Short Weekend Getaway: Lake Naivasha
Author: Yellow Duckie
•13:41
What I really like most about Kenya is the easy access for a perfect weekend gateaway. Away from the hustle bustle of city life into the peaceful relaxing weekend spot. I found mine at Lake Naivasha. With just barely 2 hours car ride, you'll find yourself embraced by the beauty of God's creation.



Our choice was Sopa Lodge at Lake Naivasha and it was truly unbeatable. Once you entered the gates, you left all your worries behind. The lodge is well hidden by the lakeside and each room is a little two storey cottage which contains four rooms (two on the ground floor and two above). The rooms on the ground floor open up to the green field leading to the lake. Giraffes and other animals can be easily spotted here. Hippos do get close to the hotel compound in the dark as well.



With the full board service , complimentary use of the swimming pool, gym and steam room, one could not ask for more.
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Rwanda : Land of Banana trees, sorgum and Gorillas
Author: Yellow Duckie
•11:33
Struggling to fight against my sleepiness, I was struck in awe when the plane glided gracefully among the hills and landed on one of them. First thought that came to my mind was : Awesome...Rwanda is beautiful.
Armed with the knowledge that Rwanda is known as the country of thousand hills still did not prepare me for the magnificent sight which I must admit is very different from the African cities which I have been too. It was nothing but hills in Rwanda..endless hills.
The city of Kigali is extremely clean and the condition of the road is superb! Coming from a country where bumpy rides is often encountered, this is real comfort! In this short visit of mine, I only have 2 items in my "To-Do" list in Rwanda : Visit the Gorillas and the church where the genocide happened where upon completion I would say that I have officially visited Rwanda.
Mountain Gorillas
Everyone who knows a little more about the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, will be informed about getting a place to see the Susa group. They are indeed the biggest group of gorilla and we were thrilled that we were able to be part of the team to see them.
As you might have already known, one day, only 56 permits are issued to see these beautiful creatures and the price of the permit is EXORBITANT (even though I think that the experience was awesome but still it is too expensive), 500 USD per person excluding transport to the park.

Excited as I was being able to get a place to see the Susa group but the hike up to where they were was pure torture to my limbs and lungs. The altitude itself makes it difficult for the hike and plus the fact that we hardly exercise makes it even more difficult.


However difficult the hike was, i must admit that the trail was quite nice as we passes through the villages on the slope, passing through their farms but the last 20 minutes hike in the forest was not too pleasant as we were practically diving among the scrubs.



The feeling of the gorillas being only a mere 3m away from you (not caged) was simply stunning. The heavy mist around us made it felt as though we were in a dream...
Church
Situated only 25 KM away from the city of Kigali, this place can be visited within a couple of hours. Not that I am anticipating to experience the eerie feeling of visiting the genocide site but I Pre-empted myself before arrival at the site. However, it was not the case for me, the site was peaceful. So peaceful that it was hard to imagine that a genocide happened on the very ground we were standing on.


Lake Kivu
I must admit that there is nothing much about this lake except for the serenity of th e surrounding and the long boring journey of getting there.

Images of Rwanda (in my head), apart from the Gorillas and history about the genocide were:
Add Image
Sorghum Wheat: My first time seeing it...a lot of it in Rwanda :)

Yellow oil like chili oil : Do not underestimate this mild looking substance, it is really spicy.

Odd Looking mosque
Loads of banana tress
.and the tasty grilled chicken with long legs and wings, which I believe until today that it was not chicken that we had for dinner that night...
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Paradise at Lake Barigo
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:23
I have to admit that the perfect combination for a long weekend in Kenya is a great road trip plus great company. This time, one of my dear friend has selected Lake Baringo to be our destination for pure pleasure and relaxation. Apart from the heat, this place is fits exactly what we were looking for.


The entire trip took us 4 hours to get to Kampi ya Samaki, the shore of Lake Baringo, from Nairobi. We were then transfered by a moderate speed boat to a "fanstasy island" where you will find absolute solitude from the outside world. However, if you do not want to be disturbed, you might want to toss your phone into the lake while you are being trasnfered from the shore as phone coverage on this island is good.


Jetty

The tents at Island camp (www.islandcamp.co.ke/location_en.htm) where we stayed were surprisingly in good condition and the bathrooms are clean. With the low season in tow, we almost had the whole camp site to ourselves.


By the pool
If you think swimming in the lake, you better forget about it as this place is a haven for the the hungry crocodiles that would be delighted to have you in between their powerful jaw. Besides the murky water is not that inviting anyway. Stick to the pool 3m pool in the campsite is my advise to you.


View point
One of the most enjoyable activities I find is the walk through the village nearby. Instead of having to pay 10 USD to visit a commercial Masai village, we get to stroll into a live village where everyone were running about doing their own business and throw curiousity looks as we passed by without any harrassment. I was told that they were known as the Sea Masai as fishing is part of their survival skills instead of hearding cows.


Smoked Fish


Guitar

At night, the path in the campsite is well lighted and the lighting effects is breathtaking. Do be cautious as there are alot of creepy crawlies along the way, as close as you can be to nature I would say.

Tent

Like many islands which carries a legend to magnified the mysterious character of the island, there is an uncharted island right opposite this island, known as the Devil's Island. According to the locals, if you happen to be in that particular island alone at night, you will hear your name being called. It was also said that screaming can be heard and fire sightings in the island, however, no one has even witness it.
Friendly visitor
I strongly recommend this place if you are looking for a great relaxing weekend.
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Round and round around Mt Kenya
Author: Yellow Duckie
•23:52
Climbing Mt Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa, is never in my "TO-DO" list but that doesn't mean I should miss the opportunity the view of this majestic mountain. Hence the road trip around Mt Kenya..literally around it.

Bracing through the messy traffic in Thika, we finally left the city heading towards the town called Embu. There are couple of major towns around Mt Kenya which serves as the base for experienced hikers that have made the decision to conquer the mountain and Embu happened to be one of them. I must admit that there is nothing particularly interesting here.

Before arriving at Embu, we pass through the region known as the Mwea National reserve. This is where I would call it the rice bowl of kenya as most of the Pishori rice (Basmati like) sold in the supermarkets are produced here. I paid 150 Kenya shillings (KSH) for 1 kg and later found out that you could get rice from this region in Nakumatt (local supermarket) in Nairobi for only 133 KSH! But supposed, the money goes directly into their pocket...

From Embu we head towards Meru , Nanyuki and completing the circle near Nyeri before heading back to Nairobi. The journey was not too disappointing although there were not many scenic point as have expected. I enjoyed the road from Meru to Nanyuki. Thus far, I believe that part has got the best scenic point of the mountain besides the breathe taking view of the sunflower fields and the fresh green wheat fields. For self catering guests, there is a huge Nakumatt in Meru, where you can get decent lunch and stock up for your stay in the Meru National park or even your hike up to Mt Kenya.


At the equator

Miraa is famous in this region. It is a leafy twig which is actually a mild stimulant.It is chewed and said to give you flow ideas while you are at it. These mild stimulants' potency diminishes after 48 hours thus the Miraa drivers has got excellent skills in driving from the Meru region to Nairobi Wilson airport and have it transported to Mogadishu (where Miraa is widely used in Somalia) ASAP.

Fields of Sunflower

The "Microsoft" screensaver scenery...

The Peak of Mt Kenya

This road trip took almost 12 hours with minimal stopovers and extended stay to wait for the cloud to shift away from the peak of the mountain so that we can get a good shot of it.
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Sunset in Bahrain
Author: Yellow Duckie
•07:55
Sunset caught at Le Gnoush Conquiche ~ waterfront that overlooks the city of Maname from Muharraq's side (island where the Bahrain airport is)

It was hazy due to the "sandstorm" and definitely not a perfect day to catch sunset.






The sun just disappeared into the "haze"
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Driving in Bahrain: A pleasant experience?
Author: Yellow Duckie
•16:16
Driving in Bahrain can be quite a challenge. Apart from the well maintained road, except for some disruption from the construction, knowing your way around is crucial here. Believe it or not, I actually spent almost 40 mins trying to get my way out of the city center to the main street..thank God that petrol here cost only 0.3 USD here.

For one, the sign board in Bahrain is hopeless...and I thought Malaysia was bad. I tried searching for the famous Tree of Life but I ended up in Durrat Al-Bahrain (the furthest point in the south of Bahrain). Although I eventually did find it, it was with much difficulties...the sign board just stop appearing after a while and worst part is that if you are coming from the other side of the road, you will definitely not see it as it was intended for traffic in the opposite direction. Sometimes, the sign boards are even hidden amongst the bushes...


Generally, the drivers here are impatient and selfish. Impatient to the point that a few seconds if your car doesn't move at the green light, you will definitelly get hooted at. As for selfish, it doesn't matter whose right of road it is, I'm charging forward and you will have to give way.
Parking? I have no complains. Perhaps is the ample parking space they have here or the population here is just so little that I never seems to be having problem finding a space for my car. Those days in One U (Shopping mall in Malaysia) seem so distance now where finding a parking space can be an hour affair. Be it in the shopping mall, hospital or market, there is always a spot ready for your car.
Apart from these, I must admit that driving in Bahrain is quite a comfort.
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Bahrain @ Night
Author: Yellow Duckie
•14:12
Bahrain, at one glance may seem to have nothing attractive apart from the F1 Circuit and for me, the extravaganza Shopping mall. However, there is something I discover (although I knew it all along) is that the night scene in Bahrain is quite a sight to behold.


Fountain with the Financial Harbor as Background

This country does not seem to have much of their own resources to survive on and yet it is well developed for the comfort of the residents here. There is no lacking in this country. One thing for sure is that they definitely know how to light up their works of architecture.



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The Moon on the other side of the world is always bigger
Author: Yellow Duckie
•14:34

My first shot of the Moon :)
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Jidhafs: A Night market Revealed
Author: Yellow Duckie
•10:25
Good things are always discovered by accident and it was the case for my discovery of a night market in Jidhafs. All it took was a wrong turn. Situated right on Jidhafs Avenue, the night market is actually a market place for both morning and night. I was beyond thrilled when I found out that there is a market right behind where I stay.


Nectarines from Egypt.
However, shopping there was quite unpleasant as they usually charged foreigner a higher price. I discovered this after buying 1 (yes, 1 pathetic beetroot) as he initially charged me 500 fils (Equivalent about 1.8 USD) and later only charged me 100 fils for it when I eventually pay after giving him a reluctance look.

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Chow time in Bahrain
Author: Yellow Duckie
•15:23
Bahrain is a cosmopolitan city that is full of life and compare to its neighbouring country, it's tolerant for liberty is fairly high. In this city, you will definitely never go hungry and dining here is quite an experience that you'll never forget. There is a whole long list of restaurants right from the affoardable meals at the local join to the fancy restaurants to satisfy your taste bud.

Here are some of my favourites:

Chin Li
Aadliya
Tel: +973 1771 7717
Serving excellent chinese food which I believe the taste tends to lean towards the Malaysian tongue :)

Swan Lake
Manama City
Near Bab Al-Bahrain (with the Gate behind you, turn left and the shop is at the first right lane)
I used to dislike Philippino food until I tried it here. My personal favourite is the Bulalo (Beef soup) and BBQ pork.

Thailand
Aadliya (One of the store along the path where all the restaurants are)
For some reason, I really like the food served in this Thai restaurant. The setup is not too fancy but the food is as close as I can get to those found in Thailand :) Pork has to be requested seperately as it is not found in the menu.

Monsoon
Aadliya
+973 1774 9222
Featured in all the maps and magazine, this place is an Asian food paradise. You can find all the South East Asian food here. The ambience is superb, inspired by a Baliness palace, however the food, I must say that the taste is still far from the real thing.

Cafe Lilou
Al Ali Shopping Mall
For a taste of great mushroom soup and heavenly dessert, this would be the place I personally recommend. The setup is chic and stylish. However, be prepared for the expensive price tag for the food.

Le Chocolate
Seef
+973 1758 2259
Be prepared to be swept of by the creativity of the pastry chef. The moment you step into the store, you will be greeted by the wide array of desserts which will make you compromise on the diet program you are on. Apart from the pastries, the pasta and pizza served are delicious too. I would save a perfect place for lunch, tea or dinner.

La Fountaine
Ras Ruman
+973 1723 0123
This is where I would call it my hideout. Serving excellent international cuisine with a relaxing ambience, I couldn't think of a more relaxing place than this. The restaurant overlooks the courtyard with a spanish fountain. This is also a comtemporay art gallery.

Japaense Restaurant @ Golden Tulip
Golden Tulip Hotel
I find the Japanese food here is very authentic and nothing of the fancy compared to Sato (in Gulf Hotel). Ambience is nice and comfortable. However, the price of the food is a little on the high side.

Al Bindaira Cafe
Al A'ali Complex
This is the first restaurant where I tried the Middle Eastern food and I have always loved this place. The mezzaine floor is always my favourite and you can have a taste of the local mezza and western food at the comfort of the resturant cosy setting. I believe this place is more for those we are looking for some afternoon arabic coffee and shisha. My favourite here is the Sheesh Tawook.

Saj Express
Seef Mall (Outside)
This is considered a fast food chain serving Middle easter cuisine but I cannot deny that their Hommous is definitely one of the best I've tasted.

Nakheel Al Basara
Tashan (Opposite Fakhroo Motors)
+973 1740 2260
Although it may not seem inviting but I was surprised to discover how clean and delicious the food are in this place. Tucked away from the hustle bustle of the city, this place serves Iranian, Lebanese and Indian food. What can I say, the food is good and value for money. They even served Machboos, a local Bahraini dish.

There are so many restaurants here in Bahrain with some of them operate 24x7, so the word hunger would rarely be used. One of the good guide can be found @ http://www.newarabia.net/bahrain_restaurants.htm

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Living Affordably in Bahrain
Author: Yellow Duckie
•12:40
The common comment my colleagues and I have about Bahrain is.."It's expensive". Since I will be stucked for 20 days here with a fully functioning kitchen, I decided to do my savings a huge favour by self catering my dinners from The Central Market (Situated near the Pearl Monument Roundabout)



Although the luxury of clean path and air-conditioned room cannot be enjoyed here, I have no complains as the price of fresh food here is merely a fraction of that in the Supermarket and the range of fresh vegetables, fish and meat is amazing!



Having been deprived of seafood in Nairobi, I decided to indulge myself in the fresh cheap seafood that is abundant in this country till I am sick of it. I have to admit that a walk in the wet fish market was not a pleasant one, however the sight of fresh fish is simply intriguing. Fishes that you never though could be eaten, such as the angel fish, can be found here.


Steam red Hammour
Word of advise when you visit the fish market, wear a raining boots if you have one. Also, bargaining is allowed here. If you are like me, intending to buy only small amount of fishes, not to mention in small size, you will eventually learn how to clean a fish in order to be consumed as they don't entertain you if you asked them to clean the fish for you. Not unless you buy a big fish.
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Lake Magadi
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:46
Having return from a stressful business trip, I was dying for an ultimate rerlaxation at Lake Magadi where I could soak comfortably in the natural hot spring with a glass of wine in one hand while nibbling grapes held by the other... that was the perfect picture I had about Lake Magadi.

Unfortunately, to my dismay, our visit to Lake Magadi turns out to be quite the opposite. Don't get me wrong, the scenery was not that bad but i was beyond disappointed as the picture which was painted in my mind was far from the reality (lesson is always have an open heart). However, I must admit that sight of the dried soda lake and it's surrounding were fascinating and altogether breathtaking.


At the gate of Lake Magadi. Picture Courtesy of Marco

Once we have entered the park, the hand drawn map given by the guide was not sufficient to get you to the hot spring spot. It was pretty clear in the map however the road leading to the hotspring was unmarked and thus making it impossible to track. We eventually came to a small town and got a Masai guide to lead us there.



The scorching heat was quite unbearable and the fact that the water is hot makes it quite an unpleasant combination, however that did not stop us from giving our feet a good spa. What can I conclude of this trip? Without a great company of good friends, this trip would have been a waste of time... and the experiencing of having lunch at the bush makes more worthwhile :)
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Hell's Gate National Park
Author: Yellow Duckie
•23:27
I have read and heard some great comment about the Hell's Gate national park thus we have decided to make this our next adventure destination. One of the most interesting fact about this place is that one will get to walk around the national park and be close to the animals (don't get too excited as most of the animals start running away from you even when you are miles away approaching them so you don't really get to get too close to them).




One can spot many geothermal point where white smoke rises from the ground into the air. My first impression when we first passed the Elsa gate was : disappointing. The national was dry and apart from the impression formation of the rocks there was pratically nothing much about this place which I would be excited about, not even the Fischer Gorge which they talk so much about.
However, I am glad that it was not the case and this journey was not a total waste as when we decided to hike from the picnic site. We were anticipating to see the gorge however, until today I have no clue if we have seen but I am convinced that we have as the hike did reveal the beauty of the gorge. Our self volunteered guide has led us through a trail (dried up river due to the dry season) and I must salute his patience with us as we never stop taking our own sweet time posing for a great vanity shot of ourselves and God's marvelous creation.


We only took the trail from the picnic site on foot, the rest was by car. I would advise you to do the same unless you are that desperate for exercise. Although the Buffalo Circuit was noted the best scenery trail, it was not the case as we weren't sure if we actually went on it and the sight was not that impressive. Then again, perhaps it's the dry season that made the scenery so dull.
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Amboselli
Author: Yellow Duckie
•15:54
Would one national park differ one from another? Answer is yes. I must admit that when we have decided to visit Amboselli National Park, I was not that keen on the safari, instead for a relaxing weekend with good company and of course, to catch a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.

The journey from Nairobi right to the doorstep of our villa was unexpectedly long. We were expecting only a 4 hour drive, however it turned out to be about more than 5 hours. Rattling along the Mombasa Road to Namanga and straight to Amboselli National was not unbearable with the company of great friends.
The moment we drive up to the Amboselli National Park's gate, we thought we were there...unfortunately the long wait during the ticket adminstration has taken longer than expected and plus the fact that our lodge is still an hour drive away, we were completely restless when we got to the Villa. ( I would strongly recommend this villa for big groups)http://www.oltukailodge.com/

The landscape of this national park is quite flat and barren. Although some parts of the national parks has got beautiful view of the lake but I find that the number of animals here are disappointing. If you are looking for elephants, here is definitely "d" place for you as they can be seen literally almost everywhere in the park. As for the cats, we only caught sight of 2 teenage lions with their messy half grown mane that makes the the "ugliest" lions I've seen thus far. To avoid discouraging you further, it could be that we were there at the wrong season to catch the cats (lions, cheetah, leopards)..just our luck.




At certain part of the national park, you could find yourself drawn to the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in full view (clear sky). The Ol Tukai Lodge where we stayed gives you a full view of the mountain at the door step of your villa or lodge. We never regret a single moment of having to wake up at 6 am for it.



Another interesting point to visit is the Observation Hill Walk trail which is quite an easy hike from the bottom to the top for the bird's eyes view of the national park.
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