Diary of the Melancholic Traveller: Reflections when it's over

Dear Diary,
It has taken me a while to write this partly because of my cold and also I cannot believe it's over.
Honestly Friday was a really sad day and after a heavy breakfast we hit the road. On our last game drive we were lucky enough to catch some elephants up close on our way out. I felt kind of sad taking it all in and knowing it would be a while till I got to see the magnificent scenery again.
Once we were out of the reserve I pretty much fell asleep for the entire drive back home which is quite long.
We started our journey at 8.30 am and arrived in Nairobi at around 2 pm.

All in all I can say it was a fantastic vacay.
Kenya is really beautiful and it is indeed no wonder that The Mara is as big an attraction as it is.
I also applaud the staff at all the hotels we stayed in. They took being very welcoming to a whole new level and I did feel very cared for.
And our tour company(Global Star Tours) did a very great job coming up with our package and our driver, Maina, well he was awesome.
I think what makes a safari in the wild more awesome besides staying at a great location is having a driver who is as patient and as friendly as the one we had. Plus the way he manouevered through those muddy tracks in the Mara was just out of this world. He was truly a great one.

So that's it. My awesome Christmas in the wild. I can't wait to do this again next year.

Love,
The Melancholic Traveller who had a great time.

Diary of the Melancholic Traveller: Mara Day 2

Dear Diary,
Please take me back.
Please. I will do anything.
Our second day in the Mara was pretty good. It started on a rainy note. But not even the skies could stop our plans.
We started by sitting in the lobby watching a few hippos play in the water in the nearby Mara River.
After breakfast (a very meaty buffet with lots of mini steaks, sausages and bacon) we started our mid morning drive. The rain had sort of scared the animals into hiding but we did see a few lions and a lot of wildebeests. Our driver then took us on this mad dash to get a candid of the exact border point where there is even an eroded beacon that marks the boundary between Kenya and Tanzania. Later we went and got an upclose view of the Mara River where a nice Kenya Wildlife Services ranger took us on a nice walk along its banks (at a little fee). We even got a glimpse of one of the most photographed spots on the river which is a major crossing point during the wildebeest migration that has made the Mara so popular.
Of course my threatening cold made my energy levels pretty low so most of the time I just sat in the van all snuggled up in a Maasai 'shuka' taking in the magnificent scenery.
We then headed back to the camp for lunch and I treated myself to a nice nap before our evening game drive.
At around 3 pm we got back into the van for what would be our final official game drive. The rain had stopped and the sun was out so we were expecting to see more animals out. Unfortunately it seemed they were still in their shelters so except for 2 lions which we caught up with as they just finished an entire buffalo and a few herds of zebras we didn't catch much game.
We did however see this huge snake slithering across the grass. Even though we were in the safety of our van it still scared me because it was so huge and black. I think it must have been a black mamba. Scary.
Dinner was served at around 8 and by then I was super sleepy. After I ate I tried to stick around to watch the Maasai dancers but they took too long to come so I just retreated to bed and missed their perfomance.

Well, I guess that's all for now.
I can't bring myself to write about how sad I felt leaving that place so I think I will write about that in my final post in the series tomorrow.
Love,
The melancholic traveller who is sad.

Diary of the Melancholic Traveller: Mara day 1

Dear Diary,
I am feeling very irritable maybe because of the long drive from Lake Nakuru. We left the hotel at 7 and arrived at Ashnil Mara Camp at around 3.30 p.m. One word - exhaustion.

The drive was ridiculously long. There I was thinking Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge was hidden. Clearly I had no idea. For almost 4 hours we drove on rough murram roads into a plain that seemed to endlessly expand into the horizon. Kind of beautiful but it also does have a way of wearing you out. That and the fact that my phone was dying did not really help.
The Mara is insanely magical. It is just a plain that rolls on and on.. and its been a bit rainy so it is looking very green nothing like what they show in the movies.
It is one of those places you drive on and on until you sort of start to lose your sense of direction.

Now our tented camp... another story. Honestly we are in the bush. Somebody just found a little space in between riverine bushes along the Mara River and brought some tents and a few gourmet chefs and voila... tourist resort. Unlike Lake Nakuru Sopa which was barely into it's 3rd week of operations, Ashnil Mara has been around for a while so it was a welcome change seeing other tourists.
I did not mind our room except for the teeny weeny spiders hiding in the tented wall. That did not amuse me.
The wifi situation is not the best. It is  only available in the lobby and it costs 10 dollars. I could complain but we are in the middle of the wild so infrastructure is very expensive we should even be glad they offer it at all.

Anyway we arrived a little late but after the usual hot hand towels and juice reception, they were still able to offer us a buffet lunch since they had been expecting us.Their food is good. Simple but good not like the gourmet stuff we ate previously at Lake Nakuru.

Afterwards we went for an evening game drive. Here the animals are a bit more scattered but we did see a lot of lions and gazelles.

Dinner soon followed and like lunch, it was a Christmas buffet. I loved it especially the Angels's food cake I had for dessert which just may be the reason my throat is feeling all congested as I type this. They did this whole birthday jig during dinner where the chefs came out singing and dancing carrying cake for one of the guests. That was entertaining and the host told us tomorrow there will be a group of Maasai Dancers.. yaaay!

So far so good. This place is ridiculously cold and my immune system is under siege so I am feeling a little sick but I won't let that get to me. I shall cover myself in layers of sweaters and smile and drink cold juice and eat dessert but wash it down with warm water and beg this cold to go away.

Love,
The melancholic traveller who is hanging in there.

Diary of the Melancholic Traveller: Lake Nakuru Detours

Dear Diary,

I kind of understand what Taylor Swift meant when she sang the words,
"today was a fairytale,".
The past day has been somewhere near a safari fairytale.
Leaving Nairobi was well, leaving Nairobi. There was not much just a cloudy sky and a newly carpeted by pass which was a breeze to drive on. We got to Nakuru by like 11 a.m. And began our off road adventure in Lake Nakuru. Which was quite the adventure btw.
I mean for the first time I hated my couch potato ways because I realized that my aversion for new experiences meant I was missing out a lot. Lake Nakuru is beyond beautiful even with the absence of flamingos.
We began by a little game drive through the park and stopped over at the Off Road View Point which is on a little hill over looking the lake. The water looked all dark but still reflected a bit of the midday sun. Seeing as how we were starved the game drive was cut short and we proceeded to the Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge.

It is at this point that this fairy tale begins.

I mean it is so beautiful and the reception they gave us had us feeling all royal. There was this warm hostess (I forget her name :-\ ) but she was warm and cheerful and received us very kindly. We were offered hot hand towels and juice before being ushered to our rooms.
What I loved is this whole décor theme they have going on which is inspired by the surrounding woodland. I am not the biggest fan of brown. Honestly I prefer glass and metal to wood and stone anyday but in their case I make an exception. The rooms look like little circular cottages plus our rooms have this spectacular view of the lake seeing as how the lodge is located on a high hill that overlooks the entire park. And the wi-fi is great. Minus the whole no TV anywhere, well I think I could live here forever.  I didn't get to chill by the pool but it looked inviting as well and it also overlooks the lake.
Anyway lunch was quite something. Of course they do proper 4 course meals. We had mushroom on toast for starters and a vegetable soup which was a bit plain but still good and fresh. By the time the main course started I was well on my way to feeling stuffed. For the main course we had juicy lamb and chunky potatoes with beetroot sauce and vegetables. Yummers.

Now dessert deserves its own paragraph. Passion mousse in a crispy white chocolate shell. I was in sugar heaven. Like I have never tasted anything so creamy and fruity and sweet....
*okay I need a moment*

Anyway after that serious meal we went for another successful game drive. Successful because we saw so many animals. Animals are interesting and here are a few random facts I learnt:
-Lions are my animal soulmates. Turns out they sleep 18 hours a day. Just like me on weekends lol. Go team feline!
-Gazelles are a bit like mordern day teenagers. They walk in separate male/female groups and the males identify themselves as bachelors always battling out to win the spot of single sole protector of a group of females
-Rhinos do not like humans very much, as evidenced by a story our guide told us of a rhino that decided to charge at a group of tourists in a van. Like it actually hit their van even as it drove off at like 100kph.

What that drive made me realize about being a tourist is the little joys you enjoy. Like those moments you run into random groups of people in their vans and you wave at them happily. Or those moments a tour van driver stops yours to tell you where the next amazing sighting is and your driver does this mad dash to catch them before they leave. It was this genuine peaceful feeling; even getting lost in the bushes and having the evening drizzle leak through the sunroof.

We got back in time for dinner and ran into the manager in the lobby, a friendly gentleman called Fred. I think this guy has the best job in the world because Lake Nakuru Sopa is so beautiful I could live there forever. I would totally not mind working hard and being posted to be a finance manager in a tourist resort somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Dinner was great. The starter was this chef's salad that had been presented so fancily I just wanted to stare at it. The butternut soup was a major improvement on the one we had for lunch. Our main dish was  sweet and sour chicken served with rice . And dessert..  next paragraph please.

Cashewnut cheesecake.
I am not the biggest cheesecake fan but this one deserved applause. End of story.

That chef of theirs deserves a raise. Our tastebuds have never been so entertained.

Anyway we were all so tired and just went straight to bed I didn't even want to spend hours on YouTube as I had planned.

Oh and a major plus, they provide hot water bottles in the beds. And that is how to make a tired tourist sleep like a baby and make a resolve to come back again:-)

Well, that was our day. Tiring but nonetheless amazing.

Right now we are on our way to the Mara to continue our vacay. Yaay!

More later.
Love,
The melancholic traveller who doesn't feel very melancholic anymore.❤

Feeling all top-model in front of the tourvan

A collage of some of the meals I ferociously devoured

That awesome moment when everyone decides to go on a game drive :)

Presenting the BEASTS!

The beautiful entrance

Views from the dining area

Diary of the Melancholic Traveller: The Prelude

"Once upon a time there was a girl with a 16GB smart phone with the Blogger App and a fabulous camera who still believes her little blog will change the world. She isn't sure how but she just knows it...."

Merry Christmas!!
'tis the season gain weight and have a forgivable reason.'
Yes? No?

I have no idea why I just wrote that. Forgive me.
*steps back into normal self*

Anyway the past few months I know I wasn't as active on this blog as I would have loved and I kind of feel bad about that so I decided to do a Christmas post with a difference. Well sort of.

This season I am going to the Maasai Mara for the first time ever!!

My family and I had been thinking of doing a Mara road trip for the longest time ever and when this plan was confirmed I decided to make it a bit of a creative vacay by documenting our travel on this here blog. Of course this was inspired partly by a few of my favourite bloggers who have done similar 'Tembea Kenya' themed posts including the lovely Sharon Mundia .

So basically I will do a diary series of about 4 posts themed around this. Depending on the wi-fi situation, I hope to post either daily as it happens or when I get back.

I do hope you will enjoy reading and it will inspire you to go enjoy God's creation and tell the world about it in your chosen way.

So here is the introduction post in the title series...

MAASAI MARA HOLIDAY STARTER PACK

Less than 24 hours to this major trip and I am beyond excited I do not think if I will even be able to sleep tonight.

Packing for any trip can be a bit of task because of the dilemma that is packing clothes that make you feel good without overloading your suitcase or in my case backpack.

I'm yet to check the weather situation in the Rift Valley on AccuWeather™ but I am relying on a little common sense to do my packing.

Which is why my 4 day Mara Road trip starter pack is as follows:

(pardon the numbering I made a mistake numbering the pictures and had to re-adjust the text accordingly)

1. 2 pairs of pants. Khakis and black pencil jeans are a universally known wardrobe staple. And even on holiday they are essential. They match everything and are comfy enough to be worn as you lounge in the hotel, take game drives and even for a nice dinner by the camp fire. To make them super versatile I added into the mix a variety of tops including t-shirts and heavy sweater tops(for evening). I also packed 2 skirts for travel day and as a dinner outfit alternative just incase they have a 'no jeans to dinner' policy where we are going.

2. For footwear I kept it simple as well.
Rubber shoes are a staple for any safari. The 'bata ngomaz' pictured are my go to footwear for any casual engagement. They have seen me go on  hikes at Oloolua Nature Trail in Karen and random days thrift shopping at Toi so there is no way they would be left behind. I also thought a nice pair of Maasai Sandals are good for just lounging in the hotel. The boots were specifically to make me feel all tourist during the planned game drives. With a nice pair of khakis, they definitely complete the whole tourist look.

4. A safari isn't the most glamorous of enagements so no need to pack my entire make-up drawer. Just Nivea creme and lotion for face and body. A little body spray that smells fresh but isn't too strong and vaseline(not pictured). Also a little mascara, eye liner and my favourite lip stain because simple doesn't have to be too plain.

5. A list of other random essentials that include:
-Jewellery: I chose to carry a bunch of bracelets. And hairbands.
-earphones and charger (major essential)
-wet wipes and hand sanitizer
-notebook and pens(for documenting everything)
-a simple black leather sling bag for carrying my daily essentials.

6.And all the above fit into my lovely red tote, black sling bag and back pack.
:)). Talk about travelling light.

Notably absent is a swimsuit because I just had my hair retouched and best believe chlorine and relaxed hair do not mix at all. That is a lesson learnt because next time I will plan my retouch for after the vacay.
Also I didn't have sunglasses because I tend to be careless with mine, losing them all the time and I had not had time to go pick out a new pair but what I will be carrying is a nice big hat or beret though they aren't pictured.

So now I am packed and ready.

I just pray this trip turns out well and  you enjoy the read.

Happy holidays once again..  more later so bookmark me now.... pleeeease :)

Thank you for reading and feel free to like(on any social media pages you stumbled across this on) comment and share.

Also any travel essentials that you think I forgot tell me...

Otherwise later sweethearts❤❤.