area for me to carry on with my activity was outdoor. They had high chairs and table in the center of the restaurant for those with computers or tablets; those just looked uncomfortable in the dark. I hate mosquito bites. I was ready to call it quits and call it a bust, which leads me to the next bit.

Customer Service: They have the best manager here. He quickly stepped into the conversation and spun about the insane rules within their establishment and yada yada yada. I was still irritated by the way he managed the situation. I came in for lunch while I waited my photographer, and they did not have one. With the same aplomb in which he handled the earlier issue, he made it possible for me eat from the dinner menu instead. I appreciated that. The garden was great. The transparent tiles were a plus.

Food: it took almost an hour for the first plate to show up. The mosquitos were feasting on me since it was winter, their season. I was

I have gone to many amazing bistros but this one is the last I would consider ever want to go back to.

starting to rethink why I stayed. Good thing I had Wi-Fi to keep my mind settled.

Main Meal Homemade Shepard’s (the spelling bothers me too – Shepherd’s) Pie with fried chicken laced with greens. With the bowl of Chicken Caesar Salad from 500 Restaurants around Nairobi in mind, I decided to sample Orchid Bistro’s salad for comparison, and they failed immeasurably. The plate was oddly plated and the “fresh” in the name, should be replaced with “soap flavored” garden salad.

There was a soapy after-taste from the greens, noticeable chlorine in the drinking water. It was terrible and drenching the food in dressing could not cover up the taste. I rarely find myself salting a plate of food but I did it to hide the tasteless appeal.

The Dessert Red Cherry Cheesecake with citrus coulis + Apple Crumble with Ice Cream and Chocolate Gouache.

The cheesecake could have taken the cake! Only to be foiled by a soggy bottom. Compared to Craft Gourmet’s flavorless, bite sized cheesecake, theirs had a good cheesecake consistency and taste, but the base of the cake seemed like it had been dipped in water before serving it to me. Any maker of cheesecake knows that you have to always first bake the buttered crumble base until it cools down all the way, before adding on the cheesecake batter. Rookie mistake turned what could have been a fledgling winner into an awkward to eat dish. This looked really good too.

With a brave face and stomach, I decided to spend some extra $$ by ordering a serving of Apple crumble. This dish is so easy to make that it is near impossible to make a muck of it. Wrong again. I do not know what they served me, but what I ate was not an apple crumble. The apples were not baked well and had a very chewy consistency. The crumble was like an odd tasting chewy chin. Nobody likes chewy chin not to talk of a misshapen apple crumble. It hurt my eyes to look at the food. The ice cream was not outstanding and the chocolate gouache had a good taste but a weird texture on my tongue.

By Alexandria Nderuri.

Alexandria (Known by Lexa) is a model, aspiring actor and marketer at Kiko Romeo. She started a modeling and doing advert cuts in 2011 with Overcast and Unilever. She has since beed doing fashion modeling for Kiko Romeo.

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THIS ISN’ T YOUR ORDINARY I SL AND.

THE CHALE ISLAND HAS A WEALTH OF HIDDEN GEMS FOR TRAVELLERS IN SEARCH OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT JAN - FEB - MAR

atural noises of the wood cutter trailed at a distance.

The road was bumpy. The ridges were choppy and my friend Hazard who had just visited from Madrid couldn’t handle it. We trailed for a distance and ended up getting lost. We had no network coverage and our road to redemption had no GPS. On the way towards the camel grazers, we were fortunate to find the road was clearly potholes. We waved at some lonely passersby called Mr. Donkey for directions and we were keenly directed through our incom-

Beyond imagination

ing road towards a sharp navigation within a narrower corner ten yards back. How I wish this was true, I had to skim through my mind for possible directions that could triangulate towards our destination.

I moved north following the coast line till I saw a spunky island afar. Somewhere special, sitting pretty just off the coast of the north Kenyan mainland was the island.

This Island is one of the greatest travel destinations in the country. The only private island resort on the tip of a sacred sliver of land originally caused controversy for wiping out a chunk of native forest. Bright,

spacious rooms with Swahili-style beds local art, and gorgeous sea views from pretty much everywhere, plus a spa and seafood restaurant with spices flooding the air. I was there to enjoy sea views from up the rooms. The resort’s main restaurant served Traditional Kenyan cuisine, mixed with both Italian and Oriental dishes. Katika Ziwa specialises in seafood. I immediately ordered lots of food, cocktails and refreshments on arrival from the two bars. I was starving, my body was heavier and my eyes were dilating. Hunger was the only thing monopolizing my thoughts. The others are

13 focused on traditional feast of clams, pork, root vegetables and local fish but i sat and ate my normal chicken tikka and fruits.

I then went to unwound at the spa, which offered 9 open-air treatment rooms. Ukunda Airstrip is 15 km away and airport shuttles are arranged for a surcharge. I checked on the menu, the activities offered included diving, snorkeling and canoeing. To say it’s a fine place to observe native fauna in its natural habitat is an understatement. It was a different world just from the first glance.

Being an island, it has species that on the mainland are more dispersed or harder to see. It was brilliant. But it’s not just its gilded reputation that draws visitors from all worlds.

Much of Chale Island is a kaya (sacred woodland), closed to visitors, but its sulphur springs, mangroves and therapeutic mud ponds are accessible to all; the resort organised ecotourism, as well as diving, snorkeling and culture trips and its mangrove boardwalks within my booking list.

The idea alone was immediately capturing.

This is the only place outside the outstanding city of Mombasa that provides a wealth of colorful experiences demanding of an island. For visiting travel lovers, its coral slides are just one facet of its appeal. Biologist and marine technologists were notable from the moon. It was easy to tell because of their dip diving tools. Whether gazing on the lush emerald palms that shade, the neon streaks that are splashed across the housing at night or the limpid-blue waters that ripple around the leafy shores, Chale is a gift to travellers. I mean, look at the photograph below.

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PERFECTION JUST HAPPENS AT CHALE BUT THE GOOD THING IS, YOU ARE SEEING IT FIRST ON OUTLUST MAGAZINE

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THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE ASIDE FROM THE OUTSTANDING ISLANDS OF THE SEYCHELLES THAT PROVIDES A WEALTH OF COLORFUL EXPERIENCES DEMANDING OF AN ISLAND.

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It is Sunday. The day the woods are quiet and the beach is shy.

The day that workers don’t show up because they are worshipping with millions across the globe. It has been cold all morning. The sun hasn’t peeked its rays through the bullying nimbus yet. The beach has been unbearable for basking. So, instead I choose to stand on sodden leaves amidst pine trees, and Dante, my guide for the day, asks me to take my trainers off. I give him a withering look as I stand on my rapidly-dampening feet. Not to mention I’m wearing a Swahili leso with mandala artery withholding a delicate knot around my neck. I’m dressed like this to appease the ocean and actually act like a Swahili local. This attire is sacred to the Digo people. Chale is one of several sacred places along Kenya’s coast, but the only one open to the public. The forests along this part of the island have mostly developed into mangroves, with many of them being protected by the Mijikenda.

As far back as the 16th Century, these forests that extend extremely wide into the mainland protected communities at the very heart, but by early this century, they had all undergone deforestation to give way to a looming urban shellfire of uncontrolled construction. The remaining few are now protected by a council of elders, and revered as sacred sites for medicinal plants. Some conspicuous ones have UNESCO World Heritage status (but not within the island because coconut trees dominate here).

Before I unwillingly enter the beach, Juma recites to me the rules.

“No swimming 12yards out, any swimming away from the crowd is forbidden, no swimming with a leso,” he says. He is mad. He later added, “Public display of affection in the beach is not prohibited.”

The last makes me smile, for apart from Juma, I am quite alone here. I unwrapped my leso as we made our way into the beach.

We stampede carefully over pieces of coral, a reminder that the ocean is still yet to flood much further inland. We stop strong on our feet as the first tidal wave developed an abrasive pounce on us. It was immeasurable, yeah. The sun was not yet showing but the mood was irreversible. I felt like the rightful owner of the millions oceanic acreage that was visible from my end. I felt like I had embezzled all the happiness from the world. Far off the shores, I could see a school of fish interact within the Coral bedding. Juma suggested that we don’t go far off. It made sense. I swam closer to him because he looked like a guy who can take a shark bite for me.

I don’t believe I’m exaggerating but It feels mildly comforting in the waters here than anywhere else at the coast. I swam atop and flipped belly facing up when the sun shown to register myself to the gods as a staunch believer.

The nimbus we’re processed into desperate chunks of cumulus spreads that later fogged out. The sun came back for me. I knew this relationship should last. We spread out and practiced flipping tactics only known to mermaids and octopuses. The environment at Chale came to glory when the sun came out. Everyone else was seen basking on shore. It was like a school bell that ordered people to lunch. I think we were swimming so well the sun couldn’t bear not having to witness. Everything went so smooth and ballistic. The day was almost over and the waters were staggering up the cliff ends. We set out and settled off shores. We chose to walk around the island. Finally, we arrive at the site where we could see villages on the other side. All around us, the forest was silent. It’s hard to

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THE ADVENTURE imagine that only a few kilometers from this site is glistening white mainland beach, luxury developments lining the coastline. Chale, at least, is protected, but as development continues apace, I can only wonder how long this sacred site will survive.

With variety, adventure, romance and relaxation all expertly woven together, Chale Island is truly the ultimate getaway. Combine breathtaking natural beauty with relaxed sophistication as you experience some of the world’s most beautiful marine and tropical destinations. Days at sea aboard all-inclusive, ultra-luxury lounges, spars and expeditions perfectly complimented with soft sand and gentle shores. A stunning white beach fringed by coral reefs and a tidal saltwater lake surrounded by a mangrove forest. A diverse mixture of indigenous and tropical Flora that attracts a wide variety of fascinating insect and primate life.

The island is home to Swahili tainted houses. The beds we’re smaller for the small thatched homesteads. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, my shoe could barely fit there. Anyway, they were not that tiny but yeah. Chale! Did you open the suggestion box? Into the night the normal songs of the notorious chipping wizards toned the air. At home, I could tell specific birds but this place was a whole new world. Ether the birds chose a mysterious vocal cartographer or their vocal cords evolved but the evening sounds echoed no resemblance. I was sitting quietly waiting for dinner while juma dashed in and started with the rules again. This guy though, “no smoking, no shouting: especially on the phone, no publishing of affection all over and no whispering’, he said. The last strangled me.

I repeated while whispering with my head lowered and minimized eyes. “No whispering?’ I asked. Juma left laughing. His shift was over. It his moral duty as a guide, to inform us on the rules. I recollected while dinner was being served. That was mushrooms and chicken wings. Some salad potatoes and a set of prawns with Alfa wine. This was heaven. If Jesus was born in Kenya, he could have planned for the last supper here. I could see past the aroma into the molecular decomposition of the sweet soup. I ate the Kenyan style.

We don’t use forks here.

The next day was here. In was just after having a hearty meal the evening, leading us was an elder statesman Sir Mwanzia, who has paddled these waters his entire life. Seated behind me in my kayak was Juma, the normal stubborn culprit. We slide past coral-tops that dot the ocean while Juma and I work on our rhythm, clashing paddles only occasionally. It took me the best part of two hours to learn to push my paddle through the clear, green water rather than pull, a technique made to look effortless we churn through the channel.

The afternoon is heralded by heavy grey clouds on the horizon as usual. They move quicker than we anticipate, then the sky opens and warm rain pelts down on us. We shelter in Zimani Cave, a higharched cavern gouged into the side of the mangroves. Mwanzia instructs us to paddle 20 metres towards the back wall of the edges

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to escape the rain. There we notice hundreds of swallows with the same idea, sheltering on the rock face above us. We dash out during a break in the weather and find the swell rising, knocking us across the waves that roll towards the mainland. Ahead a black cloud is hovering just above the water. We paddle closer and find it’s a tightly packed group of terns dive-bombing a school of tuna.

We camp that night on the tip of Zimani, our tents looking out to the perfectly isolated nugget. I wonder if this could be the one my deserted tropical island. Mwanzia, however, says it’s owned by some Italian family who has a house hidden in the jungle behind the beach. Every Italian seeks land after their first tour to Kenya.

The family across the water was lucky enough to obtain the tropical paradise of Chale from the locals. “Our priorities revolve around community and helping one another. The idea of living apart is not something that occurs to most but not the Miikenda”, Mwanzia says.

After much prodding and the rain stop, Mwanzia agrees to share some of his survival skills the next time. As we head towards the island, he teaches me improvised fishing. With the fishing line between his teeth, he paddles past the waters, where the water rattles like chimes as it hits broken coral on the shoreline. In the middle of the channel Mwanzia’s head suddenly yanks back and he grabs the line from his teeth. His kayak bobs and dips as he winds in a slithering long tom, a prehistoric-looking fish well over 50 centimeters long. With our dinner secured to the kayak we pull over to replenish our water supplies from rainwater tanks at the Mazuni area ten kilometers from the Chale Island. At the local school I chat to a local volunteer who says there are about ten families living on the land with no running water or electricity. He shows us his house excitedly and says we are only the second visitors he has had in the past three months. Most of the Families have their members working at the Isalnd of Chale. The wind is picking up, so we stow

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By Monica Kalunda L. If you’ve never visited Chale Island, chances are you’ve got no amazing story to share, no unforgettable epic adventure that you can tell around the dinner table for years to come. Be kind to yourself and escape today.

Monica constantly suffers from wanderlust and is passionate about conservation and travel, when she is not working, she spends her time travelling and writing about her adventures and hopes to one day travel full-time across the globe.

Photography: Majical Kenya / Monica Kalunda

our water and attach the spray skirts to our kayaks before saying goodbye. The wind is about 15 knots as we stroke up and into the cresting waves.

After three hours of hard paddling we fall into the lee of an adjacent rock shelf and pull ashore. I slip into the tepid water to stretch my aching shoulders. In the distance I can see the tiny island of Chale.

Suddenly the sunset and each shift of color has a narrator. Relative silence prevails, however, we peddle back to the island and start talking about the journey. Suddenly Juma leaves. His shift is over, remember? Once darkness falls and we’re cooking our fish on a fire in the sand. We eat it with chunks of fresh pineapple on palm fronds ripped from the canopy above our tents. Juma and I swim for more than an hour, gliding with our fins and duck-diving past schools of skip jack tuna and curious trumpet fish. We round a stand of mushroom-shaped coral and Juma points below, where a white-tipped reef shark is idling. I take the sling; stretch the rubber from my thumb back along the shaft. It quivers in my hand. I am no longer just a snorkeler, I am a huntress. Big fish become prey and rocks and caves are hiding places. I dive deep with my spear poised, hoping to bring in dinner. I return to the beach with only a puffer fish, notorious for being one of the worst fish in the ocean to eat.

That evening we breeze on the edge of Island under the shelter of thick-limbed Chale lantern coconut trees. The day is over and my trip is as well. I packed and set out knowing the experience I got from Chale is never to be forgotten, ever.

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PL ACES YOU MUST VISIT AND FEEL LIK E A NATUR AL NAIROBIAN

anything in Nairobi can be quite tricky. My typical weekend involves a morning walk or bike ride in Karura Forest, sometimes followed by a lazy brunch at the River Cafe, taking in the panoramic views and monkey spotting over good coffee. Later on I might choose between an outdoor movie screening at the Alchemist Bar or an evening art exhibition at the Circle Art Gallery, which always draw a cosmopolitan crowd. I also love going to Nairobi’s cinemas which show a mix of Hollywood blockbusters and exuberant Bollywood movies (best watched over a bucket of caramel popcorn).

Sundays are best spent with friends, perusing the colourful K1 Flea Market, or going on an invigorating walk in verdant tea fields.

By day the Wasp & Sprout cafe is perfect for a coffee and light meal, but by night it’s also a great place for a pub quiz and drink.

When I have friends in town, an early morning game drive in Nairobi National Park, watching giraffes, zebras and rhinos silhouetted against skyscrapers, is definitely top of the itinerary. I also like to take them on a little tour of Karen, including the adorable elephant orphanage at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and a stop at the Giraffe Centre.

Nairobians make time for greetings, smiles and chit-chat.

You quickly come to recognise your local shopkeeper, industrious neighbourhood street vendor and M-PESA (mobile money) agent.

Buying a quick bouquet of flowers on the roadside can easily turn into an insightful conversation and promises to return soon. When greeting people, venturing beyond ‘Jambo!’ and using the more colloquial ‘Mambo vipi?’ (How are things?) is often met with surprise and delight.

For a great view of the city, you can’t beat the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in the city’s central business district. It only costs around KSh500 (US$5) to take the lift (and stairs) up to the helipad. If you’re lucky you may find yourself alone at the top, looking down on the hustle and bustle of Nairobi life.

The view over downtown Nairobi from the helicopter pad atop the Kenya International Convention Centre.

When I’m up for a big night out, my friends and I will start by grabbing a bite at one of the popular restaurants in Westlands, like Mercado Mexican Kitchen and Bar, Haandi or Open House (for great Indian food). We then head to nearby ‘Electric Avenue’, which is host to a string of bustling bars. Havana Bar and Brew Bistro are favourites for good cocktails and dancing. For a cheeky late night snack, I’ll head to the Alchemist Bar and tuck into something from the Mama Rocks food truck that’s located on its grounds.

What I love most about Nairobi… is that to a certain extent, you can determine your own pace of life. You can choose between a lively nyama choma (grilled meat) joint or a quiet, artisanal cafe.

You can sweat it out in CrossFit and Zumba classes, or unwind in a gentle yoga session. Heading into the central business district, with its intriguing mix of colonial and modern architecture and busy streets, offers a good dose of city clamour. In the same day you can go for a quiet walk through Uhuru Park or meander through a forest, hearing only birdsong.

When I want to get out of the city… I head to the hills, the Ngong Hillsto be specific. Immortalised in the film Out of Africa, a hike over a few of these, with views over the Rift Valley, will leave you breathless in both senses of the word. If you’re a bit of an adrenaline junky, just an hour outside the city you can get your fix by ziplining over treetops and valleys in The Forest.

Ngong Rd is a good place to start shopping. Nairobi is pulsing with entrepreneurial energy and this road is lined with artisans selling everything from furniture and paintings to plant pots. The Made in Kenya store Parklands Rd has a sophisticated range of designers’ wares on sale. There is also an influx of mitumba (bundled second-hand) clothes at Toi Market (have your haggling skills up to scratch for some bargains).

For cheap eats, stop by Diamond Plaza or ‘Little India’ as it’s known and sample jaw-achingly sweet treats, crunchy, fiery bhajias (battered potatoes) and authentic Indian cuisine. This is a great place to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and juices.

By Anne Lui Amisi Amisi Lui is a content marketing professional at Techno Kenya, a mobile phone and technology company that improvised how people comunicate worldwide. She graduated Mass communication from USIU and she loves writing

anneamisi

Made in Kenya is one of the niche places to purchase quality wares in Nairobi

Photography: © Joy Kendi

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PARTY OF ONE

WHY SOLO TR AVELING I S THE NE W K INDLE JAN - FEB - MAR

OINING ME, MYSELF AND I FOR A TRIP OF A LIFETIME WAS IDEAL. I travelled by myself for the first time and it was way different. When travelling with friends, or a partner, you pack so much. I only packed my pajamas. Although I loved and needed the freedom of being solo, my anxiety abruptly increased. Everything was up to me. I was the ‘’kindly do it, nobody will be there to do it for you’ zone. I felt like I was being misled by my choices. I felt ignored by the world. I listed my priorities and reminded myself what I would do if I had someone.

I will admit it, at first, it was incredibly hard. No one really advices you how scary it is to travel alone, especially when you are trying out a new place. Now listen, don’t be fooled. It will pass because solo traveling is mind-freeing. As someone who struggles with anxiety, it was hard for me.

However, I am so grateful about how I overcame an incredibly overwhelming fear I have held onto for years. The fear of being alone. I love travelling.

So I needed to overcome this fear at one point. I learned a lot about what I need to become during this trip. I learned about my darkest fears and past traumas that contribute to my fears. And little by little, I began to create a new belief. That belief that I am safe, happy, and living to my fullest because you only live once YOLO. That being said, I learned a few tips that worked very well for me.

Here are a few: I was really conscious throughout my traveling. Travel when you can and where you can. You never know when things will close and you’ll be left without places to visit. I have lost a lot of materials and bags when I traveled with friends and relatives. They show you weirdo, galleries, wedding rings, their Instagram profiles, their favorite scenes and before you know it, your package is gone. Convenience offices are usually open late and close early so help is not usually the first priority in this case.

When I was traveling, I packed less and everything was within eye contact.

Low budget. If there are people I curse today are marketing personas.

I am minimal. I hate having extras. Marketers will publish content on your face and urge you to buy. I mean, you have an iPhone 6, yeah that’s good but an iPhone 6+ is out now. And the new flagship is much bigger and improved. You end up buying and having two iPhones. Two everything. Two sets of lines, two chargers, two Instsgram accounts, and your life start piling up with non-essentials. Traveling alone helps you debate about choices that suit you without adopting an opinion ushered in by someone who has limited know-how. but make sure, buy an extra sandwich or salad when you go out to eat so that if you find yourself hungry and all the restaurants or food places are closed, you have a back up. Keep it in your fridge in your hotel, or in your bag with you. Also, buy water. I always have water with me. Don’t buy anything unless, even when they offer you an Emirates plane for a thousand bucks.

Also, don’t pay more because you’re alone Tours that factor in accommodation typically base their rates on two people sharing a room. When travellers book individually, a fee is added to account for a single occupant: the dreaded single supplement. We’ve heard the arguments ad nauseam (basically: hotels claim to lose money), but that doesn’t make it any fairer, especially when single rooms are rarely half the cost of a double and often pretty pokey. Speak to the operator and see if they’ll cut a deal or hook you up with a partner in a shared room. Alternatively, look for times outside the school holidays when hotel capacities are low and hoteliers are more likely to waive added fees. Solo traveling boosts up your confidence If you feel awkward eating out alone, make that your first challenge. Bring something practical to do, such as filling in a diary or checking emails (a book can be isolating) and don’t sit in a corner; a counter is better, as it allows others to join you and for you to chat to staff, who often have good tips. Or you could go to a Meet up event (see ‘Have Tech, Will Travel’), walk a trail, and strike up conversations. Remain open to adventure.

Before long, it’ll be your first instinct.

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Exercise. When you are alone, you exercise in the morning. You mind your behavior and you build on responsibility.

During walks to destined places, transportation passes don’t really bother you. Couples at most wake and hug each other the whole morning on the sheets then order an Uber to the restaurant for breakfast. When these guys go back home, the clothing they left doesn’t fit them anymore.

I ate little. In the right words, I only ate once. If you have dietary restrictions, do your research on where you want to travel to and what is available for you there. I spent most of my time reviewing my resolutions and planning ahead. I kept constructing layers of functional strategies. Traveling solo helped me solve my problems. I was able to think deeply into my business and YOLO life. lot of guys have registered added weight after traveling for the week, or month, however long you stay.

It’s not worth it, and you’ll always have to worry about travelling again without knowing how influential each one of you has over the other. Have a goal or plan in mind for each day, even if it’s something as small as going to a certain restaurant, or seeing a particular monument. As much as I like going with the flow, I found that, especially when travelling alone, I felt a lot more comfortable and at ease with my surroundings and myself when I had a small plan in mind. You can plan the rest of your day around that one thing, but I think what helped me a lot was having a starting point.

Improved writing. I had a journal, I am a writer, I was able to write on my blog.

I poured my thoughts out. I found this eased my stress, and put me in flow when I was beginning to get anxious. I’d go to a cafe, sit on a couch and just write. I saw couples and friends watch TV, drink beer and chat the whole day. Some even offered me an invite. I declined, I wanted to be at peace by the beach, write an article from the inspiration within. I know some people define good time as having a soft chaotic

span with friends, but a good time for me understanding your value and spending time scrutinizing that achievement. I had nowhere to be, nothing pressing to do.

My thoughts would brim and tide down. It was peaceful. I was quite creative at these times. Being still while everyone around was discussing, laughing, working, walking, or reading. I felt a part of them, interconnected but on my own.

As scary and maybe stressful as solo travelling may be, you discover so much more alone than with a group of distractingly hype people. Little by little, you become free and adopt self-love, self-restrictions and you get to know your limits. You listen to your instincts and trust your gut.

Although I did see some solo travellers on my trip, they so much wanted to interact and that cuts out the idea of solo traveling.

You focus on achievement when you’re on your own. Solo travel, and travelling with others, both have their place if you ask me.

They both open opportunities, but that is surely because we are not used to moving alone. If you have the chance to take even a small trip by yourself, do it. Do it despite what fears may come up. Because when you prove to yourself that you can do it, those fears slowly vanish, and you start appreciating its benefits.

There will always be moments of discomfort: when I have to take a selfie (I still cringe) because there’s no one else there to

take a picture of me atop some famous waterfall; when I’m lost, skint or otherwise up shit-creek and wish I had someone to laugh instead of cry with; or when I’m having a down-day and there’s no one around who knows me. But the difficult moments are what make the reasons above all the more important and true for me. And it is these seven reasons which have propelled me towards the intense, grounding, connected experiences that sit like bright beautiful splashes of colour on the weird patchwork that is my twenties-so-far.

So. If you’ve ever found yourself in the second camp — looking at this slightly bedraggled solo-traveller as she makes herself some sad looking pasta-for-one, and thinking she might be a bit odd — well, I hope this explains it a little. Let’s have a beer.

I was in the moment, paying attention to what was going on around me instead of paying attention to the person I was with. Having a YOLO life all to myself.

By Judith Wanuna Mbira Judith is 27 and female. Since she was 21, she has away been away travelling at least once a year, for anything from two nights to months, alone. She also goes on trips with friends, but she makes a point of regularly going solo. When alone, she has been met with various reactions, but they tend to favor introverted lifestyle in the end.

fashiogenic

Photography: Andira Harday, Jennah Welnivac

TOP TIP For your first solo trip, pick somewhere easy to navigate or an activity you’re familiar with (kayaking, cycling, etc.) – it’ll help you get over the hump of being alone in a new place.

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HOW TO AC T LIK E A ROM AN WHEN IN ROME .

PLAN A MEMORABLE TRIP IN NAIROBI WITH THESE DO’S AND DON’TS.

o hr wing yourself in a new place is fun but Can be confusing at times.

Nairobi as a capital is a great and beautiful place to visit as a Traveller.

Like anywhere else in Kenya, there are some things to note before taking that ticket. This will help you prepare, which, in turn, will allow you to enjoy your stay right from the beginning.

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Traffic Lights are like suggestion boxes.

I know, even my grandma knows about the kleptomaniac traffic but no one says anything about traffic lights. In general, traffic lights and traffic signs are lighting signboards “ice cream sold here”. So, don’t be surprised if pedestrians cross the road while on the phone and stand midway to wait for friends on the sidewalk it still red.

Cars keep moving, just don’t get too frustrated. This means that you should always be on the lookout when driving or walking, don’t rely on the lights all the time. Instincts can save you some.

Walking on the street while talking on your phone.

While this seems like obviously a normal behavior, it is a common sense safety advice. It’s also important to realise that this is against the law and can get you in trouble if you are caught. Given that the streets are so busy, you may not even see the officers coming, so just put the phone down for a few seconds. You all know that is not the main reason. Nairobi is a place where someone can snatch your bag or phone and even if you see them and try heads on, nobody will care. Individuals will act like they didn’t see you.

Come on. Not all Kenyans run Please, avoid publishing your embarrassment. Just don’t walk around asking why Nairobi has traffic and Kenyans can run to work. Yes, we run businesses but we don’t run there. A very specific tribe in Kenya is famous that and not everyone in that tribe is, some kalenjins cannot even drink from a running tap because they can’t keep up. It’s like in China where some Shaolin can fight their shadow but a huge majority can’t even join the fight against obesity. The rest of the Kenyan population is equally impressed at the athleticism of one tribe. If this was your go-to joke, you may need to change it on your arrival.

Don’t Worry About Time While this may seem rude, the reality is that events don’t start on time. Well unless you are a time traveling and you came from the future where heaven is operational and you are here to warn your pagan brother, don’t bother fighting to arrive on time.

Arrive in time, when everyone came late at the same time. This is in order to avoid

scrolling on your phone aimlessly as you wait for people stuck in traffic listening to some Jamaican trendy riddim. Kindly, give events a few minutes before arriving. Of course, you shouldn’t show up an hour late for a one-hour event either.

Always Accept Food Most Kenyans, including me, feel insulted when you don’t eat something we are offering. So even if you have to politely nibble, do it. Most times, your host went slightly out of their way to offer you something to eat, so don’t be hard. That is very disappointing to them when you don’t accept it. You might also find something you like and inquire about it because we make taste from a variety of blends. It is a fantastic way to try new foods.

Don’t Go Around Asking People Their Tribe Kenyans are not overly sensitive about this but they will answer when they feel they are a majority in the area in which you posted that question. Tribe is something we acknowledge. However, it does get a bit odd sometimes. Try not to bring this up at every conversation. Many tourists are fascinated by this concept and tend to ask this question to collect them around and show how they know about Kenyans. While it’s not entirely offensive, it is weird. In fact, I will hold my breath on this one. Refrain from doing this in a large group of Kenyans.

Save it for friends, or people you meet on the way.

Security checks are everywhere Don’t be surprised if you have to be frisked at every building with some guy or girl in huge boots and badged cape. Security checks are very important in Nairobi.

Kenyans dress up Kenyans don’t really do sweatpants in public. Keep this in mind so that you don’t always feel like the most undressed person in the streets. Kenyans just care about their appearance, so pack appropriately. And don’t walk around almost nude and expect not to be looked at.

Politics saves the day.

Kenyans talk politics day and night.

Don’t say you were not told. Vegans are tales. Just like mermaids. Kenyans love their meat and whatever bash you are throwing, if you serve meat we will meet. If you’re a vegetarian, you might have some difficulty

27 with this. Because you will not be able to eat all the veggies they will leave for you.

Always call ahead and let your host know you’re dietary requirements, this is the first rule of a traveler who minds. The chances are that they are serving meat for dinner because you are a visitor. (Remember what you must do when offered food. I hope you are following) Many restaurants are popping up in order to cater to vegetarians but for the most part, meat still rules the menus and some close early. In response to being offered salad, don’t be surprised to hear a Kenyan say ‘I don’t eat goat food. I eat the goat!’

Don’t Call Kenya ‘Africa’ or Kenia.

While in conversation with Nairobians and when talking about Kenya, be careful not to refer to it as ‘Africa.’ They do not appreciate such generalizations. They immediately categorize you as lost or indifferent. So don’t say things like, “ I have visited ‘Africa’ before”, be more specific or avoid it completely. It’s much more interesting.

No one says ‘Jambo’ I know you have done your research and you think it was resourceful. Maybe you assembled some data from a travel guide or seen it in a movie, but they are written with tourist just like you and ‘Jambo!’ is all they can pass along after failing to learn other terms. You might as well chose to walk around with a sticker on your forehead saying ‘foreigner/tourist’ because that looks more responsive.

M-pesa Mobile banking is huge, so don’t be surprised if people don’t always have cash change for your dollars. It’s also very convenient and safe for you to have some of your money stored this way, so register as soon as you land. It’s quick and simple, not to mention free to do so. Unless you are comfortable roaming with you expensive network and storming banks to collect paperwork.

Learn Sheng.

Most people in Nairobi speak English. However, some English words may be twisted with a Swahili or tribal wrap to give it some familiar but ambiguous appeal.

This was developed to enhance secrecy in communication and a word may have five slangs. As soon as the word losses it’s secrecy by getting known by trending,

another word is manufactured. The main aim is to always talk and only a group of intended people will know what you are saying. Learn some slangs and look like a trendy Traveller. Those Jambo words are not even taught in class. To avoid miscommunication, learn some basic words like poa (okay), kesho (tomorrow), noma(trouble) and itakuwaje (hello). They’re usually thrown around casually in conversations so don’t be left out and end up talking about Jambo on your travel blog.

Everything casual is negotiable It’s true that local merchants tend to overcharge tourists for certain items. Your Kenyan bead bracelet goes for $10 but locals get them for ¢50. While this may make you feel unhappy and deliberately derive the notion that everything is inflated, it is not true. Always buy at market stops where priced products are aligned on the shelf with their respective price tags. Like any other merchants, those in Nairobi can get emotional about their craft and their values so don’t overdo your negotiations.

Maasai Markets Are Everywhere Kenya is famous for creative craftsmanship and artifacts. Many tourists are excited to get their hands on stone carvings and beaded jewelry. What you need to know is that there are hundreds of these markets about everywhere so don’t stop.

Look around until you get a favorite and don’t feel pressured to buy the first thing you think your other colleague bought. He probably went shopping like you and didn’t seek alternatives, you’ll get multiple chances. Most people go on a shopping spree at the first glance only to realize that the same stuff is everywhere but cheaper and more appealing design wise. Don’t be one of those guys. Google has changed the way we look for things around us. They give us solutions but they can be wrong. Very wrong for that matter, and this is because what is presented to you in the ranks, is marketed material. A place can be popular for selling bad linen but that will not make the new guy with good linen up the search results. Avoid Google.

You can get everything here.

Nairobi is advanced. Don’t panic about your solo trip. There are major banks, popular fast-food joints offering nearly all blends from around the world and near-

ly everything you can buy back home. So don’t over pack. I will use Nakumatt’s tagline. You need it, we’ve got it. There’s no need to drag an obese suitcase halfway around the world. You are a traveler, not a trafficker.

Lastly, that “Jambo bwana, habari gani”, song you are planning to hear. Forget it.

Well, you dont have to show it. We know you’ve heard about this song being sung in travel vlogs. It’s nice. It is so common in Zanzibar but not here. I don’t even think any millennial knows about it. Be ready for some Nameless, Kaligraff, Probably diamond and some Sauti Sol. Nairobi does have a bad reputation for crime; it’s very silly to deny that. Sneering at people who are concerned about this on social media is not helpful.

Whether Nairobi’s bad reputation is deserved is another question. Nairobi certainly does NOT deserve its reputation as one of the most dangerous places on earth.

It’s a great city, one of my favorite places in East Africa. You can walk around downtown, even at night, without fear; just be careful like you would in any big city: stick to places that are well-lighted and where there are plenty of other people walking around. Trust your gut -- if something about a situation doesn’t feel right, listen to your instincts and get out of there before your next blink.

By Judith Wanuna Mbira Judith is 27 and female. Since she was 21, she has away been away travelling at least once a year, for anything from two nights to months, alone. She also goes on trips with friends, but she makes a point of regularly going solo. When alone, she has been met with various reactions, but they tend to favor introverted lifestyle in the end.

fashiogenic

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JAN - FEB - MAR

29 PLAN A MEMORABLE TRIP IN NAIROBI WITH THESE DO’S AND DON’TS.

THE ART OF TR AVEL PHOTOGR APHY

I WILL SHARE WITH YOUTHE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICES THAT WILL HELP YOU UP YOUR TRAVEL STORIES. Professionals often say they “make,” rather than take, pictures—a distinction that implies creative collusion between machine and operator, rather than a simple confluence of light and space. In every carefully considered photographic accomplishment, four elements are vital: subject, composition, light, and exposure. In this

book, we will use the shorthand of the icons below to highlight the choices that make a successful photograph.

Subject: Most photographers document only family history—birthdays, weddings, graduations, or holidays. Others expand to nature or sporting events. A few make art. And some make art of all their pictures, no matter the subject. Shoot what’s important to you.

Composition: Good composition usually means unity and balance in shapes, colors, and textures. But mood, emotion, and actions are often enhanced by flouting conventional photographic rules; if it works, it works.

Light: Landscape photographers will say they’re “waiting for the light.” Photojournalists must often use ambient light. A studio photographer creates his or her own, with lamps. But all know that light—low, soft, harsh, warm, or diffuse—is critical. exposure: The amount of light that falls on the sensor must be calibrated by the size of the aperture opening and the speed of the shutter. Proper exposure is considered to be a full range of tones, from deep shadows to bright Every photograph has a point of interest— and that point should be clear to the viewer. We look at photographs in much the same way we read text—from left to right and top to bottom in Western culture. The viewer’s eyes should not roam aimlessly around the frame. They should be guided to the point of interest. But that point should not always be in the center of the frame. Such shots can seem static, and thus boring.

An off-balance composition can be very entertaining to the eye. A focal point placed just to the left of center, for example, guides the eye to explore the remainder of the frame, where secondary information such as weather and environment can be used to round out the mood and fullness of the shot. closer, closer “Get closer” has become one of photography’s mantras, and it usually holds up. Make the object of your shot stand out. If you can’t move closer physically, use a longer lens.

always think about what you are trying to say with an image. If you are making a photograph of an isolated farmhouse on the prairie, it must be large enough so that people can see what it is, but it shouldn’t fill so much of the frame that the viewer loses the sense of its environment.

Framing is very important. Don’t use the camera rectangle to frame all your pictures. Look for other framing possibilities within the scene, such as an arch or the shaded walls of a canyon. Because most of us hang pictures on the wall and peer through windows, we have a well-developed sense of frames. But just as a hanging frame enhances a photograph, a frame element within the picture itself can enhance or emphasize the point of interest.

A “frame” in these terms is an object in the foreground that lends depth to the picture. It might be a branch with leaves, the mouth of a cave, a window, a bridge or column, or a colorful doorway. frames should suit subject Framing objects should be part of the environment, have aesthetic value, and be appropriate to the subject. Just as a Rembrandt painting is unlikely to benefit from being displayed in a thin aluminum frame, a centuries-old mosque should not be framed by new concrete covered with graffiti.

The interior frame should not draw the viewer’s eye away from the center of interest. If it is much darker than the subject, or in deep shade, it may be rendered as a silhouette. The frame should be either in sharp focus or completely blurred.

For architecture, it’s best to keep it sharp.

For horizontal landscapes, a foreground of flowers or bushes can frame the background while hiding irrelevant clutter or space.

If the center of any picture is not a satisfying resting place for the eye, where is the best resting place? Artists, designers, and photographers have learned to follow the helpful concept known as the “rule of thirds.” Imagine that the camera’s viewing screen is etched with four grid lines (as in the photo below), resembling a tic-tac-toe game. As you look through the viewfinder at a scene, place the subject at one of the imaginary grid intersection points, often called a “sweet spot.” This gives the image

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an overall dynamic balance. You can also place a center of interest and a counterpoint at opposing intersections. Balance the composition so that both sides are pleasing but not of equal size, shape, or color. A small area of vivid color in one part of the picture will balance a larger area of less intense hue. A small animal will balance a large inanimate object. It will usually be clear which intersection is best, because whatever else is in the frame will either strengthen or detract from the image.

Leading lines are linear elements in a composition that can carry the viewer’s eye to the point of interest. They also create a three-dimensional quality on a twodimensional image, through perspective. The painted center stripe on a highway, for example, seems to get smaller as it recedes, both as you’re driving and as seen in a photograph. Conversely, a strong line badly positioned will tend to take the eye off to the edge of the picture and shatter the composition.

Leading lines are most effective as diagonals, and they work particularly well when the lines originate from the bottom corners of photographs: a winding road, for example, leading to an old church, or the Great Wall of China starting in the bottom corner of your frame and then leading the viewer’s eye into the center of the picture. Depth of field is important when composing leading lines. If the line begins at the bottom of the frame, both the line and the main subject should be in focus.

Lines also have a more subtle effect on the viewer. What mood do you want to convey? Horizontal lines usually convey serenity. Vertical ones emphasize power, and diagonal ones imply action.

Landscapes and cityscapes are full of linear elements—roadways, train tracks, fencerows, ridgelines, tree branches, rivers and streams, boulevards, and rows of lights.

Perhaps there is a driveway snaking its way to a farmhouse, or a fence slicing through the wheat, or the sweep of a curb, as in the photograph on the right, which ties two people into a relationship that otherwise may have been overlooked. Most subjects contain strong lines, some as obvious as a river, others as insubstantial as a shaft of light or a fold in a scarf.

We have all seen photographs of the Leaning Tower of I&M (Shown in the next page of this spread) in which a person in the foreground seems to be holding up the tower with his hands. Such a photograph is a trick of scale, a play on the relative size of objects in the frame. If posed side by side, the tower of course would be much bigger than a man. Photography can sometimes distort scale, especially when objects are not recognized.

Archaeologists and other scientists who gather unfamiliar artifacts often place a simple ruler beside the object before photographing it. Knowing the exact length of 12 inches allows the viewer to visualize the size of the artifact. Does it read?

Keep in mind five basic questions of storytelling:Who? What? When? Where? How? Try POV (point-of-view) shots, shooting from unusual angles. Pay attention to backgrounds and foregrounds—they can be very effective storytelling tools.When shooting portraits, try backing up a little to include the environment around the person.

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When we look at landscape photographs, our minds make a series of mental adjustments based on previous experience. We’ve seen so many pictures of the Grand Canyon, for example, that we can easily work out its size. It’s much more difficult to estimate the size of unfamiliar places or features. When the subject is of indeterminate size—a mountain, a body of water, a stone wall—a sense of scale can be achieved by including something of known size, such as a person, a car, a tree, or an animal, in the picture beside it. A human figure standing next to an oak lets us know just how big the tree is, and a cow standing in a field helps us comprehend the extent of the pasture. Photographing a cliff, a photographer might wait until some hikers pass along the trail to show its sheer magnitude. Giant excavation machines might seem ordinary until a picture reveals that a workman’s head reaches only halfway up one of the tires. Lacking that sense of scale, a picture sometimes is not intelligible. “It doesn’t read,” a photo editor would say. perspective helps. Sometimes perspective allows us to clarify scale. The location of the base of an object in an image is a clue to its distance from the camera viewpoint. In landscapes, the ground or ground plane visually rises toward the horizon. The higher up in the ground area of the picture the base of an object is located (up to the horizon), the farther away it seems from the viewpoint.

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with people pictures, you always know what the center of interest is. But what do you want to reveal about the people you photograph? Posture, clothing, favorite environment, typical expressions, or telling behaviors? Once you have made that decision, you can be on the lookout for the telling moments when a person’s character shines through. Make sure to get close to your subject and be bold. If you see something interesting, don’t be satisfied with just a wide shot. Think about the essence

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of what you are photographing and work closer and closer until you have isolated and captured it. And don’t be shy—people are usually happy to show you what they do well. It’s a common experience: You see an animal you want to photograph, but just as you move in, it’s gone. Timing is everything. When you first see your subject, photograph it from where you stand; then edge in slowly. You want to make sure you get the shot you have, rather than rushing in and getting nothing at all. Use a long lens

Research your trip in advance and find out how you will be received. Always ask permission before shooting. Go early and stay late to take advantage of the quiet hours if lots of tourists are visiting your destination. Learn a few words of the local language, and express genuine interest in the people you meet. Engagement creates rapport. Hire a guide to take you places that tourists don’t normally go.

Choose someone of the local ethnicity—they know the language and customs.

for tight shots. For a sense of place, photograph the subject in its habitat. If you have a tripod, use a slow shutter to create a feeling of movement. the more you shoot fast-action sports, the more tuned in to the activity you will become, and speed will naturally follow. Anticipate the best place to position yourself. Rehearse the subject’s trajectory through the frame. If you’ve already practiced the camera movement, when the person or object is in motion, it’s just a matter of following it in the frame and making sure you are in total control. adventure photography is about telling a story, and story line determines the important photo moments of a trip. Shooting great adventure photography requires balancing photography with participation, as well as a keen observation of unfolding events. Your reward will be powerful photos that clearly illustrate the story of your adventures. The behind-the-scenes photo is integral to building your photo story, too. Your subjects—your crew and friends—will be the players that give your story the personal touch. Today’s travelers are intrigued by authenticity. We like places

that still have their own distinctive illmatic identity—culture, heritage, environment.

Photography, particularly travel photography, has a role to play in helping to document what’s left of the authentic. Authentic culture is sometimes as close as the nearest market or festival, and these are likely to be on the tourist trail. But often you have to arrive early or leave late to really see life as the people live it. The best photographs of another culture will be founded on relationships that you establish with the people there. Show respect and appreciation; spend some time getting to know the place

and letting its people come to know and trust you.

Now if you are primarily an outdoor natural light photographer, you quickly understand that one of the most challenging aspects of your work is the fact that you are so dependent on the weather.

You have very little control over it.

The weather can change almost instantly and ruin some of the best-laid plans for photography excursions and photo-shoots.

One of the best things you can do is to be prepared to photograph in any kind of weather. With these few simple tips and prep-work, you can continue working in the natural outdoor light as opposed to indoor studio light.

• Full Sun / Bright Light.

The sun in all its glory is a beautiful light source and can make any subject pop. Regarded by some as the ideal photographing conditions, bright sun can create a scenario where you have beautiful light and the ability to experiment with shadows. Of course, if you are photographing in raw these edits can be done in post.

• Cloudy / Overcast skies Photographers love overcast skies.

Here the clouds act as a large natural diffuser and spread the light from the sun evenly all over the surface area.

Overcast days are known for their diffused light. For some photographers, these are ideal conditions for shooting portraits as your subject will be evenly lit and there are no undesirable shadows or harsh lighting.

• Rain You can always use an umbrella to protect your gear and as a creative prop in your portrait shots by simply using it as part of the shoot. As an alternative, look for areas that are shielded from the rain, such as alleyways, tree canopies, building overhangs, and other such elements.

By Merle Vedas Merle Vedas is a model and photographer from Berlin. She is at The University of Norway studying psychology. She travels with Kai Boet taking beautiful photographs around the world. Join their musterclass in udemy and learn more on photography.

mervedah

Photography: Merle Vedas; Kai Boet

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HOW HAVING ZERO FRIENDS M ADE ME WAY BET TER

t was just last year, actually on May of 2018 when I carried my beloved luggage and headed to Kenya, to a foreign country and start a new life with my future husband. It was a very exciting phase I was willing to encompass after enduring five total years of long distance relationship. Behind the excitement, a huge feeling of anxiety and discomfort loomed. “Why are you abruptly leaving your dream career?” “Are you willing to restart all over again?” “Are you sure about your mild questionable decision?” These are some of the questions I was asked with my pears. I was quite certain and mindfully willing to embrace the life ahead of me. After all, I will be with the man I love. What’s

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more to ask? It should be easy, right?

Fast forward to this date, I am still struggling in some areas. I can’t drive, so it limits me more to see people. Sometimes, loneliness is pretty unbearable. Secondly, it has been nearly three years, and I still have ZERO FRIENDS. That is quite boring, I mean, who else has my life? And by this, I mean someone so close enough that I can consider my kindred spirit. “Let’s buy a new six guys sofa set, so you can invite your friends at home for a party,” my motherin-law said at my birthday when she visited from Port Elizabeth on the last quarter of my visiting year. I grinned and said, “I have no friends to invite.” On the early years, it was a hard pill for me to swallow. I volun-

IF YOU’RE BEING IGNORED, THAT’S A GOOD TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON FINDING YOURSELF AND CREATING YOUR OWN MASTERY.

35 teered at Red Cross, attended crochet and gardening groups, went to church and even joined cooking contests by Chef Ali for the hope of finding new sets of friends. But then, they are either so scarce or far away from me. Is it because of my country of origin? Is it because of how different I look compared to them? Is it because of my accent? I eventually got tired chasing people to come into my life. I miss the feeling of being invited to eat at weddings. I miss the small chit chats. I miss the feeling of having friends. Even my friends back home were far beyond reach.

I knew no one else can motivate me better than myself. As humans, we look for others’ approval before we commit ourselves to something. I look for encouragement from others like my friends to evaluate if I am heading in the right direction. But nobody knows what the outcome would be. I will just be wasting time asking for recommended guesswork. I realized I have to follow my intuition.

If there is something I desire that does not violate the law of God and nature, I go for it. I remind myself that I can do it. There is only learning to have whether I succeed or not. I don’t need anyone’s ap-

cover something new. Who would realize that reading philosophy books are fun? How would I know I can actually learn how to sew?

How will I know I have the courage to join a cooking contest and win the 2nd place? I found out that I can learn anything if I have the determination and persistence to do it. I don’t need other people’s go signal to try something new. Learn without guilt. Try without reservations.

I developed a bold relationship with my husband.

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. And that must be my loving husband. Having zero friends around helped me get closer to my husband. I learned the value of giving and taking.

I appreciate the time I spend with him. He gives the right advice without any reservations. He always believes in me. I learned the real meaning of “trust.” When friends are scarce, that’s when I realize the importance of people in my family. The ones who never left me and accept me for who I am.

Having friends is fun, of course. Having someone to share happy moments with, having someone to shed a tear with, having

Being on my own has helped me grow physically, mentally and spiritually. I have taught myself to be more independent, more self-reliant, take ownership and be more open to the diversity in people. I have discovered the willpower that I never knew I had before; I have learnt that it is Ok to be afraid, to ask for help and stay daring to make my dreams a reality. Last but not least I have made amazing lifelong friendships. It’s exhilarating to see that Kenya is much opening, kinder and more comfortable for women than what it is made out to be. Making friends (the kinds of people that my previously definitive lifestyle would have never given me), has been the highlight of my journey. Confronting and challenging my own ideas of comforts, wants and needs and ultimately deciding what kind of lifestyle I would design for myself going forward and how much I need in order to really be happy, is the sort of learning that I have and still am enjoying thoroughly.

proval. I need to hear my own voice cluttering of whether I should go for my dreams or not.

Unlock my strengths and weaknesses: When I am surrounded by people who are always willing to help me, it makes me rely on them so much. But when I have no one to ask for help, it opens new areas for learning. I was told I am good in theories but not much on practical. My friends pampered me with tasks that require more of cognitive skills. Since no one is there to help me, I had to turn my weaknesses into strengths. I discovered myself, even more, when there are no outside noises to dictate what I can or cannot do. It gives me the chance to know myself even further. It is a time to create myself.

I got to learn anything my heart desires. I opened myself to more room for learning. I read books more than I ever did in my entire existence. I attend courses and seminars. I join conferences to improve myself. My situation gave me a limitless perspective. In the past, I had no interest learning other areas because my circle of friends is the same. I never wanted to get out of my comfort zone.

But since I have no choice, I found out it is exciting to try and dis-

someone to laugh with the silliest jokes ever is good but that is how we, humans are wired since childhood. To always find a friend to play with. I remember when my Mom would take me to my relatives during the holidays and ask me afterwards, “so, how many friends did you make”. I rarely forged any relationship with other kids. I cried several nights wishing I had some. But circumstances make it more difficult to find them. While I’m hopeful that I will meet them at the right time, I am also thankful they aren’t here right now.

This phase helped me value the importance of friendship. It likewise helped me to see that to be a better friend, I have to befriend myself first.

By Jennifer Mwiraria Jenifer Mwiraria is a Call Center Representative atYum Deliveries Ltd. She lived and studies in Port Elizabeth prior to coming to Kenya. She is a regular writer with Outlast Magazine.

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S I LV E R S TO RY

THIS M AGIC I SL AND HAS MORE TO OFFER THAN THE UNK NOWN

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AJIC JUST IMMEDIATELY HAPPENED WHEN I UNWRAPPED AND JUMPED INTO THE POOL. Let me forcefully take you aback.

Traveling from Madrid to Singapore on an aroundthe-world trip sponsored by my modeling company from Italy, I was handed a lonesome trip of my choice. I could have added stops virtually anywhere in Europe, Africa or Asia. But I chose the Seychelles – for several reasons.

First, my lonesomeness loves remote islands. My planned annual trip destinations have included Easter Island, Hong Kong, Mombasa and the Maldives. The Seychelles were a natural continuation of this mundane madness. Secondly, I have stayed at Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives the last year and had the most heart throbbing welcoming. When Six Senses opened Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles last year, I followed along on social media and immediately added it to my travel wish list. I had no idea when I’d be able to visit, but I just wanted to go! Thirdly, we were traveling around the world in 2½ weeks and already visiting Europe and Asia. I liked the idea of adding an African nation to the itinerary one more time after my unforgettable trip to Mombasa – even if the Seychelles are only technically in Africa.

Flights to/from the Seychelles travel via central Africa or the Gulf states. From Copenhagen the best routing was Qatar Airways to Doha, Qatar and continuing on to Mahé in the Seychelles. That was a two 6 hour flights, with a thirty minute connection in Doha, and I was there. A perfect schedule would have had both flights during the day, but unfortunately that wasn’t an option on any airline on Christmas Holidays.

We left Copenhagen at 6PM, and then departed Doha at around 4AM. I reached Mahé at 8am. The only good thing I can say about the journey is that our second flight was almost empty, so I had about six rows to jump across. At least I got a little sleep.

Now there are two options for reaching Six Senses Zil Pasyon: you can either transfer to a 15-minute Air Seychelles domestic flight to Praslin Island, be driven maybe 10 minutes across the island, and then take a

speed boat to the resort (half an hour). Or you can take a 15-minute helicopter ride from the Mahé airport directly to Félicité Island. The last choice is obvious for me and you – until you look at the pricing, than something happens to your mouth. It opens wide in despair. The Air Seychelles option is roughly US$200 each way for one adult while the boat/car transfers achieve at $200 each way. The helicopter is $1,500 each way. I decided to do both – I splurged on the helicopter ride to the resort (because helicoptering into a private African island sounded really exceptional, and my lonesomeness had never been on a helicopter before), and then I booked the domestic flight back to Mahé. I later learned that a lot of guests merely do the same damn thing with a behavior expressed at any beach

I loved the helicopter ride! It took all of half an hour to leave the Mahé airport, being driven down the road to the helipad, getting a safety briefing, boarding the copter, and flying to the island. I had stories about helicopters before, in Hawaii especially, where a lot of passengers got nauseous. This was nothing like that – it was very smooth, fairly low over the ocean, with no unexpected twists or turns.

Arriving at Six Senses Zil Pasyon I arrived at the Six Senses helipad at 8:40AM, where I met several staff members, including our GEM (Guest Experience Maker). I was upgraded to a two-room villa, which was 1) great, since I could see the setup for a family of five or six; and 2) ridiculous, since it was HUGE and far more room than I needed for a night stay! I es-

37 sentially had two villas, each with a kingsize bed and a full bathroom, with a large central outdoor area connecting them, and a private pool (of course). The resort has a central dining/bar/pool area, and then a pathway goes left and right from there with all of the villas – half in one direction and half in the other. The furthest villas require a buggy ride (easy to get) whenever you want to go anywhere. I loved being in Villa 1, closest to the central area, with no buggies required. And I was on the spa side of the resort, which worked well when I got a massage, and when I walked up for sunrise and sunset (the spa has an amazing view of both).

THE EXPERIENCE. Okay, enough with the chit chat about the logistics, where were we? Uuum, at the pool yeah? Where the magic unfolds for me at least. Hair up in a swimmer bun (now popularized as the “octopus bun”), dry skin, permanently reeking of chlorine, Speedo backpack hanging off of broad shoulders, you can spot a swimmer from a mile away.

I started swimming late and it was a difficult transition from the gymnastics I had engaged in an hour earlier. I just cannot think of anything else when I am in a villa except swimming. I craved for this time and now it was here. When i was a child I learned how to hold my breath. With a body made of lead, I sank to the bottom of the empty swimming pool to practice the art of pausing quality time. I spend hours beneath this aquatic world, with adaptive lungs and a chilly heart, the view of the world above me, distorted but real was amazing.

I finally got the 5 star guest room that had the celling pool. I hated it at first. I hated feeling like I couldn’t breathe, I hated being last in the lane, I hated the foreign feeling of being submerged in the water that late at night. I got so anxious before every single jump that I had to sit at the edge and practice deep breathing so I wouldn’t hyperventilate in the pool. The pool was Olympic type so the surface area was vast. Fast forward a couple of minutes, and I had progressed from a green to an award winning swimmer.

I no longer needed to do deep breathing; I found comfort in the steady pulse of the pool, found companionship in the sheer

Six Senses Zil Pasyon is a luxury boutique Indian Ocean beach resort in the Seychelles on the private island of Felicite near La Digue and Praslin islands.

viscosity of the chilly water, found a love for pushing myself to go faster, to keep my technique correct, to make it through the night in style.

In the morning, I took another swim.

The living room beneath the pool was transparent and immeasurably breathtaking. When I turned sixty degrees up one more time, the world was still gazing at me in total despair and this stare gave me undivided control over my world. I soaked my stimulatory drift and waded up until my head sprouted above the pool and inhaled once again. I didn’t know you can’t age when the world stops spinning, each time the world shifted, that was me, drowned in water, in peace. I tossed my head back in the water and the control shifted back in magnetic drive.

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MIND OVER BODY. My coach once told me that if you’re uncomfortable and you back off because of that discomfort, you’ll never reach your fullest potential.

It’s when you reach that breaking point and push past it that you increase your pain threshold, that you grow, that you improve.

If you want proof, it’s a tangible thing. I’ve felt it—when you reach that point, you have a choice. You can either back down, or you can push past it. That choice sets you up for the rest of practice, and potentially, the rest of season.

The magic that happens once you decide to break past your threshold? You don’t feel anymore physical pain. You feel like you’re

In the water, you don’t think about time, you don’t think about bills or friendships.

You think about yourself, the world stops, the main ingredient that completes your life at this moment is fresh air. But you are in control so you sink deeper and deny yourself the luxury for some time before your body insists. I hold my breath waiting for the world to go fuzzy. They tell me I am twenty one years old now but I know they are mistaken. The world does not spin when my heart does not beat and my heart was buried at the bottom of a swimming pool yearning for air.The entire experience swimming at Six Senses Zil Pasyon was unforgettable.

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floating, as if you could go forever, and what happens if you decide to back down?

You spend the rest of the practice dying a little bit but not quite enough to improve.

It takes more mental strength than physical strength to finish a one minute set sometimes. It takes so much mental strength to jump in the pool and give it your all when it’s your second practice of the day and you have 2 brutal hours in front of you and you’re so tired you just want to sink to the bottom of the pool. The undying strength to keep going is what differentiates between an average swimmer and a fast swimmer. When your day starts at 5AM with a swim, then a full day of interaction,

and then another swim before you sleep you develop natural flexibility and learn to schedule your time efficiently so that you can finish your work and make it home in time. There’s no time for BS or procrastinating here—if you waste your time, you find yourself drowning in work, which your project managers and directors will yell at you for.

There’s nothing as peaceful as diving into a completely still pool, with the sunlight filtering through the clear water. Especially when the pool is not crowded.

When the pool is not a madhouse, with 10+ people inside, you cannot find peace if you try swimming in such an exposure.

The Six Senses Zil Pasyon pool was serene and calm. You lose yourself in the water, in your own thoughts, in the inhale exhale inhale exhale. You become in tune with your breath.

You learn to find peace in the busiest of moments, to breathe in and out as you need, to find a home in the solitude of the water, and know that if you ever want to return to the hustle and bustle of life, you can. The resort’s main swimming pool is set at water’s edge with the ocean’s waves breaking over the rock wall and from the beach you can swim away with the turtles.

In a nutshell, the Villa is gold. The resort weds innovative top-tier facilities and environmental responsibilities that occupies one-third of the island affording immense expanses of virgin natural beauty. Think of a superbly well designed all-wood villa that has vaulted ceilings and vistas, but contrasting the low-tech feeling of a decidedly high-tech property with every conceivable gadget. A traveller’s perception can be a factor, but more often anything that spurs relaxation is worth more than anything.

THE OVERALL DINING OPTIONS AT THE ISLAND HOME CAFÉ WAS INSANELY WELCOMING. The place is a destination-dining locale showcasing predominately local Seychellois that is home cooking flecked with French, Italians and British influences. Here’s also is where the exclusive Chef’s Table happens. I ordered Fetch fine wines to pair from the Wine Cellar that featured an impressive collection of labels. I am a wine lady so that distinguishing factor was huge. Before I left, my tummy’s was rumbling for a post-prandial shots and the Rum Bar offered aged rums.

I also enjoyed a grilled thrill at Oceanside Sea Grill where I had the catch of the day, amongst other things. I had a good time at the sexy villas so felicitously giving that I felt like a fantastic beast. You should opt for in-villa dining if you’re feeling romantic.

As for the spa, the creators placed it marvelously in a majestic rock formation close to the ocean. The inspired location turned energy from nature into a significant centrifugal force that energized my inner self. The spa features signature Six Senses treatments but more fascinating are the locally-inspired specialty treatments with indigenous produce.

During my last night hours, I witnessed one blah sunset. You never know what you’re going to get. I watched the stunning sunset from the restaurant, the good sunset from the spa pool. This was good since had a boring sunset from the hammocks from my hometown in Manila.

This brand of luxury appeals to travelers who are looking for a full indulgence of the senses to the point that as the first five find serenity that sixth sense can find its own indulgence. The company chooses some of the most exotic destinations imaginable and the full experience combines the cultural and the indulgent, especially when the spa treatments use local ingredients and local treatments. There’s also strong environmental element that extends the “wellness” to the destination.

By Andira Harday Andira is a model, fashion stylist, makeup artist and traveller from Indonesia. She was nominated for Miss Indonesia 2018 and willbe contributing to Outlust in subsequent issues. She is also the ambasedor for Girls Without Homes(GWH) in indonesia.

Andirah

Photography: Andira Harday, Jennah Welnivac Six Senses

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spent my last month of 2018 hanging out with amazing people on the outskirts of Mombasa. I signed up for a tour with a digo guy called Swaleh from Mashimoni, the next consensual town past Msambweni. The guy had promised to show me the production process of making palmwine (Pombe ya Mnazi) just before jesus departed. That was a time longer than archive calendars can retrieve. I wanted to learn how palmwine is tapped, how Pombe ya Mnazi (local gin) are manufactured prom plucking to drinking and most importantly, how to have a good relaxing day out from the bustling havoc of the city.

The Kenyan coast comes out hot and slow from the ocean breeze that ponders people’s bald heads as the day flips past. Our Sunday afternoon began with a ride to a local factory in Msambweni. There, we met Swales’ brother Juma, the factory manufacturer, who took us on a journey, showing us how the beverage is obtained from the palm tree and distilled to make local gin. The tour was great. For many years, this has been the main economic activity after backing down from his previous preoccupation of prawn fishing. He now gets better proceeds from tapping palm wine than fishing in the vast sea and he is not afraid to talk this trade in light. He relocated to Mombasa but he still has his hatchet in Msambeni.

Juma has not forgotten where he has come from and just next to his old makeshift hut, he reminded me of his past from visible small kiln that he used to dry his day’s catch of prawns as we passed along. During this particular evenings, Juma was able to get about six kilograms of prawns. That wasn’t so much for an accomplished fisherman; he was assured of the day’s accompaniment for his Ugali. That is in the past though.

We rode in tiny canoes through the swamps then after we arrived. We had to watch as Juma climbed a palm tree so swiftly I could hear monkeys chattering, disappointed in their natural skill. He made some incisions to the bark and left a can there to collect the sap from it. Juma collected his tools then took us through the process in his distillery.

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HOW TO E X TR AC T PAL MWINE FOR DRINK ING AT THE COAST

PALMWINE SESSIONS

41 PROCESS: Well, From what I saw, which is precise since I took a pen and navigated through the process with him, Juma extracted and collected the sap by climbing up the tree trunk using rudimentary raffia twine. The sap was extracted by cutting and drilling a hole into the top part of the tree trunk, where the sap slowly seeped seamlessly out into a black plastic Jerry can. The fresh sap was sweet and white in color with low alcoholic content but became sour after fermentation. He said that he could have extracted by felling the entire tree. This is considered a safer method and considered to produce higher quality wine. However, it is more destructive and produces smaller quantities of sap that barely flows after 2 – 3 weeks. To increase the flow of sap, he lit fire and heat at the cut end of the felled trunk.

Fermentation of tapped palm wine begun shortly after Juma had collected the liquid. The quality and alcohol content of extracted palm wine was affected but not limited to species of the tree and time of day at which we chose to harvest. The fermentation process was catalyzed by the presence of natural yeast spores in the air, sap, or residue in the collecting gourd. Within a few hours into the fermentation process, the alcohol content rose up to about 4%.

If consumed at this stage, it would have been intoxicating. Longer fermentation time generated a stronger, more alcoholic, white, sour beverage, which is preferred by most people. Fermentation beyond a certain threshold could have resulted in the production of vinegar.

HOW MOMBASA LOCALS USE PALM WINE. When distilled, palm wine can be used to produce liquor with alcohol content up to about 40%. That is a mild gin. The names differ from region to region. It is called pombe ya mnazi here and that is the main purpose of this drink. Locals flood Swahili festivals and cultural weddings just for this drink. Sometimes it is condensed and collected for raw consumption from greedy locals. Sometimes, it is sold raw and sometimes, ethanol is added to the mix – which has proved lethal in some cases, leading to a ban of its production and consumption by the Federal Government back in 2016.

BENEFITS Palm wine is a natural nutritious drink full of amino acids, potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron and vitamin B complex. Below is a list of a few documented health benefits of palm wine: 1. Better eyesight: Palm wine contains yeast, which is said to be a boost for good eyesight. Also, the presence of antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and vitamin B1 help improve vision.

2. Reduced susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases: Moderate consumption of palm wine has been associated with lower chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. In the work done by Lindberg et al (2008), the antioxidant polyphenols are thought to be protective against cardiovascular ailments.

3. Regulation free radicals: Other antioxidants present in palm wine, such as riboflavin (vitamin B2), help terminate oxidation processes in the body, hence reducing the amount of free radicals that destroy healthy body cells.

Many believe it is good for the body because of its many nutritional values, but that should not be the reason for turning a blind eye to its many dangers to the body. While the benefIts may include that it is good for the eyes, because it has been found to have a high content of Vitamins A which helps to improve the eye sight, and many other nutritional values as we have seen. Some of its disadvantages will make you to consider quitting palm-wine.

Some of its bad side includes the following: * The ethanol content in palm-wine can affect liver function and lipid metabolism in utero of a pregnant female. * Palmwine could give rise to neurological symptoms like affecting body rigidity and muscle contraction. * It causes damage of liver accumulating fat in the liver. * Palm-wine decreases blood clotting factor, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. * It also can weaken heart muscle and ability to pump blood. * Palm-wine adversely aFFect blood pressure and increases risk of heart attacks. * NOTE: Fermented palm-wine contains a high percentage of alcohol, which is probably higher than what is found in some of the alcoholic beverages we drink. Since the lifespan of palm-wine is only 12 hours, that means what we mostly have is fermented palm-wine which destroys the kidney, liver and other systems in the body. This can also cause hypertension.

Disclaimer: When we were done with the tour, we headed off to a village close by to have a picnic. This was so much fun. We had lots of food, drinks and games and I finally got the chance to taste the local food made from the brew. The cooking was gold. I don’t consume the brew directly because it is harmful to the body. People don’t know and most of them look up to it as a locally made cheap gin that can be obtained for free. Consume with moderation.

Prompt consumption of this alcoholic drink can cause prolonged severe conditions on your body. Kindly be warned.

Palmwine plays an important role among the local people. According to the Mijikenda people, one of the oldest ethnic Bantu in Kenya, he who brings palmwine brings blessings. It is served at weddings, birth celebrations and funeral wakes. As a token of respect to deceased ancestors, many drinking sessions included a small amount of palm wine spilled on the ground. A bully of palmwine is also considered a traditional gift given by a young man meeting his in-laws for the first time. Palmwine is sold locally and is popular in some areas because it is less expensive than imported wines.

However, changes in cultural and religious beliefs means that there has also been a decrease among many in the consumption of alcohol. It is not generally sold widely outside of the areas in which it is produced.

By Faith Kanini Mwarua Faith is a fictional writer from Mombasa. Her poems have been published in the Enkere review and she has fiction forthcoming in the SSDA ID anthology. She was nominated twice for the Gray Wolf Press Africa for her poem and manuscript, “The mushroom of Africa”

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YEAR OF THE WILD GIRAFFE ANIMAL FACTS Height (Including Horns) Weight 12-15ft

Weight 1,765-4,255 lbs.

1,215-2600lbs Sexual Maturity 3.5 years

INFO

15-17 ft (Male)

(Female)

(Male)

(Female)

(Male)

4-5 years

(Female)

Mating

Anytime

Gestation

453-464 days

Number Of Young

Usually One

Habit Loosely

Bound Groups

Giraffe Lifespan

25 years Leaves from trees, shrubs,

Diet

climbers, vines and some herbs.

Related Species Nine subspecies recognized; all similar but distinguished by coat pattern and geographical distribution

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43 frica is such a dynamic and fascinating continent. It’s an incredible place to soak in history and learn about the past. One of the most fascinating and visually stunning period here is the turn of the twentieth century. The Safari Collection’s Giraffe Manor offers this experience. Incredibly preserved and sitting on top of 140 acres of land, this place is like stepping into a dream.

The Safari Collection’s Giraffe Manor has ten master rooms, which can accommodate up to twenty-five single guests. While it’s definitely a luxury spot, it doesn’t have the usual fitness center and swimming pool setup like your usual villa – it’s not a place for business or even think about your life in the twenty-first century but it does offer Wi-Fi, a bit of massage with therapy, complimentary chauffeured vehicles, and full boarding, which includes an incredible choice of international cuisine and spirits. However, there’s usually one main

THE MAIN STORY

Giraffe Manor

reason that everyone comes to the Giraffe Manor, and that is to see the world-famous giraffes that roam the property! If you need business, swimming or any other sports, this is a no go area.

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I SPENT THE SHORTEST MEMORABLE DAY OF MY LIFE WITH THE TALLEST CREATURES ON LAND

Getting to Giraffe Manor While you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in the 80s, Giraffe Manor is actually just over thirty minutes from Nairobi in Lang’ata, and an airport transfer is included in your rate! It’s also just a quick ride to the center of town to the adjacent Nairobi National Park.

The Food At the Giraffe Manor, all of my food and drinks were included so i did not have to worry about anything. Your day starts with a breakfast that can range from a quick bite of a popcorn snack to a full, wedding feast if you so wish. Lunch and dinner are both from a set threecourse menu. One aspect of dining at the Giraffe Manor that I really liked is that you sit down and eat Getting to Giraffe Manor While you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in the 80s, Giraffe Manor is actually just over thirty minutes from Nairobi in Lang’ata, and an airport transfer is included in your rate! It’s also just a quick ride to the center of town to the adjacent Nairobi National Park.

One aspect of dining at the Giraffe Manor that I really liked is that you sit down and eat family style with the other guests. It’s a unique place and you get to meet people from all over the globe! The food is seasonal and varied, but you can generally expect a blend of international cuisine with fine dining touches and Kenyan flair. I found pears and red apple mangoes on peak and that made me eat aggressively because I knew I had a good finishing. I had the spicy samosas, but not nyama choma that time. I think I had the Tanzanian version of it, but wasn’t a fan probably because I’m not big on goat meat. If I got some Mashrooms it would have been great.

Now let’s actually talk about the TALL GUYS. The Rothschild’s giraffes are the most endangered subspecies of giraffe and one of the world’s most at-risk species. Rothschild Giraffes are not the same ones that

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you can see in a local zoo or your usual tropical safari. They’re one of the four types of giraffes and can be distinguished by their white socks.

They’re completely free to do whatever they want, whenever they want since this place isn’t a petting zoo. The giraffes are used to human interactions, but don’t be fooled – they aren’t all that friendly because remember, they are still wild animals.

The staff will be with you the entire time and tell you do’s and dont’s, because some of their charming tall guys can scoop you off your balance and send you to the hospital if the woke up with this goal as their day’s resolution. The good thing is, the staff can recognize their mood and respond maturely by repulsively drawing the giraffes off the human boundaries. Crazy right?

So, while they are definitely a tourist draw, the Nairobi Giraffe Centre and The Safari Collection’s Giraffe Manor are really there to help in sustainability, community, and conservation. These guys are incredibly friendly and are very, very used to interacting with people. The giraffes will eat right from your hand, and they definitely expect you to feed them! They have so much personality that the staff actually knows each and every giraffe by sight and name and can even tell you about their profile and interestingly, ancestral heritage.

In the morning, you’ll wake to giraffes impatiently waiting for you to come to your balcony and treat them to some snacks. We woke before sunrise and were giddy with excitement to see two giraffe faces peeking through our balcony already.

47

/ˈparədʌɪs/

Heavenly: Blissful

an ideal or idyllic place or state. A place of extreme beauty, delight or happiness eg. “the Giraffe Manor is a walker’s paradise” synonyms: Utopia, fairyland, Shangri-La, heaven, idyll, nirvana; More

High tea was timely served in the company of the giraffes. We enjoyed scones, cookies and cakes along with tea or a cold glass of wine as we feed the giraffes and watched as the revealing sunlight lit the sky with a sheer gleam of red. The pièce de résistance of my experience at Giraffe manor was getting to enjoy breakfast with the giraffes. All the guests gather in the dining room to feed the giraffes their breakfast, and then hurriedly rush to enjoy a delicious “human breakfast” to themselves. We chose to feed the giraffes at the balcony of our bed room. The silly mistake was, I personally fed them while I was taking a mild selfie. The iPhone unfortunately dropped and shuttered to pieces all over the marble floor. Not to worry, that was part of the experience.

The experience.

Giraffes sticking their heads through the windows for breakfast and reaching to your balcony, you might have seen these incredible photos on social media already. It’s the Giraffe Manor. When I first found out about it, way before I valued traveling on Instagram from an even popular post by Fred, I was dying to go there. Sadly, during my visit to the hotel last summer, it was closed for major renovations.

A year later, the Giraffe Manor still remained on my bucket list. While the price for the night more than doubled before the saliva on my palm dried, this time you had to book at least half a year in advance, I made this visit happen for my holidays. I get it. Quite often some places on our bucket lists don’t turn out to be as

cool as we thought they were. I’m pleased to tell you that the Giraffe Manor is absolutely worth your time and money.

It surely didn’t disappoint me, and I believe I can say the same thing for the guests that I interacted with. The Giraffe Sanctuary on property is insane, as well as the nearby David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust — a haven for elephant and rhinos orphans.

Giraffe Manor creates customized itineraries for each and every guest. It organizes almost everything, from horseback tours to hot-air balloon rides to camel treks to visits in local villages where you can learn about the native Maasai culture because don’t forget.

This is Lang’ata which segments with Kajiado which opens up a rift of Maasai communities that expand all the way to the suburbs and speckles the Maasai Mara.

One day was actually enough time to experience everything. I arrived in the afternoon from Nakuru, just before tea, and left the following day just after supper for the Christmas holidays in shags. I actually did not see the giraffes. Instead, I found a jar in our room labeled ‘Don’t eat’, which turned out to be molasses snacks prepared for giraffes.

Since the Giraffe Center is located nearby (you can see it from the hotel), the tall

est, I was a bit worried that it would feel like a tourist trap and I’d leave feeling like I got scammed on a place that’s nothing more than an epic YouTube ad but that’s not the case. Around 5 AM, one greedy giraffe stuck his head to our balcony meekly begging for food. Once the golden roll of the sun was completely observable, all the giraffes were ready for breakfast so all guests gathered in the dining room to share the meals. Sticking their heads through open windows, giraffes quickly cleaned up their plates. Hungry warthogs followed around, eating leftovers from the floor. I think hyenas are an extended family of these guys.

In addition to helping these tall guys, The Safari Collection works with diFFerent organizations that help the mere 20,000 lions and 7,000 cheetahs remaining in Africa. There are around twenty Rothschild giraFFes that wander around the space between the GiraFFe Manor and the Nairobi GiraFFe Centre. guys were hanging out there until the place close at 5 PM. You could see heads waving on rooftops, these guys could literally get served from a satellite up above. I guess if I was a giraffe, I’d be where the snacks are too. Don’t we all love free food? I’ll be hon-

The warthogs scorched the floor clean you could have thought they hadn’t eaten for two blue moons. But that is their behavior we were told. The whole scene was definitely magical! I was taking videos from my other phone and realized I had stared at

OUTLU ST M AGAZ I N E

the scene that I forgot and took shots of my beautiful legs. We settled down afterwards and had an extra hour with the giraffes outside where I interacted and fed them yet again.

It truly is an amazing experience. I am wondering something semi-related to this trip, but a bit more general as well. This was more of an experiential trip as opposed to the average vocational travel. It seems like I am urging to get out and travel differently.

What I learned: Giraffes are not that friendly. They are wild but the ones at Giraffe Manor are used to people. They can choose to go wild anytime so you always have to be careful at all times. Fights among giraffes involve swinging their long necks and trying to land blows on the opponent with their head. These battles can go on for a half an hour or longer. The impacts can be tremendous and often result in broken jaws, broken legs, and other severe injuries or death.

Dominant Giraffes will stretch their necks up high as a way of displaying their power. Non-dominant giraffes will bow their heads to show they are non-threating. A

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Giraffes front legs are longer than its back legs, which accounts for its sloping back.

Both male and female giraffes have horns.

The horns of a female have hair on the top whereas most males horns have no hair.

Due to their enormous size and powerful kick predators will generally avoid attacking adult giraffes. Lions and crocodiles have been known to attack them.

Giraffes are especially vulnerable to crocodile attacks when lowering themselves for a drink of water. They must spread their legs wide apart in an awkward position which makes it hard to escape a lunging

crocodile. The calves are of course more vulnerable and are often attacked by such African predators as lions, crocodiles, hyenas, and wild dogs. The smoke from burning giraffe skins was used by the medicine men in Buganda to treat nose bleeds. The ancient Egyptians had a hieroglyph shaped to look like a giraffe. The ancient Romans had a fascination with exotic wild animals including giraffes. Julius Caesar brought one to Rome from Kenya in 46 BC. They are vulnerable and Giraffe Manor maintains them for protection. Heavy fines are levied for poachers and wild hunters on them.

By Nancy Tanui As the problem of resistive domestic traveling has grown low, the response has kept pace and now people are taking incredible experiences in their own country.Tanui is a local traveler and she likes getting involved in domestic journeys. She is a mother, wife and traveller born to explore.

Photography: Tamara Malinde / Giraffe Manor

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THE SAFARI COLLECTION The Safari Collection owns and operates boutique, luxury lodges and camps throughout the country. Their other properties are truly remarkable, and if you’re looking to extend your travel (beyond the Giraffe Manor) you can take a quick visit to; Sasaab Lodge in Samburu that includes nine individual cottages situated high on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, Solio Lodge in Laikipia located on a private wildlife sanctuary, tucked in the valley between the lofty slopes of Mount Kenya and the peaks of the Aberdare Mountains, directly north of Nairobi, Solio Reserve internationally recognized as the most successful private rhino breeding reserve in Kenya, and the Sala’s Camp in the Masai Mara which is one of the most intimate and luxurious lodges in the reserve.

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THE DIAMOND STORY

DRIVING THROUGH THE C ANYON S OF MT. K ENYA fter marauding through mad the whole morning. I had a jeep from my friend Paul. There was a thick canyon across Mt Kenya that I was inevitably going to drive through since I came from the Nakuru Bypass. I was headed to the Mogumo Resort, the Mount Kenya Canyon Bistro. This landmark is housed in palepink stucco building surrounded by tropical gardens. Originally built in the early 1990s, the property is a gathering spot for the business elite, with former patrons ranging from politicians to celebrities. The

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bistro has 185 guest rooms—many with fireplaces and strategic views of ectopic hills of the mountain—as well as 23 garden bungalows with extra amenities including outdoor lounges and plunge pools.

The property also contains a cocktail bar and three dining options: the star-studded Polo Lounge, a poolside café, and a coffee shop with a vintage soda fountain.

I was going to have a fun with all these advantages but before it all, the canyon.

When I was growing up, Vihiga County was simply “the canyon.” It was where my brothers and I climbed steep streets on our bikes and built forts in the eucalyptus-scented hills. Sure, some of our classmates’ parents called us the witches of heights as we were mad about hiking. It was only later that I came to understand that the canyon was un-

dergoing a burst of geological expedition engineered to scalp out minerals from the region. This was a government endeavor trailed to boost the community with jobs and raise the minimum wage their creativity was short lived and the area is separated with unbalanced rocks dumped unevenly. The area is linked to the crying and mourning stones so canyon driving is left to the guys at the rift. The rift is a place of great natural beauty, centrally located though also hidden and highly quirky; the canyons attract visitors from all over. That era may have ended when canyon ladies like me came “wrapped in gypsy shawls” and found true love with domestic safari.

The canyons retain a special unbuttoned magic. On a recent visit from Eldoret I spent a few days driving around the Mau Forest and its nearby canyon cousins.

51

DRIVING WITHIN STEEP SLOPS MADE ME BRAVER.

DRIVING THROUGH THE CANYONS LOOKS GOLD BUT WITHOUT SKILL, A JEEP AND SHEER LUCK. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.

I limited my explorations to the terrain between Buma Drive to the north and the rift that closes towards Molo to the south. These maroon roads set the parameters of the canyons which are, geologically speaking, former streambeds that cut through Mau Narok savannah.

They form a camel’s hump that divides the city from the valley. Though I drove maybe 200 miles in three days, the tiny streets and hidden, shady folds make the canyons feel far more vast and intricate.

The experience at Mau Forrest tricked me. I thought winter was a popular time to drive through canyons and enjoy the changing leaves. You may drive through the ridges that extend slightly above sect from the rift valley; Mt Kenya canyon on a leisurely Sunday is spectacular. The mad that encouraged clumsiness

was not my favorite but better yet, it added up to the experience. I loved the way the jeep shook out of balance at times, the way the mad ate the trends and how frictionless the ground tried to be. Later in the next day, I was to climb up and hit the ski slopes with all of the fresh ice puff powder at the mountain peak. As you are driving through the canyon, it is important to drive safe so you don’t end up in a car accident.

Things to consider while having that drive: Don’t Drive Too Fast.

If you are driving through canyons during the later months of the year, you may have to drive through weather such as rain or fog. When driving through these conditions it is important to be cautious and drive slow. In the case that you’re

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driving too quickly down the windy bumpy road without a jeep, you may hydroplane or hit a ditch you are unable to see. This may cause you to get in an auto accident or cause a wrongful death that could have easily been avoided. If you happen to be in an accident in the canyon, no attorney can help you during the legal process because the road rules don’t apply. The road winds down the canyon in a long network and drifting through the canyon could be measured as a trespass to cut through an impulse winding.

Don’t Text and Drive.

Driving down a winding road can be a difficult experience. Especially for first time travellers, who have never witnessed or gone through the experience. Don’t cause an accident by driving with an avoidable distraction like a love emoji from your partner. Keep the music turned down, and don’t touch your phone while you are driving. Having your passenger navigate can help with this. If you are hit by someone who is texting while driving, you will want to hire a lawyer to help with the aftermath because the charges can be so huge you could wish you get hit twice.

Avoid Driving in the Dark.

If you can, try to avoid driving in the dark.

Darkness doesn’t necessarily mean at night, driving in the dark during extreme weather is something you want to look into. Chilly snow and a rocky flair are potentially very hazardous driving conditions you might expect on the Mt Kenya Canyon. The solid rock stacks that extended yards into the base sedimentations of the mountainous escarpment really affected my drive. The best time to drive is during the morning, this time has open air in most places in Kenya. A hazy day or a rainy one for that matter can cause you to get all closed up and punched with jackets and closed windows that deny one of the connectivity with the ride.

Avoid Wildlife.

This can also be a factor driving through canyons. Don’t make things worse by driving at night in the wild. Most canyon flavored trips are trenched with rocky escarpments in the wilderness. You may not be able to spot wildlife with ease, and you definitely won’t be able to see spooky spikes on the rocks. If you end up in a tire

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or wreckage accident, a mechanic can break about the motor case and help fix you up. Most of the time, you feel confident about your drive again.

Remain sober.

Driving while drinking is a thing you can’t think about while you are driving. Don’t be fooled with automatic cars. They mean nothing when it comes to strong driving through the canyon. Since driving by Masaai houses in Mau is the equivalent of making the rounds of museums and monuments in other cities, I decided to begin my morning by passing by some of the canyon’s more notable addresses.

Continuing a mile or so up to lookout, I glanced to my right at the ruins.

Don’t take heavy food prior.

My lunch was a tasty grilled artichoke and with Ugali or pizza at Fibroin’s, in a nearby Glen Hotel in Nairobi before I resorted to traveling to Mt Kenya. I simply drunk water and simple biscuit snacks. This at one time was tasty and dethroning. Not that morning but I took it anyway. Today, there are vast sprouts of shopping centers within the road you cannot wait to bite everything.

I ate easy, carried some water and had a somewhat disjointed window-shopping experience: leather-bound sets of Dickens on offer two doors down from D&G dresses for children, Masaai belts, Kenya wrist bangles and other wearable. Food is not good. Your stomach hovers around your abdomen in respect to inertia from one corner to the next during the drive as you topple through steep networks with your jeep. Most times people vomit from the agitation and more commonly, travel phobia.

By Chao Wamyori Chao is well-versed in negotiations, planning and development, relationship management, operations, and logistics coordination and scheduling. If you’re interested in grabbing coffee and talking shop (or to hear how she almost fell off the mountain at 27K feet), please send her an email – chaowam@live.com.

53 CYCLING IN C A MP NDUNDA FALLS EMBU COUNT Y

FOR TRAIL AND ROAD RIDING, THIS CITY IS A CYCLIST’S HEAVEN

Keep the balance.

Simply put, it’s one of the best places in the Kenya for riding. With bike lanes all over town and it being the most preferred mode of service for guys who go to work and students who rush to school, this terrestrial region offers something new for every rider. From vacation-only cyclists to serious athletes, people come to Tucson to get out and about on two wheels.

Even those who rarely ride find there’s no better way to explore the historic neighborhoods and cultural offerings of a pre-

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in between the region. The roads have a 30Min shop stretches, making it easier to stop at various points of interest, buy and then be on track yet again. The hiking bikes are single-gear with both rear coaster and front lever brakes; helmets, water bottles, and handlebar bags are included.

Bikes are awesome if you prefer to explore on your own. Or, for a small fee, you can pick up one from the rent-a-bike guys at emeri society at any station around town. What is there to see? The Loop, an indigenous set of eucalyptus within a

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trail system, covers over 130 miles, connecting riders with green parks, slopping, and meandering in the metro. The area holds the town’s oldest buildings, while the thick plantations and manmade afforestation scale down with long shadows and spills of leaf filled shallow porthole, some mountainous sections shows a colorful adobe houses and old shrines. Pedal through the Farm Warehouse to see walls of murals; meet grazers on the way and farm bosses in the afternoon hurriedly going to confirm the day’s returns on their firm businesses. Stream down and meet

an avenue that stretches you to the malls across town for the funkiest people and hangouts. Ride among giant pines in the heart of Camp Ndunda at Soguna maize and potato firms the east and west sides of trek; bring a bike on your car and enjoy the meandering roads. Accidents do happen on the main road from reckless drivers so my recommendation is inside the mountains. Serious cyclists can take on a 5,000-foot elevation gain on the winding Highway in the afternoon, from the Camp Ndunda floor to the pine forests, with stunning views all along the way. Local bike shops and a dedicated community of cyclists are eager to help with repair stalls that charge only twenty shillings on a flat tire. This is the best hiking environment; even those who rarely ride find biking a hobby get jealous if they see witness this golden hiking. There’s no better way to explore the mountains than biking the historic neighborhoods and cultural offerings of a premier Camp Ndunda than on a bicycle.

By Ann Wangeci There is nothing more interesting to her than bike riding, adventure and jungle trekking. She hopes that one day she will establish her own camping palace in Embu for the locals and explorers to find serenity.

Photography: Riding Society of Kenya / Camila Swemba

mier east central city than on a bicycle.

Embedded sprawls of thick volcanic soil hardens when showers fail to show up, but doesn’t feel jammed jungle fed. The canopy trees are taller than your average village skyscraper. A bike opens up the city and its exhilarating afforestation and mountain scenery. When winter shuts down an Outlust adventure, Embus enjoys highs in the upper 60s, and throughout the year the sunny days reliably number more enough kelvins to peddle for hours.

For an introduction to Camp Ndunda Falls in Embu County and its cycling scene, take a guided tour with a gear bike and waffle tours across the mountains. The areas are sloppy to peaks that look cliffy. On a 5-hour ride you’ll pedal about ten miles that cover the best of historic ridgeway, from old barrio ranches to modern revitalized story buildings still

55

WE GOT YOUR BACK

Our bags are pocket sided with more give, so you are good if you intend to cram them to full capacity (or a bit over). There is a waterproof lining on the inside, to keep electronics and documents dry. Hard-sided cases are strong and made to withstand hard impact. However, they can be heavier unpacked and harder to close if you’re stuck in extra souvenirs.

The handles are made from strong materials, so they won’t break easily, and that the adjustable handle length suits you, so you don’t have to stoop to use it. The inside cases are divided into multiple compartments, which is handy for staying organised but will add weight. Vented sections are particularly useful for separating packages. The compression straps will help to pack things in. Lastly, all models come with simple afo-boosted design. Some models will come with extra features, such as a built-in combo lock that secures zips to the case, or a tracking device.

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FOUR YEARS OF CAMPUS AND PURELY NOT BELONGING TO ANY CLUB IS A BIG LOSS TO A TRAVELLER.

If you’ve chosen to go to campus over having to directly believe in your skills and get employed on some design or construction job, that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the idea of travelling. In fact (in a movie promo voice), could just be the beginning. University societies offer a whole range of opportunities to get out and see the world. And as a plus for any anxiety-ridden travel newbies, or just

WAYS IN WHICH TR AVELLING

generally sheltered university starters, travelling within a society means you get to explore in an organised and planned way with people you know. You’ve also got the university to look after you, and

C AN BE

keep you safe. Here are the best types of

DE VELOPED

nities they offer.

RIGHT FROM C A MPUS .

university societies for the travel opportuSports Club Society.

This is not the best for me purely because sports guys in soccer, rugby, cricket, swimming amongst others are so involving.

Sports this extraneous would really require one to train with the team before the practice. In most cases sports guys train

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are publicized by the societies prior or after the events. Magazines in school are publicized by the student clubs themselves. Graduation publications and internal operations are brought to context.

Teams are tasked in fetching stories. If you are in a big university with countrywide campuses and decentralized schools then this is it but if your university is not widespread, you will be forced to stay within other societies because publishing will only be school based in most cases.

Amnesty International Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for human rights, and there are lots of universities with related societies, including Kenyatta University, University Of Nairobi, Strathmore, and USIU amongst others.

There’s no better time to get into the rights of the people than when you’re at university. You know you’ve got time, a curious mind and an open heart. This is a great use of spare time and could have you rallying for people around the world from university and abroad too. Eg. During elections in Kenya, the Amnesty International took members from its society to visit places and report about treatment and violations.

Exploration Club With a name like that you know you’ve got to get in line at the Fresher’s fair. At 50+ years old, The Univerity of Nairobi is undoubtedly the oldest in Kenya but from its services, they don’t have an exploration and leave immediately after the match-

met with some awesome people who you

es are over. Sports clubs have registered

could break off with and plan something

a poor relationship and unwilling man-

yourselves. And unless you’re near one of

agement who are usually corrupt in most

those famous resorts then you’re all going

cases. I don’t speak floor all societies so

to have to get your passport out at some

I would really recommend you ask about

point to follow your passion. The Univer-

this society from your fellow students and

sity of Nairobi is all over the outdoor ad-

see.

venture with a brim of societies. The kind

Outdoor and Adventure

of people who go to these will definitely

Anything like the Hike Society, Red Cross,

have an adventurous spirit, and a few

Rotaract: are a great shout for a trip or

quid to spend too. Good people to know

two away a year. Help clubs are a great

now, and after university.

way to go because even if the universi-

Publishing Society

ty doesn’t arrange something you’ve just

The Publishing Society is awesome. Events

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club. Taita Taveta has one. USIU has one with recent expeditions that have included trips to Malindi, Turukana, Lamu, Mombasa, among other far off destinations.

They’ve used their travels to discover new species of birds, people, minion insects and plants, and expanded their experience to work on university papers based on their findings. The exploration society from Strathmore and St. Paul promises “many trips, talks, competitions and socials.” Sounds fun. And you’ll get to practice a great trade that could stand you in good stead for a job to travel industry in the future.

59 Journalism Society.

introduced the students to the basic and

Photographers always want more – they

advanced levels field techniques in Pale-

want to visit the most photographic loca-

ontology, Micropaleontology, Stratigra-

tions to get the best shots. Videographers

phy, Sedimentology, Structural Geology,

have the same ideology. And to me, that

Geological & Remote Sensing Mapping

means travel. Who knows where you could

and Geological Report writing.

end up? USIU has emphasized on this es-

During the field trip we visited the follow-

tablishment and more news broadcasters

ing sites:

are begging for the university’s top jour-

•

Mazeras town – outcrops of Mazer-

nalism graduates to join their news stand.

as formation which is one of the po-

Culture and Drama society.

tential reservoirs of the Petroliferous

The Culture and Drama society – found at most universities in Kenya – is the perfect opportunity to meet other like-minded people. A culture and drummer people in your phone contacts mean you have fun people to hang out with in those long university holidays too. The Culture and Drama society has expeditions and sets including plays that would help you interact and visit places during performances.

They also have enticing culture themed festivals. These are either arranged in the school or within the inter campus tour.

Imagine reciting Kifo Kisimani or Things fall apart to schools at Alliance Frances or playing a village barbaric culture in condemning it like the FGM which can be funded by NGOs. The culture society sounds awesome.

basin; Departmental Clubs.

•

Chumvi Township, where the Perm-

This society is made up of school depart-

ian-Lower Triassic Maji ya Chumvi

ments of your belonging, There is Mathematics club, Business Club, Social Clubs, Geology Clubs, Music club amongst others. The major purpose of these clubs is to identify and establish ones interest beyond classwork and tap on skills. IT clubs have android competitions. The android competition at Strathmore was sponsored by iHub and Google. With Geology society at University if Nairobi, this club has organized a variety trips to solidify the theoretical background knowledge in Petroleum Geosciences obtained by the students during the semester. The society

Small quarry sites near Maji Ya

beds are exposed; •

Taru Quarry where the Taru Grits Formation is developed

•

Kay Dee Quarry where Mariakani Sandstone rocks are mined;

•

Bridge between Mazeras and Kaloleni town to view an exposure of the Mariakani Sandstone.

By Kezia Janet Nanzara Kezia Nanzara is still a member of the Red Cross society of Kenya. She works with the association as professional and still advices the University of Nairobi on safety rules and practices. She is a community activist and holds a Bsc. in Informatics. Following her graduation last year, She is currently working as a forensic analyst at fhi360 (Family Health International 360).

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FOOD SAFETY FOODIE TRAVELER Supplements and vitamins, including iron pills, can help maintain balance when your diet is insufficient. Also, “sports bars” such as Balance or Power Bars are excellent, nutrient-packed travel snacks.

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AVOID GET TING SICK WHILE TR AVELING WITH THESE SIMPLE WAYS Traveling outside of your home country often brings about one fear in everyone: food poisoning or traveler’s illness. You may think simply drinking bottled water will safeguard you from these unpleasant side effects, but this is only the beginning of the precautions you should take! Up to 70% of travelers experience the uncomfortable effects of digestive issues from eating contaminated foods, including diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.

You love to sample foods around the world — but while your palate may be game, your stomach isn’t always up to the challenge. To prevent spending half your trip running to the bathroom, it’s important to find a middle ground between sampling local cuisines and treating your belly well.

First, understand that the food you eat at home isn’t necessarily “safer” than food abroad; it’s often simply that your body isn’t accustomed to it. One important difference between home-grown and foreign foods is the use of more “natural” fertilizers abroad, which can carry bacteria that could cause intestinal distress — also known as traveler’s tummy.

A few of the most common foodborne illnesses include salmonellosis (caused by salmonella bacteria), E. coli infection and norovirus. Outbreaks of these and other foodborne illnesses are monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); it’s worth checking out the websites of these organizations before you travel to see if any of the places you’re visiting are currently affected. These sites will also inform you about any ongoing threats you might face where you’re going, such as typhoid or hepatitis. Your best defense against foodborne illnesses is not to panic,

but to use common sense — and with that in mind, we’ve compiled these tips for eating well and eating safely no matter where you travel. What (Not) to Eat and Drink The most common source of dietary problems while traveling is drinking water, including ice. See Drinking Water Safety for more info.

Cold meat platters, cheese, buffet foods and unsealed mayonnaise are often home to rampant bacteria. Seafood dishes are notorious for causing intestinal problems, as fish accumulate contaminants from a wide variety of sources. Smaller fish tend to be safer. Fish organs and shellfish (such as clams, mussels and oysters) are usually best avoided. Steer clear of unpasteurized dairy products, including cheese and yogurt. Check labels for evidence of pasteurization; most canned milk is safe. Nuts and other shelled foods are usually a good choice. Coffee and tea are generally harmless, but it’s best to take your hot drinks black, without potentially contaminated milk. Cream from sealed containers, if pasteurized, is usually safe. The traveler’s mantra, attributed to colonial explorers, goes something like this: “Cook it, wash it, peel it or forget it.”

Freshly cooked foods are less likely to acquire airborne contaminants, and raw foods such as salads, and fruits and vegetables without peels, are often likely culprits for trouble. Fruits and vegetables you can peel yourself are usually safe. Pay attention to the effects of all drinks. Moderation is the safest course of action. Special Needs The vegetarian lifestyle has moved into the mainstream, and vegetarian sections have become common on restaurant menus.

However, be careful of any entree that is not specifically marked as vegetarian, especially in places such as Western Kenya, where beef and other meats are important staples.

If you have allergies or food intolerances, or are on a special diet (low sugar, low calorie, etc.), it’s especially important that you have a phrasebook to help you decipher foreign language menus. Like vegetarians, you may want to consider purchasing your own food at a grocery store. What to do if you get sick Diarrhea, the most likely symptom you may suffer from, causes potentially dangerous dehydration. Simple

WAYS TO AVOID GETTING SICK WHILE TRAVELING 1. Limit Germs!

If you aren’t a certified germaphobe, you’ll want to become one while traveling.

Carry antibacterial wipes on planes to wipe down your sitting area (and bathroom, when you use it), and re-apply hand sanitizer consistently. Wash your hands often, and avoid sharing any lip balms, utensils, beverages, etc. with anyone you’re with. Splitting a coffee or borrowing your friends lipstick may be second nature, but others may not be as conscientious as you.

2. Be Careful of Food & Water Contamination Relying on your gentle stomach, accustomed to your local foods and environment, is a surefire way to ensure you get food poisoning. This should go without saying, but be wary of possibly unsafe tap water! Avoid contamination from water by foregoing ice in your drink, as well as brushing your teeth and washing fruits and veggies with boiled or bottled water.

3. Boost Your Immunity Improving your body’s immune system is one way to combat illness before your plane even takes flight. Incorporating Travelan into your vacation strengthens and increases antibodies that combat against E. coli and other common traveler’s diarrhea culprits. Clinical trials conducted in Europe and USA showed up to 90% protection against infection of the most common E. coli types that cause traveler’s diarrhea.

Prepare for your next trip by getting your 3-day supply of Travelan here for bacteria protection and peace of mind while vacationing!

4. Pack oral re-hydration solutions.

They are often presented as a powder to which you’ll need to add boiled or treated water. You should contact a doctor if the diarrhea lasts longer than 24 hours, vomiting lasts longer than 12 hours, blood is present in the stool, or you experience fever or severe muscle cramping.

By Clara Wagembi Kiru Clara is a big foodie. She has been making meals all her life. She is an assistant finance and HR executive at Hygiene and Safety Systems Limited (Parapet Group). Her dream is opening her own espresso joint in Nairobi where she can be fetching self-made coffee every day before work.

Photography: Getty Images

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DRESSED TO QUILL Feather-embellished accents take wing for fall.

Dries Van Noten earring, $365/single; barneys.com.

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COVER STORY

THE WILD POETRY

ALUE IS NOT ATTAINED UNTIL YOU WITNESS THE BIG FIVE ON YOUR SAFARI AT THE MARA. Well, I have seen people. People closer to my circles I could call them a breed of my extended family who have made next level travels to the Mara for a week and experienced nothing. Totally emptiness and here is the deal, you end up talking more about the resorts and villas than the wildlife if you book five stars. I’ve been back in Nairobi for an entire rainy season and I am still going through images and videos from the week I spent at the awesome Mara. I have nearly 200GB of images and videos. It takes time. Most of the images are near-trash. It is calming though, each spare night, I have a chance to sit down and relive some great memories. I’ll admit, the thought of telling my trip overwhelms me. I’m having seamless trouble trying to manufacture meaningful words without sounding too apathetic or awestruck. And up until yesterday (a week later), I wasn’t even sure whether to post or discuss the images and videos until I

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soundly inquired about some legal rights.

I left that morning from Nairobi with an integral formulation of expectations meandering through my mind. I am a traveller so I could not resolve to burst out without confirming my travel gear, which included my passports and camera.

The dust was a continuous after set of a volcanic blast. I had an immaculate moment of immense beauty and golden hue

from the morning horizon as light touched the stretching grasses of savannah from the south.

The crested cranes made an allied stimulus with a twinkle reflection on the backlit grass. A lone female elephant threw dust on her parched body to protect herself from the soon-to-be harsh sunlight. The splashed dust against the golden light was something else, a dawn of the skies scene to be remembered forever.

A sudden cacophony of chattering calls, oozing with palpable tension and anxiety, pierced omnidirectional echoes

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through the groves on Manasana, a call that only means one thing, a lion who has just charged! No sooner than I picked my camera that a glimpse of the wild creature strolling through the sun bathed leaves just mysteriously happened! I believe the scenery happened in between by periodic blink. There was a blurry flash of brown movement, a very quick bolt of orange and silence yet again! My bad. With my feeble hands still trembling and heart throbbing faster than a sequential set of Cherokee beats, I alighted and went for a telephoto of the morning golden glee. What I just experienced was really lucky and blessed to document.

The frustratingly crooked sign of Masaai Mara greeted us at the park entrance.

I bet the artist painted it for free. The day of entrance was stamped as at 7th December to 12th December, a long weekend due to a national Kenyan holiday, the Jamhuri Day. I departed with a lovely co- driver Joe and a rented a safari jeep; there were only the two of us. The driver was a direct referral from a colleague who had gone through some safari with them a couple of times before. I hurriedly took hot cappuccino made Masaai style with some snacks.

Driving in the Mara seems takes equal parts skill, luck, and sheer daring. While

back in the city, I not only dealt with poor road ethics from the infamous matatus and crazy bodaboda drivers. While outside the city, I was left to encounter long stretches of bare ‘under construction’ road networks that are jam packed with cars of all kinds.

While the main road took me right to the national preserve, getting through the preserve to the actual park took nearly half the total time. There was no paved road once in the park. I can’t imagine having to drive in any wet and rainy circumstances. It truly takes a skilled driver to navigate in, around, up, and down through every toppling dip, bump, crevice, ravine, and river: you get the picture? Joe told me that after each and every safari, the company must run a full repair and maintenance check on the jeep. Speaking about vehicle maintenance, my only mind numbing fear going on this particular safari was the idea of our vehicle breaking down in the middle of nowhere at night in the wilderness. God! Up the stream to the north we managed to see grazing Zebras. A solitary Zebra, standing at the very edge of the epochal Mara and where the fable river flows ever so wildly through the savannah, looks over at the never-ending plains, in deep contemplation of the struggles and hardships that the migration is fraught with. And yet, twice every year, these hardy beasts cross the dangerous river in search of greener pastures! There’s so much to learn from these simple animals, lessons about survival, life and inevitable death.

God! Okay. Okay. Okay. Nothing says “get over your inner fear!” quite eloquentFYI:When zebras stand together, it is harder for predators to determine how many zebras are in the group. The stripes may also make the zebra appear unattractive to smaller predators, such as bloodsucking horseflies, which can spread disease. In addition, the stripes may work as a natural sunscreen. Each zebra’s stripes are unique. No two zebras have the same stripe pattern. Though they all live in Africa, each species of zebra has its own home area. Plains zebras live in the treeless grasslands and woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. The Grevy’s zebra lives in in the arid grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The mountain zebra is found in South Africa, Namibia and Angola.

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ly like meeting it face on. In this particular case, in the shape of a large rock that got self-wedged between the wheel and axle making the worst grating sound that I’ve ever heard spitting my eardrums. We had already driven nearly eight hours before we managed to run over the aforementioned ordeal, forcing us to pull over, and investigate. Luckily, it was almost hours in the afternoon.

The sunset was truly incredible! The time I spent with Joe during the exchange was awesome. He petted me with stories of the wild in and out. Like the old adage goes, “you can only appreciate the good when you experience the bad”. With only one vehicle and a lifetime Shell support, (I never changed a tire in my life), I was amazed to find that every single stranger that passed us stopped to see if they could help. Perhaps it was because of the location or some known safety protocol that caused every single person to stop by. Maybe because we were in the middle of the open park where wildlife roam about, including big predators.

In within the moment, a withered transition of elephants passing by was

worth capturing. They are friendly herbivorous. Sitting under the rocks and gazing at the elephants as they walked passed and disappeared into the dusk was uncontrollably epic. This giant was the most incredible animal I’ve ever met. This is the largest land animal in the world. Some of the adults can reach up to 3 meters in height. The adult males, bull elephants, are usually solitary creatures while females are generally found in groups led by a matriarch surrounded by younger females and their offspring’s. Although they are referred by many as gentle giants, elephants can be very dangerous and have been known to charge vehicles, humans and other animals when they feel threatened.

We were delayed for about two hours and then we quickly set back on the road FYI: Elephants flap their ears to cool down their body temperature. Despite their size, elephants are able to walk silently through the bush because they walk on the tips of their toes – which is actually a thick cushion made up of elastic tissue. Today I am more educated and wiser. I would never encourage or patron this type of encounter with the other four.

shortly after. I began to worry less after that and just embraced the unexpected.

The night was up and we settled at the Mara Sopa Lodge. The bed and breakfast for the first day was mediocre at best. I never got a hot shower the entire morning and by the time I was set on safari, I had zero expectations for the lodging during this safari anyway. I came for the Wild remember? I can say that I’ve never been so happy to have my expectations blown away. We drove the next day through the forest and I spent time shooting the birds and one cute baby elephant passed by. The day was over.

I took way crazy images of the baobab and birds. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a zoologist but the chipping of these creatures in the amazing savannah just couldn’t pass me off. The Fireside evenings, afternoon tea, fresh buffet meals with cloth napkins, hot showers, large airy room, it just seemed so luxurious at the time. So, I went back to my initial hotel and had a good sleep till the first light. I was a bit tired so the whole morning was spent on Skype and

social media. Drooling over my camera and transferring the 50GB I already took. After getting a quick meal, we headed out for an evening drive through the park.

I was amazed to find that we encountered so many animals just 50 yards straight. Groups of gazelle, zebra, hyenas, and giraffes all roamed about. Each animal was special and unique in their own ways and occasionally mingling with family. We saw a seasonal river stream that didn’t go dry this year. Rain was impressive throughout 2018. A dry season has never lasted a week. I call that blessed. We saw our third herd of elephants as well. Slow moving and social, we watched in awe as they ate grass by the trunkful. Then a few yards past the herd we came across a selection of wilder beasts. The gods arraigned this scene for me. It was breathtaking.

FYI: Wildebeest are antelopes and belong to the bovidae family which also includes cows, goats and sheep.Wildebeests are one of the most abundant large mammals in Africa and there is thought to be around 1.5 million migratory individuals forming the greatest concentration of wild grazing animals on Earth. Massive herds will migrate for hundreds of kilometers in search of fresh grass which only grows after the seasonal rainfalls.Wildebeest move around in massive herds, some stay in the same place while others are nomadic and are in constant search for new food sources. Many have to make dangerous crossings such as the Kenya Masaai Mara. Migrating wildebeest must cross 2 wide rivers where Nile Crocodiles await them.When the crocodiles spot a weak wildebeest, they block its route back to shore and start to close in on it. They drop tones of dung while on the move but it is soon cleared up by swarms of Dung Beetles who roll the dung into balls and bury it before eating it or laying eggs in it. Sometimes herds of over 500 wildebeest will stampede and run at over 50 miles per hour and although destructive, the stampedes encourage new plant growth and soil renewal.

They are noisy, they are stubborn, they are stunning.

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After migration, they settle on the grasslands where they spend several months feeding and fattening once more, taking advantage of the scattered distribution of green pastures and isolated rainstorms.

A remarkable feature of their wandering is their ability to repeatedly find areas of good grazing, no matter how far apart.

The physiology of the wildebeest is such that it has been designed by evolution to travel large distances very quickly and economically, apparently requiring no more energy to run a certain distance than to trudge along at walking pace. Every facet of its life and behavior is designed to save time – wildebeest even mate on the move, and newborns were, as I saw, up and running in minutes.

The “Big Five” is a term that is used to refer to the 5 African animals that early big game hunters considered most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot in Africa. These animals include the African elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, and rhinoceros.

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I think the highlight of that evening was witnessing a lionesses lounging in the evening light wondering how it would settle for a transition of wildebeests moving along. Wondering on how to go in for the kill which never happened.

After an hour drive south of the perk towards the Nyala, we managed to see a perk. I was busy getting the acclamation

and gazing deep on this beautiful wonder.

A fraction of the perk was busy quenching their thirst at along a panning stream of River Mbzezi. Seeing the pride drink water in sync made me understand the importance of family deeper.

We received word on the radio from another driver that they had just seen a hunt from cousins of our perk. Lions were hunting wildebeests just a few yards out.

We were close by so we hurriedly drove to the scene only to find out the action was over and the lioness was left by the kings to finish dining.

FYI: The lion is often called the king of the jungle because it is the fiercest and largest predator on land. Lion’s natural prey includes zebras, impalas, giraffes and other herbivorous especially the wildebeest. Lions tend to group themselves in pride of 12. Males are easily distinguished from females with their shaggy manes and are generally much larger. Although they have been known to attack humans, lions are generally calm animals that do not usually seem threatened by close proximity to people.

The females, however, do most of the hunting.

• Lions are the most social of all cats, living in

67 prides of several females, and working cooperatively to hunt and raise cubs. • Lions will sleep up to 20 hours a day. The female lion is swift and most of the time it is usually awake.

The animals in this particular park are quite used to jeeps hovering around them.

They have learned to ignore us and most of us are respectful to keep a distance from them. But when a pride of lionesses are close by, nearly every vehicle in the park will drive over to catch a view. That ended up happening and after a while, the lionesses got up and walked through us all the back to escape the noise and congestion after the meal.

Some walked right along our car and I managed to get a nice snarl. It was a great ending to a long drive and exciting evening.

The next day, we got up early because Joe had word that the morning birds (other safari tour guides in this case, not actual birds), were already on land and they were anticipating a chase. That didn’t hit me. I wasn’t planning to spend a full day out in the park anyway. I asked Joe, “what animal is involved in this thing you want me to witness?”, and he seamlessly said, “The cheater”. I was drinking tea, most of it poured on the table because I landed the cap uncontrollably fast. The word was home. I couldn’t care less; I just wanted to be at the scene. Twenty minutes into our drive and we caught up with a lone cheetah that was hanging out nearby.

Off we drove to the main game!

I loved how meek the guy looked but we played rugby with a bottle of water Before we proceeded north. The only thing that makes me love baby cheetahs is the way they playfully buckle around their mom. .

The air was congested with expectations.

In a nick of time, the Cheetah went lower and near the ground. The distance according to us was still far. This was a tied entanglement of doubt that we couldn’t get passed.

Off we drove to the main game. We got to the scene in excitement. The waiting game was still on. Besides lions, it’s fairly rare to find Cheetahs out in the open like this. It seemed that they only wanted to watch prey from a distance which was a good indication that a meal was left to ripen. The stare was heavy. I loved it.

We waited for a while, watching and hoping that the cheetah would hunt.

We waited for about four hours but in vain.

Not to worry since we saw so many other amazing animals that day. We had taken so much capture we were almost driving out.

In the same ticking second, I got a heavy pat on my back from Joe who had seen a Cheetah that was eying an antelope. They know when a hunt is almost about. We drove five yards closer. My spine was shivering and I almost lost my contacts. The spirit was a hue. The way the Cheetah walked silently into the pray, I almost felt like I was the target. Eyes changed, the head shifted lower and the camera was focused in place.

In a nick of time, the gazelles noticed wild danger and started to flee. We drove closer.

The Cheetah went ballistic. In a few seconds the distance between the grazers and the Cheetah was almost averaging zero.

The eyes became red. The body would bend to a forward thrust until the abdomen and the chin were almost in contact. The exercise was impulsive. The Impala started to hover in all directions of the compass to create a distortion. The amazement was filtered in and all everyone did was grab their heart in despair. It reached a point when all I wanted was the impala to survive. I prayed in eight languages and moved levels up to bribe the gods but the hunter was the wizard of zeal and relentlessness. It was hard work. The meal never came cheap.

I saw the Cheetah wait for the right moment for about fifteen minutes.

love the fact that the Mara is not your usual game perk. The Masai Mara

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69 is the land of the Maasai people. It is a reserve belonging to the Maasai themselves.

Due to their distinctive customs and dress, the Maasai people are some of the most recognised ethnic groups in Africa. We will get to them later but this is way too different in Namibia. The Masai Mara was named by the local people who called the land “Mara” which means “spotted”. The vast grassland plains that look dotted from above mountains. Most legal, regulated hunting can be a very powerful tool of conservation. Hunting concessions create perfect conditions for wildlife, by keeping wilderness from being converted into farms and pastures, offering protection from poachers, and working to improve habitat conditions. In Namibia, these beautiful animals are hunted for skin. Hunting Cheetah with a bow is legal in Namibia, although it is very difficult to do as it requires both skill and lots of luck. Hunting at night in Namibia is prohibited however since Cheetahs are diurnal, more active during the day than night, it is an insane situation to even think about hunting these cute creatures.

In warm weather, they move around mostly during the early morning and late in the afternoon when the temperatures are cooler however one can truly be encountered at any time during the day. A Cheetah’s day is dedicated to hunting and trying to stay cool when it gets very hot.

We left the Cheetah feeding then fled to seek more adventure. We dribbled through the day with no other hunt throughout the day. In the afternoon, we had reached the border between the Mara and Serengti.

There’s a plaque that marks the division between both counties. It makes no differ-

ence, just more space to roam about. My driver stopped just before the border and let me out. For a small fee, you could pay the Serengti rangers to guide you around the river and across the border into Tanzania. We saw a group of hippos bathing in the river that day and one crocodile.

During the great migration, the entire herd of wildebeests cross the crocodile infested river to Tanzania. The crossing is infamous — known for the danger and deadliness associated with the great migration in the plains.

Later on, we came upon the same confused Wildebeest that we saw the day earlier and a continuous herd of stampeding Buffalo. In a buffalo herd the most experienced cows are known as pathfinders. They are responsible for leading the heard to the most beneficial area for grazing and water.

We were still at the end of the summer season and to escape the vastness of savannah ground and pesky flies, the buffalo found respite across the land.

The day was over. The wind whistles in the acacia couldn’t pass unnoticed. On a solitary baobab a vulture ruffles its feathers. Above are endless skies to match the golden horizons. This must surely be the dead of day. The bird life of Mara is as profuse as its mammalian fauna. The river is home to kingfishers, storks and Pel’s fishing owl. The riverine forests see large flocks of crested guinea fowl whilst the ground hornbills, secretary birds and bustards could be seen on the golden plains.

Finally, we rested for the night after witnessing more than 10 species of raptor.

Whatever you want to see, the Mara will not disappoint. The other memorable thing about that particular day was that another safari van had gotten stuck right under a log where the Cheetahs were hovering around! They were unable to get out of their van (for obvious reasons) and were forced to wait for help. Some were climbing up the jeep for a telephoto view of the Mara escarpment but Joe assured me that help was minutes away.

We wobbled straight into Day three in style. This time I curried food. I usually curry water but no longer. We departed our resort at noon. I spend the whole morning sleeping. My head was jealous about all the experience it had to register. I am assuming the booze and cold cardamom liquor I took the previous night added up to this conundrum. Let me back up and say that there are main paths that all vehicles must stay on. Park regulations fine any person caught going off the road. Drivers in the park have

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FYI: The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid.

They are the only animals within the Big Five that are not endangered or threatened. The Cape buffalo is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the big five to hunters, with wounded animals reported to plan, ambush and attack pursuers. The buffalo is perhaps the most dangerous to humans. Buffalos are very protective and territorial and when threatened they are known to charge with astonishing speed. The buffalo are mostly found in groups and large herds. They spend most of their times grazing in the savanna.When approached the dominant bulls would tend to take an aggressive vigilant stand while the other adults gather around the calves to protect them. • Don’t mistake the physical similarities of the buffalo for their domesticated cousins. They have been known to mob predators and attack game hunters. • Cape Buffalo need to drink every day – that’s why you’ll see them in herds numbering in the thousands in the grasslands, but never find them in the dessert.

some unwritten code of honor and they’ll help each other out when they literally get stuck in a bind. Joe tried but realized that driving further off the main path would potentially get our vehicle stuck, he simply accepted that conclusion, reversed the vehicle, and declared the act unworthy. The speed limit on the mains was 70km/h.

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promised me a Leopard. The wildlife in the region is definitely a highlight. From the first day, we saw lions on every game drive for three consecutive days as well as sighting a breastfeeding cub. The leopard and cub were just a stone’s throw from a male lion that had stolen their Grant’s gazelle kill. This time round, we went on our day out as one safari club.

Everyone including Mr. Ostrich that we passed by on our way was obeying this law.

The roads were bumpy but the vehicle was a jeep so it survived all hell and Joe was an expert too.

I loved the fact that the Mara possesses the largest population of the cat family whic largely consists of lions. It also boasts large herds of topi and a small population of roan antelope, animals not found in many other Kenyan reserves. Among the great variety of large beasts that I saw were elephant, buffalo, black rhino and hippo.

Other animals i saw included the cheetah, Burchell’s zebra, Coke’s hartebeest, wildebeest, oribi, eland, Thomson & Grant’s gazelle that was being killed by the Cheetah on day two and the warthog. The game was swelled during my visit because the great immigration two months out of play.

During our get back in the afternoon, we witnessed one of my favorite moments of the day. This was when we visited a local tribal fierce forest and interacted with the small birds and sadder to learn about their customs and traditions. Joe was amazing with his knowledge and skills; he had

Our drivers agreed and we settled to footwork. I hadn’t realized it yet but I was told later on that this arrangement was within my package. We walked past the wise rangers until we got to a green canopy that stretched onwards into the river bed where we set in slowly. We walked into the quiet thick forest in hesitant faint murmurs. We had two game rangers, three drivers and twelve tourists and four game wardens. These guys dream at dawn | As our gypsy thundered up the winding jungle path from the east end further towards the Mara River, we ensured that no stone was left unchecked, no rock unobserved, for we knew that this most elusive cats loves lounging on these warm trees at dawn. As we reached the highest point, where stood an old and gorgeous Ghost Tree gleaming in the first rays of the gentle December sun, we looked to our left, across the boulders that lay strewn on the hill and beyond and both whispered, ‘Leopard’! Excitement and thrill surged through our bodies for we had searched long and hard for this beautiful leopardess for hours after the excitement we got with the cheetah. There it was, the Leopard within the bush flair. We came all the way for this moment. The leopard is hard to witness as it spend most of its time

71 in trees. This one was beautiful and, surprisingly harmless. We later spent almost an hour with this beautiful lady before a few other tourists stumbled upon us and our elated faces from a radio call they got.

One of the many stories from our Mara that I shall narrate for years to come; this is a tale of a leopard (& his biggest nemesis) from a murky and cold forenoon. I think it is basically because I felt my existence in the forest as I was walking and not in a jeep as usual. The most crucial thing mustered with the wild is that they know their pray and you only provoke them when you touch their little ones or eggs. Unlike the lions, leopards are almost always found alone. They are the most elusive of the big five since they mostly hunt during the night. During the day they rest within trees.

The best time to find them was very early in the morning or at night. Since we couldn’t settle for evening safari, we all agreed to set out in the mid-morning. This moment they have just hunted at night and so we followed the trail from they had dumped to the vultures footprint after footprint until we were lucky.

During the day you need to look carefully for these animals. Ours (year we managed to capture six of them) were found partially camouflaged in the undergrowth and behind a tree. A leopard’s spots (actually called rosettes) are shaped differently depending on their habitat. Here at the Mara, they are circular but square in southern Africa. Leopards are the ultimate athletes, being able to run at speeds of over 35 mph.

After spending the better part of the morning enjoying the incredible beauty of Kanaha forest that was ripe green from the continuous rain that was a blessing throughout the year, we were almost returning back to camp when, on that venerable and fabled road leading away from the misty meadows and up the stagger, where stand many an ancient Sal tree, we saw this most beautiful of cats, hardly 10 feet away from us! While the suddenness (and distance) of the encounter took us by awe and surprise, we were soon engrossed in observing that unique creation of nature!

Dear reader, those of you who haven’t seen a panther in the wild cannot fully comprehend the beauty of its form, the exquisite movements of its lithe body and the dazzle of its satiny coat that gleams ever so bright in the affable rays of the wintertime’s sun!

‘You don’t need prose if you have poetry’, they say! The leopard embodies poetry, in motion! While we succumbed to the almost supernatural fantasy of a leopard sighting, the leopard looked edgy, trying to climb higher up from the ground, where it feels the safest! His jumpy and nervous stare eluded us but looked beyond in the dense lantana, that most prolific of the African forest undergrowth! While the leopard continued with his antics, an emphatic roar from the undergrowth shook us all!

FYI: The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large, carnivorous feline having either tawny fur with dark rosette-like markings or black fur. The leopard is considered the most difficult of the big five to hunt because of their nocturnal and secretive nature. They are wary of humans and will take flight in the face of danger.

The leopard is solitary by nature, and is most active between sunset and sunrise, although it may hunt during the day in some areas. Leop-

ards can be found in the savanna grasslands, brush land and forested areas in Africa. Of the big five, it is most difficult to acquire hunting licenses for if interests to kill it are milling.

A cheetah in the trees, the legendary cat that looked up at the leopard that was high up above in fact, when he was changing his territory from savannah to Greenland, he felt quirky since he had just woken up! The terrified cheetah scampered up the highest branch while we made our way back to camp ecstatic in the knowledge of just having witnessed an incredible natural history moment!

The next day was here. This was surely the last one on my safari. We went up north, in a jeep though and our main goal was the Rhinos. These guys impress me.

On our way we saw the usual suspects. The lions. I don’t think there is a day we went out without encountering these guys. Most times they great us, other times they kiss us goodbye within the planes but they are always on our way. Gazelles too.

There they were. We met the Do you Rhinos make up for not seeing well with a sharp sense of hearing? She is massive, armed with horns and protected by thick skin, and yet she is utterly vulnerable. One ear was pointing my way, the other faced backwards. Rhinos make up for not seeing well with a sharp sense of hearing. Her calf is just curious, and has no clue what is facing them. But we know what is happening to them across Africa and Asia. Rhinos are in imminent danger of extinction in the wild. And that is why we need to celebrate World Rhino Day—to draw attention to them, to the people and organizations that

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NOTE: Africa’s Big Five have become major concerns for wildlife conservationists in recent years. The African lion, African leopard and African bush elephant are all classified as vulnerable. The southern white rhinoceros is classified as near threatened while the black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, so hunting them is greatly restricted for the latter. The African buffalo is the most popular big five game animal to hunt, as its conservation status is least concern, but it is experiencing a population decline in uncontrolled areas due to poaching and urbanization.

are making a difference where it matters, in the hallways of governments and in the front lines of protection on the ground. I hope you will support them so that rhinos will get a fighting chance.

Just 100 years ago there may have been as many as 500,000 Rhinos which roamed the African continent but today there it is estimated that as few as 3,000 - 2,000 remain, and research by Rhino biologist Hans Bauer and colleagues suggests Rhinos in much of west, east and central Africa will decline by 60% in the next two decades if something dramatic is not done! The biggest threats facing Rhinos in Africa are poaching of their prey and retaliatory killings by farmers when Rhinos destroy plantations! There is also an emerging threat of lions being used in Chinese medicine as tigers become rarer. @wildaid “When the buying stops the killing can too” At the end of the day, we stopped to visit a local Masai tribe. Let me premise this entire section by saying that yes, I did pay a

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Ksh. 1000 fee to come visit the tribe. Yes I am Kenyan so I understand the Kenyan language of kitu kidogo. We were welcomed to take photographs and video. It was a little awkward and contrived but it opened for good conversation and learning opportunities of this native people and place. We were met by a tribe elder who guided us in and around his village. Both the men and women of the village greeted us separately; each party had their own song and dance.

Our guide discussed the Masai nomadic life and the fact that they have spent nearly seven of the fifteen years at this specific place. After that, they must move onto a new homestead somewhere else across the plains. Our guide demonstrated how they made fire with just a hard and soft wood and then we were invited into his home to see where he and his family cooked and slept. During the day, they allow the cattle to graze outside of the village fences. Every evening the tribe brings the cattle back inside the fences that surrounded the vil-

lage to ward off big cat predators that live in the park. The women are in charge of making and maintaining the huts and cattle. The men hunt and protect. The women milk separate cattle in the afternoon. This safari was a great experience. The weather was perfect and I got to photograph so much amazing wildlife. I already know that I will do another safari sometime again in my life and I recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in going because the Mara is full of poetry.

By Susan Wakerio Susan Wakerio travelled with Audley Travel (01993 838000; audleytravel.com) on a seven-day Safari package, staying at Maasai Mara for five nights that included two nights at The Lexingtone Hotel in Narok two nights at AA Lodge Maasai Mara at Talek and eventually one night at Oseki Maasai Mara Camp in Narok. The package included accommodation, transportation from and to town, breakfasts and dinners at all joints. It also includes a guided tour of Masai Mara within the days in range.

Photography: Andira Harday, Jennah Welnivac

when booking your transportation, it’s best to go through a company that has their own vehicles and guides, not one that sells you a trip but then passes you on to a diFFerent operator.

Always ask – whether it be an agency or the staFF at your hotel or guesthouse – if they have their own vehicles.

The chances of paying more money or having a less enjoyable experience are higher when you don’t actually travel with the company you are paying for your safari.

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GREAT NEWS! OUTLUST MAGAZINE IS WORKING WITH KWT TO SAVE OUR ENDANGERED WILDLIFE SPECIES.

Yes. I am interested in a charitable annuity. Please Send me a custom illustration of the estimated payout rate, payment, and tax for gift contributions.

Mail To: The Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT), info@kenyawildlifetrust.org

Gift Amount: Ksh. Minimum Gift is Ksh. 1000

Please indicate age for contribution on behalf of a donor.

Age in Yrs:

Minimum Age is 18yrs

I have some questions. Please Call me.

Contact: 020 585 481 info@kenyawildlifetrust.org www.kenyawildlifetrust.org

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Kenya’s safari industry is marking its 10th anniversary by celebrating wildlife conservation in the country. Among the trust’s flagship projects are those focused on predator conservation, including the Mara lion and cheetah projects, the first to monitor predator dynamics in the Mara ecosystem. To obtain more information about Kenya Wildlife Trust, visit www.kenyawildlifetrust.org

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THE EDITOR’S PIECE

WHAT HAPPEN S IN VEGAS , STAYS IN VEGAS RABBING MY BLANKET INTO THE NIGHT, I CAN’T BUT WORRY ABOUT THE WEAKLY TIGHTENED CEILING LOGS. I lie awake soaked in bed in a windowless thatched house; outside, in the overlapping darkness, the night orchestra grabs my eardrums in full swing.

The cricket string quartet is on a chripping

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continuum vocals ahead of the faint croaking frogs. Competing afar was the hymnal chorus of the chicken which came in louder than the clashing cymbals of the night birds laced with blaring antagonistic whistles from the trees.

I mean, why won’t these creatures just agree for a solid meeting, choose a chorale and sing through the night in sync instead of pampering the air with intorelable seismographic sounds. Meanwhile, a mosquito’s darted about encompassing trigonometric permutations to a point of interest from where to trespass through my net.

The high-pitched hum kept me in tune. I felt rather lulled by the infiltration of these noises.

Flashback two days back at Nyali Bridge in Mombasa and it’s late in the afternoon.

I am in some taxify with my handbag transfixed tight across my legs, sitting relentlessly in traffic. I stare narrowly at the sheets of rain pondering down my window from within an all foggy atmosphere, I submerge myself into a mirage of thoughts of how much great it would be if I pick a weekend relaxation and flee the city to the village. This is better than spending my weekend straining to hear how people are cursing their elected leaders, or trying to keep up with the new granting beats of whatever song was trending in a party of well dressed people with hidden problems.

Before I knew it, my finger was unlocking my phone and trying out numbers confirming bus tickets to nakuru.

I couldn’t think of any cultured environment enveloped with love and memories apart from my village at home. A place where I grew up. I lived a few yards within a close proximity to the city. By the time I got home, I had committed long chats with my rural family who had no idea I existed since we last parted. “Cancel your plans,” I yell on a phone call to my girlfriend who was busy organising some surprise party for a friend of hers.

I was so excited I poured butternut squash and lentil curry on my new shirt.

The following morning, which was almost taking a blue moon to show up, I pack and disembark from Mombasa to the gates of wakanda. On the road, we meet Kenyans selling snacks and fruits. I ordered a set of fresh good looking bananas for the journey.

I know, I know, you think you are right.

Maybe you are but not in this context. Nakuru is gold. If you were here and you had a bad day, that only applies to you. Finally I was home. Vegas, they still call it so. Naks Vegas to be precise. Check your internet. If you grew up here you know this for a fact.

This is one of the craziest counties to travel to. The streets were crowded; cars shared the same road with cows, donkey chariots, dogs, bicycles, chickens, tuk-tuks, bees and pretty much everything able to practice motion. I am not talking about the town center; I am talking about the road to my village passing through Langa Langa. There are no rules. They use their horn for pretty much everything and if you want to drive past someone, you just honk your horn and drive around without caring if they heard you.

I arrived at the stop at noon with an irressistable smile as the hot humid air hit me. I waited for a couple of my bags to be unloaded as I felt the spirit of contentedness tickling down my arterial endings.

Matching khaki outfits I stood out like the last packet of sugar on an empty Nakumatt shelf. From an indifferent family taking a groundie with their grandma, to a fashionable mom literally acting as a motherboard by babysitting a school of hyperactive kids whimpering around a mobile cart, this was really home. It may look abrasive but the people that cross-passed about made me feel at home.

Unfortunately this ‘I am here to have a good time’ feel-good sensation was shortlived when a couple of boys approached hurriedly like flies towards a rotten chunk of meat with extremely persistent sales-

77 manship. I unwaveringly stared at them for the entire seven minutes as they sold their riding skills. Funny enough, one was already packing my bags while the talkative ones intensely shattered each other for a chance to monopolize the sales peach. The dreaded guy holding my bags swiftly hooted across and said, “hatuwezi kosana, twende”. The tornedo of conundrum that we left with other contestants made me feel terrified.

I saw my life flash before my eyes every minutes from this rogue rider. In the most populous own in kenya you have to be pretty crazy to become a bodaboda. At least that is what I thought sitting uncomfortably listening to some old R-Kelly blasting through the broken speakers whilst dodging potholes and cows.

Eventually, we arrived at Rugongo, a village of 10 houses dotted around a slope of the rift valley escarpment. We were welcomed into my granddad’s house with a loop of hugs and food I had to spring out to interrupt the flow. My granddad, the Headman for

her tits. A group of maller kids rushed to river Ndarugu streams to fetch water for their bathing while another group marched from the back with sets of dry firewood from thorn tree branches knotted above their head. Light glowed softly from a single lamp that omni-directed flash from the main house to the other five houses close by. There was hushed activity as more people arrived. The ladies, men and children each knew their job. The teamwork in the kitchen was one to envy. Kids were washed with one group, dressed by another and all were ready together with the food. I was shown my room. A thatched house four yards from the main house.

We ate and slept well. Mosquitoes tried all means to get to me in vain. The hum from the trees kept me company all night. We woke up in the morning to the distant sound of the cockerel. The children were ready for school. I watched through the window as they made their way through the rice terraces and thought how lucky I was to be staying in such a beautiful and peaceful place where I could see

all the villages in that area couldn’t stop looking at my luggage. I handed it to him after noticing the wide stare. That was my grandma’s gift anyway.

The houses are built in the traditional style with ponded cow dung, steep steps leading up to the first floor. The kitchen is on the outside characterized with the usual three stones and ash ported at the center. Beddings are neatly stacked in one corner of the house separated from the living room with an opaque curtain and are brought out each day and spread on the roof to heat away the bed bags, if they exist. There was a separate room for the elderly and visitors.

As afternoon fell, the villagers and their children drifted quietly in and began their closing chores. I saw my cousin milk the cow while the calf breastfed because the mom preserves the milk for her baby alone. If the calf would stop for the milk girl to take full control, the cow would quickly notice and hide the whole volume from

through thick and thin. At another house just opposite the main, my grandma was weaving bamboo strips. A pattern emerged sooner than I had looked for network to communicate with my peers in Mombasa. Later that afternoon, I was beckoned into the house for breakfast whilst the pattern was finished into a beautiful basket. I am now the proud owner of that basket and it serves a constant reminder of my lovely family, their wonderful hospitality and a brilliant craftsmanship my grandma still has.

As the day passed by, beautiful scenes of nature, fresh air, and quiet life kept me company. Here I enjoyed a natural way of life in full resting from the city’s bustle. There is almost nothing artificial in these quiet areas. Here you can use everything that nature can give you to your skill. There is something divine and mysterious in the village beauty that we should all yearn to entrap. There is an amazing satisfaction in the slower pace of days. Such a bustling way of life has never been my favorite. One of my friends lives in a vil-

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A lot of people think that it is just impossible to live in some underdeveloped rural areabecause city life can provide a person with almost everything within two steps from their home. I mean, there was hardly any electricity in the village.

To some, it is unbearable.

I could only imagine.

There are a lot of people who do not wish to pursue a crazy success or social media influential luxury as is these days. Some of us wish to have our lives plain. People have everything for their minimum requirements at the village. Villagers are just satisfied with the necessities of their living. They are always provided with fresh food and clear air. It is the simplicity, natural sense of life, and tranquility that make the rural life brilliant. Villages preserve our customs and traditions as a people of a given tribe. The villagers usually hold various festivals and fairs where they represent the wealth of cultures. I had just missed the circumcision ceremony of the year that happened a week before. I will tell you, young people treat their elders with great respect and follow their valuable advice.

Some people are always looking for a spiritual element; others are interested in exploring the local culture through wellness. Knowing that the best medicinal treatment is contained in native plants from the village that the locals have used for hundreds of years gets me more engaged and more interested.

In the city, this is an absolute opposite. Kids don’t want to work, read or have a sense of respect. The young ignore the elderly and that has been the norm. In spite of all there treasures of life, there are a lot of deficiencies in the rural. Peasants lack the utilities to conveniently develop their skills and craftsmanship.

Public health, mass education, proper network coverage, hospitals, stores, police stations, and internet access are a thing of the future.

The worst thing is, political heads are not dependable for this set of livelihood. There should be some progress in rural areas in order to make such places more pleasant and comfortable to live, or maybe, they like it that way.

The bodaboda guy came back for me as we had settled. We were very sad to leave the village and what I experienced there will stay with me forever. The warmth and generosity of the family I had in the village was immeasurable, so with heavy a heart I made my farewell. I admired the rural life because the country people are able to gain a sense of well-being from the purposefulness of a simple coexistence. I was able to find spiritual serenity and enjoy the pleasures of meaningful time among the magnificent rift valley landscapes. There may come a time when you just want to escape from everyday stresses and complexities of the city. At village you can feel the time and make your life moving slower and with impactful experiences.

There may come a time when you just want to escape from everyday stresses and complexities of the city. At the village, you can feel the time and make your life moving slower and with impactful experiences.

By Amisi Kevin Socialist, editor and UX designer at Alfajiri Studio.

amisicaves

Photography: Amisi Kevin / Element of Faith(Africa)

lage ahead. Last year, during the Easter vacation I visited his village when I was here. It is nearly fifty minutes following river Ndarugu up North. I established to revisit for the day and it was one the best timed yet. The name of his village is Ngororu and it is located close to a Police Station. The population of the village is approximately 300. The morning scene of a village is really an experience to remember. Watching the sunrise is really a memorable experience as well since the rounded houses are close together up the hills.

Unlike most city folks, the villagers get up very early in the morning and start their daily chores. Just like in my village. They are really a hardworking lot. There were ponds and green fields alongside the roads. Even the paddy fields on either side of the roads were covered with green crops. I saw the farmers busy in their fields the whole day. There were no school bus services in the villages.

So the children had to walk to their schools kilometers from the respective villages bare foot. It was quite eye-catching to see them walk in a straight line to school. Education fostering even among the village children was very encouraging.

While walking down the village road, I could hear everything in ten mile radius. Sound was isolated, the environment was calm and clear. The sweet voice of the cuckoo was the most enchanting one in the afternoon. The moonlight filled up the entire interconnected village since there were no street lights and I could see every constellation. The moon seemed to shine brightly some villagers were cooking outside needed no lanterns to operate. For food, I had different preparations all made from garden fresh vegetables.

Fish caught from the natural ponds were really tasty as well. The village is definitely a beautiful place to go for a vacation because unlike our city, all the people of the village know each other. When one gets lost in the woods, the whole villagers fetch their boots and one amazing thing, there are no shops. Everything is natural.

Morning tea included porridge without sugar with sweet potatoes.

How better can breakfast be.

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Nyaruach The South Sudanese musician is a traveller in the rawest sense, having been a refugee her entire life. Born on an unknown date around 1983, at the height of the Second Sudanese Civil War, she saw her family torn apart. Aged 10, she lost her mother; her father raped and threatened to kill her. She fled to Khartoum but was repeatedly sexually abused by her employers. When she eventually made it to a refugee camp in Kenya and managed to find her brother, Emmanuel Jal, who had become an acclaimed hip-hop artist, the pair recorded a song called ‘Gua’ (meaning peace in their native Nuer tongue); it reached number one in Kenya. Nyaruach also went public with her life story in ar Child, the award-winning documentary focusing

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AFRIC A’ S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN TR AVELLERS

on her brother’s time as a child soldier. In 2013, she was invited to Aswan, Egypt, to take part in the Nile Project, which represented the region’s best musicians, culminating in a concert in Cairo. Now a single mother of two living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Nyaruach is facing travel restrictions, but she and her brother have put out an Afrobeat album, Naath, and are aiming to tour the UK and the USA this year. The music, inspired by traditional folklore, reflects on the resilient culture of their homeland. Nyaruach says that she wants to help women and children of war not to give up hope. Not to stand down because she serves an example of success and achievements. A true sensational hero for our times, surely.

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PHOTO OF THE ISSUE: THE MOST FAVOURED PHOTO BY COMMUNITY Image Copyright © Washington Wachira, 37, a wildlife filmmaker and photographer based in Kenya.

Camera A Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a 100mm lens

Born and raised in Kenya, Washington Wachira is a wildlife biologist and award winning conservationist who specializes in urban birds of prey. Washington has received funding from National Geographic for his research on the species ecology of the African crowned eagle—work aimed at improving forest management in and around Nairobi.

Disclaimer: This choice is in no way exhaustive. Neither is it done by an authorized committee. The photograph is the best in the world according us and it really requires attention. The story behind it is phenomenally connecting.

The photograph has inspired photographers in the world.

We publish photographers from good photographers who are never tired of taking beautiful images. They are photographing the world for years. They will continue to do so. Their photographs are magical. Some are out of this world.

They are unbelievably good. The secret of creating good to great photographic content is quite simple. Be emotional, look in deeper, and imagine how your inspiring photographer would have taken that shot. The more you think of it, better your photographs will become. It’s the easier route to success in photography.

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HIDDEN MYSTIC TREASURES In a mystical place where the clear crystal blue water settle, the white sandy beaches and birds chirping sounds are soothing to the ears. A calm ambience where every tide meets the bare sand. A glimpse of the sea world through the glass boat, just a sneak peak of the marvelous and beautiful sea creatures. Swimming and turning to the appeal of the eye, tempting one to dive into the ocean. Splash! The chilling frostbite sensation over whole body as the cold rushes through the whole body in a minute. Then the feeling becomes a soothing relief .The dreaded dive accomplished, as the butterfly fishes swim in all directions. Deeper into the ocean the bright colorful vibrant coral gardens ooze of life all creatures exiting from the massive corals. Mother Nature at its best, thrilling and astounding. As if, everything is synced in a rhythm. Then up and up resurfacing for more breeze and fresh air.

The leafy mangrove trees at the shore sway with the wind, as the ocean waves make every ebb and tide with a roaring sound. The sand is pushed away from the shore, moving the sand further away to a new spot as the little crabs run away from one hole to the next rushing .Perhaps enjoying the wavy action. At the beach, multitude bask in the sun, a few rest in the shades drinking some coconut drink as others apply sunscreen to the bodies. The children on the other hand are enjoying the

fun family time, building castles. Adjusting the gear with a camera in hand, a second dive into the lush ocean, the quench of the ocean yet not satisfied; with beautiful creatures, pictures of them are taken.

Then back to the glass bottom boat as the boat heads back to land. An exchange to a new boat lead to a new destination Dabaso crab shack. Where a boardwalk through the richly conserved mangroves is fulfilling. Some more birds jump into different trees sing and flying away. Away from the ocean, on the middle of the conservation center are containers afloat .These are hatcheries of the crabs. The efforts by the community to keep the mangrove species are what makes their efforts noble. The crunchy crisp fried crabs sold spike interest to try them out, the tasty feeling bursting with rich flavors in the taste buds. The cassava crisps that had been bought earlier are a source of more munching, as the crabs run out. The bird lovers take the chance, by using their binoculars noting down the books they have seen.

A stopover at the drinks bar leaves everyone with a bottle of ice-cold water. The wind as always are but a stimulant for another experience a wonderful experience, an exquisite moments as we head back to our boats to our starting position. This has been Watamu, a town with hidden treasures, more treasures awaits as the hunt continues.

-IND OF F E E L I N G T H AT LINGERS IN YOU FOREVER. By Diana Chepkoech Diana is a self-taught writer also skilled in content creation, SEO writing, copywriting, and proofreading. She is a passionate marine biologist and currently eyes pursuing diving courses towards this end.

deanne_narak

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Watamu Marine Park is considered one of the best snorkeling and

Members of the Watamu Marine Association group are Turtle Bay,

diving areas on the coast of East Africa. It is also rated the third-best

Hemingways , Ocean Sports, Arocha Kenya, Lonno Lodge Mida (LLM)

Your instincts were right all along.

beach in Africa, for its crystal clear water and silver sand beaches. in

Community Conservation group, Watamu Boat Operator, The Safari

The world is full of choices. Yours brought you here.

protecting the Park, local community groups, the tourist sector and

Sellers and women’s group. The shoreline in the area features white

answer the call. Visit watamu by clicking right HERE

environmental groups have formed a Watamu Marine Association.

sand beaches and offshore coral formations.

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GUEST REVIEW BY HILDA MAGUDELI Theme: Hatred, Revenge Supernatural, Mysterious Relationships / Friendships Characters: The characters are all different. There are seven recently graduated teens going down to Lena and Robin’s vacation house in Mexico. I really like Kerry, Lena, and Bert personalities.

Bert - is the guy who always makes everyone in the group laugh.

He has a easygoing personality and is easy to get along with.

Lena - is the bears in the group. She hides her feelings behind a tough exterior and is always confident in herself.

Kerry - is the crybaby in the group (sorry Kerry). She tries to be tough but she was nothing but a whiny baby who likes to complain.

My least favorite character would have to be Angie. She was boring and annoying; kind of plain. The story was in third point of view following two characters in different chapters— Shani & Park.

Style/Setting: Pike keeps us turning pages to discover not only what happened in the past, but what’s going to happen now. Readers shouldn’t think too hard about this one, or many of Pike’s entertaining thrillers, any more than they should films like Scream, or I Know What You did Last Summer. You just enjoy the fun ride. And that is exactly what Weekend is, a thrill ride.

Robin and Lena Carlton live in a beach house on Point Eugenia in rural Mexico. Their adopted father is a wealthy record mogul. Robin is very ill, with failing kidneys. Every one of the young adults headed for Mexico by invitation after graduation, feels guilty about Robin’s situation. It seems they were all at the party where the “accident” involving Robin’s condition happened.

Even though police could not prove it was intentional, each of the kids wonders if it was. This includes Shani Tucker, Robin’s best friend; Bert, the affable one; Sol, the barrio wolf among sheep at Hoover High; Lena, who stole Sol from high-strung and sometimes strung-out Kerry Ladd; Park Jacomini, who after the accident, dumped Robin for Angie; and a relative newcomer from England, dreamy Flynn Powers, Shani’s crush.

We get most of the narrative through the eyes of Shani, and Park.

It’s fun to “watch” Pike peel back the layers as two separate groups approach Mexico. There was a prank that Kerry feels was perpetrated by the more sophisticated — and bitchy — Lena, who is the polar opposite of her sweet sister, Robin. Tension builds as they arrive, and everyone begins wondering why no one else from class

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I didn’t think I would like anyone else’s old mystery novels besides R.L. Stine, but Pike’s novel, Weekend, really grabbed my attention.

has arrived. Lena may have had the wrong date on the invitations, making them arrive later. But is that true? These are kids with a lot of history, and Pike does a great job with their interactions. Sure, there are some stereotypes, but everyone who went to high school will recognize at least two or three of these personalities, because they ring true.

In chapter five, Pike gives us the flashback we’ve been waiting for, showing us the party from November at the heart of this supposedly dream weekend in Mexico. The author makes the kids real in that they aren’t always likable, and at other times we sympathize with them. It’s not clear who to root for, or even whether any of them can be ruled out as suspects. A couple of things seem obvious, but then is that so obvious that it must be a red herring? Finally there’s an explosion, and one of the group is dead. A tragic accident or revenge? And still, why hasn’t anyone else arrived? If someone wants revenge, they’ll need to find out who put Robin out of action that night in order to save their own hides. With this group of friends, it may not be so easy.

This was a blast from the past, incredibly entertaining. I couldn’t stop reading, and had great fun. The climax is exciting, and the twist, while not totally unexpected, does add to the wonderfully cheesy but adorably satisfying aftermath. Fun not only for the audience at which it was originally aimed, but also those who like a retro ‘80s blast once in a while.

Christopher Pike is creative. Just when I thought I figured out the plot, Pike turned it around and shocked me. There was a killer plot twist (ha! no pun intended). This was a fun read and kept me thinking as I continuously tried to figure out the mystery. I really wish I had more to read about these characters. I was sad to see this book come to an end. This would have made a great series. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Christopher Pike. It’s time to branch off from R.L. Stine mystery books and check out other authors (no offense to you Mr. Stine. I will forever be a fan of yours).

Recommended to: I recommend this book to lovers of YA Thrillers. If you’ve read any of Pike’s books before and enjoyed them, then you’ll love this. Sticking with the theme of friends on vacation, I recommend reading Oblivion Road by Alex McAulay. I’m new to reading Christopher Pike and this was only his second novel. I’ve heard that he’s the master of fast-paced thrillers in YA.

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I L L U S T R AT I O N O F T H E I S S U E This illustration was done with Amisi Kevin.

It is part of the innocence project aimed at creating valuable inspiring illustrations.

The target is 24 Illustrations every year.

If you have a portrait that you need illustrated, call us or talk to us via our email at outlust@alfajiri.co.ke.

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@sheilandinda As ladies, we at times tend to make decisions about our hair based on what is trending rather than what is ideal. For this reason, you will find some ladies with hairstyles that are good but do not do flatter them. Luckily, there are multiple black hairstyles for Kenyan girls. You must know which black girl hairstyle is the best for you. Join in the exploration of natural black hairstyles in detail with @sheilandinda on Instagram.

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87 JUST

ALI HASSAN JOHO.

Q : W H AT D O YO U W I S H M O R E P E O P L E K N E W A B O U T K E N YA ? ombasa, preferably, is very innovative. There’s a lot to experience. People need to feel how our people live in Africa. This city is the gateway at south east Kenya. I don’t like this image of - Kenya is in Africa and Africans have the same thing to offer: safari. That’s why our brand has Africa minimized as a country rather a continent. We are one big continent. We don’t have one product. We have diverse products.

I organize international conferences with visitors across the globe and they surprisingly tell me they didn’t realize we have recreational beaches in Kenya. We are an adorable fraction of an island of the sea! So how do we get people to appreciate that there are great places to visit and explore rather than the wildlife in Kenya and in Africa as a whole? Our coastal sands are better than the Caribbean.

There is beyond safari, there is beyond the beach, there is beyond just a city. People want to participate and learn, so when they go back they have benefited and experienced something new in their lives. Let that person who is here for visits get irresistibly tamed by wonder. Let them feel more than the prism of the usual safari.

We believe that storytelling is one of the most powerful things we have in this era of millennialism where you can share things instantly with others on social media and print and tell your own story. We need to start telling our own stories. We need to start sharing our lives and show the positive side of our experiences as Kenyans; preserve our heritage and also own it. Outlust Magazine serves a big step and we recommend this ideology.

Outlust Magazine panel is an exclusive global community comprised of creative and elite writers willing to share their views, opinions, and experiences. By joining the panel you will participate in contributing provocative experiences from your travels through our mail and have the unique opportunity to influence the evolution of Outlust Magazine readers.

By Amisi Kevin Ali H. Joho is a career politician who has served in various capacities way before the devolved government was in place. He is currently the county governor of Mombasa and the chair of the Regional Commission for Mombasa with aspirations to take the lead political head front for presidency in the upcoming elections under the ODM party.

Note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.

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