Writings and Travels of Lina Em
It’s the end of the year again and I’m back in NYC, avoiding the crowds to have an intimate and quiet dinner whilst watching “You’ve Got Mail”. After indulging a bit much for the holiday travels, I wanted to keep a simple and light meal.
Continue reading “Tuna Tartare to Ring the New Year”
The Daphne Sheldrick Baby Elephant and Rhino Orphanage is a sure place to see African elephants with their large floppy ears and red dusted skin. Located near the Langata Gate of Nairobi National Park, it is part of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Fund. It is opened only for 1 hour from 11AM-12PM and it is 500 Kenyan shillings, minimum donation.
Continue reading “Baby Elephants & Karen Blixen”
Before coming to Kenya, I did know that many of the world’s tea is originally from Kenya. It was with pleasant anticipation that for a day trip, we went to Limuru, which is an hour drive from Nairobi to where Kiambethu Tea Farm is situated. It is said to be an old farm from the early 1900s that is now open to the public for viewing and lunching/picnicking.
Continue reading “Day Tour of Kiambethu Tea Farm”
Boxing Day, which is typically a British holiday in which you open Christmas gifts, arrived quite warmly, cool breeze and partly cloudy weather. It is a rest day but we are invited to have lunch at an ex-UNEP employee’s home near Karura Forest.
Continue reading “Tempura Shrimp & Vegetables”
I’ve never been an early morning riser. 7AM is the most I can manage. How does one manage intend to wake up to get to a National Park at 630AM?
Well, one doesn’t.
Continue reading “Roaming Nairobi National Park”
The Rift Valley is best seen in Kenya, so says the hotel guide. For this part of the trip, bookings were made at Lake Elmenteita Serena Lodge. It is a “hut/tent” style of lodge, designed to be the ultimate form of African “glamping”. Located on the conservancy of Baron Delamare, purchased in 1845, the hotel chain, Serena (owned by a famous Indian), opened its first lodging in 2011.
Continue reading “Glamping at Lake Elmenteita”
They say honesty is key to telling a story. A good story.
The truth is, I’ve never had any desire to visit Kenya, let alone Africa. Maybe Morocco or Egypt but not so much Africa. The savannahs never really called to me the way lush rainforest did.
But I find myself in Kenya, nonetheless, and I decided to make the most out of the opportunity.
Despite being well traveled and organized, I am always aflustered the day of travel. The house has to be cleaned spotless before departure, the dog sent to camp and the cat prepared meals in advanced. It’s a time consuming process and with only half a day to prepare, I somehow made it and arrived at the airport. Of course, without my phone cable. Why does Apple make their phone cables differ for various devices? Money, most likely.