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Jambo from Kenya
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Turning 30 really isn't that bad after all! I celebrated on the day with a group of friends in at Syrian restaurant, drinking champagne cocktails, smoking shisha and eating scrumptious mezes.
A week after my birthday Ant whisked me off on a surprise 7-day trip to Kenya. I had no idea we were going away, he'd even sorted out for me to have time off work.
So, destination Mombasa, Kenya! For those who haven't heard of Mombasa this is package holiday central and for the first time since we started traveling we became... one of them.
On arrival at Mombasa airport we were ushered to a waiting bus and taken to our accommodation. We stayed at The Plaza Beach hotel at Bamburi Beach, and although it was only rated as a 3-star hotel, it was one of the nicest hotels we've ever stayed in.
We spent our days lazing by the pool, reading, eating fresh fish and walking along the beach, though you couldn't walk along the beach without being hassled by the beach boys - "Jambo, do you want a key ring with name engraved" - okay so these guys sucked us in; "Jambo, come look at my shop looking is free" - yeah but so is hassling; "Jambo, have you got socks to swap" - they don't swap they just use them to make you feel like you got a better deal.
We did manage to venture away from our days of idleness by going on a 2 day safari in Tsavo East which is about 4 hours out of Mombasa. Tsavo East is part of two national parks which form one of Africa's largest wilderness reserves. Instead of booking your normal cheap backpacker tour - tented accommodation and a large group, we opted for a more expensive version - luxury lodge and small group. Well, what can I say! I want travel luxury all the time!
The safari was out of this world. Within an hour of entering the park we saw our first 'big' game, a lone giraffe walking gracefully over the plains toward our truck, they truly are stunning animals. We saw countless elephants, from adults with huge tusks that touched the ground to small babies being protected by their mothers. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to watch a herd of elephants bath in a water hole. The lodge we stayed in was stunning, all rooms had balconies that looked out over the game reserve and a flood lit water hole meant you could sit and watch the animals all night if you wanted.
On our last day in Kenya we spent it at Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre (a project of The Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya) - http://www.apdkbombolulu.com/EN/index.html. It was an amazing and a most memorable day. Our time was spent being shown around the workshops talking to people and watching various handicrafts being made, we watched traditional African dances and looked at how different African tribes built their homes. We ended the day visiting their gift store where you could buy the crafts you had seen - and of course I bought a heap of trinkets. If anyone visits Mombasa I can't recommend this place enough, it really is a nice experience.
For people who wouldn't usually do a package tour we had a ball! I definitely prefer backpacking though getting stuck into traveling!
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