Africa Trip Part 4: The Guide Book Comparison

During my trip I used 5 different guidebooks.

For general safari planning, you can't go wrong with Fodor's THE COMPLETE AFRICAN SAFARI PLANNER which covers Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls. For each country, the guide covers the gateway city, the must-see parks, the if-you-have-time parks and beach escapes. It also gives you great tips on the ins and outs of safaris including what to expect, what to wear, what to bring and more. It was thanks to this guide that we decided we must go to Ngorogoro Crater and Lamu. Though I didn't end up using any of the eating or sleeping listings, I enjoyed the wealth of cultural information presented throughout. Definitely a keeper. It may even inspire me to go on more safaris!

As for day-to-day guides, we used the Lonely Planet's EAST AFRICA as well as country guides from Footprint covering Kenya and Tanzania. All three offered a good mix of both affordable listings and more upscale locales. I found the Lonely Planet to be more reliable in general, although current phone numbers can be a problem in both publisher's books. Your best bet is to check the listing's website for the most current contact details. We had a devil of a time finding the number for Robert's Camp in Baringo, though it didn't turn out to be a problem since we ended up being the only guests.

Footprint's KENYA HANBOOK is current as of March 2009 but some of the information didn't get double-checked when they printed the new edition. For example, the guide claims Diamond Village (where we stayed) has pit latrines, but they've had en-suite flush toliets since 2005. Oops! What I do really like about the Footprint guides are the hard covers and the excellent maps.

The book I used the most during my trip was Lonely Planet's WATCHING WILDLIFE EAST AFRICA. Not only is it full of excellent color pictures and detailed information about species you are likely to encounter, it also has a whole section covering each national park in East Africa and what wildlife you may find there (and in what areas specifically). Whenever our guide would point out a new bird (for example), I would pull out the book and read all about it. The only think I was really missing was a checklist so I could keep track of what I'd seen and what I still needed to track down.

What guidebooks do you like to use when you travel?

Book Review: Notes from My Travels by Angelina Jolie

When I heard that actress Angelina Jolie had published her diaries of some of her trips as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), I was mildly interested. Especially when I read that she went to Ecuador and Cambodia, two countries I've visited myself. So when I saw a copy in the Diamond Villiage library in Lamu, I picked it up and started reading.

As she admits herself, Angelina is not a good writer. She tends to repeat herself and is vague on many of the pertinent details of her trips. What impressed me, however, is her willingness to fade into the background and give the spotlight to UN employees and the refugees themselves. She goes into hellholes that very few of us would be willing to endure and never makes a single complaint - all the name of greater awareness for the plight of refugees.

I don't have the book with me anymore, but a particular passage that has stuck with me is Jolie's mechanism for coping with extremely high temperatures - she simply thinks of opening her refrigerator back home and getting a blast of cold air. I'll have to try that next time I am in the sweltering heat.

An interesting aside - Angelina was recently in Kenya visiting the Dadaab refugee camp for displaced Somalis. The friends I was visiting in Kenya told me that their neighbor, Damien from New Zealand, works with UNHCR Kenya and met Angelina. During a neighborly Sunday cookout he told us about his experience with her and he confirmed that she is genuinely interested in improving refugees' lot, is exceedingly humble, and took time to get pictures with everyone who wanted one. Apparently Damien's picture with her hangs in a special place :)

NOTES FROM MY TRAVELS is available in paperback.

Africa Trip Part 3: The Baby Animal Extravaganza

During our stay in Kenya and Tanzania, we went to quite a few national parks and reserves and were lucky enough to see all of the big five (elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino and leopard) and get a decent picture of 4 (all except the leopard who was too quick for us). We saw zebras, giraffes, tons of different antelopes and birds, hippos, crocs, jackels, warthogs, 1 hyena, and the highlight - a mother cheetah with 3 cubs, out on a walk for the very first time.

Cheetah and cubs:

Black rhino and baby:

A hippo who might just eat its baby:

Baby topi:

Here are my two favorite lion pictures (sans cubs).

Chillin:

Up (too) close (in Ngorogoro, animals are more used to cars and are less skittish):

And just for fun, a very cheeky Starling (who flew off with our bread roll):

Book Review: The Mark by Jen Nadol

I was so captivated by this premise: Cassie can see a faint glow around the heads of people who are about to die. Why does she have such a strange power and does she have the moral responsibility to tell what she knows?

Cassie is rather more robust than your typical teen. Once her nana dies, she’s entirely on her own – except for an aunt who could care less about her – but she takes it in stride. Her power isolates her too - she doesn’t really engage with others much, with the exception of college student Lucas who pushes her to “use” her “talent”. The ups and downs of their rocky relationship feel authentic and add to the dramatic tension (though some readers might be put off by what amounts to statutory rape, albeit unwitting).

What I most enjoyed was the exploration of philosophical questions which gave the novel depth beyond that of a typical YA read. It was, however, a tad convenient to have Cassie actually audit a philosophy class in which Lucas was the TA. In fact, quite a few aspects of the plot came off as too convenient which makes the narrative feel overly “outlined” and not as fresh as it could be considering the very original revelation we get at the end of the novel. I could totally imagine (and hope for) a kick-a** sequel, Ms. Nadol.

THE MARK comes out in hardcover on January 19, 2010. Find out more about it (and read an excerpt) on the author’s website.

Africa Trip Part 2: Huts and Tents

I'm still going through all my trip pictures (I took well over 500 - unusual for me), but I'll go ahead and show you a few places we spent the night.

The scariest place we stayed in was a banda at Robert's Camp at Lake Baringo, Kenya where we were the ONLY guests. Bandas are simple huts with a bed inside but no bathroom. To use the bathroom, you have to brave a whole herd of grumpy hippos in the pitch black night. So you don't use the bathroom once the sun sets.

Here's the hut:

Here are the hungry hippos:

We also stayed in one of Diamond Villiage's huts on the beach in the World Heritage listed town of Lamu on the northern Kenyan coast (yep, pretty close to Somalia). Kenya's national motto is Hakuna Matata (which means "No problem" - something you know if you've watched Disney's The Lion King) and it's especially true in Lamu. They also like to say Pole Pole ("slowly, slowly") and people here are very relaxed and mellow - a welcome change from the bustle of Nairobi. This would have been paradise if it weren't for the swarms of mosquitos and sand flies who were not the least bit put off by repellent and abundant smoking coils.

Our hut (which seemed to me like something out of The Mosquito Coast - before it burned down of course):

Probably our favorite accomodation was our tent at the luxury tented camp Mara Siria in the Masai Mara National reserve. Very comfortable bed, a hot "bush" shower, a gorgeous view and nary a mosquito in sight.

And finally, here's our friends' place in Nairobi. It is on a compound with electric fences and around the clock guards. You'll notice too that there are bars on all the windows and doors. They don't call the place "Nairobbery" for nothing.

That's all for now. Lots of baby animals soon!

Library Thing Tuesday (81) + Picture of Emmy

This week's question from Wendi: Have you ever participated in SantaThing (it is in its third year)? If so, what did you like? Dislike? Are you planning to participate this year?

I never have, though I do think it sounds fun in theory. Since I've already signed up for a bookish Secret Santa this year though (The Book Blogger Holiday Swap), I better resist the temptation! Maybe next year....

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While we were in Africa, dear friends of ours hosted our kittehs at their house and documented their naughtiness on Facebook. Here's my favorite picture they posted:

That Finn sure looks comfy. All he needs is the remote a little closer to his paw.

I'm Back! (Africa Trip Part 1)

Just got back this morning from my 18 day trip to Kenya and Tanzania (in case you've wondered why I haven't commented on your blog in ages...). I only spent about 3 hrs of that time on the Internet, and it really was a welcome break.

I read 5 books (besides travel guides) on my vacation, including two for the Chunkster Challenge (reviews coming up):

THE MARK by Jen Nadol

A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE by Anita Shreve

NOTES FROM MY TRAVELS by Angelina Jolie

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett

We were visiting good friends in Nairobi, so we spent quite a few days there just hanging out in their house, going to restaurants, attending the Guy Fawkes Day fireworks (sponsored by the British Embassy) and looking at real estate (they intend to move house). Not the typical tourist stuff - though we did do that too, including a trip to the Langata Giraffe Centre and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Baby Elephant Orphanage.

Daniel and a new pal:

Baby elephant:

More soon, including our trips to:

Hell's Gate National Park

Lakes Bogoria and Baringo

Lamu (World Hertiage Site)

Masai Mara National Reserve

Ngorogoro Crater (World Heritage Site)

Arusha National Park

Library Thing Tuesday (80) + Picture of Emmy

Still in Kenya, but I couldn't let you go a week without Emmy and Finn.

This one I like to call - "well, I didn't want to work today anyway."

Enjoy!

Book Review: How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

Carly has "never met a book she liked" so her well-to-do parents decide to hire an author to write a novel just for her - one she'll have to love. Hilarity ensues.

This is an ambitious, smart novel which I highly enjoyed. Not only does it have a very original structure - sections are divided by literary device - but it also presents main characters that are worth spending time with. I loved the relationship between Carly and her crush/best friend - golden boy alcoholic and avid reader Hunter. But the relationships between supporting characters, such as Carly's author, Bree, and her college chum and literary idol Justin (who happens to live in Carly's community) are just as compelling.

This is one of those that you could definitely read a second time and pick up on a lot that you might have missed the first time around. I thought some of the novels within the novel sounded brilliant and I wouldn't mind reading them too!

One of my favorite quotes:

"Not until she'd met Hunter had she even given any thought to what kind of person she wanted to be. Before Hunter it had never even occurred to her that you could choose." (p 199)

HOW TO BUY A LOVE OF READING is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

Library Thing Tuesday (79) + Picture of Emmy

I'm in Kenya right now, so most likely no LT Tuesday today for me. But you still get Emmy and Finn (aren't I generous?).

Our printer broke recently, but at least it is still good for something: